The thing that struck me about this episode (aside from the staggering body count) was the way it brought together so many themes from the show and resolved them in a way that was at times satisfying and at times devastating but always unexpected. The best episodes of Orphan Black have always been the ones that focus on building suspense up to a shocking conclusion. This episode had the most suspense and the most shocking conclusion thus far, and also managed to somehow fit in a hilarious subplot and a ton of thematic moments.
First of all, let us discuss the subplot, Felix's art party. The series has been casually building this up for a while now, repeatedly showing Felix working on pieces for it in the background for a long time. In this episode all of that set up finally pays off, and for the first time in as long as I can remember Felix feels like a relevant character again. For the past season or two he has been suffering from what I like to call Xander-itis (a character who the writers don't really know what to do with). But in this episode he finally plays a significant role in the main plot once again. He also delivers some of his best one-liners in seasons and a speech that ties a nice bow on top of the whole family dynamic with him and Sarah and Siobahn.
In the main plot of the episode, there is a lot of suspense, a lot of twists, and a lot of major character deaths. I was on the edge of my seat (frequently off it, actually) as each new moment delivered either elation or heartbreak. This is the stuff I was expecting from this season and didn't really get until now. Mind you, the surprisingly slow pace of the previous episodes made this one all the more powerful. I'm just concerned about whether or not they will be able to deliver a satisfying conclusion to all the threads in the two episodes remaining. If this one is anything to judge by I would say yes. Yes they will.
First of all, let us discuss the subplot, Felix's art party. The series has been casually building this up for a while now, repeatedly showing Felix working on pieces for it in the background for a long time. In this episode all of that set up finally pays off, and for the first time in as long as I can remember Felix feels like a relevant character again. For the past season or two he has been suffering from what I like to call Xander-itis (a character who the writers don't really know what to do with). But in this episode he finally plays a significant role in the main plot once again. He also delivers some of his best one-liners in seasons and a speech that ties a nice bow on top of the whole family dynamic with him and Sarah and Siobahn.
In the main plot of the episode, there is a lot of suspense, a lot of twists, and a lot of major character deaths. I was on the edge of my seat (frequently off it, actually) as each new moment delivered either elation or heartbreak. This is the stuff I was expecting from this season and didn't really get until now. Mind you, the surprisingly slow pace of the previous episodes made this one all the more powerful. I'm just concerned about whether or not they will be able to deliver a satisfying conclusion to all the threads in the two episodes remaining. If this one is anything to judge by I would say yes. Yes they will.
