Season 2 of ORPHAN BLACK was off to a rip-roaring start as Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) frantically searched for her missing daughter Kira (Skyler Wexler) – unfortunately, with both the Neolutionists and the Prolethians closing in. So it was a race against the clock for Sarah to get a gun and take down her sister pro-clone Rachel at the Dyad Institute in order to rescue Kira.
It took was some fancy clone shenanigans to get Sarah into Dyad; namely Alison had to procure a gun and get it to Sarah without the nosy cops and their monitors from finding out. Then Sarah infiltrated Dyad posing as Cosima into order to slip past Dr. Leekie (Matt Frewer) and security; and, fortunately, Rachel’s insistence on having Paul (Dylan Bruce) nearby also worked to Sarah’s advantage once things got a bit dicey.
But the terrifying surprise of it all was Rachel never had Kira; someone else had taken her. So all of Sarah’s efforts and planning to confront Rachel were for nothing. The moment Sarah realized that she did not know who had her daughter or where to begin searching for Kira was when we saw her strength disintegrate inside her. It was the helplessness that any parent would feel not knowing where their child was – and that moment of truth was devastating.
The episode had begun with Sarah just seconds away from whoever had taken Kira, and by the end of the episode, Sarah realized with dawning horror that she was farther away from her daughter than ever. Whoever took Kira had done a fine job in distracting Sarah. For one, there were the two thugs in the café, where the unfortunate proprietor had tried to intervene and got shot in the process. Were they responsible for Kira’s abduction, or were they merely hoping to grab Sarah while her guard was down?
And just what is up with the Prolethians anyway? For religious nuts seemingly intent in merely assassinating the clones as abominations against God in Season 1, they now seemed mighty anxious to bring in Sarah alive. But what goal would that serve?
Then what happened to Mrs. S (Maria Doyle Kennedy)? Was she taken along with Kira, or is she out there searching too? And who took Kira’s picture and what are they going to do with it?
Bless Felix’s (Jordan Gavaris) heart for being the ray of sunshine in the darkness threatening to consume Sarah. The minute we saw him in the bar wearing those assless-chaps, we knew that Felix’s indelible joy with life would be the counter-balance needed to keep Sarah focused and from spiraling out of control. Besides, what is a brother to do but be a shoulder to cry upon and the one who has Sarah’s back when the world seems crazier than normal?
In the clone world, Alison was a bit more tightly wound up than normal feeling wracked with guilt over the death of Aynsley (Natalie Linsinka). Then Cosima and Delphine (Evelyne Brochu) were distracted with worry over Cosima’s failing health and weighing the risk factor of working with the Neolutionists if it could save Cosima’s life. As for Rachel, she just wants to get the clones back under her control. They are the property of Dyad, after all. In her mind, life was just easier when the clones had no idea that they were clones and had been blissfully unaware that they were being monitored. But with self-awareness came the demand for self-autonomy and that just isn’t something that Dyad wants to grant them.
So with so many conflicting priorities, the clones seems more disjoined than ever. Sarah wants her daughter back. Alison wants her blissful ignorance back. Cosima wants her health back. Rachel just wants her clones back. And what does Felix want? Probably his loft back – especially since it seems to have been hijacked by Sarah and her clone siblings.
Oh, and dare we not forget about Helena. That’s right. ORPHAN BLACK saved that clever clone-card for last. It was not about to kill off the one clone that brought the crazy into all their lives. As Helena stumbled into that hospital emergency room, the hair on the backs of our necks all stood on end as one thought came to mind: she’s back. Helena was the clone to truly be feared in Season 1. She was the avenging angel on a mission from God to kill all her sister clones. Yet Helena also seemed to bond with her sister-clone Sarah and had a hard time completing her mission once she got to know her twin a bit better. However, that sisterly bond had limits and when Helena killed her and Sarah’s surrogate birth mother, Sarah knew that Helena was too big a risk to have walking around free. Helena was the warped one that needed to be put down. Now if only Sarah were a better shot with a gun that might have worked. But Helena is back and more than likely is going to survive and will rain down her own version of vengeance on everyone.
Season 2’s journey is going to be as twisty, surprise-filled and downright terrifying. But we will cheer them all along and pray for a safe return for Kira. Pity the poor soul(s) who get in Sarah’s way – a protective mother searching for her child is no one to cross. 
To see what other mysterious players may have joined the clone game, be sure to tune in for this week’s new episode “Governed by Sound Reason and True Religion,” which airs Saturday, April 26th at 9:00 p.m. on BBC America (Space in Canada)
Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).