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message 1: by Trike (new)

Trike | 11209 comments BBC America's new show, Orphan Black, is FREAKING AWESOME.

The story has terrific forward momentum and every character is distinct and interesting, even the minor ones. In only the second episode this has become a contender for one of my all-time favorite TV series. The lead actress is beyond amazing. Not only is she playing multiple characters with different accents, but they have entirely different mannerisms -- and she manages to not slip in caricature.

This is easily one of the best debuts I've seen in the genre since Angel, Journeyman or New Amsterdam.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/


message 2: by [deleted user] (new)

Saw and enjoyed the first episode.

Looking forward to tonights.


message 3: by Rik (new)

Rik | 777 comments I think I'll start it over the summer once most of my current shows end their seasons. Looks interesting.


message 4: by Ayesha (new)

Ayesha (craniumrinse) It's definitely intriguing. I tend to watch tv while reading or playing on my phone, but during OB, i slowly find myself paying more attention to the TV and less to the phone.
And the main actress is very good. There was a scene between Kasima and Beth(?) when I realized that if I hadn't known they were the same actress, I never would have guessed. She plays each person completely differently. It's shocking and unfortunately reminds me that i don't have what it takes to be a famous actress.


message 5: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
I'm impressed so far. I agree with Ayesha that the main actress does an excellent job with the various clones making each completely distinct from the other.


message 6: by Trike (new)

Trike | 11209 comments Yeah, that's the part that blows me away. We're only three episodes in and we've already met, what, six clones? And none of them feel like caricatures. That's an amazing feat to pull off.

Easily the best new genre show in ages.


message 7: by [deleted user] (new)

Only seen the 1st & 2nd episode so far,but I have to say the main actress is incredible and that's 2 clones other than herself and you can't tell.And kudos to her best friend,I really like this guy.


message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

Only three episodes in and I love this show already. The main actress does such an outstanding job. And Felix provides enough levity to keep things from bogging down.


message 9: by [deleted user] (new)

Okay,I've caught up and think this show amazing.And I misspoke earlier,who I thought was her best friend is apparently her brother.


message 10: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
I think they are foster siblings, raised by the woman who has her daughter.


message 11: by Trike (new)

Trike | 11209 comments Guys, spoilers.


message 12: by [deleted user] (new)

@Trike,sorry I will preface comment with (spoiler).
@Rob,I think you got the connection before I did.


message 13: by Gary (new)

Gary I'm liking this show. Sexy actress, goodly amounts of violence, interesting sci-fi angle.... What's not to like? The surprise at the end of ep1 was very nicely handled. I thought the show was going one way, sharp turn... bang! Completely different show. Cute.

I'm not sure where they are going with the daughter angle. There's a hint that the (view spoiler) which would make our lead unusual. Not knowing how this is going to go is intriguing.

I'm also wondering if they are going to suggest something more sci-fi than just the... multiplicity of characters, shall we say. Are they genetically different in some way? There does seem to be a physical angle to some extent, and the speed with which they learn might be arguably unrealistic... unless there's something mad scientist that has gone on.

Overall, though, just diggin' this one.


message 14: by Dara (new)

Dara (cmdrdara) | 2702 comments Anyone watch the season 2 premiere? I thought it was fantastic. I binge watched season 1 a month or so ago and now I'm totally hooked. My only complaint: needs more Cosima.


message 15: by Walter (new)

Walter Spence (walterspence) | 707 comments My wife and I just started watching the show recently via Amazon Prime, and I'll echo the overall quality of it, as well as the remarkable acting talent of Tatiana Maslany. We're not full-time binge-watchers, however, so we're still working our way through Season One. (Took us probably the better part of a year to make our way through all four seasons of the rebooted Battlestar Galactica.)


message 16: by Tamahome (new)

Tamahome | 7224 comments The actress on Tavis Smiley: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/i...


message 17: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
I'm both nervous and excited for season 2. Season 1 was so good it has a lot to live up to. So far, so good though.


message 18: by Kevin (new)

Kevin | 701 comments The season 2 premiere was fantastic. I'm not sure I rate this over GoT as my favourite current show, but it's damn close.


message 19: by Paul (new)

Paul Harmon (thesaint08d) | 639 comments What amazes me is Tatiana Maslany's acting skills. Seriously she flips between characters and they are all so unique and convincing I forget It's one person constantly. Then Episode 1 of season with her pretending to be a different clone was just amazing to me.
I seriously will be pissed if this girl doesnt get some emmy, golden globe etc love because that is the most difficult TV show acting Ive ever seen pulled off and she is doing 5 times the work of a typical actress.


message 20: by Dara (new)

Dara (cmdrdara) | 2702 comments She really is outstanding. It's amazing to see her be one clone impersonating another. I'm not one to praise actors but Maslany is terrific.


message 21: by Kevin (new)

Kevin | 701 comments Paul wrote: "What amazes me is Tatiana Maslany's acting skills. Seriously she flips between characters and they are all so unique and convincing I forget It's one person constantly. Then Episode 1 of season wit..."

Yea, she's really good. I've seen some people compare this series too Dollhouse. But there I always saw Eliza Dushku through all the characters she portrayed. I never believed she was anyone else but the main character. Maslany always makes me forget that the same actor is playing all those rolls. And even when she's playing one of the clones pretending to be another clone you can recognize it as such. It's again different from just straight up either clone just being herself.


message 22: by Nixi (new)

Nixi (competine) | 28 comments Tatiana is amazing. I'm fascinated how she portrays every character so uniquely, I didn't realize for whole 2 episodes when we first meet Helena, that she is another clone. Every character looks, speaks, moves so differently it's hard to believe it's the same person. I was shocked when Tatiana didn't get all those awards she was nominated for for these roles. Totally underrated show. Although, honestly, at first I didn't find series so interesting, and kept watching only to see Tatiana's performance, but I soon got hooked.. Now I can't wait for the next episode.


message 23: by Trike (new)

Trike | 11209 comments The season 2 debut was pretty spectacular. As everyone has mentioned, Tatiana Maslany continues to be briliant. She must have a superpower of her own to be able to pull off all these roles. When she's one clone pretending to be a second clone and you can see the first clone's behavior coming through the second clone... that's a mind-boggling achievement and I have no idea how she pulls that off.

The fact they took the time to add the demented genius of the suburban musical is another reason this show is amazing.


message 24: by Erik (new)

Erik Redin (erik_redin) | 149 comments While I loved the first season and I thought it just got better and better with every episode, I was worried that maybe it was all sort of a happy accident and they wouldn't be able to keep it up in season two. Because while all the clone character became much deeper than their initial archetypes (the brain, the soccer mom, etc.), many of the male supporting characters (other than Felix, obviously) felt very one-note. Also, the cop stuff often felt cliche.

Thankfully, all that worrying was an immense waste of time because the season 2 premiere was brilliant. I like the new role Art is taking on. I loved the big reveal at the end of the episode because that character was my favorite on the show last year. They've definitely learned what works and what doesn't in the multi-clone scenes. The scene between Rachel and Sarah towards the end of the episode was perfectly realized. Also, the new baddie from the anti-clone group is much cooler than the lame evil priest from last season.


message 25: by Ingrid (new)

Ingrid Hardy (kv_hardy) | 4 comments I'm absolutely loving this show. One of my absolute favorites...


message 26: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Alexander I'm nearly done with season 1, and what a riot!


message 27: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Season 2 finale was great. Can't wait for season 3.


message 28: by Robert (new)

Robert (rfox131) | 30 comments Season 2 finale is on my DVR. After that I'll have to wait 2 months for Doctor Who. Fortunately there's Defiance and Under the Dome to take up the slack.


message 29: by Tamahome (new)

Tamahome | 7224 comments Incomparable is discussing Orphan Black spoiler free and other shows in their latest episode.


message 30: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Too many people I know recorded the whole season to marathon. I really hope that I'm just getting bad data and enough people watched it as it aired to get a third season.


message 31: by Tamahome (new)

Tamahome | 7224 comments Dvr doesn't affect ratings?


message 32: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
It's one of the few show I actually watch on the night it airs unless I'm not home, and often times I watched it as soon as I got home before going to bed.

I get the appeal of watching it all at once, but I don't get how people can wait longer than they have to see new episodes.


message 33: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Tamahome wrote: "Dvr doesn't affect ratings?"

Yes and no. The number of people watching it "live" are still weighted more. Also they have a +3 and +7 day metric I believe. I also don't think they really count online watching as much.

Which is dumb, they are way to slow to shift how they measure the popularity of TV as many people's viewing preferences have dramatically changed, especially the younger demographics that advertisers care about the most.

Either way, waiting 2 months to watch a single episode falls out of those metrics. I have no idea if they track it that far or how much that counts for (if at all). I think at that point they are looking at sales of the episode, but I'm no expert.


message 34: by Robert (new)

Robert (rfox131) | 30 comments Neilson has to catch up with technology.


message 35: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Robert wrote: "Neilson has to catch up with technology."

Agreed, but until they do TV shows (especially Genre shows) that people like are going to get canceled.


message 36: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (dawnv) | 96 comments This is a great show and I hope you are wrong about it being cancelled.

Neilson really should not be considered all that reliable anymore. I mean the way people watch tv has totally changed. I know very few people who actually watch a show when it airs most people watch in their dvr or on demand. Or if you are like me I buy it from amazon or wait for some other third party like netflix or hulu.


message 37: by Sean Lookielook (new)

Sean Lookielook Sandulak (seansandulak) | 444 comments Live shows have more weight largely because of corporate inertia, but also because you cannot skip/block the ads as you can with DVR/internet. Cable/broadcast tv is still the main conduit for most people, although that is rapidly changing with streaming services like Netflix. Online stores/sites are becoming more popular as they increase the content they have available. This will push series producers to factor these alternate sources of revenue into the production budgets, and hopefully quality shows that can draw a cult audience will be spared the network axe.


message 38: by Rob, Roberator (last edited Jun 22, 2014 11:57AM) (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Dawn wrote: "This is a great show and I hope you are wrong about it being cancelled.."

To be clear, I said I hope it's not cancelled. I don't necessarily think it will, I'm just worried since I see more people waiting to watch it all at once than watching it when it airs.

Firefly is the poster child for a show that a lot of people love after the fact that was cancelled because of low ratings. It's engrained in me to worry. Thankfully it's not on fox though.


message 39: by Robert (new)

Robert (rfox131) | 30 comments Okay, just saw the season finale. LOVE the dance scene!


message 40: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Robert wrote: "Okay, just saw the season finale. LOVE the dance scene!"

Agreed. That whole part was one of my favorites of the season.


Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth | 2218 comments Rob wrote: "To be clear, I said I hope it's not cancelled. I don't necessarily think it will, I'm just worried since I see more people waiting to watch it all at once than watching it when it airs.

Firefly is the poster child for a show that a lot of people love after the fact that was cancelled because of low ratings. It's engrained in me to worry. Thankfully it's not on fox though.


The painful thing is sitting in England waiting for stuff to come over here with no power to affect the ratings at all.

My brother was just raving about a new US show that had just started over here (I forget what now) and I had to break it to him that it had already been cancelled. I was excited for Firefly when I first heard news of it, but, alas, before I could even check it out, cancelled.

Surely this won't happen with Orphan Black, though. It sounds like it has been doing really well. Loving season two. Two eps to go, I think.


message 42: by Dawn (new)

Dawn (dawnv) | 96 comments Rob wrote: "Dawn wrote: "This is a great show and I hope you are wrong about it being cancelled.."

To be clear, I said I hope it's not cancelled. I don't necessarily think it will, I'm just worried since I se..."


Whew! Thanks for clarifying


message 43: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Thr only thing i can find about season 2 was for the premiere which were up from season 1, especially when adding in the DVR+3. However a lot canhappen over the course of the season. Hopefully something will come out about it soon with the finale having aired.


message 44: by Trike (new)

Trike | 11209 comments Orphan Black's finale felt like it had some scenes missing, but the reveal at the end was yet another game-changer.

There have been a couple times this season where they're just showing off. A couple episodes ago when two of the clones were talking in front of a mirror was one of those things that most people don't notice, but if you watch it again ask yourself, "Where the hell is the camera?"

The dance number in the S2 finale was another one of those. Talk about a long day of filming! She has to do four costume changes and they have to meticulously plot out all those positions while she has to hit her mark exactly every time. Wow. (The funniest comment I've seen about the finale was, "I was thinking one actress wasn't as good a dancer as -- oh, right." LOL)

So glad Tatiana Maslany won a Critic's Choice award. Things like that will help drive interest to the show.




message 45: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Season 3 next spring!

http://io9.com/orphan-black-has-offic...


message 46: by Trike (new)

Trike | 11209 comments Thumb's up!


message 47: by Erik (new)

Erik Redin (erik_redin) | 149 comments I would've been shocked if it hadn't been picked up for another season. There would've been mobs in Shakira wigs rioting had it not been renewed.


message 48: by Baelor (new)

Baelor | 169 comments The show is fantastic, except for the transsexual clone episode, about which one must never speak.


message 49: by Rob, Roberator (new)

Rob (robzak) | 7204 comments Mod
Baelor wrote: "The show is fantastic, except for the transsexual clone episode, about which one must never speak."

That was one of my favorites...lol.


message 50: by Ingrid (new)

Ingrid Hardy (kv_hardy) | 4 comments Woohoo!!! More Helena!


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