Clone Wars! 2 Writers Debate the Ups and Downs of 'Orphan Black' Season 3
We here at Yahoo TV are proud, card-carrying members of the Clone Club; we’ve loved BBC America’s wildly inventive sci-fi series Orphan Black since it burst onto the scene two years ago. But this season, our loyalty has been tested, and there’s dissension in the ranks. Some of us insist the show’s as good as ever, while others worry it’s lost its footing — and may never recover.
Here, senior editor Dave Nemetz and writer Ethan Alter engage in a freewheeling debate about Season 3: Did the male clones work? Which Leda clone had the best season? And when should the show ultimately wrap up? Read on, and let us know what you think of Season 3 in the comments.
Dave:
I’m afraid you’re going to take away my Clone Club membership card for saying this, Ethan, but: I’ve found myself losing interest in Orphan Black this season.
Don’t get me wrong: Tatiana Maslany is still giving the best performance(s) anywhere on TV. If there were any justice in Hollywood, she’d have a dozen Emmys by now. (And that’s just from two seasons of TV.) But the storytelling has started to stumble; the sci-fi plot machinations have gotten so convoluted, I’ve been zoning out from time to time. This is going to sting a bit, but I’m getting major Revenge Season 2 vibes here. For non-Revenge fans, that’s not a good thing.
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Let’s start with the main Season 3 cast addition: Ari Millen, as a host of male clones. I would name them for you, but I can’t even keep them straight. (One of them has a scar on his face, I think?) Anyway, I understand they were raised together by the military, so they naturally won’t be as varied as Maslany’s clones — but that doesn’t excuse the fact that they’re all dull as dirt. Fans have been clamoring for a set of male clones from the beginning, but in hindsight, it might have been too much of a good thing; they force the show to waste time in not very compelling plot territory, and take the focus away from Maslany — where it belongs.
And all those scenes in the dusty desert military base with the Castor clones’ evil mom: I could’ve skipped all that and not really missed a thing, right? (And was that the least secure military base ever, or what? Helena escaped by gnawing a bone into a skeleton key. Insert eye roll here.) In fact, Season 3 has just started to course correct in the last few episodes, precisely because it’s moved away from all that Castor business and gotten back to the Leda clones working together towards a common goal. Now that’s what we want to see!
So Ethan, I ask you: Is it just me, or are you finding Season 3 a disappointment as well? And are the male clones working for you so far? (For the record, I didn’t really care for the Prolethean storyline last season, either, but it didn’t take over the show like the Castor clones have this year.)
Ethan:
I see your Revenge Season 2 — well, actually I didn’t see much of Revenge Season 2… it got really bad, really fast — and instead counter with Battlestar Galactica Season 3 and Lost Season 3. (I know Lost is a blind spot for you, so you’ll have to take my word for it.) Not as an example of seasons that ran off the rails, but rather seasons that opened at a peak, descended into a valley, and clambered back up to a peak again as, behind the scenes, the creative team wrestled with the arc of that particular year and the arc of the series as a whole.
Because here’s an important thing to keep in mind: Season 3 is a crucial year in the life of a cult-y genre series like Orphan Black, as the focus becomes less about “How are we going to keep this thing running?” and more about “How long until we wrap this thing up?” It’s no accident that both BSG and Lost announced their respective endgames in the wake of their uneven junior years, and, in both cases, that gave both shows a respective kick in the pants as the writers were able to start writing towards a definite end point rather than stall for time.
BBC America has already re-upped Orphan Black for a 10-episode fourth season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, closer to the show’s return, they announce that they’re keeping the Clone Club party going for only one more season after that. Five years is a beyond-respectable run for a niche series like this, one that gives the writers plenty of time to wind the story down, the actors plenty of time to plot their post-Black careers, and the network plenty of time to develop the next Orphan Black — while also saving them any difficult contract negotiations.
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Now if that announcement does indeed come to pass, it won’t automatically erase some of Season 3’s problems — just like knowing Lost had an end date didn’t retroactively make the episode about Jack’s freaking tattoos any better. (Again, you’ll have to take my word for it.) At the same time, I think it will help this batch of episodes more clearly fit into a continuum that’s admittedly a little bit hazy right now.
I do get a sense that the Castor storyline has been the most affected by the show’s current lack of an announced endgame; it was beautifully set up in the first two episodes, particularly when Millen confronted Maslany’s Sarah, or, as I like to think of her, Clone Prime. But since then, it hasn’t played out with the same white-knuckle intensity that I’d hoped to see. The desert base did wind up feeling like a diversion rather than a necessary part of the plot — a diversion solely intended to allow Dylan Bruce’s Paul a graceful hero’s exit. And as you point out, the uniformity of the Castor clones, while well-accounted for by the circumstances of their creation, does make them inherently less uniquely interesting than the varied Ledas we know and love.
That said, I do really like Millen’s spooky screen presence (he’d be the ideal Scarecrow if Gotham ever gets around to introducing that particular member of Batman’s rogues gallery) and don’t want to see his line killed off from the series just yet. There’s a cold calculation in his eyes that makes him a formidable opponent for any of Maslany’s clones, including wild child Helena. And when the show does start assembling its various chess pieces for the final drive toward checkmate, I can’t imagine him not being a key obstacle preventing a happy resolution.
Despite your confessed boredom with the Castor subplot, you mentioned that you’re still a confirmed Maslany fan. Which clone’s storyline have you enjoyed the most this season? And which has been the least successful? I think the Alison material hit a whole new level of awesome this year, but poor Cosima has become the scientist left out in the cold…
Dave:
Ethan, you definitely saved yourself valuable time on this planet not watching all of Revenge Season 2. And though I’ve never seen Lost or Battlestar Galactica (sorry!), I do hope this season of Orphan Black is a temporary lull that precedes a return to greatness. And I agree that the show needs a definite end date; at this point, it feels like the writers are just piling on more and more mythology and bad guys with no concrete conclusion in sight. Five seasons sounds about perfect, I think.
I agree that Millen’s a good actor, too; it’s no slight on him that the Castor clones are a bore. I think I’d prefer him playing a single villain, as he did in Season 2, to the multitude of interchangeable doppelgangers we’ve seen this season. If a couple more Castors get killed off and Millen can play one that’s hell-bent on revenge, that could redeem the whole storyline (although it’s a little too late this season).
So back to the good stuff: Maslany’s Leda clones. Which one had the best season, you ask? Let’s start with the least satisfying for me: Sarah, who’s always been the linchpin and driving force behind Orphan Black’s story. Now she’s reduced to being a mere plot expediter, digging through dusty storage units looking for clues to unlock the Leda mystery. I understand the plot needs to move forward somehow, but Sarah was such a great, vivid character — a tough-as-nails grifter with a heart of gold — that it seems a shame to make her just a one-note protagonist. (Maybe sending off daughter Kira and love interest Cal took away some of the emotional stakes for her this season?)
I’m enjoying the newly humbled Rachel; that pencil to the eye seemed to take some of the starch out of her immaculately pressed blouses. I actually like Cosima’s dive into the dating scene, although her feud with ex Delphine isn’t doing much for me. (Delphine’s villain turn is one of Season 3’s least convincing developments; it’s as if they liked the actress — understandably! — and concocted a way to keep her around, even without Cosima.) And I wish we got to spend more time with ditzy blonde manicurist Krystal before she fell into Dyad’s clutches; her nail-salon flirt session with Felix was pure bliss.
So we’re left with my two favorites this season: Alison and Helena. (Actually, they’re probably my two favorites in general.) I’d definitely watch a sitcom spinoff following the suburban adventures of Alison and lunkish hubby Donnie — but as fun as it’s been watching them become budding drug dealers, it feels a bit separate from the rest of the series. And why are they resorting to a life of crime, anyway? Because Alison wanted to run for school board? It seems a little thin; at least Walter White had cancer as an excuse.
My answer, then, is Helena. She’s always been Maslany’s most fun, feral creation, and her cold-blooded taunts to her captors made those early-season prison scenes watchable. (The talking scorpion, though? Maybe a bit much.) And I’m loving every second of Helena getting domesticated by Alison and Donnie: her shameless hitting on Donnie (“You are strong like baby ox”); how awkward she looks in Alison’s cheery soccer-mom outfits; the way she cleaned house last week, emerging from the drug supplier’s hideout with a bloody machete and a smile. Helena rules.
So how about you, Ethan? Which clones shined for you in Season 3, and why? And we need to talk about Felix, too!
Ethan:
Stranding Helena with Alison and Donnie was definitely this season’s primary stroke of genius. I’m only sorry the writers didn’t embed her in their warped version of suburbia sooner. But as much as I enjoy Helena’s strangeness, I tend to think she’s better served as a supporting clone; to put it in Avengers terms, she’s the Hulk of the Clone Club. Great as a utility player, less interesting as the center of attention. (There’s a reason why Iron Man has three solo movies, while the Hulk only has one… two, if you want to be kind and count the Ang Lee attempt.)
On the other hand, Alison is the character that originally cemented my affection for Orphan Black way back in Season 1. I greatly enjoyed the first few episodes, but it was the sixth installment, “Variations Under Domestication,” where Alison locked Donnie up in the laundry room and then proceeded to host a house party, where I knew I was hooked. That episode was a brilliant standalone farce in the middle of a densely serious sci-fi serial, and it spoke to both Maslany’s range, as well as the range of tones the show itself could successfully take on.
Given my affection for that episode, it shouldn’t be a surprise that my favorite chapter of Season 3 so far is another Alison-centric comedy of errors, “Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate.” That’s the one where Canada’s answer to Heisenberg had to deliver her big campaign speech, while also finding a way to free her big galoot of a husband from a drug lord who had him on a literal chopping block. “Community” brought the various individual strands of Alison’s arc this season — amateur drug dealer, protective mother, and steely politician — together in a really deft way. It also introduced her equally demanding mother into the proceedings, a relationship that will hopefully continue to be part of the show going forward.
And I’d actually argue that the drug dealing is a natural evolution for the character; each season has seen Alison do something that upsets her previously normal suburban routine, putting her in touch with the “wild child” she used to be. Back in Season 1, she stood by while her nosy neighbor Aynsley died after making the mistake of wearing a loose scarf around a garbage disposal. In Season 2, she and Donnie hid evidence of another murder — Dr. Leekie — in the floor of their garage. So, together and apart, they’ve had a taste of the criminal life, and that makes the decision to keep up their standard of living with drugs an easy one. It’s certainly less messy than body disposal.
I’ve already hinted that I found myself struggling to care about Cosima this season, to the point where I kind of wished that she’d just succumb to the clone disease already… something I never would have thought a season ago. Trying to replace Delphine with a new girlfriend was a choice that hasn’t really panned out, due to the writers’ apparent need to make every new character a potential part of the larger conspiracy. Obviously one of the many genres that’s a part of the show’s DNA is the late ‘70s paranoid thriller where everybody was a suspect. But it’s becoming less and less of a surprise every time a fresh face is introduced as a naïve innocent only to be revealed as — insert dun dun dun sting here — not who they seem! To quote that old song, I wish she’d meet someone who likes Cosima for Cosima, not because she hangs with Dyad or that guy who looks like an owl. (I think his name is Scott?)
That leaves us with Sarah, who has sort of faded into the background after being the driving narrative engine for the first two years. I do think you’re right that the absence of Kira for much of this season — a decision that was probably dictated by the fact that the child actress playing her is aging faster than the character (not unlike what happened to young Rickon on Game of Thrones) — has robbed her of a crucial motivating force. Meanwhile, Rachel’s humbling ended what had been a reliable protagonist/antagonist relationship. Fortunately, the events of last week’s penultimate episode suggest that Rachel is now back in the bad guy game, and not a moment too soon. Sarah needs someone to fight for or against and this season; neither of those spaces have been occupied.
By all means, let’s talk about Felix! And Mrs. S. And how about good ol’ Art — a character I wish was a regular part of the series again. Maslany is such a powerhouse, it’s all too easy to overlook the strong supporting cast around her. I feel that they’ve been the glue that’s kept this season intact while the writers try to figure out what separate and united threats the Leda clones need to confront. Do you agree, or are you over peeling back the onion that is Mrs. S’s past by now?
Dave:
I do think Orphan Black’s supporting cast deserves more credit, starting with Jordan Gavaris as Felix: the ultra-supportive, ultra-sarcastic BFF we all need in our lives. Gavaris is superb, and his undercover work this season as a straight American dude to get info from Krystal just reinforces my suspicion that he’d be a great candidate for cloning. The show has strained a bit, though, trying to keep Felix involved in the main plot. He’s played loyal sidekick to virtually all the Leda clones by now; I’d like to see him get a full-fledged plot of his own sometime.
Another favorite for me is Kristian Bruun as Donnie, the lovable lug who’s in way over his head… well, in just about every situation. His interplay with Maslany as Alison is priceless; they’re one of my favorite TV couples right now. And I also like Josh Vokey as lab tech Scott (aka “that guy who looks like an owl”); his nerdy curiosity — and obvious crush on Cosima — inject some much-needed levity into their sometimes wonky lab scenes together.
Mrs. S? Yeah, I could do without any more backstory about her wild sexual exploits back in the day. My eyes glaze over when cult escapee Gracie is on-screen. And Art always seems like more of a plot device than a character to me; the revelation this season that he was in love with Beth Childs added a bit of depth… but not much. Plus, I know he’s busy threatening Bob Odenkirk over on Better Call Saul, but I say: Bring back Vic! Michael Mando always brought a loose-cannon menace to the role, and his return could shake things up for Sarah in intriguing ways. (What if he saw her with Cal?)
The antagonists have been a weak spot for the series, though: Rachel has employed what seems like a revolving door of sadistic henchmen to track down Sarah and her sisters, and none of them make much impact, narratively. (And I’ve already voiced my displeasure with the Castor clones’ evil mama.) It’d be good to see the writers create a villain as richly imagined as the Leda clones — a worthy adversary that would bring out new aspects of our beloved clones. They haven’t quite nailed that yet.
And again, I think that’s a function of the fact that the writers don’t seem to have a strong endgame in mind yet. We see plot lines pop up and disappear again without fanfare, only to be replaced by new ones. (I’m still mystified that a prominent scientist like Dr. Leekie could be murdered, and almost no investigation followed.) Executive producer John Fawcett has admitted they only had “a loose three-season plan” when the series started… and it shows. Let’s hope they take our advice and cap it at five seasons, allowing them to wrap up Sarah’s journey and give us some much-needed closure.
Beyond that, all I wish for in future seasons is more multiple clone scenes. I realize those must be exhausting to shoot for Maslany (and she’s now a producer this season, so she presumably has some say in how many hours she works), but those scenes are what make Orphan Black soar. You mentioned Alison’s chaotic house party in Season 1, and her big campaign speech this season; I’ll throw in Season 2’s clone dance party, too. They’re all a reminder that this show is at its best when the Leda clones are bouncing off each other in the same physical space, as we marvel at Maslany’s remarkable tightrope act. (She hasn’t stumbled once.)
If I had to give Season 3 of Orphan Black a grade, I’d say it’s a C-plus: still better than most shows… but a worrying dip from the creative heights of Seasons 1 and 2, to be sure. What grade would you give it, Ethan? And do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share with the rest of the Clone Club?
Ethan:
In my ongoing spirit of generosity, I’m going to assign Season 3 a B-plus. I think we’re both on the same page that this year has been a bumpy one compared to seasons past, with the creative team occasionally appearing to be behind their story instead of ahead of it. But I don’t find the rough patches to be especially worrying… though if they continue into next year, I may think more seriously about sounding the alarm.
For me, Orphan Black still has a baseline of quality that’s pretty high, and, if anything, some of the more questionable choices may have an external payoff by encouraging the writers to be more fastidious in their pre-season planning, in addition to giving BBC America the impetus for setting a hard end date.
Even if those things don’t come to pass in the near future, I expect to still get a lot of enjoyment out of my weekly visits to the world of Orphan Black — a parallel universe in which Toronto and its surrounding suburbs resemble The Parallax View by way of Edward Scissorhands, populated by a wild mix of personalities. Like you, I adore Donnie and Felix and agree that the latter perhaps deserves more than to be the clones’ Boy Friday… although a big part of me thinks that their mutual reliance on him means that death (or, less likely, betrayal) is the next logical step for that character.
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I wouldn’t be rooting for it to happen, mind you, but it would be the inciting incident necessary to get the Clone Club functioning as a cohesive unit again. Maria Doyle Kenndy is a kick to watch as Mrs. S, and that offsets her increasingly labyrinthine backstory. I’d be happy to see more of both Art and Vic, and would welcome back such tertiary characters as Inga Cadranel’s dogged Det. Deangelis, who was digging into the clone business ahead of Art, and Michelle Forbes’s Dyad agent, Marian Bowles. World-building is as much a science as it is an art, and, early on, Orphan Black was fortunate to build a strong foundation with the use of a solid formula that sustains it when the series occasionally takes a wrong turn into a cul-de-sac.
I’d like to end this discussion by touching on a subject that we haven’t addressed yet, but is crucial to this show and all the more relevant in light of the debate that engulfed Game of Thrones during that series’s just-concluded fifth season. And no, I’m not talking about the high body count. Complaints about that show’s violence — specifically, sexual violence — against women reached a new crescendo this year, particularly in the wake of certain drastic changes made to Sansa Stark’s storyline. Initially, I took a wait-and-see approach, hoping that the showrunners were building to a payoff that, while not justifying their choice, would make it more explicable.
Sadly, the season continued and eventually concluded without Sansa’s plight being addressed in any substantive way. Instead of marking a turning point for a beleaguered character, it just heaped more misery on top of her. And it’s not that Game of Thrones is absent of strong female characters; Brienne stands out, as do Sansa’s younger sister Arya and the Sand Snakes, who were introduced this year. But even those characters are placed in positions where they’re answering to men or being placed in situations that exploit their femininity, either as a means to raise the stakes (like Arya being slapped about by pedophilic abuser Meryn Trant before she brutally murders him) or invite our leering gaze (like the youngest Sand Sanke, Tyene, putting her body on display to trick Bronn).
Now what does all that have to do with Orphan Black? Plenty. After all, the entire show is founded on the idea that Sarah and her clones are literally fighting for ownership of their own bodies. And while that battle often manifests itself in situations where they face the threat of violence, the violence is very rarely sexual, and there’s never a sense that they are mere pawns with no ability of effecting change.
Furthermore, the show’s definition of a “strong female character” doesn’t fall into the trap of solely defining strength as a physical trait. What’s so brilliant and forward-thinking about Orphan Black’s clone conceit is that each of the main Leda clones is able to represent a different facet of, for lack of a better term, “girl power.” On a basic level, Cosima is the brains, Helena is the muscle, Sarah is the leader, and Alison is the wild card.
But by working alongside each other, and occasionally impersonating each other, they’ve traveled well beyond their designated type, and unlocked their sisters’ attributes inside themselves as well. Too often, female characters — even those on acclaimed, thoughtful dramas like Mad Men and True Detective — are relegated to a single lane. Orphan Black recognizes and builds upon the shouldn’t-be-revolutionary notion that a woman’s identity amounts to much more than one pre-designated characteristic. (It’s also worth noting that while Orphan Black never tries to hide Maslany’s beauty, it generally refrains from sexualizing her through wardrobe, posture, or behavior. That’s actually what made her one-off appearance as cleavage-baring manicurist Krystal so amusing; it’s the closest she’s gotten to embodying the “glam geek goddess” type favored by the fanboy demographic.)
Cloaked in the guise of genre, Orphan Black has, for three seasons now, been telling the story of four women asserting their authority in the face of a monolithic corporate culture that seeks to control their behavior and limit their potential. That’s a vital, timely tale that demands our attention… even when shaky plotting causes said attention to waver.
The Season 3 finale of Orphan Black airs Saturday, June 20 at 9 p.m. on BBC America.
