by Verushka Byrow
Last week, the first episode of season two neatly recapped where season one left off, without ever leaving viewers feeling like the show was lagging – it was paced brilliantly, and pretty much hit the ground running. The end of the episode left me on the edge of my seat because Sarah, now without any options, turned to Art for help to find Kira.
Last week, the first episode of season two neatly recapped where season one left off, without ever leaving viewers feeling like the show was lagging – it was paced brilliantly, and pretty much hit the ground running. The end of the episode left me on the edge of my seat because Sarah, now without any options, turned to Art for help to find Kira.
The ending promised something good for Art, a much ignored character in season one. As Beth’s partner, the clone that set Sarah on this path, he spent season one on the outskirts, never fitting in and it seemed more and more that he had no place in a show where everyone knew about Clone Club. Episode one this season promised we would see him find out and change the path of the show and the series.
And, in episode two, the show completely cut the legs out from under that by robbing Art and viewers of his reaction.
And, in episode two, the show completely cut the legs out from under that by robbing Art and viewers of his reaction.
Yup, after season one and last week, we didn’t get to see Art’s reaction to Sarah’s story of clones, and that’s half the fun in this series – seeing how characters react to the most incredible of stories. Instead, when this episode opens, Art is in cop-mode, utterly focused on finding Kira, with the barest hints of surprise about Sarah’s story.
With Sarah and Kira, the show is slowly letting viewers in to the bigger pieces of a puzzle – I suspect much of the early episodes this season are going to be frustrating this way. We glimpse, in the beginning of the ep, Kira calling Felix from a room where she’s being held captive. Sarah and Art go to find her, as does Daniel, but Kira is long gone. And interestingly, the hotel clerk says Kira was with a guy and not Mrs S. So where is Mrs S?
Daniel turns up, and as Art is dealing with him, Sarah follows a mysterious trail of clothes to a car and a guy who tells her he’ll take her to Kira. And here’s the thing – he does. Kira, with Mrs S, is at a safe house, a contact of Siobhan’s – called the Birdwatchers -- and not the Prolethans. So where is the other Kira?
The Prolethans capture Helena, and kill her controller freeing her from Tomas, a religious zealot we saw in season one that brainwashed her into thinking she had to kill the other clones. Hank, the leader of this faction of Prolethans who believe in the importance of science, want to use Helena for their own ends, possibly to find out if she, like Sarah, can have a child. She’s going from one fire to another in essence. We also glimpse other clones on this Prolethan farm, which is a big old anvil that perhaps Kira’s clone is out there as well. Could Sarah be an Amelia in the making?
These two parts of the story come to a head when Mrs S tells Sarah she has never had anything to do with the Prolethans, effectively painting herself and Project LEDA as the third parties interested in the clones. Her aim is to take Kira back to the UK while Sarah sorts her life out, but Mrs S – very violently -- finds out her friends have been compromised by the Prolethans, and she can’t trust them. She lets Kira and Sarah escape to find Felix, so they can go on the run together.
With Sarah and Kira, the show is slowly letting viewers in to the bigger pieces of a puzzle – I suspect much of the early episodes this season are going to be frustrating this way. We glimpse, in the beginning of the ep, Kira calling Felix from a room where she’s being held captive. Sarah and Art go to find her, as does Daniel, but Kira is long gone. And interestingly, the hotel clerk says Kira was with a guy and not Mrs S. So where is Mrs S?
Daniel turns up, and as Art is dealing with him, Sarah follows a mysterious trail of clothes to a car and a guy who tells her he’ll take her to Kira. And here’s the thing – he does. Kira, with Mrs S, is at a safe house, a contact of Siobhan’s – called the Birdwatchers -- and not the Prolethans. So where is the other Kira?
The Prolethans capture Helena, and kill her controller freeing her from Tomas, a religious zealot we saw in season one that brainwashed her into thinking she had to kill the other clones. Hank, the leader of this faction of Prolethans who believe in the importance of science, want to use Helena for their own ends, possibly to find out if she, like Sarah, can have a child. She’s going from one fire to another in essence. We also glimpse other clones on this Prolethan farm, which is a big old anvil that perhaps Kira’s clone is out there as well. Could Sarah be an Amelia in the making?
These two parts of the story come to a head when Mrs S tells Sarah she has never had anything to do with the Prolethans, effectively painting herself and Project LEDA as the third parties interested in the clones. Her aim is to take Kira back to the UK while Sarah sorts her life out, but Mrs S – very violently -- finds out her friends have been compromised by the Prolethans, and she can’t trust them. She lets Kira and Sarah escape to find Felix, so they can go on the run together.
Alison, in the meantime, is slowly losing it. She’s glimpses Donnie’s phone during Aynsley’s funeral, and realises she’s made a mistake – that Donnie, not Aynsley was her monitor. She and Felix come up with a plan to prove as much, and they’re successful, but only because Donnie seems like such a bumbling fool despite the skill he showed last season at avoiding Alison finding out.
It’s enough to push Alison over the edge, and back to drinking and popping pills. She calls Felix for help, but he and Sarah are already leaving with Kira and it’s a cold moment when Alison realises she’s entirely alone with a contract with Rachel, and a monitor for her husband. But, interestingly Felix is dressed like a male-Alison – very formal attire, even as he’s cutting her loose. I wonder if his allegiances are shifting? He’s getting pretty tired of hanging around, waiting for Sarah to make the getaway with him and Kira she’s always promised.
All that works well, despite it’s flaws, but it’s with Cosima and Delphine that I was left scratching my head again – last week, we saw Cosima determined that Leeki never find out she’s sick. Never mind working for him, but this week she’s apparently working with Leeki – how did this happen again? How did she get convinced to come in and it’s pretty heavily implied that Rachel knows she’s sick, and Cosima, genius that she is, should have realised that Delphine gave her up. How does she not know given where she is?
We do get our first glimpse of Rachel and Cosima interacting though and it’s such a clash of fire and ice – Cosima flows everywhere, mostly against Delphine, but she oozes a confident sexuality. Rachel on other hand is an ice queen, stiff and proper and I have to keep reminding myself this is one actress!
All in all a flawed episode, despite it’s strengths. Here’s hoping the episodes find their feet quickly.
It’s enough to push Alison over the edge, and back to drinking and popping pills. She calls Felix for help, but he and Sarah are already leaving with Kira and it’s a cold moment when Alison realises she’s entirely alone with a contract with Rachel, and a monitor for her husband. But, interestingly Felix is dressed like a male-Alison – very formal attire, even as he’s cutting her loose. I wonder if his allegiances are shifting? He’s getting pretty tired of hanging around, waiting for Sarah to make the getaway with him and Kira she’s always promised.
All that works well, despite it’s flaws, but it’s with Cosima and Delphine that I was left scratching my head again – last week, we saw Cosima determined that Leeki never find out she’s sick. Never mind working for him, but this week she’s apparently working with Leeki – how did this happen again? How did she get convinced to come in and it’s pretty heavily implied that Rachel knows she’s sick, and Cosima, genius that she is, should have realised that Delphine gave her up. How does she not know given where she is?
We do get our first glimpse of Rachel and Cosima interacting though and it’s such a clash of fire and ice – Cosima flows everywhere, mostly against Delphine, but she oozes a confident sexuality. Rachel on other hand is an ice queen, stiff and proper and I have to keep reminding myself this is one actress!
All in all a flawed episode, despite it’s strengths. Here’s hoping the episodes find their feet quickly.
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