Article first published as ORPHAN BLACK Review on Seat42F.
BBC America’s excellent ORPHAN BLACK returned for a second season last Saturday night. While the premiere episode, “Nature Under Constraint and Vexed,” is not a good installment for someone who hasn’t ever seen the show to jump in on, that’s part of why it is oh-so-good for the fans. The story picks up pretty much right where the first year leaves off, and hits the ground running from there.
BBC America’s excellent ORPHAN BLACK returned for a second season last Saturday night. While the premiere episode, “Nature Under Constraint and Vexed,” is not a good installment for someone who hasn’t ever seen the show to jump in on, that’s part of why it is oh-so-good for the fans. The story picks up pretty much right where the first year leaves off, and hits the ground running from there.
Sarah (Tatiana Maslany), arguably the
main character, is in a Matrix-esque environment. She is on the run,
nowhere safe for her to go, with Daniel (Matthew Bennet) and his goons,
who wear suits and dark sunglasses, on her tail. She isn’t sure who she
can trust, reaching out to Paul (Dylan Bruce) even though he works for
the enemy, and she doesn’t have a clue how to get her family back.
This isn’t much of an improvement over
Sarah’s situation last year. She has gone from grifter barely scraping
by to grifter barely scraping by with her loved ones in danger. The only
advantage she has now is that there are actually a handful of people
who might be of assistance, though none is as invested in the trouble as
she is, and it’s always going to be especially hard for her, with her
trust issues, to sort out who can be relied upon.
Alison (also Maslany) is playing by the
rules Dyad, the sinister company Sarah is fleeing from, has set out for
her. This means she is free to go about her life and is not closely
monitored, which allows her opportunity to sneak around and help Sarah.
Alison has no desire to paint a target on herself by publicly declaring
war and threatening her suburban existence, but at the same time, she
isn’t going to turn her back on a clone in need.
Cosima (Maslany again) straddles the
line between the two. She still resists working for Dr. Leekie (Matt
Frewer), despite his efforts to persuade her to change her mind, which
leaves her hiding out. She is more willing to assist Sarah, but also not
ready to rush in guns blazing. These clones may share a bond, but they
are definitely not the same people.
Once more, the main draw of ORPHAN BLACK
is the incredible talent of its lead actress in her multiple roles.
Maslany differentiates each of the three listed above, plus calculating
Rachel and crazy Helena (who, thank goodness, is still alive!), with
what looks like ease. It’s interesting to study how even the default
resting face of each woman is completely different. The changes, major
and minor, are so complete that Sarah, Alison, and Cosima really do seem
like distinct individuals, barely connected.
Even better, “Nature Under Constraint
and Vexed” gives us one of the golden scenes where one of Maslany’s
character pretends to be another one. As Sarah sneaks into the Dyad
party masquerading as Cosima, Maslany creates something entirely new,
Sarah’s version of who Cosima is, which is really startling in its
complexity and authenticity.
Of course, ORPHAN BLACK does have an
excellent plot, too, filled with a variety of players who may or may not
be on our heroines’ sides. Does Art (Kevin Hanchard) really want to
help Sarah, or is he playing a classic good cop / bad cop sting with
Angela (Inga Cadranel)? Is Paul offering assistance, or only feigning
such to do Rachel’s bidding? Is Delphine’s (Evelyne Brochu) act of
handing over Cosima’s blood to Leekie an act of betrayal, or is Delphine
just worried about her lover’s life?
We also get plenty of humor, mostly at
the expense of Alison and Felix (Jordan Gavaris). When first the latter
is glimpsed this season, he’s in the middle of an orgy at a fetish club.
Still in costume, he rushes over to Alison’s in the middle of the
night. She ought to appreciate the get up, working on the clothing for
the musical she’s now starring in, which seems terrible, by the way.
This kind of stuff lightens the mood when the action gets too dark.
Basically, ORPHAN BLACK has some of the
best acting on TV mixed with a compelling tale of shifting allegiances
and surreptitious organizations. Dyad isn’t the only threat in “Nature
Under Constraint and Vexed,” and we still have the mystery of the
clones’ origin to solve to boot. Where the show will go next is anyone’s
guess, but it’s a thrilling ride and I’m happy to be along for it.
ORPHAN BLACK airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET on BBC America.
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