Before Tatiana Maslany played She-Hulk, she was the star of Orphan Black, a modern sci-fi classic on Prime Video.
Orphan Black is one of those highly watched shows that doesn’t know much going into it. Just know that Maslany won an Emmy for the incredible amount of work he did in five seasons, including being a producer later.
The show begins when Sarah Manning, a British con-artist who wears The Clash T-shirts, witnesses a woman jumping in front of a train. The twist: this woman looks like him. Are the identical twins long lost? Or is there something going on that you don’t know about?
Sarah was drawn into a conspiracy involving scientific organizations, religious orders and military operations. A single mother, she solves everything by spitting which sometimes gets her into trouble.
Tatiana Maslany puts in one of the all-time best TV performances ever in Orphan Black.
Orphan Black invests deeply in many of its characters, carefully fleshing out their lives in the Toronto setting. Felix (Jordan Gavaris) is Sarah’s wildest antagonist, a gay painter and sex worker who puts up with the crazy, life-threatening boys Sarah unknowingly leads to her door.
Donny (Kristian Bruun) stands as a bubbly man and is the epitome of getting in over your head. A serial killer, a soccer mom with a cut off top, a scientist with a whiplash and more enriches the masses of this colorful country.
The characters make Orphan Black shine: Between the occasional violence, cool science and cool cinematography, these lovable, down-to-earth heroes bring a sense of mystery that will rock your socks off. It all results in brilliant hilarity.
Tatiana Maslany is playing She-Hulk, in part as a result of her great performance here.
When Orphan Black premiered on BBC America in 2013, it arrived as a fully formed package, a slick belt-laden script, polished visuals and memorable supporting cast.
Admittedly, the best moments are front-loaded in seasons 1 and 2, but the entire five-season run enriches its world of science, police investigations and military operations.
And its sound: Any sound worthy of a Spotify playlist is a ticker box. I’ve got You Babe superimposed over the killer smiling at Sarah, the killer glinting in his eyes. The Clash and New Order join tracks from local Canadian bands that are heard coming out of their garages in Toronto settings.
We haven’t even touched on the big themes of Orphan Black. That’s because the anti-culture attitude, identity and ownership over one’s body is brought about by the entertainment factor set to 100. You don’t realize how big the issues are until you’re there.
Frankly, Orphan Black is a must see sci-fi gem. It saw Maslany getting much-deserved recognition and a role in the Marvel series. Go back and see where it all started.
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