Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Attracting Awful Things

Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1 Episode 9, “Attracting Awful Things,” lives up to its name with some awful things happening. Craig almost dies, Kira discovers Darros has bought the entire United States medical records database, and Charlie gets kidnapped.

It’s not the most uplifting episode! However, it’s a solid penultimate episode leading to the season finale. 

For a show that started very meandering, it has a real sense of purpose now as all the characters are forced to work together to stop Darros. The fact that purpose comes at a personal cost for the characters brings stakes to this futuristic sci-fi cautionary tale and makes you care about the show and the fact there is only one episode left after this.

Instead of ping-ponging back and forth between Jules, Lucy, Kira, and now Eleanor’s stories, they all feel tied together. Each woman has an important role in this and it’s satisfying to see it play out on screen. 

In the process of fighting for, and sometimes losing, their families, they have created a new unconventional one. It’s that aspect of the show that makes it a worthy successor to the original series which emphasized found family as much as sharing DNA. 

Speaking of the original, Orphan Black: Echoes has one more callback up its sleeve for this season. 

If you’ve listened to the audiobook Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, you know Kira is close with Aunt Cosima and Delphine (Evelyne Brochu), so it sort of makes sense Delphine is the second cameo of the season. However, her actual role in the story is abrupt and jarring. 

Sure it’s nice she can give Kira a pep talk and make her feel better about becoming a rogue scientist, but why visit Kira just to stay what seems like less than 24 hours? She’s there to help her break into Darros’ financial records and gone just as fast because she “has” to get back to Cosima. 

As a result, I’m sadly judging this cameo as unecessary fan service instead of important story service. If you’re going to bring these legacy characters back please give them more to do than just remind Kira she’s a good person.

Also, how the heck did Jules not know Kira is the daughter of a clone until this point? 

Her reaction, insisting the famous clones must be “like 110” by now makes me feel old, but maybe that is the point. It’s time for a new-ish generation to take over and Kira is just there to be the glue. 

I’m also not a huge fan of them dragging out this “will-they-won’t-they” about Jack and Lucy staying together. The fact Charlie ends up getting kidnapped by an increasingly deranged Tom isn’t going to assuage Jack’s worries that he’s not protecting his daughter if he stays with Lucy.

Charlie may not want Lucy to abandon her like her mother did, but that emotional angle isn’t enough for me to want this messy couple to stay together. As Craig says, she has to make a choice, and I hope it’s by the end of the season. 

What did you think of this episode of Orphan Black: Echoes? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Orphan Black: Echoes airs Sundays at 10/9c on AMC and BBC America.

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