June 8: Orphan Black
Sarah and her foster brother, Felix (who is a delight)
I’ll admit it, I binged this one. After the first fifteen minutes of the first episode of Orphan Black, I knew I was going to watch all ten episodes of the first season before I went to sleep. I simply couldn’t peel myself away. So what if I stayed up until 3:00 AM watching a television show? I’m here to tell you that you would have too, friend. You would have, too. This show is comprised of a perfect storm of excellent elements: an incredibly thought-provoking premise, superb acting (Tatiana Maslany is a QUEEN), and a blend of comedy and drama that keeps us from becoming depressed about the genuinely horrific circumstances in which our characters find themselves.
If you’ve never seen the show, the premise is this: our “main” character, Sarah Manning, discovers that she is a clone. One of many clones, in fact, whom we meet as the show moves forward. The “clone club,” as they cheekily call themselves, attempts to extricate themselves from the scientists who created and are monitoring them while also trying to avoid being murdered and to learn something about their genetic makeup and history. The story’s complexity keeps it from edging into cliche territory, and Tatiana Maslany, who plays all of the clones (which, by my count, is 7 roles so far), has created such individuality in each character she portrays that you forget while watching that one actress filmed all of the clones’ parts.
Clone Club: Sarah, Alison, and Cosima
I just love so many things about this show that it’s hard to focus on one at a time. There’s an incredible amount of action for such a science based sci-fi show, for one thing. It makes you think and makes your heart race, just as good sci-fi should. I also found myself gasping more than once when characters surprised me, which is nice. I love when I have a physical reaction to the media I’m consuming. And though 
I was shocked, initially, the characters were not making choices outside of the characterization. They evolve due to their circumstances (which is not only good writing, but also what the scientists monitoring the clones are studying). In a way as the watcher you feel like you’re part of the experiment yourself — the grand designer watching your creations move and react in the world into which they were placed.
Well, that got a bit rambly, but you get the idea. The show is wickedly entrancing and it consumed my thoughts this week. Now all I have to do is go catch up on Season 2!
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