This Cosima-focussed episode reveals a little more about Westmoreland and the island, but not much more. Meanwhile, Sarah, Siobhan, and Kira engage in some plotting and family bonding, and a monster is in the house.
Title: “Ease Idle for Millionaires”
Cast and Crew
Director: Helen Shaver
Writer: Jenn Engels
Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning/ Cosima Niehaus / Rachel Duncan
Maria Doyle Kennedy as Siobhan Sadler
Skyler Wexler as Kira
Stephen McHattie as P.T. Westmoreland
Rosemary Dunsmore as Susan Duncan
Evelyne Brochu as Delphine Cormier
Jenessa Grant as Mud
Josh Vokey as Scott
Ari Milen as Ira
Sirena Gulamgaus as Aisha Yasin
Homa Kameh as Aisha’s Mother
Calwyn Shurgold as Hell Wizard
Géza Kovács as The Messenger
Stuart Hughes as Cooper
Victor Gomez as Salvador
Vas Saranga as Amar
Joel Chico as Wei
Deborah Grover as Yolanda
Humberly González as Ana
Daniel Stolfi as Village Guard
Andrew Musselman as Yannis
Premise
Sarah plays straight with her daughter, and then teaches her how not to play straight. A con is brewing.
Meanwhile, the Revivalists (selecting night-time, for some reason) go after the killer in the woods, and a tuxedo-wearing Cosima confronts Westmoreland, who seems less like the 170-year-old genius that he claims to be.
We learn the Neolutionist plans for Kira.
High Points
The plans for Kira make perfect Neolutionist sense, and they’re perfectly Mengelean.
That children’s choir during the closing credits does more to creepify the Neolutionists than that horror-movie nighttime hunt.
Low Point
The developments and confrontations on the Neolutionist island continue with the clichés from the previous episode. Even granting that things almost certainly aren’t as they appear, the writing here falls a little below the show’s standards.
The Scores:
Originality: 3/6
Effects: 5/6
Story: 5/6
Acting: 6/6 This would be the place where, once again, I mention Tatiana Maslany’s brilliance. We’re seeing other sides to Cosima, and Sarah remains riveting.
Emotional Response: 5/6 The episode works well, despite some obvious emotional button-pushing.
Production: 6/6
Overall: 6/6 Yannis was an orphan. Nice touch.
In total, “Ease Idle for Millionaires” receives 36/42
Lingering Questions
Has Cosima discovered the truth behind Westmoreland? She definitely accuses him of not being who he claims, and he locks her in a cage.
Increasingly, Revival feels like an elaborate con that serves some role in the Neolutionists’ unethical scientific research.
Still not 100% on Westmoreland either. My take was that Cosima seems to accept that he is perhaps as old as he claims, and the timeline established with Susan’s talk with Ira last week at least partly supports that, but was accusing him of fraud in terms of his aims for Neolution. It seems pretty clear that her view is that no matter how great Neolution’s ultimate aims might be, the unethical means clearly do not justify them, especially since they now appear to be more about benefitting Westmoreland than humanity as a whole.
On the other hand we have the Clone Club discussing Westmoreland as a probable fraud with hints of a family tree that I suspect will turn out to be clue that either he’s a descendant of the original or (if he’s legit) that someone else on the show is one of his descendants. That might perhaps explain the significance of Mud and her extensive knowledge of the workings of Revival, but still doesn’t shed much light on why she’s treated so poorly compared to almost everyone else.
Look, when the bad guy gives you the gun, you can tout your humanity all you want but do not just put the gun back down on the table, Cosima!
Funny thing about this is imagine Alison in that situation.
I’d say Helena but she would’ve massacred everyone on the island before even getting to that situation.
Cosima may be the safest clone for them to have on the island– short term. Even their pet clone, Rachel, poses a serious physical threat if she becomes unhinged.