Orphan Black - Newer Elements of Our Defense - Review

  Orphan Black continued its third season last Sunday on BBC America with an all new episode titled “Newer Elements of Our Defense”. It was a great and pivotal episode for Orphan Black.  After the revelation the Leda and Castor are actually related, brother and sisters, the bond between the two camps is slowly growing.
   In “Newer Elements of Our Defense””, we witnessed Sarah and Mark working together, getting to know each other better. It was a great and so interesting dynamic to watch, and I can’t wait to see more of it (especially now it’s two clones against two !!). But that will be for next week…

   First, “Newer Elements of Our Defense” began with the shocking revelation Mark didn’t die, he was shot but not killed. Apparently Gracie’s mother had other plans in mind for him, to make him pay for what he did to Gracie and the proletheans. but Sarah saved him, as he’s her brother and also her only hope to find Helena.
   I’ve very much enjoyed Sarah and Mark’s relationship through the entire episode. It was really fun and interesting to watch them talk and evaluate each other. They’re both very much alike, in a way. It was so gross when Sarah helped Mark with his bullet in the leg but I was really happy Sarah helped him, in exchange for more info still, but she could have let him being taken by the Proletheans. She called 911 at least before leaving him unconscious.

   Thanks to Mark, Sarah went back to his former motel room with Gracie and she found Johanssen’s box. It used to contain the original samples but there were only papers left now. Very interesting papers it turned out. Sarah and Cosima found out Johanssen was Dr Hendrix's assistant and he stole the Castor original sample… So he could implant it with his wife’s egg in her and make a baby. That was crazy. The baby would have the original Castor DNA sequence. The baby was basically the only chance for the clones to cure themselves, or at least to reconstitute the genome.
   Finding that baby was number one on Sarah’s list and Mark helped her to go look for that baby. Mark knew the baby didn't live very long and where he was buried. So, they went and they digged up his grave. Honestly, I thought the body wouldn’t be there. I don’t know why but it seemed too easy to find the dead body with the genome. But it was there. Sarah and Mark had it, just for a moment, as Mark passed out and Sarah was attacked by Rudy ! Damn

   Rudy and Sarah’s chase in that farm was particularly scary. Rudy is such a psycho, Ari Millen is really impressive with that part. I feared for Sarah’s life because Rudy would totally hurt her… And he was about to when he found her, only Mark stopped him revealing he was actually his superior officer. I’ve never saw that one coming. I can’t wait to find out more about Rudy and Mark's relationship, especially with Rudy's problem toward authority (he says Mark's name in the same way tha he does with Paul. He just hates superiors)
   So, Sarah was taken down by Mark and Rudy, and from the promo for next week, it looks like she will be rejoining Helena in the base. Can’t wait to see the sisters reunited, against the brothers and the Doctor.

   This week, Helena had way more to do than last week in the base. Her scorpion friend was back and it’s becoming one of my favorite part in Orphan Black this year. Maslany’s voice is just amazing, and each lines of the scorpion are so fun and true.  Anyways, Helena planned to escape the base. So first, she threw a tantrum, throwing her shit against Miller. That was hilarious. They tried to put her down but she had expected it. Helena woke up and walked into the base, a little drugged and watched Doctor Coady doing one of her experiments. At first, it was not clear, as Helena wasn’t feeling good. After some rest, and after some biting on a bone, Helena successfully got out of her cell (a key shaped in a bone with her teeth... I can believe Heena did that). I’ve never doubted Helena, she always proved to be resourceful. I’m so glad she survived the first season. At first, I liked that Sarah killed her back then, she was crazy but after the last season and this one, it's clear Helena is a huge part of Orphan Black.

   Helena stopped during her escape when she saw where Dr Coady made her experimentation. Something intrigued her and she was right. A new male clone was revealed inside : Parsons. He wasn’t very well. He was tied up to a chair, with part of his skull open. His brain had that weird grey color. Poor Parsons, he had the sickness but Coady was testing and watching how it was affecting (and killing) him. It was kind of cruel for her to do that, but as a scientist, it was part of her job. She can't be Mother all the time
   I was glad Helena chose to kill Parsons, making her escape impossible. She sacrificed her freedom for Parsons, because she knows what those scientific tests can do, how they can damage. It was so touching to watch Hemena bond with Parsons, they bother suffered from painful scientific experiments. Helena showed empathy for one of her brothers, ignoring he was one of them. I really appreciated that gesture from Helena, with the help of Sarah and her sisters, she has become more human.

    This week again, Allison and Cosima had less to do than Sarah and Helena. Their stories are interesting (especially Allison) but since the start of the season, they have been kept outside of the loop. Cosima is getting better from last season and recovering from her breakup with Delphine while Allison is super busy being a new drug dealer and a future school trustee (she has to win it !).
    Cosima tried to decipher The Island of Docteur Moreau with Scott but as they were missing a key, it turned out to be impossible. So, she spent her time with her new BFF, Felix and they went drinking. I’m such a big fan of Felix, and his relationship with each sisters. I’m so thrilled Cosima and him are developping a stronger and more profound relationship. They both need it.
   Cosima isn’t in a good place since she almost died. She’s getting more and more interested in her spiritual side since the season premiere. I’m really looking forward more to it, I can’t wait to see her in that place, putting everything she knew, everything she believed in in the balance. Science may not be the answer to everything.

    And as for Allison, this week again she had the funniest elements of the show. Her story as a drug dealer with Donnie is just hilarious. I’m so glad the writers decided to team them up and make them such a funny duo. They have the best couple dynamic ever.
    So this week, Allison and Donnie’s little business was threatened by a drug lord. At first, I was quite stressed and worried about them. Allie and Donnie are too nice to deal with drug lords etc… Well, it’s true Donnie already killed someone with a gun but it was an accident… The meeting really got me stressed for Allison.. But then it turned out to be so unexpected. In every situation, Allison can always find a way out of any situations. The drug lord turned out to be one of her former high school flame. How cute… They were very good together, I can’t wait to see how their relationship will develop, will Donnie be jealous of him ? Allison will kick ass as a drug dealer... But she doesn't want to go far...



    “Newer Elements of Our Defense”was another excellent and epic hour of television, Orphan Black keeps on rocking its third season. Can’t wait to see where it will take us, Sarah and Helena’s stories are going to get very exciting as they’ll be locked up together.
   My only minor disappointment is that Allison and Cosima are left out the main story. Allison is fun but I wish she would be more implicated in the Castor drama, and for Cosima, she seems really better now, more healthy so maybe she can do something. I’ve been missing Delphine and Rachel too. I get Dyad is not in the middle of what’s going on for the moment… They're doing nothing against Castor ?
   What did you think of “Newer Elements of Our Defense” ? Were you surprised by Mark’s return and Parsons’s passing ? Hit the comments

Clones notes :

- So poor Gracie lost her baby and so she lost her family too. She’s better without them anyways but what will happen to her ?
- How thrilled were you when Donnie mentioned "Breaking Bad" ?
- So Gracie's mother had a Castor original baby... That woman so weird.
- Blind man in charge freaked me out
- Mark wants out of the military... I'm not sure Coady and Paul will let him.

About the Author - Romain Ossust

I'm a 29 TV addict. Here is a non exhaustive list of my favorite shows : 12 Monkeys, Ab Fab, 24, Alias, American Horror Story, Banhsee, Bates Motel, Black Sails, Carnivale, Daredevil, Daria, Dead Like Me, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, ER, Fargo, Fringe, Game of Thrones, Girls, Grey’s, Hannibal, Homeland, HIMYM, HTGAWM, Looking, Lost, Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Medium, OUAT, OUAT Wonderland, Orange is the New Black, Orphan Black, Pan Am, Penny Dreadful, Person of Interest, Power, Pushing Daisies, Raising Hope, Rectify, Reign, Scandal, Sex & The City, Six Feet Under, Sleepy Hollow, Spartacus, The 100, The Affair, The Americans, The Big C, The Fall, The Killing, The Leftovers, The Missing, The Strain, The Tudors, The Walking Dead, Transparent, True Blood, True Detective, Tyrant, Ugly Betty, United States of Tara, Utopia, V, Veronica Mars, Weeds.
For SpoilerTV, I'm reviewing The Walking Dead, Banshee, American Horror Story, Bates Motel, Girls, & Orphan Black

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