Orphan Black Season two returns, April 19th at 9/8c on BBC America. Season one is available on Amazon Instant Video now.
WHY HAVEN’T YOU WATCHED… ORPHAN BLACK?
‘Why haven’t you watched…?’ is a column where we extoll the virtues of a movie or TV show. They may be old or new, they may be US-made or foreign. The only constant will be their awesomeness and that by watching them you will enrich your life, appear cooler to your friends, and more attractive to the opposite sex.
Picture the scene. You’re walking along a subway platform, engrossed in your own thoughts. You look ahead and make eye contact with…yourself. At least you think it’s yourself. That person steps off the platform in front of an oncoming train and is killed. Their bag, a possible clue as to who that person was, lies in front of you, you take it and run. That is the kickoff point for Orphan Black. Sarah (Tatiana Maslany), a British orphan returning to her adoptive family in America, witnesses the suicide of her doppelganger, Beth. Her life being pretty shambolic, she assumes Beth’s identity with the intent of discovering if they were separated at birth, oh and emptying her bank account. But soon finds herself drawn into a life with a nice apartment, attractive boyfriend, and the small matter of a conspiracy involving secret genetic research and a third lookalike, then a fourth, then a fifth…
Orphan Black hit screens last year and immediately garnered a cult following. A Space Network/BBC America (Canadian/UK) collaboration, it provides a gripping storyline through provoking questions about morality in scientific research as well as a showcase for its incredibly talented lead, Tatiana Maslany. Co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson have crafted and plotted a show imbued with a sense of scale, at times feeling like the plot of a major movie, but via TV given time and space to breathe. We’re in an age where science fiction is cool again; comic books and TV shows are given more freedom to take risks since the success of groundbreaking shows like Fringe, Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones and it is refreshing to see some writers and networks are picking up that gauntlet.
It could be easy to look at the surface and expect some SyFy network, trashy, oversexualised show but that could not be further from the truth. Instead, it is a fantastic, well-constructed sci-fi thriller. Each aspect is well polished and thought out, questions are raised, answers are given, deeper mysteries develop. It is a very rewarding show. There is obviously a sci-fi element, however nothing too alienating. It feels set in a near future and addresses biological advances that are not too far beyond our realms of possibility today. A genre show such as this can be a hard sell to some. While it is a complex and far fetched premise, it is also filled with good writing, sympathetic characters to relate to, and is full of heart. Plots develop nicely, progress is made and the show’s fascinating world becomes bigger by the episode. The web of intrigue grows larger but not at the expense of viewer satisfaction.
The biggest single draw to Orphan Black (or should that be multiple draws) are the performances of Tatiana Maslany. Her main character, Sarah, is returning home to reunite with the daughter she abandoned to her adoptive mother 7 years earlier. That creates a huge emotional arc for her to redeem herself, get her life on track and regain the trust of her family. Further complications pop up including an ex-boyfriend intent on reacquainting himself, then there is the small matter of assuming this stolen identity. It turns out Beth was a police detective so she has to adopt her appearance, accent, behavior and job skills well enough to convince her partner, Art, that she truly is Beth. This alone sounds sufficient to propel an interesting show along; however, the intricacies of Orphan Black go far deeper.
The reason behind multiple iterations of the same woman is one of the key ongoing mysteries in the show. Some fleetingly appear, others are recurring and are part of the main cast. This includes stuck-up soccer mom Allison, Molecular Biology grad student Cosima, and the deranged assassin Helena. It’s important to remember how often she is playing multiple characters within the same scene, often without anyone else to play off of. Creating one memorable character for a show is difficult enough but Maslany does this not just once but multiple times, giving us some of the most complex and layered performances I have seen in years. Each character is imbued with different quirks, styles and accents. The clones play off each other, bickering, mistrusting but over time grow closer and support each other. I haven’t seen multiple versions of one character handled so effortlessly since Multiplicity (kidding/not kidding, “hi Schteve”), which is a true testament to the writing combining with the talents of this fine actor. We observe them balancing their real lives, their ‘cover’ as well as the deepening intrigue around their existence. Together forming an underground support group of sorts, each of them working and using the skills they have and positions they have to root out more information about their existence. Sarah finds herself drawn into this group through her assumption of Beth’s life. Stakes are raised as are levels of mistrust with discoveries that a biotech company, the nefarious Dyad Institute may have planted moles within each clones life to monitor their activities. There is also a suggestion of a religious cult intent on wiping out the clones. Maslany is admirabley supported in her demanding role(s) by Jordan Gavaris as her foster brother Felix, Kevin Hanchard as her/Beth’s police partner Art, and a host of other nicely developed characters to flesh out the intricate world the show presents.
Orphan Black is a scifi thriller but cleverly rooted in real world threats, situations and distractions. The cloning aspect is setting up for reflections on what may soon be a real morality issue posed to our society and while it could easily come across as a gimmick, the fully fleshed out characters here mean it is anything but. Maslany brings each clone to life as a fully realized character caught up in this ever deepening conspiracy and it is enthralling to watch both the performances and plots develop. Full of intrigue, suspense, humor and packing an emotional punch, Orphan Black is required viewing.
