“Orphan Black,” shown both on BBC America and in Canada, is a science fiction television series, which premiered its second season last Saturday, April 19. The show follows a group of women, all portrayed by Tatiana Maslany (“The Vow”), who discover they are clones created by the ominous Dyad Institute. The first season closed with an insane series finale. The clones discover that they are all considered property and do not have the ability to lead the normal life they seek, as well as many other revelations for the group. In addition to dealing with the company that only cares about their biological functions, the women face a new threat this season from a religious sect that thinks that only one of them should survive.
There are five main characters the first season revolved around. Sarah Manning (Maslany) is a con woman, who comes upon the realization that there is more to her DNA when she witnesses a woman who looks just like her kill herself. The woman is Beth Childs (Maslany) and Manning, with no money or hope to her name, impersonates the late Childs. The first season closed with Manning’s daughter being kidnapped, which will be one of the storylines of the newest season. The season two premiere, entitled “Nature Under Constraint and Vexed,” follows mostly Manning as she searches desperately for her daughter at the Dyad Institute, until it is revealed that it is a religious sect that has Manning’s daughter—the same sect to which another clone, Helena (Maslany), belonged. Other clones include Alison Hendrix (Maslany), a soccer mom, Cosima Nieuhaus (Maslany), a graduate student, and Rachel Duncan (Maslany), a member of the Dyad Institute.
Maslany is probably one of the most experienced actors of our time. She portrays all of the clone women amazingly, fully encapsulating a wide range of emotions and personalities. In addition to portraying a variety of characters, Maslany is able to place herself in the world of “Orphan Black.” Many of the show’s scenes include several of the clones, which means that Maslany has to not only become a different person several times, but also pretend that the other characters are there speaking to her, when in reality she is the only person on screen. The actress herself is Canadian, but she also portrays women with American, British, German and Ukrainian accents.
“Orphan Black,” in addition to being an excellent show, also makes large strides in the realm of equality for women on TV. The women in the show are everything from a soccer mom to a scientist to a cop. It is one of the few shows on TV that features a largely female cast, similar to the gender representation in the acclaimed Netflix show “Orange is the New Black.”
While most shows nowadays make sure they hit their female quota with one or maybe two developed female characters, “Orphan Black” switches it around entirely: Only three secondary male characters are in the show, and they do not even interact with each other. Additionally, there are three known homosexual characters on the show, which is more than many mainstream television networks show on their channels; plus the characters get their own interesting storylines that do not solely revolve around their sexuality.
Though the show does not seem to be as popular in the U.S. as it is in Canada, hopefully American viewers will start to appreciate this phenomenal show in its second season. “Orphan Black” has all the makings of greatness: intrigue, science, action and romance. Anyone looking for a way to break up the monotony in their week should definitely check out this show, both for its plot and its equal representation of characters. “Orphan Black” is on Saturdays at 9/8c.
