This Week I Am Mostly Watching

Do you want to know what I love more than anything else in the world?

Quirky little television shows that seem to appear from out of nowhere, capture the imagination of the masses then disappear without too much drama. While shows like Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, with their massive budgets, grab the headlines and bully their way to the top. It's shows like Farscape that skip along to the beat of their own drum, all the while charming us to within an inch of our lives with their eccentric and infectious sense of humour.

Orphan Black is just such a show. I first encountered it years ago through word of mouth. Typically like all the best BBC drama’s, so far away from prime time TV, that even with a satnav it would struggle to find it, at least it would if it was anything like my satnav, who for some reason thinks the only time I use it is when I’m going out for a Sunday drive and will choose a route using only B roads, then constantly nag me if I drive even as much as five miles over the speed limit. Erm...sorry about that.

Orphan Black’s plot revolves around Sarah Manning, played by the incredible Tatiana Maslany. Manning, a con artist, witnesses the suicide of a woman who appears to be her physical double. Manning, sensing an opportunity to make some quick money, assumes the woman’s life. Manning learns that the woman’s name is Beth Childes, (a police detective) was actually her clone. Manning then meets her sister clones, Cosima (a geneticist) and Alison (suburban mum). Together they unravel the conspiracy behind their birth.

As I have already said, Orphan Black is an utterly charming show, which works partly due to the brilliant writing, but mostly due to the incredible performances of the actors, the first mention must go to the hugely talented Tatiana Maslany who plays all of the clones, sometimes simultaneously. There’s a party scene, which is incredible when considering the size of the show and its limited budget compared to other genre shows like GOT. Maslany has made each character her own and yet uniquely individual, through mannerisms and personality ticks, even their individual walk is unique to each character, Sarah looks and moves completely differently to Alison or Cosima, and that’s how it should be. I also want to give a shout out to the absolutely fearless Jordan Gavaris who plays Sarah’s foster brother Felix whose English accent is so convincing anyone who meets him is surprised to find that he’s actually Canadian. What I love most about his performance though is the way he plays against the different clones. Felix has a very different relationship with Alison than he does with Sarah and their scenes together are some of the funniest on the show. Maslany is a naturally comedic actress, but her talent shines that much brighter because of the strong supporting cast, like Jordan and Kristian Bruun who plays Alison's husband Donnie.

The show was created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett and first aired in 2013, and over the course of five seasons has garnered a significant following and several awards including an Emmy for Miss Maslany, which many claim was long overdue. The series ends on a nice positive note while leaving the door wide open for sequels or perhaps a movie. I love this show and would be quite happy to watch it again. The action is well paced with some deliciously tense moments, and some moments of surprisingly brutal violence, but none of that makes it any less charming.

Orphan Black will take you on a fun journey with a host of colourful characters that you will grow to love, then once that journey is done you will smile sadly as you wave goodbye to them, all the while knowing in your heart that pretty soon you will visit them once again.