Blu-ray Review: ‘Orphan Black – Season Two’

Article originally published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Orphan Black – Season Two’ on Blogcritics.

BBC America’s Orphan Black is a hidden gem that many have not yet discovered. Starring criminally-snubbed-by-the-Emmys Tatiana Maslany as Sarah, Cosima, Alison, Rachel, and others, the clone drama is worth watching for her performances alone, giving the best multi-role acting in memory. Season one took a bit of time to get us into the mythology and lay out the framework, but season two hits the ground running, taking us deeper into this world and exploring the various personalities in all new ways. It’s a terrific series that deserves more attention than it’s getting, so I definitely recommend checking it out.

When season one ends, Sarah is desperately searching for her daughter, Kyra (Skyler Wexler), who is last seen with Sarah’s former foster mother, Mrs. S. (Maria Doyle Kennedy). Sarah is pursued by Rachel and the Dyad Institute, which is striking deals with each of the clones as it further researches its creation. Alison agrees to participate in the organization easily enough, wanting to get her life back on track. Cosima is a tougher sell, but faced with a deadly illness that is killing her, she reluctantly accepts their offer of lab space and equipment, putting the three central ladies on different pages.

From here, the story veers in a number of interesting directions. We get to see what makes Rachel tick a little bit, and we also see the sisterly bond that connects the women made from the same DNA. More new clones are introduced, at least peripherally, and a character I thought we’d seen the last of (I can’t spoil who) returns in a surprising and significant manner. There are subplots involving Kyra’s father, Cal (Michiel Huisman, Game of Thrones, Treme), and a crazy cult that wants to breed one of the girls. Toss is hanging threads such as Cosima’s romance with Delphine (Evelyne Brochu), Alison’s crumbling marriage to Donnie (Kristian Bruun), Art’s (Kevin Hanchard) continuing investigation, another delicious TV part for Michelle Forbes, a healthy dose of Sarah’s brother, Felix (Jordan Gavaris), and a shocking capper, and it’s a very full year.

More than the action, though, I really dig the character and story development in Orphan Black. It not only poses the moral question of cloning, but also shows us the human side of the results of such an experiment. Then it asks, is the product, which is actual people, owned by a corporation? Where would the line be drawn in this new schema? Issues of trust are explored, and the differences between the various clones are at least as enticing as the similarities.

This two-disc set contains all ten episodes of the recent run, as well as a good number of extras. The most interesting is probably the ‘Making Of’ the four clone dance scene, which, despite being the only scene in the series so far where it’s obvious that the camera is trying to trick us and Maslany hasn’t really been copied, is still quite enjoyable and touching. There are also deleted scenes of Alison and Donnie, a script-to-screen featurette, a look at the hair and makeup in the show, “The Cloneversation” special with Wil Wheaton (The Wil Wheaton Project), and more. It’s enough that most fans should definitely be satisfied.

Orphan Black is a show that screams to be watched in high definition. There is a dark color palette, and the lu-ray version is crisp and detailed. Colors are nicely contrasted, and the shadows are layered. The sound in high definition is also excellent. The rear speakers are not used as much as one might like, but are better utilized than in many television releases. Dialogue is clear and effects are well mixed. It’s a very immersive viewing experience.

I cannot stress enough how excited I am by this release, and if you have not been watching Orphan Black yet, please, please check it out, because it deserves the eyeballs. Just make sure you start with season one, as Season Two is not stand-alone.

Orphan Black Season Two is available now.

ORPHAN BLACK is Truly "Beautiful"

Article first published as ORPHAN BLACK is Truly "Beautiful" on TheTVKing.

Continuing the unblemished run of successful, original BBC America series, Orphan Black, my favorite the network has aired, draws its first season to a close this week in "Endless Forms Most Beautiful." It's an installment of both revelation and cliffhanger, ending some plots, while simultaneously beginning new ones, making the complex, twisty story even more complex and twisty.

By the end of the ten episode run, the clones (well, the ones we've seen) all know about one another and that they have been created and monitored by a mysterious company. However, having just scratched the surface of this organization, they are reluctant to sign a contract with them, unsure if this is what is best for their lives, even as the company promises to protect them and not interfere in their lives.

As a viewer, it just feels too good to be true, going in. It's factual that they have been allowed to make their own choices, seemingly, so far, and have led full, normal lives, so perhaps whoever created them is benevolent. Yet, because it seems so easy, and also taking into account the covert monitors, who are often the clones' lovers, there is an underbelly where things just don't add up quite right.

Which is why it isn't much of a surprise when Cosima (Tatiana Maslany) discovers that the company isn't to be trusted. I can't say I expected to find that patent built into their DNA sequence, but I guess that makes sense. After all, this organization has invested a LOT of time and money into the cloning program, so they would want to be able to reap the benefits of their work.

This opens up a whole mess of legal issues. Can human beings be patented and considered property? Maybe in certain parts of the world? The patent is granted, which means that some governmental agency must have approved this concept. However, it doesn't seem like it would hold up in court, in front of any judge. On the other hand again, the company clearly controls American federal law enforcement, so has so pull.

I guess season two, which Orphan Black has already been guaranteed, will delve into this. It's such a startling, big discovery that time must be taken to grasp it and think about the implications. With so many unknown factors, it isn't immediately apparent where the patent arc is going. But it does mean Dr. Leekie (Matt Frewer) and Rachel Duncan (also Maslany) can't be trusted.

Who can be trusted, though? That is a question that has always been at the heart of Orphan Black, and it is one not easily answered. We assume Cosima, Sarah, and Allison (all Maslany) can be trusted because they are all in the same boat, but Rachel's presence, a new clone recently revealed, calls that into question. And the murderous Helena (Maslany again), presumably put down by Sarah this week, though likely, going by storytelling conventions, is still alive, means not all clones are good. They all have their own minds, different enough, at least by the circumstances of their lives up to this point, to have separate motivations and values.

There is definitely a nature vs. nurture debate to be had here. Nurture is winning, going by how different various clones are. Yet, Cosima's homosexuality isn't from nurture, so there's obviously some genetic variances as well, no matter how similar the DNA looks. Are the things that set each individual apart on purpose, or is this the experiment?

In "Endless Forms Most Beautiful," someone that seems trustworthy is said to not be what she seems. Amelia (Melanie Nicholls-King) claims, right before she dies, that Mrs. S. (Maria Doyle Kennedy) is hiding something from Sarah. And Mrs. S. and Sarah's daughter Kira (Skyler Wexler) disappear, though with no blood left behind, and Mrs. S. with her shotgun didn't seem to be going down without a fight, so maybe there's some truth to Amelia's words.

However, there are also any number of other explanations that might suffice. Mrs. S. could be working for the company, but Dr. Leekie seems genuinely confused when he first hears Sarah's name, so even if Mrs. S. was once a scientist employed by them, it doesn't appear that she let them know about Sarah while raising her. Has she flipped again, or did she manage to get nabbed against her will?

Luckily, Mrs. S. has some good precedent on her side, because both Paul (Dylan Bruce) and Delphine (Evelyne Brochu) have switched their own allegiances, siding with the clones over their bosses. The show might pull another fast one on us and show that they are triple agents, but for now, at least, they seem to be on the right side. So we can trust some of the people on the show who aren't played by Maslany.

Allison also faces betrayal as we see that her husband, Donnie (Kristian Bruun), is connected with Dr. Leekie. This one is less of a surprise, given the way that Donnie forgives Allison, without explanation, for torturing him. Allison can be excused for missing this, because of how upset she is, and convinced that her monitor is someone else, whom she is now free from. But while Orphan Black  does a fine job of setting up Aynesley as a red herring, it doesn't do as well masking Donnie's dark side.

There's also Art (Kevin Hanchard), who is investigating Sarah and her fellow clones. He doesn't know a lot yet, but he's the best hope the girls have of getting their tale out to the public, thus saving them from shady agencies. He's a hero to be counted on.

The series expertly lays out all of these players and settings one by one, never overwhelming, but building an extremely complicated, detailed web of story. The way Orphan Black keeps expanding throughout the season, with things only getting more messy with each passing hour, is impressive and well-thought out.

I love all this great plot, but serious credit for how good Orphan Black is, and it is very, very good, has to fall in Maslany's lap. I don't know many actresses that could play so many parts so well. There is never any doubt about which clone Maslany is, even with working out how to have one impersonate another, keeping some subtle clues that let audiences realize what's going on. There is amazing levels of talent in this chameleon, who balances her roles in a way that makes it look easy. This show lives and dies by Maslany's performance, and it's soaring largely because of her.

Orphan Black will return next spring to BBC America.