'Orphan Black' Recap: As the Stomach Churns

Is there an Emmy for Most Disgusting Sound Effects? If so, that’s yet another award that Orphan Black will be unjustly denied this year. Because if you happened to settle into this week’s episode with a nice sandwich or bowl of raviolis, it wouldn’t have even helped to look away from that brain dissection scene… The sound effects alone would’ve made you vomit. Couple that interminable scene with the later one involving a hammer bludgeoning a finger into a pulp, and “Formalized, Complex, and Costly” was easily one of the hardest-to-watch episodes in Orphan Black history. Which, considering it wasn’t a hugely revelatory episode, may have been the point. It’s like that old saying, “If you can’t surprise 'em, disgust 'em!”

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Orphan Black’s supporting cast has expanded considerably over the past two years, and “Formalized, Complex, and Costly” seemed intent on finally fleshing out many of these under-explored characters. Detective Art Bell (LOL forever at that name) has been basically just “cop dude” since the beginning, a walking plot facilitator and part-time deus ex machina. But this week, in an understated scene with Sarah, we finally got a better sense of why Art’s been so compelled to remain involved in the clone wars: He’d been in love with Beth, his former partner and the suicidal clone that started it all. This scene was a nice one for poor Art, but conversations like these have the added effect of fleshing out Beth as well. Obviously her journey ended when she threw herself in front of a train in the pilot, but we’re still learning about her and what made her tick, which gives us the sense that she’s still somehow haunting the proceedings. That Maslany’s various iterations of the Leda clones are so differentiated has always been one of this show’s strengths, but credit goes to the writers for making even a little-seen dead woman so singular as well.

Other recipients of newly shed light were Gracie and Mark, whose runaway romance in a seedy motel grew more complicated this week. First we discovered that, like Paul before him, Mark had been merely an undercover operative from Project Castor the entire time and had never truly been a Prolethean. Gracie wasn’t thrilled about this revelation, nor was she excited to learn that Mark himself was a clone. So when her mother finally tracked her down and instructed her to return home, not even Gracie’s feelings for Mark could keep her there. Meanwhile Mark did truly seem intent to flee both the Proletheans AND Castor, so that was a lot of dogma to cast off all at once. But he remained intent on finding that original clone DNA, which involved obtaining a mysterious suitcase from a former cult associate (and hammer-torturing him for further info) only to come up short and get himself possibly murdered by Gracie’s revenge-seeking mom. Because that final gunshot was heard-not-seen and constituted the episode’s pre-credits shocker, it’s probably safe to assume Mark’s not dead. But it does appear that we’re heading back to the Proletheans’ compound for another round of zany cult shenanigans.

“Formalized, Complex, and Costly” was surprisingly light on Clone Club business. We got a few scenes with Cosima dissecting Rudy’s skull in Felix’s bathroom (!). We also got one scene with Rachel in which she attempted to relearn how to talk, and it was as affecting as it was sinister — notice how her cognitive abilities improved once her thirst for vengeance kicked in. Helena’s limited screentime involved an amazing moment when she seductively licked her hand and implored Paul to “Come inside… Have another,” before casually promising, “One day I kill you all.” Classic Helena! And Alison’s drug business remains a series highlight. I laughed out loud when Donnie marveled, “We should’ve been drug dealers years ago,” and then laughed even harder later when Alison concluded a confrontation with school board rival Marcie by grumbling, “I need to cut something.” As much as the overall mythology of Orphan Black thrives on drama and suspense, Alison’s storylines always bring us the levity we need to keep breathing. So good.

The episode’s biggest supposed revelation does not actually change much: The Leda source and the Castor source were brother and sister. Which means the female clones and the male clones are also brother and sister. Which means that all clones are siblings. Or something? Doesn’t matter: It’s not like familial bonds have been inherent advantages in these battles. (Just ask Rachel.) Particularly when these characters’ chosen families wield so much more power. If the sight of Seth kneeling and sucking his thumb while hugging his “mom,” the evil military doctor, is any indication, these clones will pledge familial allegiance to anybody.

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Again, for an episode that mostly involved running errands, “Formalized, Complex, and Costly” remained as watchable as ever. That’s Orphan Black’s mutant power: Avoiding the boring at all times. We know it takes time to introduce and flesh out new characters, but it’s frequently at the expense of the old guard (no Mrs. S or Delphine this week; Felix had maybe three lines). Still, it’s hard to argue with the richness that comes from exploring these characters, or how high these interactions will raise the stakes for later in the season when things truly go bonkers. We still have a lot to look forward to, even though we now know we’ll never be able to eat during this show ever again. Because *gag*.

What did YOU think of “Formalized, Complex, and Costly”

Orphan Black airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. on BBC America.