So… I am a little late to the Orphan Black thing… seeing that the series is already over and just decided to try it this summer. But I am hooked on complexity and layers that exist in the show. Its also a Science Fiction show that doesn’t rely on big budget special effects to drive the story. Even though it might be expensive to have to combine all of the scenes with the clones into one shot…
Well, I should at least give some background for those that aren’t familiar with it. The story revolved around various women around the world discovering they are clones, which is of course illegal. So they also fin out they are part of some illegal experiments as well. All of the clones are played by one actress – Tatiana Maslany – who does an amazing job of differentiating between the different clones (that were raised in different countries and cultures). When the clones interact with each other in the same room, it is amazing to think they are all played by one actress. They are also edited together so well that you don’t notice the “one actor playing twins” effect of past movies. I won’t spoil too much more, but I am now excited to hear that Maslany was cast as Jennifer Walters / She Hulk in the upcoming Disney+ series. She really is that good at character work, so many are saying this is a perfect choice.
I find it interesting that there are many critiques of different aspects of our culture in the stories as well. Obviously, they explore many aspects of feminism, sexuality, identity, and what family means outside of the “nuclear family” trope. Another huge theme is the abuse of power that a big tech firm wields, which they attack that from several angles with the various corporations that are in the show. There are also some examinations of corporate hierarchical structures as well as suburbia “soccer Mom” culture. Probably a few others that I am missing. I just finished season 3 (its on Amazon Prime right now if you have access to that), so its still too early for me to say how well they end up pulling all of these off. But I’m looking forward to where it all goes.
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