'Orphan Black' Recap: We're Not in Iceland Anymore

Warning: This recap of the “Transgressive Border Crossing” episode of Orphan Black contains character and storyline spoilers.

Now that the viewers are caught up on the Beth-related backstory that has set this season’s central conflict between the Neolutionists and the Clone Club in motion, it’s time for the other characters to discover the necessary intel back in the present day. Having to re-explain to the rest of the clones what we at home already know might have sapped the second episode of Orphan Black’s fourth season of some of the momentum generated by its gangbusters premiere. Fortunately, this hour does a nice job bringing everyone within the show, particularly Sarah, up to speed on the current status quo while also setting more personal, clone-specific storylines in motion.

Picking up directly where the final moments of the premiere left off, “Transgressive Border Crossing,” forces Sarah, Kira, Mrs. S, and Kendall — the source of both the Leda and Castor clones — to burn their idyllic Iceland existence to the ground and hightail it back to North America. Hiding out alongside Cosima and Scott in the basement of a comic book store, she gets the skinny from Art about Beth’s final investigation, and the existence of the new clone, M.K. Picking up the trail from where Detective Childs left off, Sarah heads back to good ol’ Club Neolution and gets mistaken for M.K. by a deep cover source. He’s got disturbing new video footage of those super-small worms we saw being extracted from a Neolutionist cheek last week; only here, the extraction goes wrong, and the worm grows tendrils that spread all over the poor dude’s face. “I’ve heard rumors of high-level Neos with implanted tech, but this is next level. It’s organic, maybe even gene-spliced,” says the guy, who quickly clues into the fact that the person standing next to him isn’t M.K.

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But a blown cover is the least of Sarah’s worries. Turns out that she’s got one of those worms inside her own cheek, which she clues into after being confused for M.K. again — this time by the same pair of disguised EMS workers we witnessed burying the body of a dead Neolutionist in the woods at the top of last week’s premiere. And as next week’s promo teases, she’s not the only clone who has a previously unknown “pet” sewn inside her mouth.

And while you squirm thinking about that, here are this week’s revised Clone Power Rankings! Now with extra “Eww” factor.

1. Sarah
Our alpha clone is once again driving the narrative in a big, big way, taking point on the Neolutionist investigation and tracking down the mysterious M.K. We also witness the slight fracturing of her once rock-solid relationships with her brother, Felix, and her growing daughter, Kira. Those emerging twin conflicts aren’t good news for Sarah, but they will definitely heighten the dramatic stakes this season.

2. Helena
The only thing better than Hungry Helena is Pregnant Helena. This week, the Ukrainian wonder impersonates Alison (only with better hair) and discovers that she’s carrying identical twins. Her description of being pregnant, “A little tired and many farts,” could also double as the title for her inevitable parenting guide.

Related: ‘Orphan Black’: Watch the Cast and Creators Talk Season 4 at 92Y

3. Cosima
Watching Cosima geek out about living and working in her own personal Bat Cave beneath a comic book shop (“What more could a girl want, right?”) warmed the hearts of nerds everywhere. Meanwhile, seeing her toke up on organic marijuana warmed the hearts of stoners everywhere, and her deep sadness over Delphine’s disappearance warmed the hearts of romantics everywhere. Basically, she warmed a lot of hearts this week.

4. M.K.
M.K. carefully stayed in the shadows, communicating with Sarah only via phone. For now, she’s trying to prove that Sarah needs her more than she needs Sarah. And it’s working.

5. Alison
Alison’s mixed emotions over Helena’s pregnancy — when she herself can’t — brings out a new side of her personality. It’s rare, but thus compelling, to see her so emotionally vulnerable.

6. Beth
Let’s all pour a glass out for Detective Childs, who bids a somber farewell to M.K. before heading off to meet her destiny in front of a train. (Note that she’s sporting the same red shirt and hairstyle in her goodbye scene that she’s glimpsed in at the start of the series premiere.)

Non-Clone MVP: Scott
The Robin to Cosima’s Batman is taking their post-Dyad exile well, keeping a positive attitude even when hearing bad news like Kendell’s leukemia diagnosis. We’re glad that he’s still part of the Clone Club.

Orphan Black airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on BBC America.