Orphan Black season 5 recap: “Gag or Throttle”

Rachel takes back her humanity and Clone Club meets the real P.T. Westmorland in an eye-popping installment of Orphan Black.

It’s interesting to see how the needs of the individual versus the needs of the collective—one of Orphan Black‘s central questions—play out in the character of Rachel Duncan. Unlike her sisters, Rachel was raised self-aware; she has known she is a clone as long as she’s known anything. In that respect, she is distinct from the Ledas and a symbol of the individual. But her self-awareness also makes Rachel believe that she knows what is best for the other clones, for scientific progress. From that perspective, Rachel is a collectivist.

However, in the most important way, Rachel is an individualist. She cares for herself first and foremost, with no one to depend on. No one looks out for her, either. Rachel has a dozen identical sisters but no real family. The tragedy is that she wants one. Rachel longs for connection and to be part of something bigger than herself. At this point it’s doubtful that we’ll see Rachel fully belong to any family—whether it be the Ledas or Neolution—but “Gag or Throttle” finally allows the Pro-Clone to be the hero.

Let’s talk about what went down in “Gag or Throttle.”

Rachel and the Eye

I love me some flashbacks—that’s probably why I am more indulgent of Orange Is the New Black‘s fifth season than many other viewers. I always welcome new insight into established characters—sometimes one small scrap of information can make all the difference. In this case, seeing snippets of Rachel’s past allows the audience to recognize her as a flawed person, not just an Orphan Black villain.

After years of being subjected to invasive tests, denied the right to know what’s happening within her own body, and trotted out to impress skeptical board members, Rachel thought she was finally safe with P.T. Westmorland. A memory reveals that Rachel was legally emancipated from Dyad, freeing her from the Leda project. She would finally be the scientist instead of the guinea pig. Like so many alliances on the series, Westmorland’s vow to protect Rachel turned out to be a lie. He and Neolution are still keeping tabs on her: that fancy fake eye she has is actually a camera. Westmorland is able to watch everything she does—as she does it—on his tablet.

Turns out Westmorland is just as much of a disappointment as Dr. Leekie. Even though she is Susan Duncan’s daughter, even though she wants to help conduct research, even though she is willing to hurt herself and others for a parental figure’s approval, Rachel is still nothing more than a Leda clone to ol’ P.T.

And what a Leda she is. Like her sisters, Rachel is aces at thinking up creative acts of rebellion. After finding out about her eye, Rachel decides she can’t let Kira end up like her. So, knowing that Westmorland is watching, Rachel forces Kira to drink a sedative-laced glass of orange juice. Afterward, she pretends to meditate, puts on an eye patch, and hands Kira over to Sarah, S, and Art.

But that’s not all. Rather than allow Westmorland to keep spying on her, Rachel downs a martini, breaks off the glass’ stem, and holds the jagged edge for P.T. to see. She then gouges out her eye. Better a cyclops than a pawn.

The real P.T. Westmorland

“Gag or Throttle” discloses yet another detail about the Man Behind the Curtain. After Cosima reunites with Scott and Hell Wizard (aka Scott’s D&D friend), she tells them and Sarah that Westmorland isn’t immortal. His supposed 170 years are just a ruse he created to justify his unethical scientific practices. Westmorland’s name is actually John Patrick Mathieson. He faked his own death in the late ’60s after meeting Susan Duncan at Cambridge.

A digression: The storyline surrounding P.T. Westmorland’s real age might be the weakest of this season. It was clear from the beginning that this guy is a lying old (normal old) man. Personally, I think this plot would have been much more powerful if they had debunked the 170-year-old myth upfront and taken more time to delve into Westmorland’s motivation as a character. This is a person who knowingly harms dozens of people because he is afraid of death. I want to know why he thinks his life is more valuable than anyone else’s.

Alison does Walden

Alison sure knows how to make an entrance. After three episodes without her, it was a welcome relief to see a newly zen, purple haired, and tattooed Alison return to Orphan Black. Not only is she refreshed and cheerful, she is now a convert to Jungian psychology and no longer interested in crafts.

She is serious about improving her life. Immediately after arriving home, Alison begins cleaning out the famous craft room. Donnie is understandably freaked out. “All of your scissors?” he asks her in disbelief. “I’m uncovering my shadow self,” Alison tells him. She’s ready to express the dark parts of herself. Without the constant pressure to be happy and perfect all of the time, Alison won’t need pills or booze or to control everything. She can just live her life.

That’s what the “Live Deep” tattoo reminds her to do. “It means ‘live deep and suck the marrow out of life,’” Alison informs Donnie, quoting Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.

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Misc.

• I didn’t get into it too much above, but Rachel’s eye-removal scene was the most disturbing sequence this series has ever produced. I kept my hands over my eyes from the moment she broke the martini glass until the credits started rolling.
• “Gag or Throttle” reunites us with Mark and Gracie, who are up to… something. Mark makes a deal with Coady to trade Helena for treatment, while Gracie ominously appears at Helena’s side at the convent. I’m not sure I believe these two would sell out the Ledas. Helena and Gracie both survived the Proletheans and share a special bond. My money says the three will work together to take on Coady.
• Speaking of Dr. Coady, she tells Mark that he is the last surviving Castor—I’m not buying it. We don’t know for sure Ira is dead and Coady hinted last week that the young boy she’s treating is also a Castor. I wonder if she’s purposefully keeping the brothers apart so they won’t join forces against her and Westmorland.
• Oh, and Coady’s perfect line when she requests an ejaculate sample from Mark: “You’ve got plenty to spare.”
• After Rachel turned over Kira, Mrs. S opened her mouth as though to say thank you but the elevator doors closed before she got the words out. But I think her look of gratitude—that one moment of recognition from a parent—is all that Rachel really needed.