Orphan Black Final Season Premiere Recap: “The Few Who Dare”

Looking back at Orphan Black through the years, it’s amazing to see how much these characters have grown yet stayed the same at the core.

Sarah is still using her wits to survive, Cosima is trying to figure out the science behind everything, Helena hasn’t stopped brutally killing people, Alison is trying to protect her family while keeping up a façade of normalcy, while Rachel is the cold-hearted clone who is steps ahead of her sisters. “The Few Who Dare,” explores these character traits as Orphan Black attempts to regroup everyone’s favorite clones while continuing to ramp up the pressure from the Neolutionists.

“The more things change, the more things stay the same,” could be the phrase that defines Orphan Black as a whole as well as, “The Few Who Dare”. Like so many times before, Sarah spends the episode injured but persistent that she find and save Cosima. She makes her escape into the woods because of a monster (?) that everyone on the island seems to fear which allows her the freedom to move during the night.

She proves once again just how capable at surviving she is by using the final battery life she has on her phone to get directions to the boat and then bandaging her injuries with a tampon as well as some clothing strips. Unfortunately for Sarah by the time she gets to the village (called “Revival”), her sister has no plans to leave considering how close she is to finding a cure for the illness that plagues all of the clones.

Photo Credit: BBC America

Cosima has always been motivated to find a cure for the disease that not only threatens her life but all of the other clones by sticking with the science. She’s spent so much over the past four seasons dedicated to saving them through her research, that it makes sense she would stoop to staying in a potentially dangerous community just to continue. What’s the difference between her working there compared to when she worked under Dr. Leekie?

Revival is called the “heart of Neolution,” by Delphine who says that a one-hundred and seventy-year-old Dr. Westmoreland created to perfect lasting longevity. Of course, Delphine encourages Cosima to stick it out in the village and to follow the “crazy science” before mysteriously disappearing to Sardinia. We’re in the fifth season of Orphan Black, and Delphine’s loyalty still seems shifty even if her love for Cosima is real.

Still, on the island, Rachel continues her rise to the top of the Revival empire in “The Few Who Dare”. Unfortunately for Sarah, her side trip to save Cosima allows Rachel the time she needed to find her most hated sister and shoot her with a tranquilizer. Rachel doesn’t stop there on her clone trip, she also stops off to visit Cosima as well where she offers her assistance. Tatiana Maslany might be five seasons in playing all of these characters, but it’s still incredible to see the nuance and facial expressions she brings for each individual clone.

Photo Credit: BBC America

Cosima’s face as she watches one of her greatest enemies move forward to offer her the cure is heart-breaking. Does she trust Rachel? The woman who has caused so many of them pain or does she run? Luckily, Rachel does indeed help her administer the cure where she also claims that “you and I are going to cure us all”. Is this the beginning of the weirdest odd couple pairing on the show?

Speaking of odd couples, Alison and Donnie are still in hiding with a pregnant Helena in “The Few Who Dare”. Upon hearing the news that her sisters are in trouble, Alison immediately starts packing up to leave with Donnie in tow. Of course, things don’t go as smoothly as planned with armed men kidnapping Alison. In a true-to-form move, Donnie attempts to run for safety by abandoning his wife but runs into an attacker of his own.

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Luckily, Helena is there to save the day with all of her brutal assassin skills but earns a stick through her pregnant belly. To make matters worse, Felix stumbles upon an empty but bloody safe house meaning that Mrs. S and Kira are long gone. Don’t forget about Art though! The detective has gotten himself a new partner, named Maddie Engers, who drops some good old-fashioned Neolution threats against his daughter in exchange for Helena.  With Alison now in the hands of the Neolutionists, will the clones all be reunited on the island or will Felix find Mrs. S prepare to break them out?

Going into the final season of Orphan Black, it’s hard not to wonder who will get a happy ending. “The Few Who Dare,” does a good job of ramping up the pressure to save all of the clones but it also makes one wonder whether all of them will make it through the final season alive. Is the series ramping up to a finale with the clones facing off against their creators or Sarah against Rachel? At this point, it’s hard to tell, but hopefully, the sestras make their way off the island to. With Krystal and MK still free at this point, Felix may get some unlikely allies heading into free his sisters.