Orphan Black season 5, episode 9: Watch online
With Helena missing and about to give birth, grief is a luxury Clone Club can’t afford in Orphan Black’s penultimate episode.
I still wouldn’t put it past Orphan Black to pull some switcheroo and reveal that Mrs. S isn’t ACTUALLY dead! However, the promo for “One Fettered Slave,” the series’ second-to-last episode, seems to depict a wake — and I really can’t imagine all of Clone Club coming together to honor Gracie.
But, per the TV Guide synopsis, whatever has Alison crying and Art acting paternal in “One Fettered Slave” will have to wait:
"A devastating loss is eclipsed when word reaches Sarah that Helena has been kidnapped. Later: Clone Club band together in a race against time, determined to find [Helena] before she has her babies."
As you’ll recall, Wide-Eyed Gracie had a change of heart last week and decided not to trade Helena for a cure for her husband, Mark. That didn’t really work out: Gracie was caught and killed and Bad Cop Maddy dragged Helena off, presumably to P.T. Westmorland and Virginia Coady. Although Neolution’s evil deeds are public knowledge now, they seem to be making one last play for the Leda project. (Remember: Like Kira, Helena’s unborn twins are most likely carriers of the precious LIN28a gene and could be used as the baseline for a new generation of clones.) Sarah, Alison, and Cosima might be mourning Mrs. S but need to pull it together to save Helena. It’s definitely what S would have wanted.
Even though this upcoming Orphan Black episode seems like it will revolve around Helena, I think the titular “fettered slave” could also be a reference to Rachel. As one of the Neo baddies says in the teaser, she is “the person with the biggest target on her back.” Five seasons in, Rachel is finally showing a modicum of human compassion — and playing a really dangerous game. She’s managed to untangle herself from Neolution’s control and Westmorland’s lies, and kill the only person who ever loved her. Unsurprisingly, people are after Rachel.
For the first time, the Pro-Clone is not protected in a corporate ivory tower. She is on her own and experiencing what it means to really be a Leda — and it’s terrifying. Repeatedly betraying your sisters probably wasn’t such a good idea after all, huh, Rach?
Check out the “One Fettered Slave” promo and where to watch it below.
Date: Saturday, August 5
Start time: 10 p.m. ET
Episode: “One Fettered Slave”
TV Channel: BBC America
Live Stream: Stream 1 | Stream 2
Next: The official clone's guide to watching TV online
Catch new episodes of Orphan Black every Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on BBC America.