Orphan Black anyone?

Vertle

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So season three came out this year and I've seen that it's transitioned to netflix now so I'm hoping that it's come to the attention of a few people here. I can't be the only one to bask in the divine acting talent of Tatiana Maslany and her many characters. Starting with the most important question, who's your favourite clone?
 

WriterDude

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Been watching but not following.

Helena reminds me of an ex. And so does the suburban mom, and the lesbian boffin...

Lost track of the plot as the wife watches it while I snore on the sofa.
 

Maryn

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We've watched three seasons. Hm, which clone do I like best? I don't know! But wardrobe, hairdressing, and most of all acting means I'm never confused who's who, not even for a moment. Wow.
 

M.S. Wiggins

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I adore Helena's subtle humor. "You should not threaten babies."
 

TheKalebRussell

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For me, it'd definitely be Helena. I love the way the writers made her equally deadly and adorable, not to mention her insatiable appetite. She's the best Sestra!
 

mirandashell

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I've only seen the first two series but she is an amazing actress. Even the voices are different!
 

Max Vaehling

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Just watched the first two seasons again on DVD. Loved the show from the moment I noticed that that wasn't three people in that scene I'd just enjoyed, it was one person and I hadn't even thought about it.

Helena is clearly my favorite. She's the pigpen of the group, except she's smearing everything with blood rather than dust and dirt. She's also unpredictable and psychotic which I'm not usually a fan of in TV roles, but Maslany plays her with such obvious vulnerability, it totally works. Alyson is a close second but her arc has been a bit sdielined in season 2 and 3. I like when they work together.
 

Writer MMS

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It's definitely on my que list to watch, Orphan black, the blacklist, black mirror....lotta good shows with black in the title.
 

EMaree

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I absolutely *adore* Orphan Black, Tatiana is a phenomenal actress, and the supporting cast are fantastic as well. (FELIX!)
 

Corsairs

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A great show and a superlative actress. Can't wait for season 4!
 

Max Vaehling

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About the pretty faces being pretty, I particularly like that Maslany is exactly not that. she looks good, don't get me wrong, but in a way that's very characteristic. She stands out, and whenever they introduce a new clone, it's part of what sells the concept. If they'd gone with a regular Hollywood pretty, half the time I'd have trouble recognizing her. (I'm not good with faces. Clark Kent would totally fool me. But Maslany's face works in her favor.)
 

Vertle

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It's when the clones are pretending to be each other that I get really amazed. The comedy is definitely to my taste as well. I agree about Tatiana having the look for the part. She's pretty but also has a bit of an everyday face which works in her favour. Any opinions about the boy clones? I enjoyed what they brought to the plot but their characters certainly didn't stand out as much besides for Mark or Rudy. I hope that's something that will be improved upon in season 4 rather than forgetting about it.
 

00Pepper

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I love Orphan Black! Love it. Alyson is probably my favorite with Helena a close second. Rachel is the most hated, of course. And the new clone, the one that does nails, I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

And I loooove Felix. :D Especially Alyson and Felix together.
 

Vertle

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I have a small place in my heart for Rachel because of how wickedly twisted she is. I especially love how vulnerable she is in the third season only for her to go back to reminding us exactly why she's such a threat. Chrystal was really cute, it was interesting to have such an innocent clone.
 

muse

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I love Orphan Black! Love it. Alyson is probably my favorite with Helena a close second. Rachel is the most hated, of course. And the new clone, the one that does nails, I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

And I loooove Felix. :D Especially Alyson and Felix together.

Oh, hell yeah! I love Felix with anybody. He could have a conversation with toast and I'd love it.

I'm with you two. Alyson and Felix rock!:e2headban
 

CrastersBabies

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Alison and Felix. I so want them to be my BFFs too.
 

mirandashell

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I just finished it! Boy, the reveal of the original was shocking! And the actress, I was not expecting it to be her at all.

Helena just breaks my heart every week. Everything she's been through. And all the little moments where she gets a glimpse of a normal life and you can see the surprise and the delight on her face. That 'oh, that's what that means!' moment. And the sparks of compassion in the midst of the craziness. Just tears me up every time.

Tatiana Maslany is an amazing actress.
 
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mirandashell

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Any opinions about the boy clones? I enjoyed what they brought to the plot but their characters certainly didn't stand out as much besides for Mark or Rudy.

I think it's because the actor doesn't have the skills of Tatiana. He had to play the differences much bigger so it wasn't as subtle.
 

EMaree

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Yeah, I love the *concept* behind the boy clones, the military ideas behind them, but I find them much less distinct and interesting than Tatiana's roles. I'm not convinced the actor was the right choice for the role, and I wish the writers had worked a bit harder to seperate them -- I know it's unrealistic to have them running around outside of the armed forces, but why not send them to *different* forces?

We could have had, to make up a few examples from my limited US forces knowledge...


  • a stoic, silent SEAL clone with PTSD who's afraid if he shows his symptoms he'll be deemed defective
  • a heavily tattooed Navy clone who really tries too hard to be macho
  • an amputee veteran dealing with both the crappy support for injured vets and the even crappier support for injured Castor clones
  • a newly wheelchair-bound roadside bombing victim who our grumpy amputee takes under his wing and teaches how to hide his trauma from the mental tests
  • a stick-up the butt air force officer who just wants their squad to survive
  • a rough 'n tumble infantry grunt who likes wearing pink underwear under his camos 'cos it makes the boys laugh, and lives for his downtime with a pile of fantasy novels and comic books
  • a surly, sweary medic who just bloody hates everyone but he'll still fix you up because a man's gotta get paid. They got shipped off to work in the UK for a bit, or worked with UK forces in the US, and came back with a terrible mixed British/American accent and really strong opinions about tea.
  • A high-ranking senior engineer who keeps delving into how all the Castor tests work and what's happening to all the other clones. He's got a speech impediment and so prefers to just type and text everything, but if someone tries to bully him because of his stammer or meekness he will not hesitate to pull rank and remind them of their place. He has a *lot* of friends in high places, and a lot of people who owe him favors. He doesn't often call of them but he doesn't ever forget, either.

They could have addressed the male assault issue (TW: rape) in the US military and delved into why clones like Rudy were so cruel when it came to their own sexuality.

The military has such potential for different personalities, different roles and ways of living, and they never really went into it. It was disappointing, though I still loved the season.
 
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mirandashell

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It's when the clones are pretending to be each other that I get really amazed.

I know. Watching Tati play Sarah playing Rachel and still making the distinction from the 'real' Rachel was just mind-blowing. There's not many actors around with the skill to do that.
 

Vertle

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We could have had, to make up a few examples from my limited US forces knowledge...


  • a stoic, silent SEAL clone with PTSD who's afraid if he shows his symptoms he'll be deemed defective
  • a heavily tattooed Navy clone who really tries too hard to be macho
  • an amputee veteran dealing with both the crappy support for injured vets and the even crappier support for injured Castor clones
  • a newly wheelchair-bound roadside bombing victim who our grumpy amputee takes under his wing and teaches how to hide his trauma from the mental tests
  • a stick-up the butt air force officer who just wants their squad to survive
  • a rough 'n tumble infantry grunt who likes wearing pink underwear under his camos 'cos it makes the boys laugh, and lives for his downtime with a pile of fantasy novels and comic books
  • a surly, sweary medic who just bloody hates everyone but he'll still fix you up because a man's gotta get paid. They got shipped off to work in the UK for a bit, or worked with UK forces in the US, and came back with a terrible mixed British/American accent and really strong opinions about tea.
  • A high-ranking senior engineer who keeps delving into how all the Castor tests work and what's happening to all the other clones. He's got a speech impediment and so prefers to just type and text everything, but if someone tries to bully him because of his stammer or meekness he will not hesitate to pull rank and remind them of their place. He has a *lot* of friends in high places, and a lot of people who owe him favors. He doesn't often call of them but he doesn't ever forget, either.

They could have addressed the male assault issue (TW: rape) in the US military and delved into why clones like Rudy were so cruel when it came to their own sexuality.

Whoa, I love all of your ideas, even just one or two of them would have been interesting to see. Hopefully, there might be some more next season. Thank you for informing me about the issue with male assault in the military as well, I was aware of the high suicide rates but didn't know rape was a problem as well.
 

Max Vaehling

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Yeah, it appears the actor who plays the male clones isn't quite as flexible. Then again, they grew up together, so it's only logical they picked up some similar mannerisms, while the Leda clones grew into completely different personalities.
 

darkprincealain

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I just got started on season three. It's a little bit difficult to follow, being a nuanced plot that you only get once a year. It's like I need a full recap episode before starting the next season.