Members of Clone Club got some good news and bad news today: while Orphan Black was renewed for Season 5 (yay!), BBC America also announced that the beloved sci-fi series would be ending with Season 5 (boo!). It's admittedly always nice to see a show go out on its own terms rather than overstay its welcome; I'd rather co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson get to see their story through to its natural conclusion next year than watch Sarah Manning become a lumberjack after a few more unnecessary seasons. But with only 11 more episodes left in the show's history (including this Thursday's Season 4 finale), there are a lot of burning questions Orphan Black needs to answer before it ends.
Season 4 has done a great job of scaling back the number of convoluted conspiracy plots (eliminating the Dyad Institute in one throwaway sentence and sidelining the Proletheans entirely) and tying up loose ends (like why Beth killed herself and the ambiguous fate of Delphine) but there is still plenty left to be resolved before the Orphan Black series finale airs in 2017.
There are literally dozens of mysteries that demand to be solved, but here are 13 of the most burning questions I hope Orphan Black will answer before the credits roll on Season 5:
1. What Has Delphine Been Up To?
Last week's episode ended with the long-awaited confirmation that Delphine is still alive after she appeared to have been gunned down in the Season 3 finale. While the Season 4 finale is likely to address some of the mystery around her disappearance (like who shot her and how she survived), there probably won't be enough time to get the whole story until Season 5.
2. Who's The Old Man In Rachel's Eye?
This is another mystery that will probably be addressed in the Season 5 finale — but I have a feeling that even if it is, the answer will probably just raise even more questions for the final season. That's just how TV dramas work, right?
3. Is Kira Really Psychic?
We've long been told that there's something "special" about Sarah's daughter, but Season 4 full-out teased that Kira is psychic. Will her vision of Cosima setting Sarah on fire because Sarah was "changing" come true?
4. Will We Meet Any More Clones?
Part of the joy of each season is watching Tatiana Maslany inhabit a new role. The only major addition to Season 4 was mysterious hacker M.K. (as well as an expanded role for Beth); but with the show ending next year, I expect them to pull out all the stops and introduce several fun new clones for Maslany to play with.
5. Where Are The Proletheans?
I was happy to see the show streamline itself this year, so the religious cult wasn't exactly missed. But it's still sort of odd that they just disappeared, never to be seen again after Bonnie shunned Gracie following the young girl's miscarriage. Presumably they're still out there somewhere, being weird and cultish. It would be nice to check in with them one last time just to tie off that loose end.
6. Where Has Mark Been?
Speaking of the Proletheans, where is Castor clone Mark? He was the lone survivor of Season 3's Castor bloodbath — and although Season 4 introduced a new male clone, Ira, we never got to see what happened to Mark. Did he succumb to his illness? Or is he still out there somewhere with Gracie, hoping for a cure?
7. What's Up With Felix's Sister?
When Sarah had Adele's DNA tested against Felix's and got the results over the phone, she claimed they were a match. But is that really all there is to the story? After all, we didn't hear the other end of the phone call; did Sarah really tell Felix the truth, or is she protecting her brother from a horrible secret?
8. Will Krystal Get Inducted Into Clone Club?
Will poor naïve Krystal ever learn the truth of her origins? Basically I just really want to see her interact with everyone — Sarah, Cosima, Alison, Rachel — but I would especially love to see the beautician clash with the hilariously unkempt Helena. Make this happen, writers!
9. Will Helena Have Her Twins?
Speaking of Helena, will Orphan Black's final season see the introduction of our first clone offspring since Kira? Unless there's a huge time jump, we probably won't get to know Helena's children as actual characters, but it would still be delightful to see the former assassin bonding with her babies.
10. Will There Be More Identity-Swapping?
Maslany is terrific in every role she plays on this show, but oftentimes her best performances come when she plays one clone pretending to be another clone — the layers of her portrayals in such circumstances are simply staggering. But outside of Helena posing (badly) as Alison, there haven't been many switcheroos this season. This must be rectified next year.
11. Will The Clones Ever Be Safe?
Clone Club may have brought down Evie Cho last week, but that's obviously far from the end of the story, considering there are still 11 episodes left. But what will it actually take for the sestras to be safe — permanently? The complete dismantlement of Neolution? Is that even possible? How else does this saga end?
12. Will Anyone Die?
Although its characters are often in mortal danger, Orphan Black doesn't have the same high body count as shows like Game Of Thrones and The Walking Dead. So far, Paul is the only series regular to have bitten the dust — now that Delphine is back from the dead, anyway. But will that change in the final season? Will Cosima's illness finally catch up with her? Will Rachel be brought down by her own hubris? Will Sarah give her life to save Kira? Just don't kill Felix or I will riot in the streets.
13. Will We Ever See Them All In One Place?
It's probably very complicated to splice two Tatianas into one scene together — not to mention several of her — which is why the clones don't actually get together in person that often. But when they do, it's magic. (Case in point: that Season 2 dance sequence and that Season 3 dinner party.) But as amazing as both of those scenes were, they only featured four clones apiece. Just once before Orphan Black goes off the air, I would love to see every major clone in one place: Sarah, Alison, Cosima, Helena, Rachel, Krystal, and M.K. (Seven is a magic number, after all.) How amazing would that be?!
But before we get too busy mourning the inevitable end of Orphan Black, let's get excited about Thursday's Season 4 finale, "From Dancing Mice To Psychopaths." It's not to be missed… especially now that we know it will be setting things up for the show's final (*sniff*) season.
Images: Ken Woroner/BBC America (12); Giphy
