Orphan Black Season 3 Episodes 2 Thru 3 Reviews: One Big Happy Family?

Three episodes into season 3 and I'm still not on the Castor clones. Maybe they'll grow on me but so far, not so much. In case you need help telling the boys apart, we have Seth (crazy mustached clone), Rudy (scar face clone), Mark (Prolethean clone) and I'm not sure how many more.

More Is Not Necessarily Better

Episode 2 "Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis" begins with Rudy (scar face clone) bringing a girl back to his hotel room. They get busy. She looks up to find Seth joining them. I was afraid she wouldnt survive but they let her go after taking some of her hair. I have no idea why. This is important because she is later interviewed by Art who then tells Beth (ie Sarah) about them.

Paul visits Rudy and Seth. He asks them a series of logic questions while they wear some weird eye gear. An example is "some maggots are flies, no flies are welcome, no maggots are welcome". The answer is false. Seth is having a hard time with the questions.

Meanwhile Scott runs more blood tests on Cosimo. She's doing much better since Kira's bone marrow transplant (and magically healing).

The Donnie and Alison story continues to be one of the highlights of the show for me. Alison of course wants to be a school board trustee. But since Donnie lost his job, they dont have enough money for a campaign. They hatch a plan to take over her previous drug dealer (Ramone's) business. This makes perfect sense to Alison because: 1. Most of his customers are soccer moms (which Alison already knows anyway) and 2. She can get the women to vote for her as well. What could possibly go wrong?

We Love Mangos

Mrs S is still recovering from being beat to a pulp. She is very remorseful about selling out Helena in order to protect Sarah and Kira. Speaking of Helena, she is being interrogated using the same eye gear that the Castors were wearing. Helen is less than cooperative. Once of the questions involves mangos. We know how much Helena LOVES to eat. After consulting with her pet scorpion (Side note: That thing isnt real is it? Im still not sure) she says "Where are these mangos? I'd like to see these mangos". Helena is hilarious. Next she is waterboarded. That is NOT funny. The torture is finally stopped when a woman enters the room. Her name is Dr Virginia Coady. She tells Helena that her family sold her out. Luckily Helena doesnt believe her.

Let's Hope This "Mother" Doesnt Act Like The One On "Bates Motel"

We learn more about the Castors from Dr Coady and elsewhere. They were all raised together in the military. They were trained to be army ghost soldiers since they are off the books. The call Dr Coady "Mother" but it's because she raised them. She's not their biological mother. Each has the same tattoo-- a double headed horse.

Viewers have previously commented on the large number of characters this season. It looks like we're down at least three currently. Delphine has traveled to Europe (to take care of Rachel's business). Cal and Kira are off to hide in Iceland. I'm sad about Delphine. I hope she hurries back soon.

Hot Paul (that's what all the fan girls call him) orders Rudy and Seth back to the base. Instead they head to Sarah's and again put Kira in danger. Are you as tired as I am of seeing that poor girl kidnapped? The Castors want the original genome on which they are based. Of course the Leda girls dont have it (unless the info is hidden in Dr Duncan's book currently in Cosima's possession). Cal approaches Seth outside. I think Cal might die. Instead Seth "glitches out" in front of him. It's apparently a clone seizure. Rudy, figuring out that Sarah is telling the truth, lets Kira go. He sees what's happening with Seth and shoots him in the head. Wow, I didnt see that coming. From their previous interactions we know that Rudy did care about Seth (and was trying to put him out of his misery).

In the last scene, Mark is hold up in a hotel room with Gracie. He hides in the bathroom and burns his tattoo off with a blowtorch. Ouch!!

In episode 3 "Formalized, Complex, and Costly" Art arrives at Felix's flat to find dead Seth in the bathtub. Cosima and Scott Skype in to suggest that they do an autopsy of Seth's brain. They are looking for the "design flaw" that caused Seth glitch out.

Cut over to Mark and Gracie. Her father stole valuable scientific material and Mark had orders to recover it. He says "We're free of your people but we're not free of mine. I have to find it and then I'm free."

Sarah and Art track down the Proletheans' midwife. She tells them Helena is pregnant with Heinrich's child. Gracie was also implanted with Helena and Henrich's kid. Yuck, Gracie is Henrich's daughter. Gracie retrieves a box from Mr Finch but when they open it, no biological samples are inside. Later Art and Sarah show up at Finch's too.

Hello Seth's Brain

Cosima removes Seth's brain for analysis. She finds out the boy clones are the girl clone's brothers. That's not too much of a shock since we thought they were somehow related.

Mark brings Rudy back to the base (which we think is somewhere in the Middle East). Virginia tells Mark their military program is about to be shut down and something about problems with a weapons system. I'm not sure what that is.

Dr Whats-His-Name tests one eyed Rachel with some cue cards (including one with the Castor insignia). He tells her everyone thinks Rachel died in a plane crash. Rachel has neurological and speech problems but is progressing.

I Would Vote For Alison

Alison and Donnie are still working the soccer moms. They're selling drugs (disguised as soap) and trolling for votes.

Beth finds Gracie in a diner. We also learn that Art was in love with Beth (and that's why he keeps helping the girl clones). Next Gracie's mother tracks her down at the motel (courtesy of the midwife that Sarah and Art cornered)..

Mark tortures Finch for info. Sarah arrives but Finch is already dead. Mark threatens Sarah. She tells him they are all related. The donors for both Project Castor and Project Leda were siblings. Mark doesnt like the news. Mrs Johanssen arrives and shoots him the leg. She chases him through the cornfield. We hear a shot but arent sure what happened.

Favorite Quotes:

"I met your brother. He's ugly."- Helena to one of the Castors.
"Where are these mangos? I'd like to see these mangos"- Helena during interrogation.
"Do you really think people are going to trust their children to an infamous alcoholic?"- Marcie to Alison about being school trustee.
"One day I kill you all"- Helena to Mark.
"Keep provoking them and we'll never get any mangos"- Scorpion to Helena.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). I'm still not sold on the boy clones yet but am hanging in there. I also dont much care about the conspiracy. I mainly watch "Orphan Black" for the interaction of the girl clones.