If you haven't seen BBC America's new hit series, Orphan Black, well better late than never.
The new show premiered in the US on May 30 with its season finale landing on April 13. Since then, it has been spreading like wildfire. When lead and supporting actress (more on that duality later) Tatiana Maslany won a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama last month, heads started turning. How did a newcomer win over a category containing established greats such as Claire Danes?
*Spoilers from this point forward*
Part of the answer lies in the captivating and fresh premise of the show. A woman, Sarah, encounters someone who looks exactly like her but before she has the chance to ask any questions, the look-alike kills herself by jumping in front of a train. In an attempt to escape the life she's been running from, Sarah decides to take on this mystery woman's identity. But she has no idea what she's in for. The series follows Sarah and others, as they work together to figure out who's after them, protect themselves from whoever is trying to kill them off, all the while trying to keep their sanity in tact.
Each episode has all the necessary elements of a good show, with drama, humor, sex and relationships (though not as much as Game of Thrones) and a good mystery complete with twists and unexpected answers to keep the season going. Without a doubt one of the biggest highlights of the sci-fi series has been watching Tatiana Maslany become all these different characters on screen. She plays each role so convincingly many find it hard to believe she's not actually a twin. Besides hair and makeup, Maslany finds a way to change every single aspect of herself, from her facial expression to her walk as she plays the several different clones of one character: Cosima the confident science geek, Helena the visceral but somehow pure killer you can't help but feel sorry for, Allison the soccer mom, Beth the tortured cop who's death started the whole story and Sarah the badass who get's thrown into the mess.
Scenes have to be filmed repeatedly as Maslany switches from one role to the next. Editors have to use methods such as CGI to show one clone speaking to another. It's amazing to see it all come together on screen.
Fans, critics and celebrities on Twitter have reacted very welcoming of the new show. Google trends shows that the term 'Orphan Black' has seen an increase of over 50 percent in web searches worldwide. Though Emmy Nominations are announced July 18, many have been naming Tatiana Maslany the one to watch for; her delivery of such diverse characters and her great skill in technical acting ranks her high up in the group of those who deserve an Emmy nod.
Some of the best moments of the season have been watching the clones interact. Like seeing Allison,inadvertently the funniest clone who tries to maintain a "keeping it together" image, constantly clash with laid back and impulsive bad-girl Sarah. Though many of their scenes together are snarky, you can't help but love the sibling kind of bond they form. Cosima, who seems to be one of the top favorites, emerges as cool,confident and very intelligent Ph. D student and is really the voice of reason amongst the clones. She keeps in contact with Sarah and is somewhat like the little sister of the bunch.
Of all interactions, nothing has been more interesting and confusing than getting to know the psychotic killer Helena form a connection with Sarah. The blonde Ukrainian killer has an agenda that's put to the test when she meets Sarah and is unable to kill her. Helena has a childlike quality to her and as her story unfolds you can't help but really empathize with her. One has to wonder what it's like for Tatiana Maslany to play Helena hunting Sarah(also played by Maslany).
It's an incredible show. People are talking about it for a reason. BBC America picked up Orphan Black for season 2 in June. It will be back in 2014 and though that's a long wait, fans know it'll be worth it. Will you be watching ?