That was a fast hour of television, wasn't it?

Additionally, Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 9 was titled perfectly: "Things Which Have Never Been Done." They are not kidding with that sentiment!

After Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 8 and the introduction of Tony, it was good to have the series firing on all cylinders again. It was in hyperdrive.

It's difficult to know where to start because there is so much to talk about, so I'm going to break it down by clone. Some will wind up in the tales of others, but that's the way it is with clones! Interestingly, it was the people around the sisters who stood up and started making an impact on their lives, giving us a little hope.

Honestly, there are so many titles that could have been used for this review because as I watched each section of the installment, it became my favorite. Away we go!

Donnie grows a pair: Have you ever been so happy that Donnie wasn't a knowledgeable monitor? His ignorance has given him a second chance to win back Alison's love and 'lord and butter' it would have been a shame to miss out on the new man he has become.

I was laughing at Donnie wanting to vomit while dealing with Leekie's body and his inability to operate a jackhammer. His little Alison one ups him all the time. He's not as perfectly comfortable with manslaughter as his wife. The whale's portion of the Orphan Black quotes went to Donnie, and with good reason.

From laughter to cheering him on, because when Donnie got that gun in his hand and told Alison this is how we're going to be handling our family from now on, I knew he meant it. Do you think we'll see Vic and Angie around much after this?

Donnie: I'm Donnie Hendricks and you've been harassing my wife.
Angie: Hey, this is police business.
Donnie: My ass it is! Beth Childs' police business? How about Art Bell? Suspended for doing far less than this. All these women and you just can't put it together, can ya?
Vic: I'm confused, too.
Angie: Shh!
Donnie: You don't want to know what we know and if you come near my home or my family again, I will bury you! Smile. Have a shitty day!

• Permalink: You don't want to know what we know and if you come near my home or my family again, I will...

Adrenaline does crazy things and it was a perfect ending to their story to get so utterly aroused by what they had accomplished after the concrete was poured that they had sex on top of the freezer where moments before Leekie had been resting. Awesome.

Gracie grows up: There's a lot of growing in this installment. After being brainwashed her entire life, Gracie had only come to life after her father brought Helena back and she saw her as a threat. She was also, justifiably, a little scared of Helena. even Sarah was scared of Helena, after all. Seeing how Helena treated the midwife/nursery school teacher after she manhandled one of the kids started changing Gracie's views of Helena.

Everything seems less awful when you can stand back and watch it from the outside. When Gracie was implanted with Helena's embryos, she was done. What worked was that she was still a bit angry at Helena for not listening to her father, for not understanding. But when Helena is on your side, she's all in. Gracie knows that now.

When Henrik locked Gracie up, Helena had enough. Mark had enough, too. Everybody turned on Henrik. Helena ensuring that he felt the full experience of what all his little women endured was perfect. Did he want to have a horse baby or a cow baby? Helena gave him a taste of his own medicine and then burned the place down.

I wonder two things: before Helena came along, he was just interested in perpetuating his "divine"? WTF? I get it that he thinks Helena is a miracle, but who was the miracle that created an entire school of children before she arrived? Just him. Whacko. And, surely Helena made sure they were all out safely before scorching the place, right? She couldn't hurt a child.

Sarah wonders if she's a good mother: In a word, yes. Any mother who can raise a child in circumstances as crazy as theirs. a child who still understands life and death and wants to give life to someone from themselves, has done a great job being a mommy. 

All of Sarah's sisters are going to come together to help her get her daughter back, of that I'm certain. With the exception of one, of course.

Rachel is human: Despite what she did -- stealing Kira -- she's far more human than I gave her credit. The ultimate sadness is being alone in a dark room with a wall-sized screen airing your childhood movies while you watch drinking a martini, laughing and crying. The only emotions she allows herself are those she lets out when isolated.

When Leekie killed her parents, he must have transferred her bedroom to the Dyad Institute. Even though she knows how horrible her own childhood was after the death of her parents, she's still willing to ruin Kira's life in an attempt to have a daughter of her own. She couldn't get much closer to a child of her own, given their genetic circumstances. 

Kira, however, is far more intelligent and adult than Rachel gives her credit. I would not be at all surprised if it's Kira who is able to break through Rachel's hardened heart and bring her around to wanting to work with her sisters instead of against them. Just like Ethan has the key to fixing their infertility and illnesses locked in his mind, in someone elses is the key to break Rachel. I think it's Kira.

Capturing Kira could be the end of Rachel as we know her. I hope so.

This was a turning point episode that flowed brilliantly. There wasn't one moment of it that I would have changed. Well, maybe I would have made it two hours. No biggie! If you haven't been watching, you need to catch up. Don't ask questions just watch Orphan Black online an thank me later.

Which story was the most riveting?

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.