Orphan Black: “Ease for Idle Millionaires” Review

(via denofgeek)

If two weeks ago was an Alison-centric episode, and last week was mostly-Sarah-plus-everyone-else, Cophine fans can rejoice this week. “Ease for Idle Millionaires” showcases Cosima working out just what’s going on behind the scenes at Camp Revival, and the answers are horrifying. The last few seasons of Orphan Black have been too complex for its own good; it’s hard for the un-obsessive viewer to keep track of all the plot threads. Luckily, this episode stays fairly straightforward in its reveal of P.T. Westmoreland’s nefarious plans, allowing more time to consider what they mean for Clone Club.

Spoilers after the jump.

Fanfiction Fridays: Experimental by hotskytrosky

Birthday near Christmas, Cosima had said. That sucked. Did it? Delphine wanted to say, Who says I am a Christian anyway? to expose the bias of her charge’s mind, the part that assumed blonde white French girls must have grown up with a cross on the wall and a midnight mass to go to instead of staying up for Santa.

Who says I am a Christian anyway? She thought about it. It was too revealing. She kept her mouth closed.

The subject leaned across the table, eyes wide and made even wider by the dancing reflections on her glasses. Influence of external conditions, Dr. Cormier thought. The subject’s myopia, induced by long nights reading under the covers with a flashlight, was well-documented by now; she had no need to make note of it. But make note of it she did; her eyes traced the thick line of the frames and the thick line of kohl underneath, the lashes and strong brows and tan skin making up a perfectly unique, perfectly identical organism.

Maybe, Dr. Cormier thought, if she stepped back she would be able to see the subject for what it was. A scientific miracle, a first step on the moon, a perfect copy. Maybe looking too closely, with Cosima leaning across the table so far her wrap sweater threatened to steal a sip of wine for itself, distorted the full image, like looking at the shape of puzzle pieces and forgetting the picture they comprised.

I love Orphan Black, but I’ve always been a little iffy about Dr. Delphine Cormier, Cosima’s girlfriend and monitor. Cosima fell instantly for Delphine’s French accent and blonde curls, but, you know, sometimes Cosima makes bad life choices. Delphine was quickly revealed to be an employee of the Dyad institute, someone who worked directly for Leekie, but she claimed that she really did love Cosima. Were we supposed to buy it? I wasn’t so sure, especially after it looked like she and Leekie had been in a relationship, or were at least seen in a compromising position. Was Delphine lying? Or was she telling the truth? By the end of Season 2, the writers had pushed us firmly towards the latter, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all a poorly written version of the “I don’t love girls, I just love you” trope. And because the show is mostly from the point of view of the clones and their allies, we got very few scenes from Delphine’s perspective to help us clarify the situation. Fortunately, fanfiction can be from any perspective the author wants. Enter today’s fanfic rec: Experimental.