Having not seen the BBC America Canadian series Orphan Black at the time of its first airing in 2013 – or for a significant time afterwards in fact – I went into my Season One refresher viewing with a touch of guilt. And that state of mind kind of supplemented my anticipation of the show I had seen, read, and heard so much about. I would need my wits, nerves, and senses, about me it seems in what turns out to be an ultra-compelling, shape-shifter of dramatic television – a kind of science fiction to some extent, created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett. The name now tattooed on your psyche, though, ought to be the show’s incredibly versatile lead actress Tatiana Maslany, a thoroughly accomplished performance that manages to deliver a new range of astonishment with every episode.
Like our initially British protagonist Sarah Manning (Maslany), you are not sure what will happen next. She witnesses a woman, pretty much a carbon copy of herself only dressed office-smart rather than street-wise, take off her shoes and leave her bag before stepping in front of a moving train. In the lingering moment of the shock, Sarah takes the woman’s bag and before we know it is not only imitating Beth Childs’ life but is actually living in her shoes – not literally the pair she left on the platform. And probably wishes she hadn’t bothered had the $75,000 savings not continued to lure her in.
It is not like Sarah was not looking for an escape anyway. Perhaps not one like this, granted. But with her clearly troubled past, a yearning to be reunited with her little daughter, and loyal encouragement from her foster brother Felix, not too strong a suspension of disbelief allows us to accept she has to go with the flow. Discovering Beth was a police detective being investigated for a civilian shooting, Sarah is brought in to a small hearing and asked to give her side of the story regarding an the on-duty shooting and fatality. She has no instinctual choice than to vomit across the table. In all honesty, that is what I would have done. Beth’s partner Art is more in the dark than we are as the police investigation expands.
As TV drama goes then, this is some daring adrenaline. You often simultaneously feel the fears of the danger Sarah may have put herself in and the excitement of this new venture. Beth’s boyfriend Paul is not who is says he is. Add to that Sarah can’t seem to shake up her own drug-dealer baggage Vic. There’s a moment of touching realization too – that Sarah’s daughter Kira may think she is dead (Kira is under the care of Sarah’s own foster mum Mrs. S). Soon after Sarah is confronted by Katya, also an unfathomable resemblance, the German whose birth certificate she had discovered in the Beth’s safe deposit box. Confused yet? Trust me, it makes much more sense seeing it for yourself. Katya is shot dead sooner than you expect. From there, the whole mystery adds potential long-lost sister theory, intrigue and murder to its arsenal. This is some unsettling can of worms that has been opened, and for long will they spill.
Stress not, there is some humor along the way. The lightened up gay foster brother Felix provides some of this with his brash, sarcastic, but realistic outlook. He is fun to have around, that classic over-dramatic vocal attitude to everything without being over-camp at any time. Not that we would have objected to that. And it is clear Sarah would jump in front of a train for him (no misleading pun intended). Also, there is Sarah’s shock / disappointment that one of her other selves Alison is a soccer mom. There is a light-hearted nature to the whole bizarre turn of events, we now realize is based on cloning. As stone after stone is uncovered, we wonder how things will pan out, not just in the long term, but literally scene by scene.
You simply, as a viewer, have to accept that Sarah is smart and quick on her feet. I know, I know, maybe you can perceive it as a little far-fetched. Not me, not at all, I soak it all, and enjoy it guilt-free. Tatiana Maslany, a Canadian, has to be super-multi-lingual in her acting, and she makes it seem more freewheeling and comfortable than compulsively changing shoes in a store. And this is not paced, eloquent dialogue. This is intense, flustered speech much of the time. Each clone has a unique, individual persona and set of mannerisms – down to their default facial mood or mouth movements. We are looking at the same face without any doubt, but these are all different people. And the question is not how do they do this visual effects-wise but rather how do they make us buy into it so effectively. One of the answers that stands out a mile, and I will continue to beat the drum for, is Maslany. A stupendously good cluster of performances, that even now still leaves me scratching my head how Emmys and company did not nominate her.
And with each new clone we meet (they are right, we need a new word for that) a new door, with a different dimension opens. Cosima, something of a free-spirited science nerd with dreadlocks, offers a different viewpoint and further support. Are we watching this and learning to literally fight our own demons or personas? Take what you want from Orphan Black, as there is plenty there to satisfy and intrigue. Amongst all the identity shenanigans, Sarah asks Alison to mimic her and visit her daughter, so she can fend off the most dangerous clone it seems, Helena, a psychotic fuzzy blonde who was bought up with strong religion in Ukraine. It takes the innocence of a child, unclouded by life’s imprints, to know who her mother is right away. A mother who has hardly seen her daughter, whose primary motivation is now making amends. That emotional thread has you by the hand, and squeezes tight when it needs to.
The introduction of the theory of futurism and neolution turns the eerie tension up a couple of notches, and you really begin to feel more like watching science fiction. The domineering Olivier seems a huge danger until he literally loses his tail. You read that right. And you all of sudden feel like you are not watching the same show from a couple of episodes earlier – the compelling factor hardy ever loosens it’s grip. Even the characters / clones we didn’t take to immediately (Alison), were too clued up to worry about (Cosima), or believed was a huge threat (Helena), you are moulded to have a heart for as things progress and alter before your eyes. In fact, for me, the development and believable transformation of Alison (especially towards the end) may be when Maslany is truly in her best form.
Orphan Black is a terrific, pacey, and addictive slice of entertainment. The final sequence of that last episode does not, with or without the knowledge that there is a second season, allow you to believe this particular chapter will end with a smile. It’s a lingering, countdown to the final credits, coated in an air of tragedy and inevitability, that dangles narrative development as well as cold, plain emotion, in front of you. It is one of the perfect closes on a show in recent years, if a very sombre one. We’ve come this far, though.
Orphan Black Season One is available via DVD on Netflix, streaming on Amazon Prime, and download on iTunes. Season Three premieres April 18 on BBC America. Check local listings.
2 comments