TV REVIEW: Orphan Black “Knowledge of Causes, and Secret Motion of Things”

By Clinton Bell

Early on in “Knowledge of Causes, and Secret Motion of Things”—the seventh episode of the season—I was feeling a tad unenthusiastic about the direction the episode appeared to be heading in. Orphan Black has added a lot of new characters and has pretty much outgrown the need for Vic. So why so much attention on him?

But as “Secret Motion” progressed, it won me over, and turned into the funniest episode of the season. The shenanigans at the rehab center, while similar to last season’s Alison house party episode, were hilarious. I suspect that some viewers will feel like the Family Day scenes are too similar to things we’ve seen on the show before, but for me, it works, effectively reminding us of the ingredients that made the show so dynamic.

Vic’s drug-induced fall is one of the funniest—and most gif-able—moments of the season. As I said above, the show doesn’t have much of a use for Vic anymore, and never really did to begin with, but he still contributes to some classic moments. Michael Mando plays Vic with a perfect balance of sincerity and scum. If this is the last time we see Vic for a while, as Mando recently accepted a role on AMC’s Better Call Saul, it was a memorable (temporary?) exit.

The Family Day fiasco led to Donnie learning that Alison is a clone. Somehow Donnie didn’t already know, and the show doesn’t do a great job of explaining Donnie’s involvement with Dyad or how much he knew. But the big shock of the episode comes in the final scene when Donnie accidentally kills Dr. Leekie. I’m not much of a fan of this ending. Leekie has had a big role on the show and deserved a more worthwhile exit. The only reason he is killed in this fashion is because the writers needed him gone to make room for the new Michelle Forbes characters, and because they wanted the episode to end with a shocker. It’s unfortunate because Orphan Black is a great show and doesn’t need to end with a shocker/twist/cliffhanger every week to keep bringing viewers back. The show is good enough to carry on without forced shocks such as this.

Donnie’s clumsiness aside, this was another solid episode of Orphan Black. One of the best things about this show is how it uses a diverse cast to create an array of crazy situations. While the show has grown into something different in season 2, I’m glad to see there’s still room for some lightheartedness. And while I remain excited about the show’s direction, I do wish that Donnie scene had ended a little differently.

Additional Notes:

– Vic’s fall really did look painful. But still hilarious.

– Ethan Duncan’s house is great because it says a lot about his character, and because it has dead mice everywhere.

– I didn’t get much of a feel for the new Michelle Forbes character, but I imagine she will be formidable opponent for Clone Club.