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The Best Moments from Season 3 of Orphan Black

Sarah Manning and her sister clones have proved to us once again that they are a force to be reckoned with in the third season of Orphan Black. While the last two seasons gave us some unexpected plot twists and reveals, the third was just as riveting.

Here’s a closer look at some of the most outlandish, perplexing, and downright shocking moments of a season that veered off into some unexpected (yet delightfully entertaining) directions:

Sarah Attacks Ferdinand
In the premiere episode, “The Weight of This Combination,” Sarah kicks us off with an attempt at murder. She poses as Rachel (who’s still recovering from being shot by Sarah with a pencil fired from a makeshift gun), to get to Ferdinand, a Top-Side employee looking to get rid of all the Leda clones. We almost see her succeed by strangling him with a belt until Delphine intervenes and tells her to stand down. Considering his conspiracy with Rachel, it goes without saying that we all wanted Sarah to fully carry out the murder.

Bedroom Dance Performance by Alison and Donnie
Alison and Donnie Hendrix celebrate their new found wealth in one of the more irreverent but incredibly entertaining and lighthearted moments in the sixth episode “Certain Agony of the Battlefield.” We find the two busting out some hilariously bizarre moves in their undies as money flies everywhere not unlike a typical rap music video. Considering how serious things were getting with the unfolding new information about Project Castor, this scene cut the tension tremendously.

Mrs. S and Helena Fight… Then Make Up
The seventh episode, “Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate,” finds Helena hungry for Siobhan’s (a.k.a. Mrs. S) blood after she found out about Mrs. S’ betrayal. But when she attempts to get a rise out of her, Mrs. S refuses to fight since Helena is pregnant. After a few thrown punches, the scene de-escalates with a tight embrace and Mrs. S’ acceptance of Helena into the family.

Felix Pretends to Be Straight
In order for Rachel to decode Duncan’s book, Sarah must get her out of Dyad to somewhere far, far away. This requires the identity of another clone who is not self-aware: Krystal Goderitch. Sarah and Felix come up with a plan to steal her ID and passport with Felix pretending to be a straight man with an American accent getting a manicure. Their flirtation is more than awkward, knowing that Felix is actually gay. Either way, it makes for an amusing scene.

Helena Murders the Drug Dealers
After failing to get the refund from the drug dealers in the second to last episode of the season, “Insolvent Phantom of Tomorrow,” Helena (in a not-so-convincing disguise as Alison) and Donnie are on their way out when Pouchy’s niece threatens Donnie and Alison’s kids—a big mistake. Moments later, there’s a high body count as the Portuguese drug dealers take the full brunt of Helena’s rage. It just goes to show that you don’t mess with a mother and her babies, even if they aren’t biologically hers.

The third season of Orphan Black presents several new dynamics to the series. The drama in this season is countered by some refreshing comedic moments, proving that there’s much more to this show than meets the eye. Check out what makes Orphan Black so amusing and groundbreaking by re-watching past seasons in Canada on CraveTV and CTV, where Season 3 will be rebroadcast starting on July 4 (and on Netflix, DirecTV and Comcast Xfinity in the U.S.). Although science, drama, and action are at the forefront, it’s the smaller details that many of us look forward to. It’s these very elements that add to the anticipation of what’s to come in season four next year.

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TV Eh B Cs podcast 24: Paul Mather – Tripping the 49th Parallel

Paul_MatherPaul Mather was showrunner on the iconic series CORNER GAS, the most successful sitcom in Canadian history. He also ran the internationally acclaimed commercial hit LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE. Paul co-created and co-ran the Gemini-nominated series DAN FOR MAYOR for CTV and created and ran MEN WITH BROOMS for CBC. Outside of the sitcom format, Paul was head writer and a Supervising Producer on one of the Canada’s highest-rated and most enduring shows, the news satire RICK MERCER REPORT. Since moving to the U.S., Paul has developed with CBS, and was a Supervising Producer on NBC’s THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW and on FRIEND ME for CBS.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Want to become a Patron of the Podcast? We’ve got a Patreon page where you can donate a small amount per podcast and get a sneak peek of each release.

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Review: Wait … what?! on Dark Matter

Dark Matter just messed with my brain. After making a bunch of notes during Friday’s third episode, I basically had to throw everything I thought I knew out the window thanks to that final scene aboard the space station.

Yes, apparently, that was Jace Corso looking for the Raza and its crew members, causing me to sit forward and exclaim, ‘What the hell?!” This was, of course, moments after Five discovered the gun that killed the young man she found in the storage room earlier.

Written by Martin Gero, Episode 3 had the hallmarks of an Agatha Christie murder mystery, with a dead body found and the murderer among the folks trapped on the ship with no connection to the outside world. There were plenty of lingering camera shots at various team members, causing viewers to wonder which one was the culprit. It was easy to assume Three was the man responsible for killing the kid and even wiping their minds because he avoided the Android’s lie detector test until One literally put a gun to his head.

I’m still holding out hope the Android is somehow controlling everything on the Raza; every time Five came close to outing who had done the mind wipe something went wrong with the ship. I can’t help but feel the Android is controlling the situation no matter how innocent her face appears to be. (Remember Ash from Alien??) My assumption the faulty sensor was fake wasn’t true, but the gamma radiation scare certainly could have been.

Did Five program the Android? Is Three really single-minded, or is he an evil genius? Does One really have feelings for Two, or did he kiss her to gain her trust?

That’s the thing with Dark Matter. Just when I think I know what’s going to happen, a curve ball is thrown to make me reassess my assumptions.

In my opinion, that’s the mark of a great TV show.

Notes and quotes

  • Four’s martial arts skills are kick ass.
  • “Have a good time playing with your stick.” — Three
  • “It’s chocolate protein pudding day!” — Five
  • I wish I could initiate magnetic boots.
  • The Dark Matter set has really become an effective part of the cast, thanks to dark corners, fluorescent lighting, steam and that grimy and scuffed look.

Dark Matter airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.

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Review: Building relationships on Killjoys

Compared to last week’s debut, Friday’s second episode of Killjoys was a bit of a step back. Not in action or excitement, mind you—there was plenty of both—but time was taken to build and establish relationships on two major fronts.

“The Sugar Point Run,” written by Jeremy Boxen, forced Dutch and D’avin to team up when Lucy was shot down in hostile territory on Westerley. While Johnny stayed behind to fix the damaged ship, those two set off to track down Simon (Michael Therriault), who was being delivered to his sister, Ryo (Irene Poole), in exchange for the Mayor’s daughter, whom she’d captured. But Ryo wasn’t interested in reuniting with Simon because she missed him. She wanted the round memory chip he’d hidden in his guts; it held the launch codes to a missile she’d stolen and aimed at The Company’s headquarters in Old Town.

As expected, D’avin impressed Dutch with his hand-to-hand fighting and deadly accuracy with weapons (he was a soldier, after all) so much so she offered him a Killjoys gig provided he passed the test. I’m guessing he passes the test; the show is called Killjoys and not Two Killjoys and a Flunkie. Did anyone else catch that little narrowing of the eyes from Johnny when Dutch offered his bro the job? Who else thinks the Brothers Jacobis may be battling for her affections before the season is done?

Of course, Johnny has a lady of his own, sort of. It was clear from this episode that he and Lucy have a pretty intense bond, one usually reserved for people. The fact Johnny knows Lucy’s most intimate parts and software hints at a long-term relationship between them and a loyalty that has bridged the gap between spaceship and homo sapiens.

 

 

Notes and quotes

  • That red box means Dutch is supposed to dispatch someone in the next week. But who? And why?
  • “She’s my partner. Boss. My partner-boss.” — Johnny
  • Is it wrong that I thought Dutch was sexy as heck wriggling out of the scavenger’s straps?
  • Lucy’s light sarcasm is fantastic.

Killjoys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

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Comments and queries for the week of June 26

South of the border love for Murdoch Mysteries

I am a Bostonian and I currently live in the L.A. area and I find most of our syndicated television dramas/comedies to be “cookie-cutter” programs. When a new and fresh program idea comes along that garners my interest and gains popularity, it eventually gets so diluted (cast/writing changes) and repeated to death it quickly loses its appeal.

It is SO REFRESHING to have found this gem known as Murdoch Mysteries/The Artful Detective.  The core cast are all brilliant in their portrayals of their diverse characters. The continuity of storylines and the character development is a tribute to the writing teams. This TV series has been like opening a very good book and being drawn to the characters, chapter by chapter and always anticipating what will happen next. (Yes, I do realize the basis of this TV show is Ms. Jennings book series—which I am now hoping to read this summer.)

THANK YOU, CANADA and the men and women involved in its total production—quality programming at its best. I also have to thank my sister in Boston. When she told me of the premise (a Toronto detective from the turn the century who solves murders that involve the basic “whodunit” woven with historical characters), I took the bait. BEEN HOOKED ever since. I very much look forward to the next chapter in Season 9. —Corrinna


Murdoch Mysteries star celebrates small-town Canada with laughter

Nice! Love Murdoch Mysteries. It’s my buffer for the rough action that never ends on Game of Thrones. Jonny Harris has a dry sense of humour that I can relate to being a Mainer-Portland, Maine that is. Best wishes to him for success with this endeavor!—Lenora


Is Canada ready for another late-night talk show?

Strombo’s The Hour/Tonight was the closest (and best) we’ve ever come to a viable late-night model. Re-invented the format, top-notch host with smart interview style, top-notch guests (leaning heavily on BIG stars with some windows for Canadian up and comers) and a bold and flashy style. It was the perfect storm that I don’t think can be easily replicated. Someone will want to do it cheap, have low-rent guests, hire a host who thinks they’re better at it than they will be and the writing will be sub-par. And it has to find an audience. But maybe I’m wrong … a reboot of Thicke of the Night? I hear Alan’s schedule is wide open. —Jon

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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