I agree with Guy2026 about the final two seasons being just okay and I wish the 'Island of Dr. Moreau' story line had been further explored (it seemed abruptly dropped) but I'm sure given the small network and unfortunately the small audience they did not have a large budget to pull off a bigger story arc. This episode was a nice goodbye though to all the characters and I hope we will continue to see Tatiana in other shows/movies as well as Jordan Gavaris. Such an insane amount of talent.
5 Reviews
Farewell to the greatest TV show ever
dansolo-2056313 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It's an uncommon opinion, but I do genuinely think Orphan Black is the greatest TV show I've ever seen and likely ever will see. This finale was the perfect send off for the characters that we've spent 5 years watching. It really was exceptionally written, along with the entire show. A lot of this wouldn't be possible without Tatiana, of course, and if this episode doesn't make you see that she is undoubtedly the best actor/ actress of our time (at the very least), I don't know what to tell you. She deserves nothing less than the Emmy for this episode alone. To be honest, they may as well just give her the Emmy for supporting role too.
This is definitely the best end to a show I've seen (and that includes Breaking Bad and Hannibal among others) simply because Orphan Black proves that you can have a happy ending without it seeming bland or lazily written. Quite the opposite, even at the very end of the series, we still delve further into the fascinating characters crafted by the writers, and not just Tatiana, but the whole cast do superb jobs of portraying their respective character's final journey. The exceptional writing is hallmarked with each of these final journeys being very realistic and true to each character. It seems simple on the surface, yet it's so impactful (at least for me) because of how fleshed out they are. My goosebumps were basically constant throughout the episode. I don't usually get too attached to characters in TV shows, but the fact that the writers managed to get me attached to so many in this show is testament to the quality of this show. I will dearly miss it, and there will never be another show quite like it. I know for a fact I'll be rewatching it for the rest of my life.
This is definitely the best end to a show I've seen (and that includes Breaking Bad and Hannibal among others) simply because Orphan Black proves that you can have a happy ending without it seeming bland or lazily written. Quite the opposite, even at the very end of the series, we still delve further into the fascinating characters crafted by the writers, and not just Tatiana, but the whole cast do superb jobs of portraying their respective character's final journey. The exceptional writing is hallmarked with each of these final journeys being very realistic and true to each character. It seems simple on the surface, yet it's so impactful (at least for me) because of how fleshed out they are. My goosebumps were basically constant throughout the episode. I don't usually get too attached to characters in TV shows, but the fact that the writers managed to get me attached to so many in this show is testament to the quality of this show. I will dearly miss it, and there will never be another show quite like it. I know for a fact I'll be rewatching it for the rest of my life.
[8.2] Rachel, the lonely bird
cjonesas2 August 2021
As I feared in the last episode that things would wrap-up pretty quickly and happily, that became unfortunately true and aside some motherly joy and beautifully emotional moments between the sistras, nothing consistent was offered, leading to a happy shallow ending after all the heavy drama built through 5 seasons!
The 8 goes to the ever superb acting of Tania Maslany bringing to sentimental life the characters of Helena and Sarah foremost and then Cosima, Allison and Rachel in this episode. For Rachel, I'm (so) sad, I saw something dark coming for her two episodes ago and IMO she didn't deserve that loneliness even after all she'd done. She redeemed herself in the last moment and I also wish her a happy life!
The 8 goes to the ever superb acting of Tania Maslany bringing to sentimental life the characters of Helena and Sarah foremost and then Cosima, Allison and Rachel in this episode. For Rachel, I'm (so) sad, I saw something dark coming for her two episodes ago and IMO she didn't deserve that loneliness even after all she'd done. She redeemed herself in the last moment and I also wish her a happy life!
Leda Forever!
ZegMaarJus3 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This episode begins with Sarah and Siobhan in the past, they are discussing if Sarah wants an abortion. Art knocks down Maddy. Virginia found Helena. PT shot down Colin, he died afterwards. Helena is giving birth to her twins in the basement. Helena puts a screwdriver into Virginia's troath, she died afterwards. Sarah shot down PT. PT tries to suffocate Sarah with plastic. Sarah kills PT with a can. Helena gave birth to her twin sons, with help from Sarah and Art. Leda defeated Neolution. Cosima discovered that there is another Leda clone: Camilla Torres. Leda organized a (baby) party at Alison's house. Rachel gave a entire list of all Leda clones to Felix. Felix wishes Rachel a nice life. There are 274 Leda clones alive. Helena wrote a book about their adventures: Orphan Black. Delphine vaccinated Camilla with the cure. Helena gives her twins names: Arthur and Donnie. Sarah, Kira and Felix go on a holiday. Amazing Final of Orphan Black Season 5, The last two episodes were worth a 10 for me. These are the two only episodes of Orphan Black where i gave a ten. What a great final, not that much action but they end this series on a good note. Leda Forever!
A sappy, uneventful conclusion that still manages to be mostly satisfying.
TouchTheGarlicProduction12 August 2017
The first review I ever wrote was in Orphan Black Season 1 episode 1. And now, after 202 reviews and nearly 3 years, Orphan Black has reached its final episode, making it the first show I have reviewed in its entirety. As such, Orphan Black will always hold a special place in my heart. And though I found the plot and a number of other elements in the last two seasons to be ultimately bloated and disappointing, I did find this to be a satisfying conclusion. So without further ado, let's jump right into it.
In my opinion, this show has been very slowly running out of steam since the end of season 2. In each of the last three seasons, I felt the sense of urgency in the plot diminishing further and further. In the early seasons, so much of the origin of these clones was shrouded in mystery, meaning that there was a big reveal around every corner and it felt natural because they had clearly been planned out right from the start. However, as we got into the later seasons, most of the reveals were not planned right from the start but inserted in order to have some intrigue to continue the story on. The result was a plot that felt increasingly contrived and directionless. One example of this was the whole Delphine shooting arc. It was blindingly obvious, needlessly drawn out, and ultimately didn't lead to anything interesting or vaguely relevant to the plot. A more recent attempt to artificially inject urgency and substance into a plot was the introduction of PT Westmoreland earlier this season. He's supposed to be seen as "the creator", the one responsible for all of this. The problem is that it's impossible to view him as such an important figure when we have already been introduced to numerous other "creator" characters, and we've never heard of this guy before in previous seasons. Mind you, despite the central conceit of him not working for me, I thought that the actor was able to turn him into a fantastic villain for the season to such a degree that I began to feel that Orphan Black was finally picking up steam again in the last couple of episodes as it approached the end. Unfortunately, any momentum that was built up was immediately squandered at the start of this episode, which was a rushed, anti-climactic "conclusion" to the plot which I found thoroughly unsatisfying. The more I think about it, the more appallingly simplistic the first half of the episode and the wrap up of the main plot seems.
Up to this point, I've pretty much done nothing but rip into the plot wrap-up and overall progression of the last couple seasons. However, I actually enjoyed this episode a lot overall thanks to the fantastic way the characters were each concluded, which was the second half of the episode. I don't normally go for happy endings, as they are most always overly sappy and/or not really earned. The fact that I found myself simply sitting contented at the end of the longs string of farewells is a true testament to the quality of the show. I'm a person who hates birthing sequences in films and television, and this episode even managed to make me feel light joy at the end of a birthing sequence, which is a minor miracle. The second half really just slows down and spends time with these characters, giving them some final layers of depth and giving us one last visit.
All in all, this was a fantastic way to say goodbye to the characters and a horrible way to end the story. That's okay, because the story had really been on life-support for a couple of seasons, but the characters are something I was still deeply invested in.
In my opinion, this show has been very slowly running out of steam since the end of season 2. In each of the last three seasons, I felt the sense of urgency in the plot diminishing further and further. In the early seasons, so much of the origin of these clones was shrouded in mystery, meaning that there was a big reveal around every corner and it felt natural because they had clearly been planned out right from the start. However, as we got into the later seasons, most of the reveals were not planned right from the start but inserted in order to have some intrigue to continue the story on. The result was a plot that felt increasingly contrived and directionless. One example of this was the whole Delphine shooting arc. It was blindingly obvious, needlessly drawn out, and ultimately didn't lead to anything interesting or vaguely relevant to the plot. A more recent attempt to artificially inject urgency and substance into a plot was the introduction of PT Westmoreland earlier this season. He's supposed to be seen as "the creator", the one responsible for all of this. The problem is that it's impossible to view him as such an important figure when we have already been introduced to numerous other "creator" characters, and we've never heard of this guy before in previous seasons. Mind you, despite the central conceit of him not working for me, I thought that the actor was able to turn him into a fantastic villain for the season to such a degree that I began to feel that Orphan Black was finally picking up steam again in the last couple of episodes as it approached the end. Unfortunately, any momentum that was built up was immediately squandered at the start of this episode, which was a rushed, anti-climactic "conclusion" to the plot which I found thoroughly unsatisfying. The more I think about it, the more appallingly simplistic the first half of the episode and the wrap up of the main plot seems.
Up to this point, I've pretty much done nothing but rip into the plot wrap-up and overall progression of the last couple seasons. However, I actually enjoyed this episode a lot overall thanks to the fantastic way the characters were each concluded, which was the second half of the episode. I don't normally go for happy endings, as they are most always overly sappy and/or not really earned. The fact that I found myself simply sitting contented at the end of the longs string of farewells is a true testament to the quality of the show. I'm a person who hates birthing sequences in films and television, and this episode even managed to make me feel light joy at the end of a birthing sequence, which is a minor miracle. The second half really just slows down and spends time with these characters, giving them some final layers of depth and giving us one last visit.
All in all, this was a fantastic way to say goodbye to the characters and a horrible way to end the story. That's okay, because the story had really been on life-support for a couple of seasons, but the characters are something I was still deeply invested in.
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