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Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
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Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 15:37 ]
Post subject:  Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
This show is brilliant (warning: sort-of spoiler in first sentence (!)), and it seems to have flown entirely below everyone's radar. Tatiana Maslany plays a streetwise career criminal, Sarah Manning, who steps off a train in a nameless American city to watch dumbounded as a crying woman who looks exactly like her throws herself under a train. She steals the woman's purse and the plot unfolds from there.
 
It's a sci-fi thriller with some snappy one liners -- closer to Buffy in tone than anything else, really. Outstanding acting from the lead who turns in an Alias-like performance playing different characters and accents; she's impressively chameleon like, with only subtle body language clues enough to clearly let you know which character she's playing.
 
Some great supporting actors too; her metrosexual gay foster brother Jordan Gavaris steals most of the best lines, and there's a recurring role from Michael Mando (Vaas from Far Cry 3!) as Maslany's abusive boyfriend. And I hope for great things in the future from Kevin Hanchard, a down-at-the-mouth homicide detective with a mysterious relationship to Maslany's character.
 
The show doesn't initially spell out its premise, so if you're spoiler-adverse, don't read this: but without saying this bit, I can't talk about the show at all. You'll probably suspect this by the end of the first episode and it's outright confirmed by the third anyway, so it's no big secret.
 
ZOMG Spoiler! Click here to view!
You quickly uncover that Maslany is one of a series of clones, and that someone or is trying to wipe them out; the clones have an underground organisation trying to figure out who made them, and why, and to stay alive. Hence Maslany's multiple roles, including a streetwise hustler, a soccer mom, a gay research scientist, a homicide detective.
 
There's plenty of amusing moments mined from fish-out-of-water scenes where one clone has to pretend to be another for various reasons. A suburban potluck lunch with two different clones and side characters from three different clone's lives all running around mistaking one clone for another is a memorable highlight for the show as a whole.

 
The plot twists and turns at a decent clip and is put together like a precision engineered watch; you're not going to see all of the crosses-and-doubles-crosses coming, for sure. And yet for me it never put a foot wrong with characterisation; you're never left thinking that someone did something that was inconsistent with what you know about them for the sake of advancing the plot -- which is refreshing for a glossy TV show these days. Lots of stuff that doesn't seem remarkable in early episodes takes on new significance in light of developments later on, and some moments that seemed out of place turn out to be perfectly explained by something you just didn't know yet.
 
The first episode is a wee bit generic and a little bit underwhelming (in particular, you may find Maslany's Londaaaahn accent distracting) but stick with it because it all starts to take off from the second episode onwards. Once it gathers momentum, it doesn't let up until the end -- be prepared to binge-watch if it gets under your skin.
 
It's ten episodes long and already confirmed for a second season. It's my favourite new show of the last year, I think.
Author:  Dr Lave [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 15:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
ooOOOOoooh.

Thanks I shall try and watch this. Sounds up my boat, despite bailing from potential spoilers about three lines in!
Author:  Grim... [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 15:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Sick'd!

No spoilers read!
Author:  Trooper [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 16:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Grim... wrote:
Sick'd!

No spoilers read!


:this:
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 17:02 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
I should point out it's a pretty mild spoiler in the block, but still, if the rest of the text was enough to sell you, then don't read it; go in blind.
Author:  zaphod79 [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 17:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
I watched the first few episodes after the star was a guest on the nerdist tv show and it seems interesting just not sure if they can keep things going for a full season

I did think it was a bbc America show ( might just be that it's shown on bbc America )
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 17:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
It's a Canadian show that aired on BBC America.

And yes, the season goes from strength to strength.

Edit -- apparently BBC America was a co-producing company, so I stand corrected. I wonder if that means it'll show up on BBC here at some point.
Author:  Trooper [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 19:15 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Episode one was ok, I shall continue.
Author:  Dr Zoidberg [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 19:24 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Cheers. Ill have a look for it.
Author:  Dr Lave [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 19:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
There's some weird ass accents in here.
Author:  MrChris [ Fri Jun 28, 2013 20:00 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Have you not met Meaty Angel?
Author:  Grim... [ Tue Jul 02, 2013 16:14 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Wait, she's supposed to be from Brixton? I thought she was Australian!
Author:  Dr Lave [ Tue Jul 02, 2013 16:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
'lright Guvnaaaah! Putta nova Shrimp on the Barby - Eh!?

(Enjoying it a lot otherwise)
Author:  MrChris [ Tue Jul 02, 2013 17:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Is she related to Dick Van Dyke, by any chance?
Author:  Grim... [ Fri Jul 05, 2013 23:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Her acting when she's talking to Art in the last episode is superb.
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Sat Jul 06, 2013 7:03 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
I think she's an outstanding actress. Definitely one to watch. Also

ZOMG Spoiler! Click here to view!
After weeks of her dodgy London accent -- although it did settle, I thought -- right at the end, we find out she can do pretty respectable RP!
Author:  Grim... [ Mon Jan 13, 2014 20:10 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Season 2 airs in April, whoo!
Author:  Grim... [ Thu Apr 17, 2014 10:31 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:08 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
We'll rent you the whole seat, but you'll only need the edge!
Author:  Rodafowa [ Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
I AM EXCITE.

Who's your favourite? It's Allison, right? Of course it's Allison.
Author:  Grim... [ Thu Apr 17, 2014 13:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Cosima, duh.
Author:  Bobbyaro [ Mon Apr 28, 2014 18:26 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
I watched the first series of this, it is good. Thought the last episode was a bit naff, but only in comparison.
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
It's over! Finale was great for me. It wasn't a perfect show; it meandered in places and suffered from a touch of making-it-up-as-we-went-along incoherency. But it was always anchored by Tatiana Maslany's fantastic acting coupled with great writing, wardrobe, and FX work for the multi-character scenes. At least once an episode I'd have to work hard to remind myself I was watching one person, not two or three or four. I loved it and I'm sad it's over.
Author:  Trousers [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:05 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Yes I'd agree with that. The last series sort of fell towards the conclusion rather than strode towards it confidently but it still felt like the journey was complete at the end.

Tatiana Maslany amazed me throughout but even moreso in those scenes where she's one clone pretending to be another clone. Alison as Sarah being my favourite.
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Trousers wrote:
Tatiana Maslany amazed me throughout but even moreso in those scenes where she's one clone pretending to be another clone.
Those were sorcery, because you could always tell really quickly which clone she was acting as and which clone she was pretending to be, even when the show didn't tell you. Something in the body language, I think. Also the wardrobe work was spot on -- they'd always give her a wig that was about 70% as good as the wig she'd wear when actually playing the second clone. There were always little details like that that were off, just to clue you in.
Author:  Trousers [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:49 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
The subtle nature of the clues really worked because you could buy into people falling for it - such a fine line, sorcery like you say.

I would get distracted watching those scenes occasionally, becoming obsessed with how the hell Tatiana Maslany got into the mindset of one the characters trying to get into the mindset of one of the other characters but retaining just that slight hint of the original's personality so that the viewer can put that together with all those other clues to suss out what's happening.
Author:  BikNorton [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:41 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
Whoever invented Helena-noise needs an award too. As does Donnie. And the guy who played the male clones while we're at it.

Really just an awesome body of work.
Author:  Doctor Glyndwr [ Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: Orphan Black: great Canadian sci-fi show
BikNorton wrote:
Whoever invented Helena-noise needs an award too.
Oh god, yes, I loved that. Such an iconic piece of... music?
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