Inside the briefcase Sarah finds medical images, vials of blood, and evidence of more lookalikes, including a woman named Alison Hendrix, whose address is written on a note.
"Instinct" was filmed in a block with the series' first episode, "Natural Selection", under the direction of Orphan Black co-creator John Fawcett.
The episode refers to the fictional suburb of Bailey Downs, where Alison is said to live, which is a homage to the setting of the 2000 Canadian horror film Ginger Snaps, which was directed by Fawcett.
The final scene was created through digital compositing, whereby both versions of the scene—with Maslany playing both characters separately—are combined to produce a single shot.
Club gave the episode an A− grade, writing that the series "continues to walk a fine line with extraordinary subtlety and confidence".
[6] Den of Geek critic Rob Kemp thought that the episode was well developed and felt that it stood out from "the current crop of TV science fiction".
He found Maslany's performance "incredible" and "effortless", and felt that her scenes with Art at the police station provided the strongest material.
He praised the development of the story and the characters but felt that while Maslany's acting was "remarkably strong as both Sarah and Sarah-Being-Beth her performance as Alison ... feels a bit shrill".