Orphan Black S5 E7 Gag or Throttle

Orphan Black episode 7 “Gag or Throttle” ups the excitement and danger to maximum. Rachel (Tatiana Maslany who is here, there, and everywhere) has Kira (Skyler Wexler) in a terrible spot but starts to see things from a different point of view before the episode is over. This is a recap. There are spoilers.

Flashback to Rachel’s childhood. Aldous Leekie (Matt Frewer) talks to a group of men about the genetics of cloning. He introduces them to a young Rachel (Cynthia Galant, who nailed Rachel’s speech patterns perfectly). Rachel knows she’s a clone. She knows her patent number, 779H41, and that of several other clones. They are impressed.

In today’s world, Rachel presides over a Dyad board meeting. P.T. Westmoreland (Stephen McHattie) video calls and mentions a modern day Eve. Rachel brings in Kira, the modern day Eve from whom they plan to harvest eggs, and biopsy her liver, lungs, and stomach. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, she’s just parts to them.

Rachel and Kira talk about how Kira has to stay another night at Dyad. Kira complains about all the needles. Kira draws pictures while they talk. She wants to call her mother but isn’t allowed to. Kira made Rachel a friendship bracelet. Kid’s a hustler, all right.

When Sarah isn’t allowed to say goodnight to Kira, Mrs. S (Maria Doyle Kennedy) grabs guns and is ready to go get her. Sarah, for a change, is the one who says to stop and think. They stop to think.

Mr. Frontenac (Andrew Moodie) tells Rachel they found Cosima’s boat drifting in the ocean, but no Cosima. Rachel is concerned because Cosima’s taken almost a full course of her cure.

Scott (Josh Vokey) enters the basement under the comic book studio where Hell Wizard (Calwyn Shurgold) says, “Look who’s home.” It’s Cosima and Charlotte (Cynthia Galant again). They’re safe and home after pulling a total Jason Borne and sending their boat back out to sea.

Cosima immediately calls Sarah to tell her that Dyad is after Kira’s eggs. Mrs. S says, “They’re doing it again. To another generation of women.” The entire patriarchy summarized in one sentence. Okay, two sentences.

Sarah wants leverage to get Kira back. Cosima tells her Westmoreland is a total fraud. They decide that Cosima, Scott and Hell Wiz will continue digging into Westmoreland while Sarah and Mrs. S continue to dig through the money trail Felix, Adele, and Delphine are sending. It’s a plan.

Alison joins the call with her head in a towel. She’s in California but headed back tomorrow. Mrs. S tells her to leave the kids with her mom for a while longer. The last thing Cosima tells them is that Virginia Coady (Kyra Harper) is on the island.

On the island, Rachel puts flowers on Susan Duncan’s grave. She remembers when Westmoreland asked her to take over Neolution and that her mother never believed in her. Westmoreland shows up acting sympathetic.

P.T. takes Rachel to meet Virginia. Rachel seems pleased at first. Then she learns she’s going to be subjected to an endometrial biopsy. This does not make her happy. She was promised to be emancipated from her patent. As she changes into a hospital gown, she sees her file on a computer screen. She’s still referred to there by her patent number.

The exam takes Rachel back to an earlier exam. Dr. Leekie told her she wasn’t exempt from the experiments. They talked about a couple of other clones who were showing symptoms of disease.

Sarah and Mrs. S look at the Dyad board members. They find a big money man named Hashem Al-Khatib (Elie Gemael). He’s put billions in neolution. We learned earlier at the board meeting that Dyad cured Al-Khatib’s daughter of a heart defect.

Cosima and the guys search for men who died at Cambridge in the 1960s who could have become Westmoreland.

The Hendrixes! Donnie (Kristian Bruun) frantically cleans house in preparation for Alison’s arrival home.

Alison comes through the door with purple hair and a whole new her. She’s into Jung and Thoreau, she has a tattoo that says “Live Free.” She tosses all her craft stuff and unboxes a keyboard. She tells Donnie she’s no longer going to be telling him what to do. He can decide for himself.

Rachel eavesdrops on P.T. and hears him discussing her with Mr. Frontenac. She’s questioning her position for the first time since drinking the Kool Aid so willingly.

P.T. asks Rachel whether she is ready to proceed with the egg harvest. She says yes. He wants to bring Kira to the island. Rachel wants to keep her at Dyad.

A man in a hood is taken downstairs. P.T. won’t tell Rachel who it is.

Golly. Long time no see. It’s Mark (Ari Millen). Ira wasn’t the last of the breed after all. Mark’s mad because Virginia promised to cure him if he helped her. He wants to stay alive because he’s in love. She wants an ejaculate sample. Right to the point, Virginia. He tells her he may be able to help her find Helena.

In the convent, a woman in a hood walks into Helena’s room. It’s Gracie (Zoé De Grand Maison). Damn, Mark and Gracie are going to rat out Helena again!

Why is Helena always in bed? Did I miss something about her pregnancy being in danger?

Rachel sneaks into P.T.’s desk and gets out a screen she saw him hide from her earlier. It’s a video of what she sees with her artificial eye. He knows everything she does. It’s hard to read Rachel’s emotions, but she is not happy.

Rachel stares at herself in the elevator at Dyad. Flashback to a time when Rachel presented Dr. Leekie with one of the diseased clones named Miriam Johnson. Rachel killed Miriam because she was taking so long to die naturally. Rachel wanted to autopsy her and study for her own purposes. Does this murderous memory mean Rachel regrets some of the things she’s done for Dyad?

I’m really sorry we didn’t get to meet Miriam, the blue haired musician. I’ll bet she was cool.

When Rachel gets off the elevator she tells Mr. Frontenac to let Kira call her mother. Then she starts downing vodka like it’s water and she’s dying of thirst.

Virginia and Mark visit Ira’s grave. They talk about Ira’s upbringing, which was so much more loving and kind than Mark’s. Mark wants to know if he’s the last one left. Yep, he is.

Finally, Kira and Sarah get to talk. Kira shows Sarah her story. Oh, Mouse is Kira and Elephant is Rachel and it’s all a coded way for Kira to keep Sarah up on what’s happening at Dyad. Oh, crap. They’re taking her to Wonderland, which is code for the island. Kira is scared. She starts to cry.

Rachel is almost finished with the bottle of vodka. She’s watching the old movies of herself as a child. Kira is brought in. A drunk Rachel will sedate Kira herself. Kira asks, “Who hurt you?” Rachel says, “All of them.”

Cosima and the guys figure out who Westmoreland really is. She calls Sarah to tell her. Cosima also sends the info to Rachel. Rachel only looks at the screen for a second, then she goes back to mixing Kira’s sedative in a glass of orange juice.

Sarah calls Rachel and begs her not to give Kira to P.T. Rachel stares out the window as they talk. She tells Sarah it’s out of her hands. P.T. listens to this conversation and sees what Rachel is sees.

Rachel forces Kira to drink the orange juice as P.T. watches through Rachel’s eye. Then she sends Mr. Frontenac to “take care of” Sarah and Mrs. S.

Rachel sends a text without looking at her phone, her eyes straight ahead.

Art (Kevin Hanchard) shows up at Mrs. S’s place. He’s in a hurry.

Rachel sits down in her meditation room and closes her eyes. She puts a patch over her bionic eye and gets up. Westmoreland thinks she’s meditating. She goes to the unconscious Kira and wheels her gurney to an elevator where Sarah, Mrs. S and Art are waiting.

Wow, Rachel saved Kira. Can you believe it?

Mr. Frontenac tells P.T. that no one is home at Mrs. S’s. P.T. suspects Rachel is up to something. P.T. zaps Rachel’s eye with an electric shock or something painful. She ignores the pain.

Rachel does something at the computer. She grabs a fresh bottle of vodka and drinks.

Rachel rips off the eye patch, breaks the stem of her martini glass and uses it to remove the bionic eye. It’s gross and I’m not going to show you a screen shot. You’re welcome.

The episode ends with Rachel bleeding all over her pristine white office. Free at last from Westmoreland’s prying eyes. She may have signed her own death warrant. If so, she will die for her sisters. Imagine that.

Let’s hope whatever she did at her computer will change Westmoreland’s future.