Orphan Black was another series title that I found somewhat misleading, but the series is still captivating. This Canadian/British thriller opens with lead character, Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany), witnessing the suicide of a woman unknown to her, but who looked exactly like her. From there, Sarah’s world is turned upside down as she embarks on a journey that begins with her finding out she is one of several clones.
Tatiana Maslany plays every version of the clone and sometimes they can group up a bit, and each character is uniquely talented with different intelligences, all of them together would make an interesting study for the nurture v nature argument. Copies of the clone are placed all around the world, experiencing significantly different upbringings from their sisters. One was brought up by the organization that cloned them and another was brought up by a nefarious cult that brainwashes their copy into murdering her sisters, but most were placed with random adopting parents around the world. Sarah grew up in the UK with Mrs. S and adopted brother Felix, Sarah and Felix are adults but stay in touch with Mrs. S, who’s raising Sarah’s daughter, Kira. As Sarah falls further and further into the depths of the clone rabbit hole, more and more danger rises around her, her sisters, and her family.
Many clones have a companion or watcher assigned to them, but each clone is clearly charismatic and has a magnetic personality that draws people to fall for them in a way that the “fallen” is willing to go to great lengths to be helpful. Sometimes these are friends, family, or significant others and the steamy romance subplots are not unwelcome.
This BBC America series has that occasional strange bit of dialogue I have come to expect and love from a Canadian based television show. The story works, the characters are interesting and quirky, but every once in a while, the dialogue has these little moments of being out of place. It’s not disturbing enough to be a knock on the show, just every Canadian tv show I’ve ever seen has these bits of writing that make me go, “WTF?” and Orphan Black holds up this tradition well.
4 Seasons are available for binging on Amazon Prime, the 5th and final season begins June 10 on BBC America. Well worth a watch.
TL;DR: Quirky, steamy, strange and neat, charismatic clones kickin ass.
-Morgan@1063RL