Orphan Black is a new original series from BBC America that aims to a be a mind-bendy serialized sci-fi thriller. It stars newcomer Tatiana Maslany as Sarah, a tough gal from the streets of London, who comes face to face with her doppelgänger right before she steps in front of an oncoming train. Lucky for Sarah her lookalike left her belongings behind, and Sarah takes the opportunity to learn (or more accurately steal) the identity of this mystery woman.
What follows is a tale that starts out as a dark identity switch story and unfolds into a larger, more intriguing mystery. Turns out the woman’s name is Beth and although she has an excellent apartment, expensive car and attractive boyfriend, she’s also way deep into something more complicated than anything in Sarah’s current underprivileged life. Spoiler if you have never seen a single advertisement for this show: Turns out Beth has discovered she has clones of herself worldwide and Sarah must be one of them.
As a pilot episode Natural Selection is one big tease that is infuriating but damn it… yeah, it’s pretty well crafted. You got me, Orphan Black. Just when the show finally kicks into gear with everything you’ve been waiting to see, it rolls the end credits. Tatiana Maslany is excellent at the role switches, so well in fact that I actually thought she was a British actress having to do an American accent in her scenes as Beth. Nope, turns out she’s Canadian. Her foster brother Felix or “Fee” (Jordan Gavaris) is her hilarious, extremely gay and loyal sidekick who helps protect her new identity and covers up her disappearance.
Not to say that it’s all groovy in Natural Selection, because it isn’t. The premiere tends to lose its focus at times, and outside Sarah and Felix the rest of the characters are completely forgettable. In addition, it takes so long to finally get to the reveal that Sarah and Beth aren’t just natural lookalikes, it feels like an entire episode is wasted.
That being said, Orphan Black certainly snaps your attention into focus with its ending, and leaves you breathless and enraged that you can’t watch the next episode immediately. Showrunners John Fawcett (Spartacus) and Graeme Mason (Flashpoint), who originally conceived the show as a major film, claim to have been working out the story for years. Although it’s a flawed tease of a pilot episode, the premise and overall execution is done well enough and seethes with potential, leading me to believe that if the creative team can deliver on its premise, then Orphan Black could end up a fan favorite.
The Good:
Tatiana Maslany. Intriguing and intricate plot is teased. The music. The cliffhanger!
The Bad:
Unfocused and tonally scattered. Takes a long time to get to the good stuff. Supporting characters are stock and bland.
The Verdict:
Tons of potential and enough here to like, but still feels like a very long trailer for rather than a premiere episode.
★★★☆☆