Dear Correctness Readers,
Orphan Black is a new science fiction series starring Canadian actors, made by BBC America, and registered in Liberia as “The Princess of the Seas”. A lot of people (we imagine would) have been asking us to explain the plot arc of the first season (if we were still a popular alt-comedy nerd website), so we thought we’d do a public service (to our ourselves), and really break down this hot new show (way into the first season so nobody will pay much attention)!
Tatiana Maslany (who knows people that I know, but that’s as close to celebrity as I get) stars as Sarah. She witnesses the suicide of her business-wear doppelganger. Sarah gradually comes to understand that she may be a clone. She meets several alternate versions of herself, some of whom are inexplicably hotter than others, and others of whom are creepy and Russian. Spoiler: the German one dies off, I think, I was cooking something on the barbecue. In any case, Maslany gives remarkable performances, not just as varying clone versions of herself, but most impressively as every other person on the show. She plays Felix, her foster brother, she bulks up on set to play Paul, and delivers, quite possibly, the most astounding piece of acting ever witnessed on screen when she plays her own police-force partner, Art Bell.
Look for the split screen!
So convincing is Maslany as cagey veteran (also black) cop Art Bell that the savvy producers of the show have created an entire IMDB page for a fictional actor named “Kevin Hanchard”, and have been using Tatiana Maslany in his roles for years (I recommend you see Tatiana in “Four Brothers”).
In any case, Sarah and one of the slightly less hot versions of herself (aided occasionally, and confusingly, by a fantastically hot version of herself) begin to realize that as clones, they need to find a way to save their parents’ marriage. Wild-child Sarah has been raised by her laid-back father in California , and stuffy Susan has been raised by her mother in a stodgy Bostonian fashion. It’s real nature/nurture stuff!
Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills and Tatiana Maslany
When the two meet up at summer camp, they can’t fathom being separated again. They agree to swap places to infiltrate the mysterious cloning operation. When Susan’s mom (Maureen O’Hara) catches on, they fly back to California, and Susan and Sarah literally put on a song and dance to keep their father from marrying another woman. “Let’s Get Together” is a charming number, and the use of split screen technology is barely detectable. Tatiana Maslany’s performance as Brian Keith as Mitch Evers is utterly breathtaking. Fans of Maslany might also enjoy her in Hardcastle and McCormack.
What’s up for next season? Lucky fans can expect that even though Maslany as Danny Devito and Maslany as Arnold Schwarzenegger are seemingly very different, they make an amazing crime-fighting team. If what I’ve seen of the sneak peeks holds true, you’ll also love the scene where Maslany as Ariel loses her voice, and Maslany as the basically identical (but brunette) witch Ursula steals Prince Paul away, possibly forever!
RobbieRobTown (played by Tatiana Maslany) is a hack who had one cool Just for Laughs gig last year, and will never do anything that big again. The Correctness is actively searching for his replacement.
