ORPHAN BLACK Returns With Zeal

Episode 2.01 “Nature Under Constraint and Vexed”

 [photos: Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA]

Previously on Orphan Black: Dyad offered a deal to the clone club. Allison decided to take it after accidentally causing the death of her neighbor. Cosima isn’t quite sure who’s trustworthy after discovering Dyad took out a patent on the clones, thus making them “property”. Sarah shot Helena, who had just killed their birth mother. And someone has snatched Kira and Mrs. S.

And away we go!

The second season picks up right after Kira’s been stolen away from the house, with Sarah frantically searching for her daughter before realizing it’s a hopeless endeavor. Her stopping in a diner gives us the introduction to a new thread for the season: religious zealot Mark, who’s a dead shot with a handgun. Sarah manages to get away, but now she’s scrambling with the understanding that Rachel and Leekie have Kira and Mrs. S.

Allison knows a gun dealer named Ramone. That whole setup was rather fun to watch. Allison the soccer mom still has a number of layers. The whole musical theater thing, that’s a nice pickup of a thread from early in the first season — and how many people want to see the murder musical put on by the Glendale Musical Theatre?

And Matthew Bennett can’t quite pull off the “Mr. Smith” look the way Hugo Weaving could…

Meanwhile, Cosima and Delphine continue to work on the DNA sequence, trying to figure out just why Cosima is starting to show signs of respiratory problems, same as the German had. Delphine still shows signs of playing both sides. Which team is she on, exactly? She wants Cosima to join Dyad, and gives Leekie a blood sample. Her reasoning — she’s emotionally invested in Cosima’s well-being because she’s gone past the point of just being the monitor for subject #324B21.

As Leekie prepares for his presentation at the big Dyad event, Pro-Clone Rachel plays a lot of things close to the vest. And it looks very much like she’s “handling” Leekie as much as she’s manipulating events and taking advantage of circumstances beyond her control. And boy, is she cold.

And is it me, or is there a lot of effort being made to put Sarah and Detective Deangelis on opposite sides? It’s almost like there’s going to be a moment of truth when they come to an understanding and one of them comes to the other’s aid. Because the writers sure do want us (and Art) not trusting Angie. Is she part of the Dyad system? Is she maybe Art’s monitor?

The confrontation between Sarah and Rachel is so well-done. The effects work continues to be near-flawless. Rachel continues to be a cold fish, but it’s interesting to see her control slip after Sarah lands on top of her — “No one lays hands on me!” — but then to see that control slip back into place almost immediately when Paul comes into the room.

It looks like Sarah and Art are finally going to have that chat… after Sarah figures out Dyad doesn’t have her family. Art tells her it’s a religious extremist group that are under investigation at the federal level. So just how high up does this thing go? How big is it? Looks like the show will be adding layers on top of its layers this season.

And who’s that stumbling into the hospital?… Helena’s not quite so far gone as we thought.

[Show web site on BBC]