Until this point, Sarah has had a single goal: to get enough money to run away with Kira and Felix. A face to face meeting with Mrs S in ‘Variation Under Nature’ makes their past much clearer, though, and the episode’s ending sees Sarah choose not to kidnap her daughter or steal Beth’s money (which Alison, one of the two clones introduced in the last episode, says is actually contributed by her). This action is one of very few of Sarah’s that is not selfish and, while it’s safer morally, it’ll get her further involved in the business of the other clones, something that is looking very dangerous indeed.

One of the most interesting aspects of this episode is that it gives us a great opportunity to get to know both Alison and Cosima a little better. What they reveal about the clones isn’t surprising to anyone, but it is interesting to see that they either don’t know all that much or are possibly withholding information from Sarah.

Alison is clearly scared, driven by her desire to protect her kids. She had something of a connection with Beth, but remains largely reserved and uncommunicative. Cosima, on the other hand, is a much more fun character to spend time with. She’s a scientist, more at ease with the notion that she is a clone and perhaps more shady than she seems. The episode devotes a decent chunk of time to both characters, as Sarah begins to work with them so that they can uncover more about who they are.

There’s some effective humour in this instalment courtesy of Felix, adding a bit of much needed levity to proceedings. The idea of him as a babysitter is rather ridiculous, making for a pair of fun scenes showing Felix taking care of Alison’s kids while the supposed “soccer mom” teaches Sarah to convincingly fire a handgun in just a couple of hours (it’s a sci-fi show about clones, sometimes you have to suspend your disbelief). The material following Sarah-as-Beth and Art dealing with a case that Sarah herself is closely responsible for is as captivating as expected, with the surprise revelation of another mysterious clone in the final stages of the hour.

As ever, Sarah’s knack for getting herself out of a tight spot is on display throughout. This time there are some differences, though, as both Alison and Cosima are instrumental in helping her and show themselves to be just as smart when in a tricky situation. The way this show focusses on small details that lesser shows might just skim over and manages to build strong plot and character moments out of them is rather remarkable.

Orphan Black conveys some its necessary exposition very well here, with Tatiana Maslany once again impressing (now in too many roles to count) and the show proving itself to be just as unpredictable as its lead character.

Aired at 9pm on Friday 27 September 2013 on BBC Three.

> Order Season 1 on DVD on Amazon.

Watch the trailer…

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