A Tribute to "Orphan Black"

I just recently watched both seasons of Orphan Black and am experiencing a TV hangover. (Similar to a book hangover, but instead it's hard to watch another show after something so incredibly good.) Orphan Black is such an amazing show and I don't get how or why it was denied Emmy nominations (same goes for the lead actress, Tatiana Maslany, who should totally win several Emmys for all the roles she plays). After each episode was over, I would say "such a great show." I rarely do that with TV shows. It's definitely intense and suspenseful with some gory scenes, but there's also a lot of humor and emotional aspects, as well. I don't even want to give a synopsis because I feel like that would be giving away some of the plot. There's just too much to explain. I will share IMDB's quick description in hopes that it intrigues you:

A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.

Yep...that's all you're getting if you haven't seen it yet. Just trust me that you need to see this show because it's so intense and amazing. It's like a book I don't want to put down even when real life is calling. Now that it's done, I am not motivated to watch anything else for a while (hence the TV hangover).

If you have seen it all the way through, I am going to delve into more detail below.

If you don't want any SPOILERS, stop here and come back when you've watched both seasons in their entirety. This post will still be here when you get back!


LAST CHANCE to turn back before you find out more than you should know....


Since the episodes have so much happening and seem to blend into each other so that you don't know where one ends and the next begins, I instead want to focus on the characters. I'll share my thoughts on all the major players, as well as possibly some smaller roles.

Sarah Manning: She's like Sarah Connor, River Tam, and Sydney Bristow combined. While she definitely is the center of the show, her story doesn't take away from the other stories. What's at the heart of the story is how she tries to protect her daughter, Kira, as well as the other clones, while also watching her own back.
Alison Hendrix: There's a reason she's one of the 25 best characters on TV, according to Entertainment Weekly. At first, she seems completely rude, but then she loosens up and we get to see her in all her glory. I love that she's in a musical that seems to reflect what is happening in her life. I love her friendship with Felix. She's the epitome of a "Desperate Housewife." (If she had been on that show, she would have totally been Bree. Or maybe Lynnette....)
Cosima Niehaus: I think she's my favorite of the clones. I love how she talks. Her voice is full of wonder, but she also seems to know the most of what is going on. Her cat-eye glasses, braids, and nose pierce all add to her essence, as well. I think one of my favorite things she did was school all the guys in that role play game. That was awesome! She was even inspirational for one fan (see item three on the list).
Helena: At first she's evil and not to be trusted. Then she manages to show her softer side. And when she is evil again, it's all to help Sarah and protect herself. Her long, blonde curls stand out the most. She has a lot of chutzpah and is afraid of nothing. I love how she cut off Olivier's tail before he could even think about it and also how she played Henrik at his own game (and won). My favorite scene involving her has to be with the guy at the bar. It showed her softer and more vulnerable side and it was nice to see that she had a chance to be loved. She's also really good with kids, which is something I never saw coming initially. I just hope she'll be okay, based on where she was taken at the end of season two.
Tony: Even though he was only on for one episode, he was memorable. Tatiana looks good as a guy (even though he's actually transgendered). I just wish he had a cleaner look. Maybe shorter hair or a better looking beard? Then again, I'm just jealous because he got to kiss Felix. Priorities! :) I wonder if he'll be back next season.
Rachel Duncan: Sometimes it's hard to believe that she's also a clone because she seems so different from everyone else. Not sure if it's the hair, voice, facial expressions, etc. I just keep forgetting that she's also being played by Tatiana. Her fits of rage remind me of a combination of my three year-old and six year-old children when they don't get their way. There was one point when I was hoping she'd actually become nice, but then she completely changed the game when she kidnapped Kira.
Mrs. S: She's good. She's evil. She's good again. And then when you think you can trust her, she pulls a stunt in the last moment of the last episode. I do love when she took down the woman and her son at the house in the woods.
Kira: I have to admire a kid who manages to stay strong while being put in some scary situations. I love how she pulled her tooth out to help Cosima.
Felix: Sorry, Cam Tucker, but Felix is my new fictional gay best friend. He's the kind that I manage to develop an unrequited crush on though. I just love how he tells it like it is and his friendship with Alison is my favorite relationship. I was laughing so much when Alison only wanted to talk to him during the intervention and he was all smug about it. And how he spiked Vic's drink. He's just plain awesome in every way.
Paul: He's another one I'm not sure about trusting. Especially now that he and Mrs. S are in cahoots. I love him and Sarah together though. He still wants her even though it's probably not going to happen for him at this point.
Art Bell: At first I didn't trust him, but he's really one of the good guys.
Angie: I don't like her at all. Especially since she was working with Vic to get the dirt on Alison. There's nothing redeemable about her personality at all.
Cal: I like his role in the show, how he's Kira's dad and is also trying to help Sarah. I like how he hacked DYAD's website.
Donnie: I didn't like him at all for quite some time, but after he killed Dr. Leekie and threatened Vic, I appreciated him so much more. The scene where he shoots Dr. Leekie is incredible. You know that he wants to do it anyway, but it ends up being an accident. And suddenly he has this new bad-ass side. Given that he's Alison's husband, he'd also be great on Desperate Housewives.
Dr. Aldous Leekie: I knew he was bad news the first time I saw him at the Neolution seminar. He tries to act like a good guy, but he really isn't. And when you find out what evil he was capable in the past, it makes what Donnie did to him that much better. Fun trivia fact: Matt Frewer, who played Dr. Leekie, was Max Headroom back in the 80s.
Delphine Cormier: I was worried that she couldn't be trusted, but she is also too trusting herself and manages to get pulled into two different directions as a result. I know she truly loves Cosima and regrets anything she did to mess up their relationship at any point in time. Also, I love her accent.
Scott: He seemed to be on the sidelines for a while, but I like how he got pulled into the fold and what he did to help Sarah in the season two finale.
Ethan: I wasn't expecting to meet him at all, but I'm glad he was found and that there was some explanation behind everything that was happening. I am annoyed that he chose to end his life so that he couldn't help Rachel anymore, but glad that he left all his notes for Cosima to find. I hope this will help her get better.
Henrik: There is nothing to like about him at all whatsoever. He's abusive and self-serving. I'm disgusted by what he did to Gracie, especially. I'm so glad Helena got revenge on him before either she (or possibly Gracie) did away with him for good.
Gracie: She's really ballsy...I have to give her credit for that. Of course, with parents like hers, she has to be. Not only is Henrik awful, but her mother is so mean too. And it seems like she was lied to since she was under the impression that if she brought Helena back, she wouldn't have to carry the babies herself.
Mark: While he comes off as super creepy and evil, at least when it's involving anything to do with the clones, I liked how he became a softie for Gracie. However, I don't know that I want him to be cloned. Obviously, I don't have a choice in that matter. I thought one of him was bad enough. The clone in Marian's house was even creepier!
Daniel: Another person with no redeemable qualities. I'm SO glad Helena did away with him.
Aynsley: She was the epitome of a villainous character from Desperate Housewives. Even though she was nosy, obnoxious, and bossy, I don't know that she deserved to die. I love that Alison slept with her husband, but I wish the insanity had stopped there. Although calling her out on all her shenanigans at the intervention was a nice touch too.
Sarah Stubbs: She was nice, but I almost felt like she smothered Alison a bit. I had to wonder what would have happened if she found out Alison's secret.
Marian Bowles: Her role in the cloning experiments is interesting. Especially since she's the mother of a younger version of Sarah, et. al. She seems nice enough, but it sounds like she has a hidden agenda too. I'm glad she was working against Dr. Leekie, instead of with him, though.
Vic: While I kind of feel sorry for him with all the bad stuff that kept happening (getting his finger cut off, getting his hand nailed to a table, the glitter incident, etc.), I also was glad when Donnie threatened him. I'm hoping he'll leave everyone alone from now on. He seemed like a comic relief for the show, even when he was being all scary.

*Crazy side note...when we were watching the episode with Alison's potluck party, there was a part where Vic was about to shoot Paul. Just as he raised his shotgun and pointed it, there was a huge clap of thunder and our power went out. Talk about freaky timing!

*My thoughts on the last moments of the season two finale: Well played. I did not see that coming at all. However, I think it would have been better if Felix had been cloned instead. It would have been cool if he was also a clone all along and didn't even know it. Besides, maybe a few straight versions of Felix would be available, even though I probably wouldn't enjoy their fashion choices as much. ;) (Actually, Jordan Gavaris doesn't look like Felix when he's not on screen. Still cute though....)