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Orphan Black Recap: “Let the Children and Childbearers Toil”

By Kelly Shanaphy

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Four episodes in and Orphan Black falls into old habits with a number of storylines all happening at the same time.

“Let the Children and Childbearers Toil,” is a perfect example of when the show has stretched itself too thin, choosing to rush through an episode without exploring the plot lines to their full extent. With so much to touch upon and only six episodes left, will Orphan Black be able to wrap up all of their storylines before the end?

The promo last week promised fans a team-up between Mrs. S and Sarah which Orphan Black happily delivered on. More often than not, the latter spends a majority of the season hanging back at the house watching over Kira while casually popping into the action with new secrets.

Considering this is the final season, it’s nice to see the mother-daughter bond between the confirmed with their similar approach to dealing with tough situations. This week, it’s the realization that Kira is cutting herself as well as beginning to trust Rachel more than her mother. It’s a blow that Sarah is unable to cope with, and luckily Mrs. S with all of her paternal instincts is able to swoop in for her foster daughter.

Tatiana Maslanay, Maria Doyle Kennedy / Ken Woroner, BBC America

Both team up to try to get some information out of…Virginia Coady? Yes, the “mother” to the Leda clones turns out to be alive and very much in distress. She reveals to the pair that her, Susan Duncan (who’s also alive), and P.T. Westmoreland created the monster that Sarah had run into in the premiere.

The abomination they created eventually made it too hard to work together with Coady choosing her Castor boys while Susan left with the Leda clones. It’s weird to see the return of these two women, but it’s a reminder that Orphan Black has always preferred to have equally villainous females along with their males. While, “Let the Children and Childbearers Toil,” stumbles a bit on the reveal of the two scientists miraculously surviving their supposed deaths, the episode does give us a lot of touching Mrs. S and Sarah moments.

It’s easy to forget that Mrs. S not only raised Sarah and Felix but that the former is biologically related to her. With all the craziness of the show, it’s always nice to have a bonding moment between family.

Ken Woroner/BBC America

However, the girls aren’t the only two who get to spend some time together with Kira getting pawned off to Felix. While the latter spends his time with his niece attempting to explain why Rachel is evil, he doesn’t make it very far in convincing her. Nonetheless, he puts Kira to be but gets startled with an even bigger surprise. Mrs. S has called his biological sister, Adele, and brought her into the Clone Club loop because of her career as a lawyer. “Let the Children and Childbearers Toil,” never makes a compelling argument as to why it’s okay for Felix to not be the one to talk to his sister because Orphan Black doesn’t have the time to see an actual sit-down between the two due to the amount of action in the episode.

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Bonding with siblings isn’t limited to Felix and Adele this week with Helena coming back into the fold. Sarah finally reunites with her pregnant twin where she apologizes for not being a better sister when Helena needed her.

She also admits that she now feels that psychological attachment that the latter feels and cements that there could be something unusual about their genetics. Either way, Helena looks healthier and happier than ever, making another small moment in “Let the Children and Childbearers Toil,” that is effective with the series finale looming.

Since the introduction of Rachel, it has been clear that Orphan Black has been ramping up for a finale with the daughter of Neolution against the leader of the Clone Club, Sarah. “Let the Children and Childbearers Toil,” cements that conclusion with the battle lines being drawn. But more than that, it sets up the inevitable, “Sarah and Helena are special compared to the others,” storyline.

Next: What We Want To See Before Orphan Black Ends

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but with only six episodes left, it feels like Orphan Black should be closer to answers. Luckily, it seems like it’s inching closer to the end with Susan Duncan striking up a deal with Westmoreland in exchange for all of Kira’s lab results.

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