Things get grimy and glittery in “Knowledge of Causes, and Secret Motion of Things,” the seventh episode of Orphan Black’s season 2. The clones are still in trouble, and a new top dog appears in a white lab coat, while the other meets a surprising end.
This episode centers around Sarah and Alison, with only two brief scenes of Cosima, who doesn’t interact much with the others. We see her on the operating table, as Delphine is sweetly romantic. That sweetness we later see comes from a fierce desire to save her partner in crazy science. Cosima overhears Delphine swearing the new Scott to secrecy, and discovers that the stem cells that make her recovery possible came from Kira. She is angry , asserting her possession over herself. Delphine, with anger and desperation says this is the only way for Cosima to be healed. “I had no choice,” she says, displaying her care for Cosima goes even farther than her respect for her wishes. Cosima orders Delphine out of her lab.
That tense, heartbreaking moment is followed by a scary-grinning Alison, who, like Cosima, eavesdropped some less than savory information. She had confessed her involvement in Ansley’s death to Vic, and discovers that he plans to hand her over to the female cop DeAngeles. She calls Felix over to help her control this Vic problem, and they lead him to her room, where Felix uses his powers of verbal manipulation to get Vic to voluntarily postpone squealing to the cop. Well, he just mentioned Sarah.
Sarah has been perusing the trail on the Swan Man, which led her to Rachel’s father/ head scientist Ethan Duncan. In the beginning of the episode, We see Siobhan and Sarah going through a truly disgusting house in search of a red box that Duncan (an apparent agoraphobic) refuses to leave without. It is his insurance against Leekie.
Sarah runs to Cal after he calls her with the bad news that his computer has been hacked, which might compromise Kira’s safety. He has been keeping her under Dyad’s radar. Cal seems to sincerely care about protecting the little girl, and is thoroughly upset with himself for letting them find her, albeit digitally. Then we are given a cute scene between Cal and Sarah. Finally, Sarah and Kira are reunited, and it is a touching 30 seconds.
Cal suggests going to Iceland to Sarah and Kira. We learn more about Cal, and he gets more legit with every detail: He has underground contacts, and has worked against corporates before. At this moment, Alison and Felix call Sarah to come help with the Vic situation.
While those clones are grouped together, the camera shifts to the ultra-modern lab-office of Leekie. Introducing Marion, an elegantly imposing woman in a lab coat. Leekie seems trust or respect her. Immediately, the audience knows she is a bad guy. They discuss Rachel, who apparently is becoming disappointingly less calculating and impersonal than she used to. Ethan Duncan is alive, her father. Meaning that they might have to “step in,” and if they do, she will fight and lose. “Lose “ delivered chillingly from the handsome woman’s lips. Clearly she is Leekie’s boss, and she turns his amiable older scientist act into that of a frightened, chastised boy.
A little later, Siobhan surprises Leekie in his office. She doesn’t bother with a prologue, but straight up tells him she has the early research, which is worth more than gold to him. You can tell she’s reveling in his mental salivating which he tries to hide through squinting eyes.
Back in Rehab, Alison has left Sarah to deal with Vic, and he, with pathetic sincerity, tells her he is still in love with her. She abrasively rejects him, which is hilarious, as is his abrupt fall to the floor, via glittery table. In the other part of rehab, Donnie and Alison’s kids come in, and Alison’s obvious cold-shoulder to Donnie is a nice, more subtle counterpart to the conflict between Vic and Sarah.
One of the biggest reveals happens not a moment later, which Donnie walks into a room that holds both Alison and Sarah. Alison says “Yes, she’s another clone!” with such annoyance, it is clear she doesn’t believe Donnie was in the dark. He is totally lost, but Alison thinks he is faking, which is hilarious, while Sarah believes his cluelessness.
Alison and Donnie finally talk, and we see that amidst all this crazy clone business, it is cast as a real-life marital problem that hurts both of them. He claims he was not recruited for the clone monitoring, but I’m unsure if that was true or not. He has a curiously determined and angry look on his face as Alison storms out after declaring that their marriage, their love, was ruined by him. Maybe he does really love her?
Siobhan sets up a meeting between Rachel and her father. It is the first time we see her this episode, and she looks close to tears, which she is manfully holding back. It is really a tragic scene of reunion colored by Rachel’s desire to be as emotionless as possible.
We cut to Rachel and Leekie. She looks like an ice queen. She calls Marion in front of Leekie, and we realize as Leekie’s face crumbles with betrayal that Rachel works for Marion, and now Leekie is on her hit list. She gives him a head start, saying “you raised me; nurture prevails, “ deadpan. He flees to the street, where we see a car follow him.
Sarah is in the boatyard where Cal is currently hiding Kira, when Cosima calls and explains her sickness and how Kira can help. The sweet girl overhears and pulls out a tooth, handing it to her mother. “Will this help?” Sarah bundles Kira into a car, and Cal hugs Kira through the window. He is really embracing the daddy roll sweetly.
And for the shocking ending: the car that was following Leekie is driven by Donnie, of all people. He confronts the scientist with a gun, distraught that he has lost Alison. Leekie dismisses him, and Donnie punches the wheel in frustration, gun in hand, and the gun goes off. The bullet pierces Leekie’s head, and Donnie is left to hyperventalite in a blood-soaked car.