If you’re a major sci-fi fan, you may already be well acquainted with the hit series Orphan Black. The show, which premiered in 2013, originally ran for five seasons before eventually spinning off into a series of audiobooks and a one-season sequel series in 2024. For those who aren’t in the know, Orphan Black centered on Sarah Manning, a seemingly ordinary woman who learns she is one of many genetically identical human clones, developed as part of a secret experiment.

Today, the series is gaining more traction than ever on Netflix, resulting in a near-perfect critic score of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Whether you’ve recently binged it, or you’re just a bit hazy on the details, now seems like as good a time as any to review the final moments of Orphan Black and parse through the details of the shocking finale.

Where is ‘Orphan Black’ supposed to take place?

Those who have tuned into the series know that Orphan Black takes place in Canada’s largest city, Toronto. Many television and film projects are shot in Toronto thanks to the region’s excellent tax credits, but few allow the city to represent itself by name. As Orphan Black plays out, however, Sarah Manning and her cohort of clones traipse through a number of familiar Toronto tourist sites and landmarks, while identifying a few must-try restaurants and shops.

When the series begins, Manning is a British con artist, though she quickly turns her life around when she starts to uncover an unnerving conspiracy. Namely, she has dozens of “sister” clones spread out across North America and Europe without her knowledge. To make matters worse, someone plots to eliminate the clones, forcing Sarah to band together with her genetic counterparts for survival.

As the series progresses, Sarah and her gang learn that they are not only being hunted, but that they have been targeted by a religious cult known as the Proletheans. This cult believes that clones are an abomination against God, and they’re especially disturbed to learn that Sarah has a daughter, making her the first known clone who can procreate.

By the time the fifth season kicks off, clones Sarah, Helena, Cosima, and Alison are able to thwart the Neolutionist movement of the Dyad Institute and escape from the clutches of the Proletheans once and for all. Together, they learn they are descendants of an experiment called Project Leda, which began in 1977.

What is the worm?

In order to understand Project Leda and uncover the truth behind the cloning process, Sarah and company first discover the worm. This is a synthetic organism developed by the cloning agency, also referred to as the “maggot-bot” throughout the narrative. As Orphan Black unfolds, we learn that the worm is a gene therapy delivery system, as well as a biological tracking device. It is the master device for creating and keeping track of the clones, and it also comes loaded with a remote kill switch.

This switch allows anyone to control or destroy the clones if they have the worm in their possession, making it an extremely valuable asset for all parties involved. Sometimes, the worm can be physically removed from the clone’s body, though this process is extremely dangerous and often results in death or disfiguration.

Through most of the series, the worm is the bane of the clones’ existence, putting them at a constant disadvantage. Luckily, the gang finds a way to utilize this tech in their favor by the very end, when Sarah’s brother Felix develops a master list of all Leda clones from around the globe. In the Orphan Black finale, it’s implied that Sarah, Helena and the others will use this list to locate and protect their fellow clones, creating a safer future for the Leda offspring.

Who is the original clone?

During the original run of Orphan Black, Sarah and her friends manage to figure out where the Dyad Institute sourced their genetic material, closing one of the most fascinating mysteries in the entire series. The woman in question is named Kendall Malone, and she was chosen for the cloning experiment thanks to her exceptional biological makeup. Kendall is a chimera, meaning she has two distinct cell lines to pass down to her clone counterparts.

She shows up at the start of season four, and becomes a major player in the show until she meets her untimely demise in the episode “The Scandal of Altruism.” Overall, Kendall served as the blueprint for 274 clones, not counting any experiments that may have gone wrong along the way.

Does Paul die in ‘Orphan Black’?

Another core character that tragically met their demise in the series was Paul Dierden. Paul was a Dyad handler assigned to watch over clone Beth Childs and report back to the institute at the show’s start. Once Sarah took Beth’s place, Paul began investigating her as well, though he quickly blew his cover as they connected.

Over the course of Orphan Black, Paul and Sarah develop a romantic bond, which lasts until Paul’s death in the season three episode, “Certain Agony Of The Battlefield.” On-screen, Paul sacrifices himself to save Sarah and the others, facing off against a number of cloned Castor soldiers. During a skirmish with soldier Styles Miller, he suffers a stab wound and begins bleeding out.

Eventually, Paul locks himself inside the laboratory, recognizing that he won’t survive his wounds. Just as Sarah and the gang depart, he detonates a grenade, destroying the entire lab and taking out a wealth of valuable Dyad materials in his final moments. In the end, Paul was one of Sarah’s greatest allies. Her love for him pushes her to succeed throughout the remainder of the series, long after he’s gone. We even see him again in season four, thanks to a few flashbacks and dream sequences.

Why did the military take Helena?

Though Paul managed to exit the series gracefully, he was not always a perfect accomplice. At one point in the narrative of Orphan Black, he betrays his clone friends to facilitate a deal with the military. In all fairness, this deal is made as a means to rescue Sarah and Kira, though it sees Paul willingly sacrificing Helena to the Dyad troops. At the end of season two, Paul brokers an agreement with Rachel and Mrs. S.

Together, they conspire to capture Helena and study her abilities, such as her healing factor and her unique genetic makeup. Dyad scientists believe that Helena’s DNA may unlock the cure for a defect within the Castor clones, making her highly valuable to them. In the end, Paul manages to save Sarah and her daughter, but the whole ordeal behind the prisoner swap leaves Sarah feeling frustrated and betrayed.

How does ‘Orphan Black’ end?

When the dust finally settles in season five, Sarah and her clone sisters finally find a semblance of freedom. Helena is free to raise her twins peacefully, while Sarah continues living with Kira and Felix. Other clone,s such as Alison and Cosima, also receive happy endings. They embark upon a global mission to find the other clones and protect them from any future threats. Neolution is unequivocally defeated, and the crew is able to settle down before searching for new and exciting projects.

Though Orphan Black received an uncharacteristically positive conclusion, the story has continued in audiobooks and the follow-up series Orphan Black: Echoes. If you’ve burned your way through all five seasons of the original show on Netflix, now seems like as good a time as any to seek out these additions to the story and see what other gripping tales can be told within this expansive sci-fi world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Orphan Black filmed?

Orphan Black was filmed on location in and around Toronto, Ontario. For more information on specific filming locations, be sure to check out our travel guide for the series on Travel Noire.

How many episodes of Orphan Black are there?

Orphan Black ran for five seasons, each consisting of ten episodes. All in all, the original series lasted 50 episodes, each spanning roughly 43 minutes in length.

Orphan Black

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