Fans of Orphan Black know how essential Alison Hendrix is to the series and her sestras. As a matter of fact, Alison has been ranked as the best clone in not one, but two lists in honor of the BBC America show's final season. Alison is a valuable asset to Orphan Black, but the June 24 episode, "Beneath Her Heart," has the suburban mom struggling with finding her place among her fellow clones and in her community of Bailey Downs. After she relapses at the Church Fall Fun Fair and then goes head-to-head with Rachel, Alison decides to focus on herself and leave Donnie temporarily. But where is Alison going on Orphan Black? And more importantly, will she return before the series is over?

While Alison has never needed to prove her worth to fans, her self-esteem takes a blow in "Beneath Her Heart." Beyond being repeatedly told by her sisters to not get involved in their epic battle against their creators, Rachel's employee Mr. Frontenac insults Alison by saying she's worthless. As Alison spirals out of control — complete with a flashback to the time she tripped on mushrooms with Aynsley and Chad — she is motivated to take action to save her and Donnie from being exposed by the Neolutionist police partner of Art, Detective Maddy Enger. Alison meets with Rachel for the first time to save her family and after she drops Dr. Aldous Leekie's head on Rachel's desk, she is victorious in getting the police to back off without revealing where Helena is hiding.

It's a triumphant moment for Alison and the Hendrix-centric episode is a delight, particularly when Alison and Donnie sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Yet, their duet is bittersweet since Alison has just announced she needs to go away to see who she is "outside of all this." Even before she discovered she was a clone, Alison had issues and she hasn't been able to address them adequately while dealing with the drama of the Clone Club. While she doesn't know where her destination is, she's taking some time to visit her children and reflect on herself.

Although there is a chance that Alison is going to try to find Cosima or Helena, I'm inclined to believe she's telling Donnie the truth. And while not every clone has the luxury of doing such a thing as taking time off from fighting for their freedom (could you even imagine if Sarah took some "me time"?), it's a breakthrough for Alison that she realizes she needs to step back — especially since she has battled with addiction. Yet, part of me would prefer for her to keep being involved with her sisters and continue to prove what an asset she can be to their cause. Plus, I'm slightly concerned the June 24 episode is Orphan Black's way of wrapping up Alison's story. After all, I haven't been able to find any clips of Alison appearing after Episode 3 in the below video.

But Alison — or Donnie, for that matter — not being on Orphan Black again in the final season is simply inconceivable to me. As "Beneath Her Heart" shows, Alison has come a long way while still having her faults. In order to complete her redemption story and prove she's just as important as all of the other clones (to the Neolutionists — not to me), it would only be right for her to return in a climatic moment later in the season. So while I don't want Alison to go anywhere, fans should prepare to not see her in the upcoming episodes. Just consider it practice for how to emotionally prepare yourself for when Orphan Black comes to an end after this season.

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