No one expected to see a major character die in "Orphan Black" season 3, but series exec John Fawcett said that the character's death was planned all along. 

In episode 6 titled "Certain Agony of the Battlefield," Sarah's (Tatiana Maslany) ex-lover Paul (Dylan Bruce) died after making sure that she had escaped out of Dr. Coady's (Kyra Harper) clutches safely. But Paul did not die without telling Sarah how much he loves her, then he burned up all the researches with him in one big explosion. 

But how will this affect the dynamics of the story?

"Anytime someone dies... it changes the course of the show," the executive producer stated in an interview with TV Line. He also added that Paul's sacrifice "is an important driving factor in where Sarah's heading toward the end of this season and into the next." 

The series exec also admitted that Paul's death was part of the plan when they were conceptualizing the show's third season. It was made to tie up all the loose ends regarding his real personality and his main intentions toward Sarah and the projects. According to Fawcett, Paul endured a lot of mistrust during the past seasons, and his heroic death proved that he really cared for Sarah. 

On the other hand, Fawcett revealed that Sarah will start to do what she has to do after learning a lot of information about Project Leda.

"It's more important than ever that Sarah gets to the bottom of this — and not just for herself and for the safety of her immediate family. The driving force with Sarah is that she's really had to step up and become the leader. She's gone from being a teenage-runaway-reluctant mother, to having to be not just a responsible mother, but a leader," the executive producer said, adding that Sarah will be the one who will keep her sister clones together and find the right cure for their sister Cosima. 

Meanwhile, Fawcett admitted that it will be hard for them to top the previous episode since Paul's death was definitely a big story. But he told Entertainment Weekly that he and co-creator Graeme Manson already discussed this, and both agreed that in episode 7 titled "Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate," things will not be as intense for a little breather.

"Orphan Black" season 3 episode 7 airs Saturday, May 30, on Space and BBC America.