Orphan Black: By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
June 21, 2014 9:13 PM - Season 2, Episode 10 - Subscribe

In which Sarah makes a sacrifice for her daughter, Kira learns about Science! Cosima and Scott try to help Sarah and Rachel see eye to eye, a new dimension of the conspiracy behind Dyad is revealed, and the Clone Club has a dance party. Season finale.
posted by homunculus (151 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 


Well, Project Castor certainly complicates the story.
posted by homunculus at 9:21 PM on June 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


Cosima and Scott try to help Sarah and Rachel see eye to eye

If I had not given all my love to the scene where Helena met Cosima and Alison, I would be giving it to you for this.

I think I need to sit on this episode a while before I can really comment on it though. Or maybe just watch the episode again.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:41 PM on June 21, 2014 [11 favorites]




Why Helena is Best Clone:

"Did you burn down the fish people's ranch?"

"...no..."
posted by Gymnopedist at 10:17 PM on June 21, 2014 [13 favorites]


Whoever added the A.V. Club recap link - that's last week's episode....
posted by tzikeh at 11:03 PM on June 21, 2014


Wow, the recapper for the Washington Post doesn't seem to have watched the episode too closely. In the rush to get recaps up fast-fast-fast, they're sacrificing a certain amount of actually paying attention.

Granted, Orphan Black is a bit twisty, but no, Ethan didn't "somehow manage to take pills with his tea" -- the camera lingered on his tea bag, which he BROUGHT WITH HIM, for PRETTY SPECIFIC REASONS. And Sarah didn't "somehow" manage to figure out to squeeze the fire extinguisher; she had a diagram drawn by Kira, dictated by Cosima, and oh, yeah, a great big note on it that says SQUEEZE (that Scott repeatedly indicated with his eyes in a relatively overt nudge-nudge bit of Scott-ness).

Geez, the people who are in charge of writing about television should at least have the basic tools to know how to watch it.
posted by tzikeh at 11:26 PM on June 21, 2014 [12 favorites]


In the rush to get recaps up fast-fast-fast, they're sacrificing a certain amount of actually paying attention.

QFT. This drives me nuts.
posted by pjern at 11:55 PM on June 21, 2014


Ug, not that guy!
posted by Catblack at 12:00 AM on June 22, 2014


Ug, not that guy!
I assume you're referring to Mark, the runaway (with Gracie) Prolethean. And, yeah, he's not exactly my fave character, either. I was kind of hoping we were done with them (or, at least with him.) I'm not sure how I feel about this particular turn of events.

What is everyone's speculation on the fate of Helena? Being taken away for study/experimentation/re-education? To be bred with the Mark clones?
posted by Thorzdad at 7:18 AM on June 22, 2014


This makes me wonder how stable the Mark clones are--Mark is part of a weird ass cult, and that one Sarah saw looked pretty creepy/insane.

SO MANY THINGS just happened that I can only comment on the last of them!

Except to say that it sucks that Helena got kidnapped again, since when is Paul in the army, I loved the dance party--Kira is so cute, hey a new girl clone that's pretty cool, is Rachel dead???
posted by leesh at 7:35 AM on June 22, 2014


Did they all forget that Helena shot one of the clones in the head? Did the cop forget that? Wtf?
posted by Catblack at 8:32 AM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


Didn't Helena also kill a couple others in the past before episode 1? On the other hand, giving her hugs and dancing with her assures she's on their side.
posted by leesh at 8:42 AM on June 22, 2014


leesh, I think Paul mentioned that he was in Afghanistan and that Dyad had something on him for that, but my memory of that is not too clear. Of course, you don't necessarily need to be in the military proper to be in Afghanistan, so whatever.

When Cosima struggled her feeble self to stand up to hug Helena, I was so misty eyed. But then came the Clone Club Dance Party and yay! at least for a while. This show doesn't let you have too much yay.

And yes, Helena killed clones in Europe that we never got to see.
posted by danabanana at 8:46 AM on June 22, 2014 [2 favorites]


since when is Paul in the army

We've known Paul was ex-military for a while, and we had been led to believe Something Happened in Afghanistan which was very bad. Apparently it was all part of his deep cover.

On preview, yeah, danabanana.
posted by tzikeh at 8:47 AM on June 22, 2014


I was thinking about how the clones have embraced Helena despite the fact she was killing all of them. But I guess she's forgiven for being crazy and more or less brainwashed. (See, Rachel? Maybe if you had just decided to be nice to your sisters, you wouldn't have gotten a pencil in your eye!)

And of course Helena gets kidnapped. At least she left her embryos behind so maybe Cosima has a chance.

I hope Rachel's not dead because I am looking forward to crazy eye-patch Rachel.

I will see how Project Castor turns out. I'm guessing though, Mark was a cover & he was sent to bring in Helena and/or get Helena pregnant. Ooops, that didn't work out, but now he's with someone who's carrying Helena's embryos, so ...

I do think it moves the focus away from the questions about who owns women's bodies and such, but I am happy to go with it.

Fun season, overall. Not quite as tight as the first season but I enjoyed the twists and turns and the fun.
posted by darksong at 9:12 AM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


> I'm guessing though, Mark was a cover & he was sent to bring in Helena and/or get Helena pregnant.

Paul seems to be buddies with those military guys (which had a Mark clone). I did not get the impression Paul and Mark knew each other or were particularly friendly when they met at that bar where Helena was.


And Paul has mentioned Dyad having something on him from his military days a few times. At one point he said (IIRC) that it had to do with some "friendly fire" incident that got covered up. My personal theory (which is based on absolutely nothing) is that he and his platoon stumbled across a Leda/Castor/Dyad/etc facility and that he killed the rest of his platoon to keep it from coming out.
posted by bjrn at 9:38 AM on June 22, 2014 [2 favorites]


Wow, the recapper for the Washington Post doesn't seem to have watched the episode too closely.

Yeah well a couple weeks ago they quoted Rachel as saying “Paul, your silence is inconvenient and your absence is worrisome"

so they so seem to miss some of the subtler (funnier) points.
posted by torticat at 10:00 AM on June 22, 2014


"Extended Clone Club Dance Party Remix With Unaired Footage"

That scene was such showing off for both the effects crew and Maslany. I loved how each clone dances differently.
posted by octothorpe at 10:03 AM on June 22, 2014 [5 favorites]


Did they all forget that Helena shot one of the clones in the head? Did the cop forget that? Wtf?

I think they all understand she had been brainwashed. Sarah saw it first-hand in that scene when she sprung Helena out of the cage.

Also, Allison's a murderer too and Sarah's a would-be murderer and Mrs S is ... holy shit, some kind of super-sadistic murderer when the situation calls for it, so. I think their ethics are flexible.

Now, why Art is hanging back, I'm not sure. That seems like a convenient plot device.
posted by torticat at 10:05 AM on June 22, 2014


octothorpe: I loved how each clone dances differently.

This came immediately to mind. (I eagerly await the bad Photoshopped animated gifs superimposing those faces over the Clone Club's....)
posted by tzikeh at 10:17 AM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


So, does Mark know he is a clone? That's got to be a blow to a Prolethean.

Adam Kepler, the NY Times critic who before the season began wrote that Maslany didn't have the acting chops to pull off the different clone personalities, ends his season finale recap with "I would also welcome the show’s continued presence on television purely as a showcase for Ms. Maslany".
posted by plastic_animals at 10:52 AM on June 22, 2014 [4 favorites]


I'd guessed in the first season that there would be a male clone introduced eventually. I am just not convinced that the actor they picked has the range needed for the part. But he probably does. I wish it had been the actor playing Felix though, that would have been a slam-dunk surprise twist, and it would have been so great to see all types of awesome Felix all up in the place.

I'm not sure if I buy all the reveals from the 2nd season's finale. I especially HATED how they went from horrific operation to the "here's your daughter back and you are free to go" escape. That was some terribly weak writing. And then they all go back to Felix's apartment which the bad guys know about and hang out there all night just to give some (yes I liked it too) fanservice scenes.

I wish Sarah had stabbed Marian in the neck after she'd revealed that they'd tried 400 times to repeat the experiment. That's a whole lot of tries and a whole lot of tears just glossed over in dialogue. (Plus, Michelle Forbes played a Maryanne on True Blood, so there's some creepy crossover fan fiction waiting to happen on livejournal.)

I do look forward to seeing the other clone Marks, and I hope they aren't too stereotyped. (Though I suspect they will be.)
posted by Catblack at 10:54 AM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'd guessed in the first season that there would be a male clone introduced eventually. I am just not convinced that the actor they picked has the range needed for the part. But he probably does. I wish it had been the actor playing Felix though

More here: The Orphan Black Creators Talk About That Crazy Season 2 Finale
posted by homunculus at 10:56 AM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'd guessed in the first season that there would be a male clone introduced eventually. I am just not convinced that the actor they picked has the range needed for the part. But he probably does. I wish it had been the actor playing Felix though, that would have been a slam-dunk surprise twist, and it would have been so great to see all types of awesome Felix all up in the place.

As soon as they mentioned male clones, I was all, "I knew it! I knew it! It better not be Felix! It better not be Felix or I'll stop watching right here and now." I'm so glad it wasn't Felix because that would have been way too predictable. I saw male clones coming from way back in season 1. My guess was either Paul or Felix, so I'm kinda glad it was neither. I have a feeling though, that Felix is more than he appears.

All in all though, this episode left me feeling rather meh. Then again, this whole season felt more rushed than anything. Way too many people killed off or put on the bus, way too many loose ends, and far more questions than answers, and the finale was pretty anticlimactic for me.
posted by patheral at 2:11 PM on June 22, 2014 [2 favorites]


I'm tremendously glad Felix isn't a male clone (at least not that we know of so far...). I would have been very, very irritated with that.

And I'm assuming Rachel isn't dead. She was still twitching! Crazy Eyepatch Rachel next season!
posted by sarcasticah at 3:12 PM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


From BBC America's website:

The questions asked in Sarah Manning’s interrogation scene weren’t scripted. Graeme gave vocal coach John Nelles a list of questions to ask Tatiana, and her answers were improvised. This method provided a very surprising and moving scene for everyone – including Tatiana.

This show, y'all.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:25 PM on June 22, 2014 [8 favorites]


They have Plans for Felix.

"Fawcett: Ultimately, I think we thought that was too obvious a choice.

Manson: Also, we have other plans for Felix. There was a lot of fan speculation about that, and of course we talked about it, but in the end, I think our plans for Felix are more important than him being a clone."
posted by merelyglib at 3:25 PM on June 22, 2014


Caroline Siede's BoingBoing recap Orphan Black's uneven finale offers a game-changing cliffhanger includes a link to this "unrevealing" recent interview with Ari Millen and Kevin Hanchard.
posted by plastic_animals at 3:32 PM on June 22, 2014 [2 favorites]


The boingboing recap asks why Helena left behind the nitrogen canister. That's holding embryos or eggs or some other reproductive material she took from the farm, right?
posted by danabanana at 3:50 PM on June 22, 2014


Yeah that's what I think, danabanana.
posted by merelyglib at 3:52 PM on June 22, 2014


Yes, the eggs or embryos are in the nitrogen container. A lot of people seem to have missed its appearance in the previous episode.
posted by plastic_animals at 4:14 PM on June 22, 2014


When was that, plastic_animals?
posted by merelyglib at 4:27 PM on June 22, 2014


Wow, I had no recollection of Paul talking about his past, ever. Probably b/c he's so boring.

And if he's active in the army, how was he just working for Dyad/monitoring clones for so long? Was that his military assignment? I had the impression Dyad and the military weren't really working together.

Helena's canister of eggs appeared in her last couple eps with the Prolethians, I'm pretty sure we saw her carrying it when she fled the fire.
posted by leesh at 4:33 PM on June 22, 2014


AND, why isn't the girl clone project called Project Helen or Project Clytemnestra? B/c those figures were more famous for other things than their egg-births? It just seems asymmetrical to me.
posted by leesh at 4:35 PM on June 22, 2014


They show both in quick succession right before Helena tortures Henrik, then we see her running up the hill with the canister.
posted by plastic_animals at 4:36 PM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


Thanks for the canister confirmation, guys!
posted by danabanana at 5:21 PM on June 22, 2014


Waiting for the shoe that will be Pollux now.

I can see why people called it uneven but it was more jagged to me. They won everything in the first half of the episode (and yes, crazy eyepatch Rachel next year) but they lost ground a lot, or at least had the field widened, in the second half. Some of it, like the book, was firing the gun, and I felt that way about Siobhan handing Helena over because there had to be a cost. But the Project Castor stuff was coming and as soon as they said it, I knew for sure it was Mark, because it just had to be.

The loose end I want to see wrapped up (preferably not in a coffin): Scott. Also Delphine, because with Rachel sidelined, everything is up in the air for her, too.

And I had been wondering why they'd had so many bits of the young Rachel videos. Now I know what they were signaling.
posted by immlass at 6:22 PM on June 22, 2014


Yeah, let's give three cheers for Scott, enthusiastic and helpful and slightly awkward! I hope to see him hanging out with all the clones next season.
posted by leesh at 6:44 PM on June 22, 2014 [2 favorites]


So, I had this bright, happy thought of Scott getting to hang with Clone Club, and then I thought, will there be a price he pays for his involvement, because this show does go very dark and while it is no GOT with regard to expending with characters that are liked I would never think he was safe. Questions will be asked and well, how many people does Cosima have access to at Dyad? I would think that Rachel would suspect her involvement, especially because of the science lesson with Kira. It may get very warm for Scott. I, too am picturing an eye-patched Rachel, and she isn't one to let bygones be bygones..

And it's already been mentioned earlier, but the recapper also seems to have missed the point about Helena and the egg-filled Nitrogen tank, she left it behind on purpose, not that it was mislaid her her being "renditioned."
posted by dawg-proud at 6:59 PM on June 22, 2014


Oh, another question: did Rachel smash ALL the stem cells or just one of the vials? You'd think they'd have nefarious purposes for Kira's DNA, but then she does seem to have some anger issues.
posted by leesh at 7:10 PM on June 22, 2014


There's all sorts of questions about Scott and Cosima's future at Dyad and their ability to find a cure. Presumably either Scott and Cosima remain at Dyad or Rachel does, but not both. Marion has undercut Rachel so maybe Rachel will be kicked out. If that were the case how is Rachel a viable villain without her Dyad power base, because without complete control Rachel is pretty ineffective.

Plus, one thing that has bothered me about Rachel's continued subterfuge: Doesn't she understand that her life depends on finding a cure? Or am I missing something? It is only a matter of time before she, and Alison, start getting sick so you would think it is in her best interest to help Scott and Cosima.
posted by plastic_animals at 7:28 PM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


I had actually wondered if Rachel was bluffing about the bone marrow and that it was just random blood samples to scare Sarah with, but I must admit that was just a guess. I do wonder at Rachel's plan, is it just be in control and reproduce? I would like to think there is more to her than that.
posted by dawg-proud at 7:40 PM on June 22, 2014 [3 favorites]


I was thinking about the issue re: Cosima, and I think the show will work around that with hysterectomies for Rachel and Alison, which are a solution to endometriosis, which seems to be what Cosima's condition would have presented as, asymptomatically. It's not - they've been artificially induced to have too thick or too damaged a lining for embryos to implant, which means that all of them could through healthy surrogates have had children too, which is where I fear the 400 failed experiments have come from in the midnight scientific harvesting (I know it's not that plausible, although it could have been done as a particularly bad bout of PMT, and the harvesting process doesn't leave physical scars).

Except the new Charlotte is a true clone sibling, so she came from the source material for the Sisters, presumably a big fridge in some bunker full of potential Sarah-clones.

Still, that's a deliberate choice the writers made, leaving the clones' ovaries as containing what - more clone eggs? Because if I was going to create a genetic army, I would have them create their own reservoirs of little clone eggs, ready to be implanted in surrogates and not in themselves (so they could not reproduce without corporate/military medical intervention) and I would have a steady supply of fresh clones.

That would make Sarah and Helena's ovaries fascinating - more than their wombs, because you can essentially rent/manufacture a womb (Leekie's amniotic fluid experiment - that is the biggest hold back in external uterine technology now because a lot of placenta and the uterine wall functions can be handled by tech, but amniotic fluid is very weird still) but that Kira may be a traditional 26-chromosome egg and not a Clone-Egg, that means Sarah would contain literally multitudes of genetic possibilities against the single-line inheritance of the other clones.

And sperm! All the male clones are almost certainly going to be sterile or sub-par fertility.
posted by viggorlijah at 7:43 PM on June 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


Oh! Maybe Rachel wants to be the only one, does not like being a clone, so yes, she wants a cure for herself, but at the expense of all the other clones. I realize she still seems to be hindering her own goals with that interpretation, but I can see her wanting everyone else gone.
posted by dawg-proud at 7:44 PM on June 22, 2014


What is everyone's speculation on the fate of Helena?

I think it's obvious: She will jump onto the back of the cargo plane's pilot like a monkey, disable him, and safely land the plane on a body of water, thus allowing her to swim to safety.

(I love Helena.)

I had a moment at the end of the show, when Charlotte showed up, wondering if she was played by the same actress who does Kira. I don't think she is, but my wheels were turning.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:24 PM on June 22, 2014 [4 favorites]


PS: In every single Tatiana Maslany interview I've read/watched, one word comes up repeatedly: Fun. She is constantly saying "filming X was so much fun," "that scene where we did Y was so much fun," etc. And you know what? It shows. Not only is she awesome at what she's doing, she's having fun doing it -- and that's what makes the show so much fun to watch.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:28 PM on June 22, 2014 [6 favorites]


Also Delphine, because with Rachel sidelined, everything is up in the air for her, too.


Delphine's totally dead dead dead, probably offed "on a plane somewhere" in the way that Leeky was supposed to go. How else could she come to Cosima in her dreams?





(I don't actually think this is true but it was a terrifying thought I had today.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:34 PM on June 22, 2014 [4 favorites]


a link to this "unrevealing" recent interview with Ari Millen and Kevin Hanchard.

Oh my goodness, it will help me sleep better at night knowing Ari Millen seems like quite a normal and likable guy IRL.
posted by torticat at 12:12 AM on June 23, 2014


And I had been wondering why they'd had so many bits of the young Rachel videos. Now I know what they were signaling.

Yeah, and that's how we as viewers see it. Interesting to think, though, that from Sarah's perspective, she's probably not mainly seeing the little girl she saw on Rachel's videos. She's seeing HERSELF as a child. I mean, can you imagine how creepy that would be?
posted by torticat at 12:17 AM on June 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


Graeme gave vocal coach John Nelles a list of questions to ask Tatiana, and her answers were improvised.

Uh, wow. Including the answer to the abortion question, you think?

Because it seems like that could be pretty huge sticking point for Rachel, who was so enraged that her own ability to have/ choose whether to have children had been taken from her.

The abortion issue was also touched on in the scene last week between Helena and Gracie. I wonder if it's going to be a bigger deal going forward. TBH, in spite of the affectionate scenes between Gracie and Mark, I don't see her carrying that pregnancy to term.
posted by torticat at 12:24 AM on June 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


I had actually wondered if Rachel was bluffing about the bone marrow and that it was just random blood samples

[with apologies for the serial posting]
I kind of assumed those weren't the real Kira marrow samples. But they could be, of course--it's hard to tell if it would be in character for Rachel to act in such an impulsive and violent way, because the other time we saw her do this, it was (presumably) only in her head, while she maintained total outward control.

But I guess it would make more dramatic sense for Cosima's one hope to be destroyed, followed by her discovery of Duncan's cypher, which could open up all kinds of new possibilities. Especially if Delphine were brought back to make some more fantastic science with Cosima.
posted by torticat at 12:31 AM on June 23, 2014


As soon as they revealed there was a line of male clones I started chanting "NOT PAUL! NOT PAUL!". Thank God. Creepy Mark might not be the best actor but at least he's not as wooden as Paul.
posted by mmoncur at 1:04 AM on June 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


On rewatch, this ep was a lot more comprehensible.

I loved Kira as pickpocket, taking after her mom. Also it's not the first time Kira has made contact with an outsider using a phone under the covers. And, though Kira has been shown to be intuitive, there's also the idea that kids today have a really great facility with technology.

Also I think Kira's showing that book to Cosima was more than coincidence.

Question, can someone tell me what Duncan says to Rachel in the scene where he is dying? It sounds to me like "you won't take harm?" but I'm not sure that makes sense.
posted by torticat at 2:02 AM on June 23, 2014


He says "It won't take long", in reference to his dying.
posted by pjern at 2:27 AM on June 23, 2014


I was really worried when the show started that Kira's character was going to constantly be a victim in danger and someone who needs constant protection. I love how adept she is at keeping calm and doing what needs to be done to help out her mother and her aunties.

Also, I'm pretty sure she brought Cosima back to life in that scene in the bed.
posted by futureisunwritten at 7:14 AM on June 23, 2014 [11 favorites]


Delphine's totally dead dead dead, probably offed "on a plane somewhere" in the way that Leeky was supposed to go. How else could she come to Cosima in her dreams?

My thoughts exactly. I figure either Delphine is already dead or that her face is merely who Cosima would wish to see in her final moments.
posted by futureisunwritten at 7:16 AM on June 23, 2014


Because if I was going to create a genetic army, I would have them create their own reservoirs of little clone eggs, ready to be implanted in surrogates and not in themselves (so they could not reproduce without corporate/military medical intervention) and I would have a steady supply of fresh clones.

You've really thought this through.
posted by jeather at 7:41 AM on June 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


I could go either way on what Delphine's appearance means. Which makes for a good cliffhanger.

I'd like to think they waited to introduce the male clones because they were feeling out which male actor in the case could actually pull it off. That's what I'd do. He's done quite well with creepy so far, let's hope he can pull off “normal-ish people with different personalities” too.

Openly cheered for PENCIL TO THE EYE. Not ashamed.

Clone dance party is best scene. Especially since I was afraid that Cosima was taking her oxygen tube off because it was the end.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:49 AM on June 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


As soon as they revealed there was a line of male clones I started chanting "NOT PAUL! NOT PAUL!". Thank God. Creepy Mark might not be the best actor but at least he's not as wooden as Paul.

I totally did not see the boyclone twist coming, but I have to say I'm glad it's him because I had occasion to look up Ari Millen recently (I think I was curious how they managed to find someone so creepy in the wild) and it turns out he's a total chameleon.
posted by psoas at 7:53 AM on June 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


Clone dance party is best scene.

Man, I just don't know what my deal is, but that was the first scene where the greenscreen effect was really, jarringly obvious to me.
posted by psoas at 7:55 AM on June 23, 2014 [7 favorites]


Oh, it totally was. Don't care, too busy watching Helena get down.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:59 AM on June 23, 2014 [7 favorites]


How are they going to do his hair? Presumably a basic buzzcut that they will build on. I would very much like to read a technical interview with the hair and make-up people on Orphan Black about their work. It's sort of invisible most of the time, but when you see the difference that makes across a single actor, the transformative effect is so strong.

I love that they didn't tell the new clone actor until right before the final episode's work.

And I'm surprised how much Paul is growing on me as a character now that he's a double-triple agent of some sort. So when he met Beth Childs, he was working for Dyad as an undercover from the military, then with Sarah, he pretended to go double/triple but was likely still working for the military to figure out something in Taiwan that Dyad had - that's when he vanished from Dyad and Rachel, his long-term plan? Paul's aims have seemed clear and then gone opaque repeatedly. He's almost the opposite of Mrs S who has multiple terrifying methods all centered around one goal of protecting children, especially Kira now.

(Yes, I have. My grade 5 science project was a cardboard-box mock-up of an artificial womb.)
posted by viggorlijah at 9:26 AM on June 23, 2014


Oh man, the poster (or whatever) for the show that's on its IMDB page freaks me the fuck out. It's like hidden arrow on the FedEx trucks -- once you see it, you can't unsee it. (And it's creepy!)
posted by mudpuppie at 9:34 AM on June 23, 2014


> Man, I just don't know what my deal is, but that was the first scene where the greenscreen effect was really, jarringly obvious to me.

I think it was so jarring because they don't normally do everything with green screens. I saw this bit where they were talking about how they have Maslany & her double do a scene and then reverse roles and have the cameras track the exact same pattern each time. So they can just film over whatever real set they have. I'm guessing this wasn't possible with so many clones at once, and that they went for the screen for that.
posted by bjrn at 9:37 AM on June 23, 2014


If Felix was a clone I would have fallen to the floor frothing in ecstasy because the only thing that could possibly be better than Felix is MOAR Felix!

When they did the Castor reveal I thought now Mark's interest in Gracie makes more sense, since I assumed the male line would be sterile as well, but the idea above that he's safeguarding the fetus with Helena's genetic material makes sense, too.

Cal: "Bro, do you even internet?"
Mrs. S: "Too busy knowing ALL THE SECRETS."

Speaking of Helena, she was just about to go find Jesse! I joked that I can see where Kira gets her penchant for being kidnapped from.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 10:04 AM on June 23, 2014 [5 favorites]


How are they going to do his hair?

I'll never be able to find it now but in one of the many post-finale interviews that were released Fawcett and Mason said Millen's head had been shaved for the final episode and he was wearing a Mark hairpiece.
posted by plastic_animals at 10:35 AM on June 23, 2014


...when Charlotte showed up, wondering if she was played by the same actress who does Kira.

I'm pretty sure it's the same actress who played "little Rachel" in the home movies Rachel kept watching.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:40 AM on June 23, 2014 [4 favorites]


~Man, I just don't know what my deal is, but that was the first scene where the greenscreen effect was really, jarringly obvious to me.

~I think it was so jarring because they don't normally do everything with green screens.


The dancing scene wasn't nearly as bad as the long-shot of the transport plane as kidnapped Helena arrives at the airbase. That was really, really bad. The plane looked like a matte painting, and even the perspective seemed off.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:43 AM on June 23, 2014 [6 favorites]


Yeah, I remember noticing how bad that plane scene looked.
posted by octothorpe at 10:47 AM on June 23, 2014


I tried imagining what they could do with an ovary from Sarah, and it occurred to me that maybe Rachel wanted it implanted in her. Scary. Regardless, it seemed like she was arranging all her assets - keeping Kira as a possible backup/cure for something; Cosima and others to experiment with; Sarah as a bearer of a way to become a mother.

This episode felt rushed, as if there were plot points and scenes cut for time and low drama. Loved the dancing. Can TM change characters quickly? Dance music is up on Bandcamp.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2014


Yeah, I remember noticing how bad that plane scene looked.

The plane scene was just awful, but to give them credit, where were then gonna get military planes to shoot their scenes? I had to cut them some slack.
posted by patheral at 10:51 AM on June 23, 2014


TPTB were probably saving money at that point, only spending just enough to suggest a transport plane. Probably didn't need to actually CGI a whole plane though.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:53 AM on June 23, 2014


%n: "The plane scene was just awful, but to give them credit, where were then gonna get military planes to shoot their scenes? I had to cut them some slack."

It didn't bother me, I watch a lot of very old movies with clunky SFX, it just stood out since the show is usually better about that.
posted by octothorpe at 11:13 AM on June 23, 2014


I'm pretty sure it's the same actress who played "little Rachel" in the home movies Rachel kept watching.

Yeah, I got that part -- it's just that I found myself wondering if little Rachel had been played by Skyler Wexler all along, and did they throw another clone twist in there.

One other question I had: Sarah clearly had instructions about what to do with the fire extinguisher from the drawing Kira sent and the "Squeeze" note attached to the fire extinguisher. How did she know to aim for the eye, though? Was there some clue I missed that told her it was going to shoot a projectile?
posted by mudpuppie at 12:48 PM on June 23, 2014


He says "It won't take long", in reference to his dying.

Ah, thanks pjern.

Also, I'm pretty sure she brought Cosima back to life in that scene in the bed.

I really like this idea. It makes sense of the whole scene if it was a near-death experience for Cosima. Bright light and visions of people they love are reported experiences of people who die ("die"?) and then recover moments later.

I don't really understand the theories that Delphine is dead. Why should she be killed, would it be because she knows too much? But she doesn't really know more than a bunch of other people--Scott for instance--and her only real power as a scientist had to do with her access to the labs and genetic materials, which is what she lost when Rachel transferred her to Germany.
posted by torticat at 12:55 PM on June 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


I don't think Sarah did aim for Rachel's eye. I think it was just a lucky shot.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 12:58 PM on June 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


How did she know to aim for the eye, though? Was there some clue I missed that told her it was going to shoot a projectile?

I don't think she aimed--just squeezed, as instructed. The pencil hitting anywhere would have created the diversion needed for Scott to get Sarah out of there.

BTW this is relevant to the discussion upthread about the clones' feelings about murder. Because obviously the pencil could easily have killed Rachel. And Cosima was evidently not only okay with that, but okay with implicating Kira (without Kira's knowledge) in carrying out the plan... using an innocent little science lesson no less!

Of course the pencil in Cosima's mind could just as well have been intended for Dr Nealon.
posted by torticat at 1:01 PM on June 23, 2014


Of course the pencil in Cosima's mind could just as well have been intended for Dr Nealon.

Wait, no, that's not right, because Rachel was the one given the picture/instructions from Kira to take to Sarah. And Scott was giving Sarah significant looks as they cleared out of the room. So I guess the pencil was probably intended for Rachel.
posted by torticat at 1:04 PM on June 23, 2014


For anyone not following Orphan Black on twitter, the cast and crew are tweeting thank you photos to the Clone Club today and it is really quite charming.
posted by plastic_animals at 1:07 PM on June 23, 2014


I don't really understand the theories that Delphine is dead. Why should she be killed

I agree, and I didn't actually realize until after I'd posted it semi-jokingly in this thread that it was a fear other people have.

Other thing that others have probably also realized -- if Rachel survived the pencil in the eye, unless she gets a great artificial eye, it's going to make it significantly harder for her to pretend to be one of the other clones in the future. Also, god willing, Eye Patched Rachel will be a thing.

By the way, it's a tribute to how much I love this show that I can even watch it after that happened though; I live in a consistent low level of terror that my eye is going to be poked out, and I can't deal with eye trauma. As soon as the pencil flew, I had my eyes covered just in case, and then this was the dialogue at home.

Partner: Oh my god, don't look!!!
Me: I already wasn't!!!
Partner: Keep not looking - it's bad for you. REAL BAD!
Me: THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING ME!!!

We may have missed whatever scene happened next for all the flailing and blocking of my eyes. But hell if I'm going to that part of the episode to try to find out.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:19 PM on June 23, 2014 [12 favorites]


the cast and crew are tweeting thank you photos to the Clone Club today

Oh, that is adorable! And also they gave us this. (Watch it. Watch it right now.)
posted by psoas at 6:31 PM on June 23, 2014 [2 favorites]


It was really interesting to me how, at the beginning of the dance party, before she starts dancing, Helena looked very, very much like Chloe's Sevigny's Nikki character in Big Love. She had the same posture, facial expression, hand movements, everything. Certainly not intended, but it caught my eye.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:55 PM on June 23, 2014


Extended Clone Club Dance Party Remix With Unaired Footage

Alright, I watched that (fun!) and have a couple questions. Does Tatiana Maslaney have more than one body double? Because at the end when all the crew were dancing, she's in the back (near Kira), but more in the foreground are people who look a bit like Helena, Cosima, and Allison.

And second, could those of you who have complained about the green screen effect fill me in on what you're seeing? I'm one of those credulous viewers who's a total sucker for movie magic. Like, my friends will say "the CGI in that movie sucked" and I'll be all, "wait, those weren't real dinosaurs?"

...alright, I'm not THAT dumb but seriously I'm not analyzing the tech stuff while watching a show. So what is it that gives it away, I mean beyond the obvious that we know TM is performing all the roles? Is it that each of the clones dancing was kind of awkwardly detached from the others? I thought the physical contact with Felix went some way toward covering that up.
posted by torticat at 12:43 AM on June 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


Another question, for anyone interested in discussing it... (I've read some other discussions online and a lot of people seem like they've pretty much given up figuring out how everything fits together, and have serious doubts whether even the showrunners know. But I think there probably is more cohesiveness to the show than just throwing a bunch of shit at the wall to see what sticks, I am optimistically giving the writers more credit than that.)

So, question: why did Dyad have to go through 400 tries to produce another clone who survived, after they had produced a whole lot of perfectly functional clones at once (Sarah and all the seestras)? Was it because of the loss of data in the lab fire?

And--timeline question--did the bifurcating of the clone program happen after the lab fire, or was there some other precipitating event that caused that? And either way--how come the Castor program was able to achieve success just a few years after the girl clones were created, but the Dyad program took another 16 or so years to recreate their initial success (and then at the rate of only 1/400)? What info did the military have that Dyad didn't?

One other thing, it occurred to me that there is some etymological connection between Castor and castrate, which might be a hint that the male clones are sterile. That could be a reach, though; the obvious connection is just that Project Castor was born out of Project Leda.
posted by torticat at 1:15 AM on June 24, 2014


Other thing that others have probably also realized -- if Rachel survived the pencil in the eye, unless she gets a great artificial eye, it's going to make it significantly harder for her to pretend to be one of the other clones in the future.

I hadn't thought of that, MCMikeNamara, BUT--for a group that seems to love implanting white eyeballs just for fun (Leekie's fan club), it might not be too hard for them to engineer an authentic-looking normal eye.
posted by torticat at 1:30 AM on June 24, 2014


"Was it because of the loss of data in the lab fire?"

Yes, they lost the data and Ethan Duncan, who said in the final episode, as he was repeatedly dipping that tea bag in the cup, that he did not write everything down. So project Leda had to be rebuild with new people and missed some crucial data and technique.
The military's Castor program presumably kept working without such major disruptions.

"foreground are people who look a bit like Helena, Cosima, and Allison"

I noticed that too. Maslany's real acting double is Kathryn Alexandre, maybe they had several others just for the dance scene? There definitely were other women dressed and styled like the clones.
posted by travelwithcats at 2:35 AM on June 24, 2014


The military's Castor program presumably kept working without such major disruptions.

Yeah, but the Castor program presumably grew out of Project Leda? Duncan said their interest had been in creating girls. So, maybe the split happened some time before the lab fire, and there was information shared with the military that was destroyed on the Leda side in the fire but retained on the Castor side?
posted by torticat at 3:07 AM on June 24, 2014


And second, could those of you who have complained about the green screen effect fill me in on what you're seeing? I'm one of those credulous viewers who's a total sucker for movie magic. Like, my friends will say "the CGI in that movie sucked" and I'll be all, "wait, those weren't real dinosaurs?"

When Sarah's dancing in the extreme foreground and the other clones are shown in in the background, the background shot looks very "flat," especially compared to Sarah herself. I'm not sure if it's the lighting or what, but I could tell right away that it was a backdrop.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:15 AM on June 24, 2014


And second, could those of you who have complained about the green screen effect fill me in on what you're seeing?

They're mostly wearing dark clothes and are in front of a light background, so the "cutout" outline around each of them was really obvious. I don't recall if they did or didn't have shadows, but that would be a clear indicator too.
posted by psoas at 7:57 AM on June 24, 2014


Totally confused about something... I thought Marian Bowles was essentially Rachel's boss, right? Why didn't/wouldn't she put the kibosh on Sarah's surgery even before she was wheeled in to surgery?

Also, they are totally going to make Rachel a new eye. And it'll be bionic (ch-ch-ch-ch-ch).
posted by mochapickle at 9:52 AM on June 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


There is at least one more double. There was a better version on YT before, but right now the best I can find is someone who filmed their TV screen watch Tatiana playing against two doubles (should start 1m 6s in). It's from a special/promo thing called The Cloneversation which aired just before the 2nd season started.
posted by bjrn at 10:01 AM on June 24, 2014


The whole rescue Sarah from surgery by injuring Rachel, oh, Marion's already decided to let Rachel and Kira go sequence is so ridiculously improbable and nonsensical (yet fun!) that it is best not to think about it too much.
posted by plastic_animals at 10:09 AM on June 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


Is it possible Marian didn't know about the surgery they were performing on Sarah? Maybe her plan was to get Kira first and take her to Sarah?
posted by Kitty Stardust at 10:23 AM on June 24, 2014


Sorry for the double post but I could totally see the removal of the ovary being Rachel's idea, perhaps with the hope of implanting it in herself as conjectured above.
posted by Kitty Stardust at 10:25 AM on June 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


Marian is theoretically in charge but Dyad seems to operate on a feudal structure, where it's all about how much loyalty and/or fear you inspire in your personal fiefdom.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:36 AM on June 24, 2014 [3 favorites]


Slightly off topic, but I found this vid while cruising through Orphan Black articles. It completely showcases Tatiana's talents in playing the different clones (plus Felix...)
posted by patheral at 12:21 PM on June 24, 2014 [3 favorites]


My mom texted me last night to tell me she was catching up on a great show that I might like, it's called Orphan Black and it's dark and edgy and takes place in Toronto. So I texted her back and told her I love OB and isn't TM awesome and BTW it takes place in downtown North America. And then I was getting all excited to have a text fest of OB love when she got bored and sent me a whole bunch of emoticons and said she had just seen the tail cutting episode and wasn't that gross? Goodnight, see you this weekend.

My parents are coming to visit this weekend and my mom hasn't even met Rachel yet! It's going to be virtually impossible for me not to spoil something. Everything is all enmeshed in one big OB plot blob in my brain. Plus, I want to tell her all the stories! I want her to know that she's going to love Helena one day! I want to show her videos of clones dancing!

I will be a good daughter. I will speak vaguely about the show. Then I will work on getting her to watch Orange Is the New Black. Her stance: Read the book. Decided not to watch.

Aaaargh.
posted by danabanana at 12:43 PM on June 24, 2014 [3 favorites]


I also read OITNB: book version when it came out and thought that I would absolutely not bother for the show, but everyone said it was great so I watched (and enjoyed) it, so you can tell her that it's sort of vaguely inspired by, but worth watching whatever you thought of the book.
posted by jeather at 2:39 PM on June 24, 2014


Thanks for the advice, jeather! I appreciate it. I would not have thought of approaching it that way.
posted by danabanana at 2:46 PM on June 24, 2014


Is it possible Marian didn't know about the surgery they were performing on Sarah?

I think that's it. Marian doesn't generally seem to have a lot to do with the day-to-day ops at Dyad. Rachel told her "I've only JUST taken charge" and that she had Sarah Manning in hand, so I assume Rachel was making all the decisions.

I'm skeptical about the theory that Rachel was going to have Sarah's ovary implanted in herself, though. The clones' fertility problem, according to Duncan, is because of a degrading of the endometrium. The ovaries are not the problem; the uterus is.

(Although... now that I think about it, I'm not sure Rachel knows that?)
posted by torticat at 6:25 PM on June 24, 2014 [1 favorite]


I can't put my finger on why, really, but I have a good feeling about Ari Millen. I think Mark is just kind of dull as a character, he's very naive and lives only for Henrik's mission until Gracie snaps him out of it. So I think (and hope!) that it turns out Mark's just not a great character to judge the actor on.
posted by jason_steakums at 7:43 PM on June 24, 2014


Yeah, there's probably a TV tropes term for the whole "why did we even do all that?" deflation of the clever-clogs escape to have Ro Laren / Admiral Cain just say, "you're free anyway, come see me tomorrow, bye-eee!"

But apart from that, the escape bugged me because, a) how can you aim with that thing? Talk about a slender thread, and b) I realize Scott is not a man of action but still, he on the scene and ambulatory -- why didn't he walk back in, aim the thing and pull the trigger at any of a number of opportunities? Leaving it to Sarah to do, handcuffed and strapped and on her back made no sense at all: there's no reason to expect it to go right.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:37 PM on June 24, 2014


why didn't he walk back in, aim the thing and pull the trigger at any of a number of opportunities? Leaving it to Sarah to do, handcuffed and strapped and on her back made no sense at all

Huh, yeah, excellent point.

The answer is that the show is about women's intelligence and women taking action/control. So you are going to have a plot sparked by Delphine, conceived by Cosima, and executed by Sarah. Scott can only be an agent or a conduit for all of that to happen, according to the rules of the show.

I can't say it always works out in terms of plot credibility (your observation being a case in point), but it is so goddamn refreshing to watch a show that starts with this premise.

I mean how many times in movie or TV history could a problem have been solved simply or in a straightforward manner by a woman but had to be defeated in some crazy way by the male hero instead, with a woman functioning only as some kind of helper? I think this is exactly the kind of trope that Orphan Black is trying to subvert.
posted by torticat at 1:28 AM on June 25, 2014 [9 favorites]


Scott also doesn't really believe the fire extinguisher plan will work, so I can see him willing to only go through with it partway.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:53 AM on June 25, 2014


Speaking of the fire extinguisher plan, somebody on tumblr pointed out:

Sarah Manning
Alison Hendrix
Cosima Niehaus
Elizabeth Childs
Tony Sawicki
Katja Obinger
Jennifer Fitzsimmons
Aryanna Giordano
Janika Zingler
Danielle Fournier

all have i’s.

Rachel Duncan

does not.


And I've been giggling about it all morning.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:44 AM on June 25, 2014 [16 favorites]


Ha!

But that leaves me thinking... Since there are so many references to mythology, surely the writers wouldn't be able to resist some sort of reference to Cyclops, or the weird Graeae sisters who share an eye and a tooth between them?

Or: I was just reading more about Likho, a creature with one eye from Slavic mythology. Likho represents evil and misfortune. It would be so fun to watch Helena to remember that from fairy tales and react to it.
posted by mochapickle at 11:23 AM on June 25, 2014




Now that I think about it a little more, no way in hell is Scott ever going to shoot anybody in cold blood, not even with a geeky fire extinguisher pencil hack. He was in there because the alternative was to let Cosima do it, and he knew that wasn't on. So basically I take that part back -- bringing the tools to Sarah and letting her figure out what to do and when to do it is pretty much what you'd expect of him.

BTW, I've worked with a few guys like Scott. That actor and his casting nail it so hard it's a little frightening. Down to the subtlest detail of demeanor, expression and diction.
posted by George_Spiggott at 7:11 PM on June 25, 2014 [3 favorites]


Speaking of, I'm not sure if he got a proper shout out in the other threads but I love the character of Scott and if something bad ends up happening to him, I will be very invested in the punishment of the cause of that badness.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:09 PM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


I gave him a wee shoutout!

I love Scott. :)
posted by torticat at 8:28 PM on June 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


Scott's been amazing this season - if you'd told me that I'd be happy that he or Donnie were on screen at the end of last season, I wouldn't have believed you. I think it was the epic board game setup that sold me.

Phil Noto made Orphan Black fanart of Sarah Manning and Helena. It's pretty great (esp. Helena, who works really well with his style).
posted by dinty_moore at 8:53 PM on June 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


Phil Noto made Orphan Black fanart of Sarah Manning and Helena. It's pretty great (esp. Helena, who works really well with his style).

Wow that is amazing. Love how Maslany differentiates just with the set of the jaw.
posted by torticat at 10:36 PM on June 26, 2014


Even without wigs, I'm sure one would be able to identify who she was attempting to be immediately, but I was joking (and by that I mean totally not really joking) that if I met Maslany, all I would be able to say is "Do Helena's face!", "Now do Alison!", or some such.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:59 AM on June 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


Late to this post, but here's a mini-clone dance party video starring Cynthia Galant, who plays young Rachel/Charlotte on the show.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 10:41 AM on June 30, 2014 [4 favorites]


OMG! They are all delightful but Itty Bitty Helena is my favorite!
posted by mochapickle at 10:47 AM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]


Cutex4! And now I know what jarred for me in the clone dance - hair. Alison and Cosima worked the best, but once you have big hair like Helena's, something is happening when they cut and paste that makes the hair too clearly delimitated, like a wig catalog-Photoshop.
posted by viggorlijah at 5:08 PM on June 30, 2014


Dyad's love of getting people to sign irrelevant paperwork reminds me of Dennis from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
posted by squinty at 1:11 PM on July 2, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm in the UK and watching this on BBC iPlayer, so I'm a bit behind the rest of you and only just watched this episode. Which was awesome.

But! Weird question: why have I been thinking Mark is a clone all season? I feel like the show 'told' us he was a clone in the first or second episode... and then just dropped it. In fact, after watching episode eight and nine and realising that no one (in the show or her in Fanfare) had mentioned it, I'd started to wonder if I'd misunderstood something.

I'm trying to now remember why I thought Mark was a clone. In the first episode of this season, isn't he first introduced as a sinister thug, menacing Sarah in a diner (possibly doing Rachel's dirty work) .. and then dies, only to reappear at the end of the episode with a different haircut and demeanour as a Prolethean? Hmm, I need to rewatch that episode.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:08 PM on July 4, 2014


Okay, so that's really fucking weird. I just rewatched S02E01 and I'd totally got it wrong. I must have originally watched that episode out of the corner of my eye while doing something else, because that is Mark in the first episode, and he doesn't die. But I do remember thinking that character was a clone as soon as he walked into the diner, because... he just looks really cloney? I assumed his hair and costuming were intentionally evoking Jude Law in Gattaca. So... huh.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 8:39 PM on July 4, 2014


Ha! It was bugging me who he reminded me of... I think he also looks a little like Joaquin Phoenix. (Apropos to nothing, I just saw itty bitty JP on a Season 1 episode of Murder She Wrote! He was credited as Leaf Phoenix.)

Was delighted to find this EW link about how they decided to make Mark a clone -- apparently they'd originally planned for Hot Paul to kill off Mark when Helena was dancing with Trucker Jesse, but they liked the actor who played Mark so much that they decided to keep him around.

On one hand, I'm sad that it turns out there's no Master Plan on what they're going to do with the series. On the other, I think their embracing and adapting the story to the talent and chemistry is more in line with the spirit of their premise: Something starts out one way and based on nature, nurture, and circumstance can evolve into something unexpected.
posted by mochapickle at 10:21 PM on July 4, 2014 [2 favorites]


Orphan Black has been officially renewed for S3.
posted by immlass at 4:10 PM on July 9, 2014 [1 favorite]


Woot!
posted by dawg-proud at 11:19 PM on July 9, 2014


Emmy nominations are out:
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards


RAAAAAAGE
posted by Etrigan at 6:36 AM on July 10, 2014 [5 favorites]


OH COME ON
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:03 AM on July 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


I AM SAYING.
posted by Etrigan at 7:14 AM on July 10, 2014




I came here when I saw the Emmy nominations too. Craziness. It almost feels personal.
posted by mudpuppie at 8:15 AM on July 10, 2014


(All of the nominations for American Horror Story are a bit baffling too. I mean, it was fun to watch sometimes, but it was nothing other than high camp.)
posted by mudpuppie at 8:19 AM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


Maslany's strength is her weakness. She's so seamless that I have lost track of how many times I've forgotten it's the same actress under all those faces.

They should have put her in for supporting actress five times.
posted by mochapickle at 8:30 AM on July 10, 2014 [8 favorites]


So pleased about the renewal, and so very dismayed by the lack of an Emmy nomination for Tatiana. Did they not see "Governed As It Were By Chance"?!?
posted by mixedmetaphors at 10:20 AM on July 10, 2014


They couldn't have.

Admittedly, I didn't see the very end of it, but only because I had my hands covering my eyes.
posted by mochapickle at 10:24 AM on July 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


On the other hand, the Emmy snub is doing wonders for word of mouth marketing.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:30 AM on July 10, 2014


Yeah, the snub is almost better than a nomination, in some sense.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:40 AM on July 10, 2014


The Season 2 DVD comes out next week! Complete with the Alison and Donnie and Donnie vs. Rachel scenes that were deleted from the finale.
posted by plastic_animals at 10:43 AM on July 10, 2014


Complete with the Alison and Donnie and Donnie vs. Rachel scenes that were deleted from the finale.

Are those online?
posted by travelwithcats at 11:01 AM on July 10, 2014




Why Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany Will Always Be Snubbed by the Emmys
Because one reason this show and this actress are unlikely to be nominated ever is genre, yes. Shows whose plot engines involve vague international genetic-research consortia, or vampires, or spaceships, tend to be disqualified from the category of "good television."
Plus this particular genre show is watched by just slightly over half a million Americans. The season finale lost its timeslot to Too Cute! on Animal Planet and Sex Sent Me to the ER on TLC, and it wasn't close.
posted by Etrigan at 12:41 PM on July 10, 2014


Well, if it keeps doubling it's audience, maybe it'll get some attention.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:32 AM on July 11, 2014


I just finished watching this show on Amazon, and I have to say HO LEE SHIT. I can't believe that only half a million Americans watched it live; I would LOVE to see the streaming numbers. This is one of my very favorite things I've seen recently; a great thriller, not TOO much reliance on handwavium science (you always get the premise for free, and they haven't strayed beyond that a lot), fabulous characters, and some truly killer acting. If nothing else, it's a huge poke in the eye to all the throwbacks who think that good stories require a male lead to be compelling.
posted by KathrynT at 10:08 AM on August 2, 2014 [4 favorites]


HO LEE SHIT.

Seconded.
posted by homunculus at 11:15 AM on August 2, 2014


ok, just bingewatched two seasons in four nights, and this series is fantastic. Love Maslany, love Jordan Gavaris!!!

To bad I knew about the clones before I watched the first episodes, I imagine the clone reveal would be fantastic. I recommended the show to a friend of mine and said he should watch the show without looking up any information.
posted by Pendragon at 2:00 PM on August 6, 2014


When I first tried to get people into the show, I tried to leave the clones part out - pretty much, I described the first scene of the pilot up to the purse snatching and then said 'shit goes downhill from there'.

But half of them knew from the BBC America previews anyway, and then once the media started covering it, it was kind of useless to try and conceal the clone stuff.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:28 AM on August 7, 2014


OK, I watched both seasons again friday and saturday :-) I can't get enough and the idea that I have to wait until next year is driving me nuts!!

Luckily I found the Soundcloud page of Trevor Yuile.
posted by Pendragon at 2:42 AM on August 10, 2014


In re RAAAAGE, a logical and scientific summation.
posted by Etrigan at 2:15 PM on August 25, 2014


Some very excellent cosplay.
posted by jeather at 7:39 AM on November 3, 2014 [2 favorites]






Ooh, Ksenia was easily the best part of Lost Girl, I'd be happy to see her on Orphan Black.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:24 AM on November 30, 2014


If nothing else, it's a huge poke in the eye to

Hee hee ISWYDT
posted by en forme de poire at 3:22 AM on April 18, 2015


(I was totally hoping against hope for an Enver Gjokaj as the Male Clone reveal, but hey.)
posted by en forme de poire at 2:12 PM on April 18, 2015 [2 favorites]


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