For this week’s recap of “Orphan Black” on BBC America, let’s fast forward to the last part of the episode, where, in a fairly disturbing scene, a drugged Helena (Tatiana Maslany) is an unwilling participant in a marriage ceremony with Henrik (Peter Outerbridge), the leader of the Proletheans. After the two characters are joined in matrimony, Henrik carries Helena over the threshold to an unknown room, with the tone of the scene strongly suggesting she is about to be raped or violated in some way.
This scene comes at an inopportune time given the recent controversy surrounding the use of rape in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” There was nothing graphic in this episode of “Orphan Black,” and who knows what will happen later, but it’s uncomfortable all the same.
Earlier in the episode, Henrik tells his daughter Grace (Zoé De Grand Maison) that Helena is going to be part of their family and that despite any reservations they may have, Helena has a soul and a purpose. Henrik has sinister reasons for wanting Helena to bear a child, but that conversation at least gave the impression that he might try to achieve this goal by treating Helena not with hostility, but with dignity and respect.
One could picture the show taking this other path of Henrik caring for Helena, which along the way, might make him him a more interesting and nuanced villain. Instead, thanks to his actions during the wedding scene, he seems more like a monster. We’ll have to wait until next week to see how this story is ultimately handled, but I’m hoping that “Orphan Black” doesn’t tilt toward “Game of Thrones” plot lines.
The other big development in the episode is the introduction of Cal Morrison (Michiel Huisman), a mountain man with a heart of gold whose life is scored to the bittersweet folk rock stylings of the Toronto-based musician Tim Moxam. He also happens to be – big reveal – the father of Kira (Skyler Wexler).
Kira takes one look at Cal and immediately asks if he is her dad, sparing viewers a drawn-out guessing game of “Is he or isn’t he?” Children with special mind powers are usually bad news for science fiction programs, but when they are used to quickly dispense with unnecessary plot complications, it’s hard to complain.
Instead, Cal creates tension in Sarah’s family, such as it is. Being the good guy that he is, Cal lets Sarah, Kira and Felix (Jordan Gavaris) stay in his home, but his presence turns Felix into the odd man out. This leads to an emotional scene where Felix confronts Sarah about the real reason she brought them all out to the country and she admits to him that Kira deserves a more nourishing life than what they’ve provided for her.
Sarah and Felix’s relationship has always been at the center of “Orphan Black” and while he has ably played the role of loyal friend and sidekick – always standing by Sarah despite her increasingly crazy and dangerous circumstances – it’s obvious from this scene that he thought of himself as something more to Kira. The jealousy and pain that he feels as a result of Sarah looking outside the family they’ve built for themselves to find a father figure for Kira is too much for him. For the first time, he leaves Sarah’s side, assuming that another clone Alison needs him more than she will as long as Cal is around.
Felix’s assumptions about Alison are absolutely correct as she continues to break down without any kind of support. A plea to Cosima for help goes poorly (she’s too busy examining the body of another clone) and the overly aggressive undercover skills of Angela (Inga Cadranel) send Alison further into a paranoid panic. Things finally come to head when she falls off the stage during the opening night performance of “Blood Ties,” most likely due to the mixture of pills and alcohol she ingested backstage. It’s left unclear just how badly she is injured, but I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Alison Hendrix, off-off-off Broadway star.
What did you think of this episode? How did you interpret the wedding scene with Henrik and Helena?
News Source:www.artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com
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