I put off watching the show for a while because I was wibbling on whether or not it would actually be good...but holy crap is it good!
I think a huge part of it is that Tatiana Maslany is so freaking talented. I totally forget that one person is playing each of the clones. Props goes to the wardrobe and hair/makeup team for doing some of it (I mean, the differences in hairdos between all of the clones definitely gives a lot of information about how different they are)...but overall, the subtle differences in her acting all of them just make them completely different people. I don't think Anna Torv ever got enough credit for that with doing Olivia and alt!Liv. But Orphan Black is just another level.
Also, I love that each of the clones is a representation of the different places women can be. They're not cookie cutter. Allison is a little comical as the housewife from the burbs, but she's not a caricature. She's not a character we're supposed to laugh at and feel nothing for. Her family is at stake, and so is the life she's comfortable in. Sarah may be a character that has troubles, but she has such a strong sense of loyalty to her friends and family. Cosima...is my fav. Hands down. But she's not a token lesbian. She's an incredibly smart, capable scientist who happens to be a lesbian, nbd. And Helena...oh man, it's tough for me to talk about Helena because she's been so extremely victimized. She's so badass, but I sympathize with her at the same time.
I think what I'm getting at in all that rambling is that even though this show is about clones, these clones are women we can all identify with in some way. They are just so real compared to other women on tv. And I really appreciate that, especially from a sic-fi show. I love that this show has women enjoying sex, using sex, and being frank about sex; that it has women being smart and resourceful and badass; that it shows us two different kinds of mothers who care for their families in different ways; that it it has LGBT characters that are actual people and not tokens. I love that it's about women who WILL NOT be controlled, will not be property...women who will take control of their own lives and destinies.
It's just so good.
And as an aside, I love that Felix and Allison have this odd couple thing going on. I hope that continues.
Re: Orphan Black and the Bechdel Test
I put off watching the show for a while because I was wibbling on whether or not it would actually be good...but holy crap is it good!
I think a huge part of it is that Tatiana Maslany is so freaking talented. I totally forget that one person is playing each of the clones. Props goes to the wardrobe and hair/makeup team for doing some of it (I mean, the differences in hairdos between all of the clones definitely gives a lot of information about how different they are)...but overall, the subtle differences in her acting all of them just make them completely different people. I don't think Anna Torv ever got enough credit for that with doing Olivia and alt!Liv. But Orphan Black is just another level.
Also, I love that each of the clones is a representation of the different places women can be. They're not cookie cutter. Allison is a little comical as the housewife from the burbs, but she's not a caricature. She's not a character we're supposed to laugh at and feel nothing for. Her family is at stake, and so is the life she's comfortable in. Sarah may be a character that has troubles, but she has such a strong sense of loyalty to her friends and family. Cosima...is my fav. Hands down. But she's not a token lesbian. She's an incredibly smart, capable scientist who happens to be a lesbian, nbd. And Helena...oh man, it's tough for me to talk about Helena because she's been so extremely victimized. She's so badass, but I sympathize with her at the same time.
I think what I'm getting at in all that rambling is that even though this show is about clones, these clones are women we can all identify with in some way. They are just so real compared to other women on tv. And I really appreciate that, especially from a sic-fi show. I love that this show has women enjoying sex, using sex, and being frank about sex; that it has women being smart and resourceful and badass; that it shows us two different kinds of mothers who care for their families in different ways; that it it has LGBT characters that are actual people and not tokens. I love that it's about women who WILL NOT be controlled, will not be property...women who will take control of their own lives and destinies.
It's just so good.
And as an aside, I love that Felix and Allison have this odd couple thing going on. I hope that continues.