Any show willing to open up the central aspect of their mystery in episode one has confidence in their storytelling and is bound to take you on an unpredictable ride. The show is sharp tongued, moody and often feels like it is flying by the seat of its pants. A sentiment that could easily describe our central character Sarah, an ex-con punk who finds herself in the middle of a shit storm she never saw coming the night she decided to take on her lookalike Beth Child's persona. This is no mere tale of doppelganger gone wrong. The series outlines several mysteries that have a direct line to the core premise that both Sarah and the audience quickly discover. Sarah is one of several clones who are being targeted for murder. To go into more depth than that would take away the pleasure that it is to watch this high octane and addictive series.
What grounds Orphan Black's outrageous premise is the revelation of a performance given by Tatiana Maslany. Her seamless work weaving between five complex characters is distinct in the nuances of her body carriage and voice inflections that round out the more obvious make up and costuming differences. She hits emotional notes and finds threads that link the myriad of characters in a manner that is fresh and authentic. Her yeoman efforts could easily skirt the line of melodrama given the sheer amount of screen time she has, but Maslany’s shrewd choices make her quiet moments and reaction shots advance the characters substance and often just a joy to watch. Speaking of joy, the supporting cast led by her brother/confidant Felix (played with scrumptious, scene stealing precision by Jordan Gavaris) round out the carnival cast of unique characters all of whom are not what they seem. The writing is witty at many junctures and is fluid enough to allow the characters to voice the absurdity some of the plot twists have laid out before them. The direction and editing is a cornucopia of styles that include action paced short cuts and stop motion sequences. Often there are patterns in mood, color palate and pacing that accompanies and now on the back end of the season enhances the different personalities of the clones. As a bonus treat for those of us who are Downton Abbey fans you are treated to a wonderful turn by the sinister Vera Bates (actor Maria Doyle Kennedy) in a role that couldn’t be further removed from that character.
All told, Orphan Black is hands down the most original, darkly funny, well cast, intriguing show to hit the small screen this year. Period. It is equal parts mystery, sci-fi and thriller. The type of show that grabs hold of your attention and stimulates more questions when providing answers. Not nearly as obtuse as the mysteries in LOST Orphan Black deftly walks the fine line of plausibility and suspension of disbelief. What you are left with is a crop of characters, half of whom are played by Tatiana Maslany that you are desperate to know more about and understand how they fit into the mosaic of this overarching story. Yes it is a show centered on who these clones are and how they came to be, but to say that is all there is sells this show short.
It is rare that I have no sense of where a show might be heading. Orphan Black has been a wonderful surprise at many points along the way and I have no clue what these final two episodes will hold for our family of clones (by the way, they don't use the 'c' word). What I do know is we have a second season to look forward to and 2014 feels like it's an eternity away.
No comments:
Post a Comment