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Orphan Black 2.01
Return of the Clones!
As season openers go, this one was okay: entertaining, suspenseful, continuing with last season's cliffhanger - but not extraordinary, given some of last season's episodes and the standards they set.
To start with the nitpick, I have extremely mixed feelings about Helena's survival. On the one hand: I liked Helena, she was/is a tragic figure, her relationship with Sarah was part of what made the last season, and her great healing factor (like Kira's?) has been established last season. But. But. Letting her survive a point blank gun shot by Sarah more or less establishes that all those clones the audience cares about are indestructable, and we don't ever have to seriously worry about any of them again. (As opposed to, you know, expendable exposition-spouting one shot characters like Sarah's and Helena's bio mother, who I thought was one of the very few times the show last season seriously fell into several bad clichés.) Now, I'm probably in a minority here, but I like having to seriously worry about my favourites, instead living in the safety that no matter what perils exist they'll be safe. Or rather: I like it in this type of show. (As opposed to, say, Call the Midwife, which sometimes puts its main characters through difficult situations - Chummy giving birth comes to mind, or Shelagh's tubercolosis - but isn't a suspense driven narrative. I certainly am comfortable with assuming the midwives won't be killed off one by one!) To me, letting Helena survive takes away something of the emotional reality the show gave me last season along, cheapens the tragedy of the Helena-Sarah story and makes the death of the bio mother even more gratitious than it already was.
On to the good stuff: poor tea-serving diner owner! His spontanous kindness to Sarah and attempt to help her is one of these short but important moments where we're reminded the bystanders are human beings with their own emotions and decisions. Sarah on the run, making things up on the spot, was the right balance of desperate, inventive and good at improvising but not superhuman. Along with Sarah, the audience is still in the dark as to what's up with Mrs. S. - kidnapped along with Kira, having tried to escape with Kira and getting caught, separated from Kira and somewhere else altogether? But I didn't expect them to answer this one - and the question of whether or not Mrs. S. used to be involved with one of our two antagonist organizations - immediately in the season opener.
Speaking of said organizations: so far Rachel isn't characterized beyond "slick, cool businesswoman", but shse throws an interesting wrench into the show's characterisation of both the Big Pharma Organization and the Religious Nutters Organzations as being run by the proverbial patriarchy, Evil White Men (tm). Especially since as opposed to Helena, who was a brainwashed victim and a tool until Sarah started to make her doubt somewhat, Rachel is presented as a player. Now it may simply be the brainwashing of Rachel was more subtle than that of Helena and she, too, thinks she's the original, the exception, and only assumes she has authority while the Evil White Men (tm) are the ones really in charge and ready to discard her the moment she doesn't want to play anymore. That's a likely storyline. But in terms of interesting narratives, I do like the idea of a clone who isn't one the side of big business because she's forced, blackmailed, indoctrinated or what not but because she likes all the advantages, and thus won't change sides because her sense of self starts to get shattered.
I loved all the Art and Sarah scenes, and am really REALLY glad he finally gets to find out the clone tale, which means Sarah - and the other clones plus Felix - can talk to him openly.
Alison was comic relief in her few scenes, but the trailer tells me what she did to Ainsley and the effect it has on her will be dealt with in the next episode, so I won't cry foul about the lack of an immediate aftermath. (Also, the musical presenting Alison with a scene where she has to clean up the aftermath of a murder may a bit obvious as far as parallels go, but hey.) High!Felix in his scenes with both Sarah and Alison was golden as always.
Cosima and Delphine: Delphine deciding to giveCharles Widmore Dr. Creepy the blood sample because she's worried about Cosima's illness wasn't a surprise but served to keep her along with Paul in ambigous positions.
As season openers go, this one was okay: entertaining, suspenseful, continuing with last season's cliffhanger - but not extraordinary, given some of last season's episodes and the standards they set.
To start with the nitpick, I have extremely mixed feelings about Helena's survival. On the one hand: I liked Helena, she was/is a tragic figure, her relationship with Sarah was part of what made the last season, and her great healing factor (like Kira's?) has been established last season. But. But. Letting her survive a point blank gun shot by Sarah more or less establishes that all those clones the audience cares about are indestructable, and we don't ever have to seriously worry about any of them again. (As opposed to, you know, expendable exposition-spouting one shot characters like Sarah's and Helena's bio mother, who I thought was one of the very few times the show last season seriously fell into several bad clichés.) Now, I'm probably in a minority here, but I like having to seriously worry about my favourites, instead living in the safety that no matter what perils exist they'll be safe. Or rather: I like it in this type of show. (As opposed to, say, Call the Midwife, which sometimes puts its main characters through difficult situations - Chummy giving birth comes to mind, or Shelagh's tubercolosis - but isn't a suspense driven narrative. I certainly am comfortable with assuming the midwives won't be killed off one by one!) To me, letting Helena survive takes away something of the emotional reality the show gave me last season along, cheapens the tragedy of the Helena-Sarah story and makes the death of the bio mother even more gratitious than it already was.
On to the good stuff: poor tea-serving diner owner! His spontanous kindness to Sarah and attempt to help her is one of these short but important moments where we're reminded the bystanders are human beings with their own emotions and decisions. Sarah on the run, making things up on the spot, was the right balance of desperate, inventive and good at improvising but not superhuman. Along with Sarah, the audience is still in the dark as to what's up with Mrs. S. - kidnapped along with Kira, having tried to escape with Kira and getting caught, separated from Kira and somewhere else altogether? But I didn't expect them to answer this one - and the question of whether or not Mrs. S. used to be involved with one of our two antagonist organizations - immediately in the season opener.
Speaking of said organizations: so far Rachel isn't characterized beyond "slick, cool businesswoman", but shse throws an interesting wrench into the show's characterisation of both the Big Pharma Organization and the Religious Nutters Organzations as being run by the proverbial patriarchy, Evil White Men (tm). Especially since as opposed to Helena, who was a brainwashed victim and a tool until Sarah started to make her doubt somewhat, Rachel is presented as a player. Now it may simply be the brainwashing of Rachel was more subtle than that of Helena and she, too, thinks she's the original, the exception, and only assumes she has authority while the Evil White Men (tm) are the ones really in charge and ready to discard her the moment she doesn't want to play anymore. That's a likely storyline. But in terms of interesting narratives, I do like the idea of a clone who isn't one the side of big business because she's forced, blackmailed, indoctrinated or what not but because she likes all the advantages, and thus won't change sides because her sense of self starts to get shattered.
I loved all the Art and Sarah scenes, and am really REALLY glad he finally gets to find out the clone tale, which means Sarah - and the other clones plus Felix - can talk to him openly.
Alison was comic relief in her few scenes, but the trailer tells me what she did to Ainsley and the effect it has on her will be dealt with in the next episode, so I won't cry foul about the lack of an immediate aftermath. (Also, the musical presenting Alison with a scene where she has to clean up the aftermath of a murder may a bit obvious as far as parallels go, but hey.) High!Felix in his scenes with both Sarah and Alison was golden as always.
Cosima and Delphine: Delphine deciding to give
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I like Helena and I can't be sad she's back (plus they established super-healing with Kira) but at the same time I agree that it cheapens the peril for everyone else.
no subject