Orphan Black 4x01
My show is back! Okay, it's been back for two weeks. Whatever.
We've been wanting a Beth flashback episode for ages, and now it's finally here. Maslany does a great job of giving us enough of Beth and her world for us to feel like we really know her.
I really like the way the beginning and the ending of the episode play on expectations. In the beginning, we think Art's calling Sarah, until we see Paul, and we realize it's Beth. (Well, I knew it was Beth because I saw trailer footage. This is why spoilers suck.) Then at the end, we assume Art is calling Beth until we see Kira and realize it's Sarah.
I love the way M.K. says, "Don't trust anyone next to you," and then we immediately see that Paul is next to Beth. It's not a subtle piece of directing, but it's the sort of thing I like.
The fact that Beth's addiction was a serious one, and just about everyone knew about it really helps sell the idea that Sara could impersonate Beth for as long as she did without anyone deciding that Beth was acting just too weird.
I don't really like the revelation that Beth and Art slept together (nor did I like the reveal that Art had romantic feelings for Beth in the first place), but over all, seeing their relationship made me feel even more for Art, and how much of mess the clone conspiracy made of his life. He wants desperately to help Beth, but she can't let him. And then imagine what he must have been thinking when he found out about the clones. How many pieces fell into place, and how much between him and Beth will simply never make sense? (And, seriously, he and Beth sleep together, and the next thing he knows she's calling him telling him she killed a civilian. Fuck, Art, your life.)
Watching Beth's world circle down the drain was incredibly effective. And boy was she messed up! Now without reason, of course, but still. That scene when she's standing behind Paul with the gun to his head was chilling. And, god, poor Beth with Paul's attempts to make her doubt herself. "Do you realize how paranoid that sounds?" That shit is classic gaslighting.
Like I think all of fandom, I'd assumed that Beth had shot Maggie Chen on purpose to protect the clones. Instead, she had no idea who Chen was, and really thought she killed an innocent person. So, there's another thing pushing her toward the edge.
Really, the entire episode is Beth's world closing in on her. Her face when she realized that Det. Duko was Neolution. Yet another person who was supposed to be looking out for her that she can't trust.
A flashback episode is the perfect excuse to see old characters again, so in addition to Paul, we get Dr. Leekie, Olivier, and, my favorite, Janis Beckwith, the delightfully morbid coroner from season one. It's an also an excuse to play, "Where were they then?" so, we get to see Felix in the police station, where we learn that he once committed public urination as part of a performance art piece. We also got to see Ramon, who I'd also missed. By the time he left the show, Ramon must have thought that Alison had a very large, very similar looking family.
I'm naturally excited about the new clone, M.K. It's been confirmed that her name comes from Project MKUltra, a fact I greatly enjoy.
I'm interested in this renewed focus on Neolution. There were hints last season that they were much more than they appeared during season one, which was primarily a bunch of club kids who had read too much Leekie. Season two really emphasized Dyad as the threat, with Leekie as an ego that outstripped his importance, with the Proletheans as secondary villains. Season three was largely about Castor and the military, with Dyad still there as a major threat. We'll see what season four does.
I loved Alison's little bit with the gun. "I just want to blast something right now." It's not just a funny line; it says a lot about Alison's character.
Lastly, am I really, really weird that I really wanted to see the dead dude's surgically bifurcated penis? Yeah, I probably am.
This entry was originally posted at http://veleda-k.dreamwidth.org/459233.html. Please consider commenting there.
We've been wanting a Beth flashback episode for ages, and now it's finally here. Maslany does a great job of giving us enough of Beth and her world for us to feel like we really know her.
I really like the way the beginning and the ending of the episode play on expectations. In the beginning, we think Art's calling Sarah, until we see Paul, and we realize it's Beth. (Well, I knew it was Beth because I saw trailer footage. This is why spoilers suck.) Then at the end, we assume Art is calling Beth until we see Kira and realize it's Sarah.
I love the way M.K. says, "Don't trust anyone next to you," and then we immediately see that Paul is next to Beth. It's not a subtle piece of directing, but it's the sort of thing I like.
The fact that Beth's addiction was a serious one, and just about everyone knew about it really helps sell the idea that Sara could impersonate Beth for as long as she did without anyone deciding that Beth was acting just too weird.
I don't really like the revelation that Beth and Art slept together (nor did I like the reveal that Art had romantic feelings for Beth in the first place), but over all, seeing their relationship made me feel even more for Art, and how much of mess the clone conspiracy made of his life. He wants desperately to help Beth, but she can't let him. And then imagine what he must have been thinking when he found out about the clones. How many pieces fell into place, and how much between him and Beth will simply never make sense? (And, seriously, he and Beth sleep together, and the next thing he knows she's calling him telling him she killed a civilian. Fuck, Art, your life.)
Watching Beth's world circle down the drain was incredibly effective. And boy was she messed up! Now without reason, of course, but still. That scene when she's standing behind Paul with the gun to his head was chilling. And, god, poor Beth with Paul's attempts to make her doubt herself. "Do you realize how paranoid that sounds?" That shit is classic gaslighting.
Like I think all of fandom, I'd assumed that Beth had shot Maggie Chen on purpose to protect the clones. Instead, she had no idea who Chen was, and really thought she killed an innocent person. So, there's another thing pushing her toward the edge.
Really, the entire episode is Beth's world closing in on her. Her face when she realized that Det. Duko was Neolution. Yet another person who was supposed to be looking out for her that she can't trust.
A flashback episode is the perfect excuse to see old characters again, so in addition to Paul, we get Dr. Leekie, Olivier, and, my favorite, Janis Beckwith, the delightfully morbid coroner from season one. It's an also an excuse to play, "Where were they then?" so, we get to see Felix in the police station, where we learn that he once committed public urination as part of a performance art piece. We also got to see Ramon, who I'd also missed. By the time he left the show, Ramon must have thought that Alison had a very large, very similar looking family.
I'm naturally excited about the new clone, M.K. It's been confirmed that her name comes from Project MKUltra, a fact I greatly enjoy.
I'm interested in this renewed focus on Neolution. There were hints last season that they were much more than they appeared during season one, which was primarily a bunch of club kids who had read too much Leekie. Season two really emphasized Dyad as the threat, with Leekie as an ego that outstripped his importance, with the Proletheans as secondary villains. Season three was largely about Castor and the military, with Dyad still there as a major threat. We'll see what season four does.
I loved Alison's little bit with the gun. "I just want to blast something right now." It's not just a funny line; it says a lot about Alison's character.
Lastly, am I really, really weird that I really wanted to see the dead dude's surgically bifurcated penis? Yeah, I probably am.
This entry was originally posted at http://veleda-k.dreamwidth.org/459233.html. Please consider commenting there.