![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Orphan Black: Home Base and Primer
2x01 — Nature Under Constraint and Vexed
2x02 — Governed by Sound Reason and True Religion
2x03 — Mingling Its Own Nature With It
2x04 — Governed As It Were By Chance
2x05 — Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est
2x06 — To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings
2x07 — Knowledge of Causes and Secret Motion of Things
2x08 — Variable and Full of Perturbation
2x09 — Things Which Have Never Yet Been Done
2x10 — By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried (Season 2 FINALE)
A discussion thread for Season 1 is here.
For the BBC America schedule of this critically-acclaimed fan favorite (which made almost every TV critic's "Best of 2013" list), click here. (To see if BBC America is available from your cable provider, click here.)
BBC America has a "video recap" of Season 1 here (although it's more to refresh the memory of those who watched last year).
Finally, for an awesome discussion of just one of the reasons Orphan Black is so amazing (one of many), I refer you to this fantastic article (which was the catalyst for my own initial viewing of the show): Orphan Black flips the sci-fi script by putting female agency first
This is the homebase for Orphan Black
From left to right: Dr Leekie, Paul, Kira (seated), Rachel, Delphine, Cosima, Cal, Sarah, Felix, Alison, Donnie, Mrs. S, Art (crouching), Henrik
Orphan Black, a Canadian speculative fiction series,
airs in Canada on Space, in the US on BBC America, and in Australia on SBS2
Orphan Black has been renewed for a third season!
Factoid 1: While Season One's episode titles were taken from chapters of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Season Two's titles come from the works of Francis Bacon.
Factoid 2: Season 2 premieres on 19 April, 132 years to the day that Charles Darwin died. Intriguing coincidence ...)
Official Site
Premise
Sarah Manning, a young woman with a less-than-ideal life, witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her. Impulsively stealing the dead woman's purse, she decides to take over her identity, only to find that she and her doppelganger are clones -- and they're not the only ones. As Sarah begins to meet up with the other clones, she discovers that there are powerful forces intent on controlling, destroying, or exploiting them.
Why Watch?
As you might guess from the cast photo, factoids, and premise, this is a smart, sexy show, driven in equal parts by plot and characterization.
"Oh, but, clones? Really? All played by the same actress? Too gimmicky!"
Most of us have had the experience of watching a movie or TV series where the special effects are so front-and-center that they keep taking you out of the story as you're watching, thinking "Wow, cool idea!" or "Wow, cool effect!" ... While there's nothing wrong with such meta-commentary, it's an exhilarating experience when the inverse happens, when the story and characters sweep you up so completely that you barely notice the SFX supporting them.
Orphan Black is that type is experience for many of its fans. While most go into it knowing it's a sci-fi thriller about clones, its "gimmick" being that they're all played by a single actress (Tatiana Maslany), by the time you see scenes that require two, three, or more of those characters on screen and interacting at the same time, it's likely that your brain has giddily suspended disbelief and will see, not a genuine marvel of acting and camera work, but distinct characters. (You'll frequently see fans saying, "I keep forgetting she plays all of them!")
Don't just take my word for it - Google Orphan Black, and you'll see dozens of "why you should be watching" type articles.
Characters
no subject
no subject
TBH I knew almost nothing about the show when I came across that article, but the "putting female agency first" in the title grabbed my attention, and I decided to check the show out - and was completely blown away.
Orphan Black - Season One discussion thread
Re: Orphan Black - Season One discussion thread
Re: Orphan Black - Season One discussion thread
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
It makes no sense to me that they'd say they had Kira. Even if it was to get Sarah to go to them, it would totally backfire when she found out they didn't have her, like it did. I really wanna trust Art, but something's fishy.
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
~ What I do suspect is that Mrs. S wasn't taken with or by the same people as Kira - she might have taken off on her own after Kira was taken. (I just really really don't want Mrs. S to be one of the Bad People. :p)
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 01
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 2
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 3
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 4
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 5
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 5
I've been re-watching the series with my Spawn to catch them up to where I am, and today (after watching 2x3) and looking up Leda, I had some thinky thoughts.
Leda actually had TWO sets of twins -- from two eggs. One set of twins were fathered by Zeus and one by Leda's human husband King Tyndareus. The divine twins were Helen (later of Troy) and Pollux/Polydeuces, and the human were Castor and Clytemnestra. (The accounts vary on whether one or both of the twin boys -- Castor and Pollux -- were divine, but Helen always is.
Anyhow, this got me thinking about the whole twin/mirror thing, and it occurred to me that there are a number of subtler pairs in the series (Cal and Paul being one that came to mind.)
Am I seeing more than is there, do you think?
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 6
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 6
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 6
And about that ... didn't she get Peckham's address from Art just as she was pulling up at the place?
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 7
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 7
(Also, seriously, Donnie doing Alison !
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 7
The role play part was excellent! And I'm now really interested in where Donnie's storyline is going, because dang that is some heavy crap.
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 7
He and Alison have a bit more in common now (sadly).
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 7
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 8
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 8
First off: I thought the way that Alison and Donnie bonded was ... sort of sweet. I guess he actually does love her after all.
I hope that Duncan's revelation about Sarah won't have repercussions for Helena (though it bothers me that no one's following through on Helena's whereabouts -- do they actually know she's with the Proletheans? (And if they don't ... well, Sarah saw her arrested and told Art to make sure she was okay, but ... yeah, that feels like a really loose thread.)
ETA: I just read the AV club review, and I agree with two points: a) the "baked" scene not only felt like it went on too long, but seemed pretty pointless (unless at some point there's going to be some implied tie-in between the progression of Cosima's disease and THC?), and b) Tony's hair was a MESS. I wonder if they could have braided the non-mullet bits into a thin rat-tail? which would have made it seemed more like he had short hair.
(Also ... I'm still not sure about that kiss. Fee-Fee as sister-kisser? :p)
ETA2; (sorry for the comment spam!) ... oh Ethan, perhaps you're not as befuddled as you seemed!
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 9
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 9
(Plus, Helena's "How about cow babies?" just made me grin.)
The only criticism is that Gracie's heel face turn seemed a bit abrupt, but considering the circumstances, I can see it as a That's the Last Straw syndrome.
Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 10 (season finale)
Congratulations Tatiana for your Critics' Choice award win for Best Actress in a Drama Series! *fistpump*
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 10 (season finale)
- Was anyone else braced for disaster during the dance scene? I watched with my fist against my mouth because I was SURE something horrible was going to happen.
- Well, that last reveal certainly took ME by surprise! (There was some speculation that it might be Felix, but c'mon - there can only be one Fee.)
- Yikes, what was in that tea?
- Anyone else worried about what's going to happen to Scott?
- Was Dr N part of the plan?
- Did Kira give Cosima the vision of Delphine?
- Although we aren't left with the same sort of cliffhanger we had at the end of Season 1, I'm ready for Season 3. Now, please?
- Helena did leave the tank, right?
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 10 (season finale)
I so totally was. I couldn't really relax and enjoy it because I was so sure of impending doom!
That totally floored me, and that guy is so creepy!!!
As far as I could tell, yes.
I need season 3 now too.
That was just so amazing. Such a great finale. Such a great show :)
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 10 (season finale)
(And ... I wonder if Rachel is alive?)
(Oi, that scene ... so gross. (I cover my eyes during gore generally.) I mean, in retrospect they did prepare us, but I'm not sure how that pencil gun (inventive as it was) was supposed to help Sarah escape. It only worked because she and Rachel were alone - did Scott really intend to overpower Dr N and all the others?)
I agree that Mark gives Paul a lot of competition for the "Mr. Most Blank Stare," and I disliked him a lot at first but he does genuinely seem to care for Gracie (who I also disliked quite a lot at first) ... however both kinda have grown on me a little. (Their helping Helena went a long way there.)
P.S. That dance scene was wonderful in so many ways, not the least of which what a technical marvel it was.
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 10 (season finale)
I cover my eyes during gore scenes a lot...and weird emotional scenes. I spend a lot of my TV watching peeking through my fingers ;)
I think they were counting on Sarah's resourcefulness. Sarah is good at spur of the moment quick thinking, she always has been. I think they just wanted to give her the opportunity...the chance...
I mean, she took over Beth's life on a whim really. She grabbed her bag when she saw her jump in front of the train and just rolled with it.
Re: Orphan Black - Season 2 Episode 10 (season finale)
Which reminds me - I do like the way the narrative sometimes doesn't feel the need to show us EVERY SINGLE THING -- I don't mean cliffhangers, but more in terms of skipping ahead over scenes.
(Though once again I have to wonder why no one even remarks that Helena is gone: I hope the fact that they showed Jesse's hat means that Season 3 will open with someone finding the hat, knowing Helena'd never leave it behind, and knowing that she's been taken.)
Also: I kinda hope that Jesse resurfaces at some point. <3