Major Paul Dierden is our ‘Orphan Black’ Clone Club MVP of the week

By Constance gibbs

May 25, 2015

By Constance gibbs

May 25, 2015

This week’s Orphan Black Clone Club MVP was obvious once the episode ended (. . . although, we probably should’ve known with a title like, “Certain Agony of the Battlefield”). Throughout the series, Paul’s loyalties were never quite clear — but this week, his love for Sarah made him choose a side. Paul’s was the third shanking I’ve seen on television this season, but the other two characters — from Scandal and Arrow, respectively — survived. I had so much hope until the very end, but alas. This week, we salute Major Paul Dierden. (He even has ‘die’ in his name! *Sob.*)

In the beginning of the episode, Paul arrives back in town, apparently looking pretty tan according to Paul’s shady friend in Arlington, Virginia. (As I don’t think he was given a name, I shall call him Agent Shady.) Paul tells Agent Shady about Dr. Coady’s experiments, looking for support to shut down her operations. Agent Shady asks for proof, and Paul goes to get it.

When he arrives at the base, he sees that Sarah’s been experimented on: She was given Rudy’s blood in order to look for the same effects as the other women with the Castor STD. Sarah — poor, sweaty, convulsing Sarah — is concerned about Paul’s loyalties, and says to him, “You’re the worst of them, because I don’t even know where you stand.”

Paul clearly takes this to heart as he investigates what Coady has been up to. He checks in with base Doctor Silva, who says Coady’s been investigating the sickness in the women for a while now. He only has partial answers, but tells Paul to check Coady’s quarters. Before he does, Paul checks in on Mark, as well — and his expression of love for Gracie soothes both Paul’s and my heart. (Mark’s officially one of the good ones. . . I think.)

Together, they break into Coady’s private quarters and find the research she’s been doing on the women with the Castor STD. They find that the boys are passing along their genetic defect causing similar sterilization as in the Leda clones. Paul immediately locks Coady up and phones Agent Shady, who then further earns my nickname for him. He claims an extraction team is coming, but then he calls Rudy out in the field and tells him to head back to base.

While Paul rounds up Coady’s team, Sarah asks him if he loved Beth. (She’s just come out of her fever dream where she spoke to Beth and saw her die again.) Paul is silent on the question. But then, Miller — the camouflage clone who doesn’t speak much — attacks Paul with a knife.

As I mentioned earlier, this was the third stabbing of this nature I’ve seen this season, so I thought Paul would walk it off. And he certainly could have, had Virginia not shot him (!!) and he hadn’t come up with his last-ditch effort. But first, Paul gets Sarah to safety. He pushes her through an exit tunnel and heads back to the heart of the base, not before letting her know, “It was never Beth I loved.”

Sarah (and us, the audience) sits in silence as Paul heads back to gather up all of Coady’s research (including the Castor DNA). Coady and Rudy arrive, refusing to budge on their evil “It will totally save the world!” plan. Coady shoots Paul, but Paul drops a grenade and ends them all. (Or did he. . . ?!?!?!)

Paul, by nature of his triple undercover role, was suspicious until the very end, but he always held a soft spot for Sarah that made him question his own loyalties. But at least he’s made it to the Clone Club MVP — because he always did his best to save Sarah. You will be missed, dirty Paul (. . . said in Helena’s accent, of course).

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