What I’m Watching: Orphan Black

Orphan Black: Season 3, Episode 7 “Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate” (B+)

This show has the most fantastic and unique tone, and this episode illustrates that superbly. There are no words to describe the awesome sight of Helena wearing a cowboy hat getting ready to spar with Mrs. S (after eating, of course) in a bar in Mexico, and kudos to Mrs. S for taking the beating and then still sticking around to prove her loyalty to one of her daughters. Pairing that with Allison and Donnie getting caught up in a drug deal while she was supposed to be in the middle of her was perfect, and that situation was all over the place, with Donnie flirting in Portuguese one second and then nearly having his nose amputated the next. Meeting Allison’s mother explains a lot about the person that she is, and it was good to see her take a stand and tell her off, ultimately getting her vote after a stirring speech that took over at just the right moment from Cosima nearly outing Allison as a lesbian (ally). I like that Jason kissed Cosima thinking she was Allison and that she just shrugged it off and later asked Allison if she was having an affair. Delphine showing up while Cosima and Shay were in bed together was highly invasive, and it does seem like Shay is just concerned for Cosima’s wellbeing without any ulterior motives aside from being a jealous girlfriend. I enjoyed the strange seriousness of Scott teaching Rachel how to play a game that seems to very strongly resemble Settlers of Catan while actually decoding the book, and that, as usual for this show, she needs an audience with the one and only Sarah, the definition of a supporting character in this hour, to reveal the latest big secret.