Sabrina Petrafesa ’18 Photo Credit: avclub
This Orphan Black episode, “Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate” was chock-full of revelations and compromises. It was also the first episode to not feature any Castor clones all season and Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) was put on the back burner this entire episode. It was a refreshing change of pace and this episode was incredibly reminiscent of something we would see in season one—this episode had all those little things that hooked us from the first season. There was the clone swapping, Allison (Maslany) being a crazy soccer mom, Cosima (Maslany) being awesome, and we can’t forget the friendship between Allison and Felix (Jordan Gavaris), because, let’s face it, those two could probably rule the world. We were learning about the clones and their lives as people more than the conflict that has been ever-present this season.
After last week’s depressing sacrifice, Sarah is mourning Paul (Dylan Bruce), but the real issue Sarah is having is keeping Helena (Maslany) from killing the only mother Sarah has ever known. Which leads to one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the entire episode: Mrs. S (Maria Doyle Kennedy) punching Helena and immediately consoling her as her own child. Kennedy really made the scene. Her presence on screen dominated Maslany’s and that is no easy feat. She commands the scene as the mother figure as she rocks a shattered Helena just repeating the words “I’m sorry” over and over into Helena’s ear. It was really something to watch even if the scene was so short. Photo Credit: tv.com
The frontrunner of this episode was a hundred percent Allison Hendrix. We learned so much about her past this episode and it was absolutely fantastic. Allison’s scenes with her mother are aggravating mostly because you want to pull your hair out at how awful Allison’s mother is. This is the first time we meet Connie Hendrix (Sheila McCarthy) and here’s hoping it won’t be the last. McCarthy’s rapport with Maslany in their scenes is so flawless, they banter seamlessly as only a mother and daughter can. Especially when in the midst of such an important day for Allison. Not only is she trying to buy her mother’s business, she’s trying to make sure her husband stays in one piece and she woos the crowd and wins the vote for school board trustee. Oh, and there might be something going on between Allison and her ex, who is now her drug dealer boss.
All of this leads to one of the best things to happen in the episode: Cosima dressing and trying to act like Allison. Maslany has shown before how unshakable her portrayal of each clone is even when they’re trying to be each other and that still holds true. As a character, Cosima has never impersonated one of her sisters, and in this episode it looks like Maslany is showing us how uncomfortable Cosima is with this, unlike Sarah who is able to pull off her sister’s accents and little ticks rather well. Maslany playing Cosima playing Allison is just Cosima being super uncomfortable and wanting to get her hair out from under that stupid hat. It’s hysterical watching her slip up and telling a crowd of strangers—who think she’s Allison—“As a lesbian” and the fact that her body language just does not change all that much. It’s amazing to watch such a performance that could be completely butchered by a lesser actor than Maslany. Photo Credit: tv.com
What would a season of Orphan Black be without power team Hendrix/Dawkins though? This episode brought back one of the best platonic relationships the show has created. Felix was the glue that held this episode together. Gavaris kept up that lively presence that Felix always seems to have even in the face of an actual disaster. This comes into play when Cosima and Allison are in the same place where Allison is campaigning, and as Allison’s campaign manager, he obviously has to fix things. It was great seeing Felix in his natural habitat, bossing people around and confidently claiming that they’re “going to dismantle that bitch” about Allison’s competition in this election for calling him “an interesting choice” because he’s gay. Gavaris has had a rough few episodes dealing with blood and brains and hurting family members, it’s fun to see him playing Felix the way we love him: as one of the best friends a person can have with amazing one-liners and on-point remarks about everything around him. In the end, Felix is the only reason the whole day ends up even remotely okay. One of the best Felix moments was him finding out Allison is a drug dealer and him immediately reprimanding her for getting into business with such a shady guy.
This episode also saw the return of Rachel (Maslany), and although her speech may be impaired, she is still as smart as ever. The woman knows when she is outgunned and when to use her cards in her favor. Once she figures that out, she knows that all she has to do is bide her time and stay alive because hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and that woman’s name is Delphine Cormier (Evelyne Brochu). Rachel is right to be scared of Delphine because this season, Brochu has been giving a scary good performance in all of her scenes, even if it’s just rolling Rachel into the lab.
Although the episode lacked in the action that has become the norm for Orphan Black, it was definitely a needed breath of fresh air after last week’s crazy episode. It was one of the most lighthearted episodes and the most fun to watch. It brought viewers back to season one and reminded them why this show is so worth watching. Episode Grade: A
