I ❤ 'Orphan Black'

The title says it all.  I love Orphan Black.  It’s a truly awesome TV series.  At this point, my fondness for it is the same I had for True Detective.  The story is extremely absorbing, and Tatiana Maslany is simply brilliant.  It’s something understandably worth being excited and invested about.    

Orphan Black is about a group of clones (all played by Tatiana Maslany) that have become self-aware of their real identities and have banded together, along with some allies and confidants – informally called the “Clone Club” – to seek answers for the mysteries of their biology and origins, deal with the various threats to their existence, and face the struggles of their remarkable lives. 

Orphan Black has always been in my radar, and I was really intrigued by how the show is generating a lot of buzz – especially about how awesome Tatiana Maslany’s acting is in her portrayal of multiple characters – but I did not immediately check it out because of the crowded TV series lineup that I’m already following.  But I finally get the chance/time to marathon on its two seasons when the majority of TV shows I’ve been watching went on their breaks.  At season one’s first episode, my interest was roused.  At episode three, I became a fan.  And at episode four, I fell in love with everyone of Maslany’s characters and with Orphan Black as a whole.            

Indeed, what I’ve presumed about Orphan Black from the implications of the buzz it was generating is right: the primary cause that makes this show a must-watch is Maslany’s amazing job of putting depth, uniqueness, and personality to each respective clone.  What I mean by that is seeing her performance is enough reason already to watch Orphan Black.  One amusing example of such display of wonderful acting is whenever a clone has to impersonate one of the others, for the expected fakeness and clumsiness of such charade, whether in subtle or evident manners, are so authentically portrayed.  You can’t help but be impressed and enamored of Maslany’s versatility.  Truly, her Emmy snub is an injustice. 

Most of the characters (there is terrific acting from the non-Maslany characters as well) in this show are well-developed and likable; everyone has fascinating complexity in his or her motivations and characterizations.  Among the characters, the most enjoyable are, of course, the clones, who each have their distinctive charms.  Moreover, I find it delightful whenever the clones are interacting, working together, bonding, and just being “sisters”; there’s something heartwarming about it.  The awesome “clone party” at the season 2 finale made my eyes a little bit misty.

As far as the narrative is concerned, it’s first-rate entertainment.  It’s also very thought-provoking since its themes tackle the different aspects, implications, and moral questions of human cloning.  The suspense is intense, the mystery is gripping, the plot is smart and engaging, and there are several instances where the humor effectively made me laugh out loud (especially whenever Allison and Felix are involved).  There are a lot of fun things about this show.

So Orphan Black is now part of the growing group of ongoing TV series I’m following.  But it will definitely be among my most favorite ones, of which new episodes I would look forward to the most. I have high expectations for this show – introduction of new clones, more great character developments, consistent dosage of creative twists, sustaining the overall excellent quality of the show, etc. – and the momentum that it set in its first two seasons made me optimistic that it’s going to be more fantastic in season 3.

2015 (schedule for season 3) can’t get here soon enough. 

Miss the Clone Club much...