Saturday, September 21, 2013

Orphan Black: Season One



No-spoilers review--and you really need that for Orphan Black
If ever a TV show needed a no-spoilers review it's this one. The trouble is, everything's a spoiler when "Orphan Black" is concerned, and the less you know going in, the more fun you'll have with this show's onrushing tidal wave of plot twists and turns.

So--what can I tell you that will let you know whether you want to see this or not without spilling all those beans? Well, I'll try.

1. Don't see this if you need glossy, upbeat Hollywoody science fiction. There isn't a single Dudly Do-Right in the entire cast of characters. Everyone has issues. Everyone has baggage. Problems can't always be solved by sweet reason, Star Trek style. And who's a Good Guy or a Bad Guy isn't always clear, even when you learn just who and what they are. And with some of the more damaged characters, they can't necessarily be fixed--ever. Some things you can't come back from. And problems don't have quick fixes. That is, there's no pandering to your inner 12 year old. This is a show for...

Best beginning to a series.
I'm hard to impress about TV shows, especially beginnings. First episodes-- even for good ones-- can be awkward, with the cast and writers not yet finding the chemistry.

This one hit managed to hit maximum speed seconds after it began, and then spent the rest of the show proving there was more to spare. Somehow, it did this without sacrificing character development. Thanks to co-creator John Fawcett's taut direction, and remarkable performances by Tatiana Maslani as three physically identical women with distinct personalities, accents and mannerisms. She even plays one mimicking another, with her cockney accent wavering.

The story is about Sarah, a young woman surviving on the margins as a hustler and a drug dealer, who's just walked out on her boyfriend. She witnesses a stranger identical to herself, Beth, commit suicide. Sarah steals and assumes her identity. Despite the fact that Sarah had little to lose, it turns out this was not the best move. The mysterious...

Not the same clone.
Story seems at first to be something you've seen before but quickly intrugued me with its nuances and excelent preformance by the lead actress Tatiana Maslany. I realy believe when she's portraying the diffrent clones on screen at the same time. That they are their own unique characters.

Click to Editorial Reviews

No comments:

Post a Comment