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A few Orphan Black thoughts
Jul. 15th, 2016 10:58 amA few Orphan Black thoughts, non-spoilery for once.
1. I really appreciate the ten-episode seasons. Not only do they make the show less intimidatingly long, but they also mean that each season is svelte enough that the writers don’t have to throw in any filler episodes. (I feel that this has always been one of Agents of SHIELD’s problems: there’s always part of the season where they’re mucking about not getting anywhere, because the writers have twelve more episodes to fill before the big finale.)
2. I also appreciate the fact that Orphan Black is willing to drop storylines for an episode or two. It means that every storyline in any given episode will have enough screen time to move forward in a meaningful way.
3. I do wonder if I’ll feel differently about this when I’m watching Orphan Black on TV next spring, though. It’s very satisfying when I know that I can watch the next episode and get updates on Alison’s Suburban Gothic life tomorrow, but will I feel differently if I have to wait a week between episodes?
4. Alison’s Suburban Gothic life is weirdly out of place with everything else in the show - why is Dyad so willing to leave her alone? - and yet I love it. I would never watch something like this on its own, but it’s such a relief in the midst of all the Dark Happenings to pop over to Alison. Not that Alison’s life is without dark happenings, but there’s an element of black farce to them that makes them a relief.
5. Before Orphan Black, I would have told you that I hated pregnancy storylines. But Orphan Black is making me rethink this: maybe it’s not pregnancy storylines that I hate so much as the way that they’re usually done on TV. I feel like Orphan Black takes issues of bodily autonomy far more seriously than most TV shows, which I suppose one would expect in a show about clones.
7. But then, the other main issue I’d expect a show about clones to tackle is identity, and Orphan Black is surprisingly silent on this issue. The first episode of the first season kicks off with one of the clones committing suicide, and although the other clones are sad about this, it doesn’t prompt any of them to soul-searching about their own mental health and possible propensity to suicide.
On the other hand, I think this is probably a wise move on Orphan Black’s part: the clones have very little in common other than looking alike, and I think if the show delved too deeply into identity issues it might run into problems trying to explain how they’re all so very different.
1. I really appreciate the ten-episode seasons. Not only do they make the show less intimidatingly long, but they also mean that each season is svelte enough that the writers don’t have to throw in any filler episodes. (I feel that this has always been one of Agents of SHIELD’s problems: there’s always part of the season where they’re mucking about not getting anywhere, because the writers have twelve more episodes to fill before the big finale.)
2. I also appreciate the fact that Orphan Black is willing to drop storylines for an episode or two. It means that every storyline in any given episode will have enough screen time to move forward in a meaningful way.
3. I do wonder if I’ll feel differently about this when I’m watching Orphan Black on TV next spring, though. It’s very satisfying when I know that I can watch the next episode and get updates on Alison’s Suburban Gothic life tomorrow, but will I feel differently if I have to wait a week between episodes?
4. Alison’s Suburban Gothic life is weirdly out of place with everything else in the show - why is Dyad so willing to leave her alone? - and yet I love it. I would never watch something like this on its own, but it’s such a relief in the midst of all the Dark Happenings to pop over to Alison. Not that Alison’s life is without dark happenings, but there’s an element of black farce to them that makes them a relief.
5. Before Orphan Black, I would have told you that I hated pregnancy storylines. But Orphan Black is making me rethink this: maybe it’s not pregnancy storylines that I hate so much as the way that they’re usually done on TV. I feel like Orphan Black takes issues of bodily autonomy far more seriously than most TV shows, which I suppose one would expect in a show about clones.
7. But then, the other main issue I’d expect a show about clones to tackle is identity, and Orphan Black is surprisingly silent on this issue. The first episode of the first season kicks off with one of the clones committing suicide, and although the other clones are sad about this, it doesn’t prompt any of them to soul-searching about their own mental health and possible propensity to suicide.
On the other hand, I think this is probably a wise move on Orphan Black’s part: the clones have very little in common other than looking alike, and I think if the show delved too deeply into identity issues it might run into problems trying to explain how they’re all so very different.
