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And now for something completely different: POSITIVITY.
So, Game of Thrones is gross and How I Met Your Mother is also gross! Two for you, TV. Really. Good job. How about we talk about something that isn't gross?
I'm going to do something I almost never do, and unabashedly sing the praises of a work of fiction. Remember when I didn't like anything? ...Well, you should, that's a fact of life of being Jes.
But Orphan Black is amazing. I fell in love at the first episode and have been eagerly awaiting its return ever since, wondering what I'm supposed to do with my life between seasons. (It returned this past Saturday for a second season and I was so happy.) I didn't expect much when I began, because I never do, but the previews intrigued me for one simple reason: there was a GO train in the background. It was filmed in the Greater Toronto area and a few of the locations are places I've been to personally. That was enough reason for me to tune in. I didn't expect to become addicted to it so quickly.
The entire premise is CLONES, I'm going to say that right now, so pretty much half the cast is played by one actress. And, she knocks it out of the park. The show follows three clones predominantly, and the different energy the lead actress puts into all the performances is amazing. From the dialect work, which I could probably write a whole entry on, to the physical acting aspect of it. The character of Alison is particularly stand-out in this regard, to the point where I sometimes forget the actress playing Sarah (the protagonist) and Alison (one of the three central clones) is the same person.
The writing is really clever. Not only are all the characters very well written, engaging and sympathetic despite occasionally questionable actions. Early on in the first episode, Sarah (a UK expatriate living in Canada who sustains herself as a grifter and con-artist) sees a woman who looks exactly like her commit suicide via train to the face and... steals the woman's purse and runs off. This is our heroine, but never has she crossed the line into unlikable or unrelatable. She gets herself into sticky situations and constantly has to weasel her way out. The show never tries to convince you that it's easy for her, either; she's not "easily forgiven" for her actions early on. When she makes the right choices, it's always satisfying.
In fact, that's a pretty good way to describe this whole show. satisfying. I have yet to be disappointed with a single episode.
One thing I noticed while watching is, that despite being a sci-fi/mystery/thriller show, the focus is entirely on the women--so much that it's a failure of a reverse Bechdel test. The male characters exist on the periphery and their motivation is generally centred around what's going on with the ladies in the show. The rare time they converse with one another, it's about the ladies. (in fact, I can only think of one example of this: Felix and Vic, whose every conversation revolves around Sarah.) While not exactly a great thing, I find myself guiltily enjoying it. A well-crafted, tightly plotted, engaging show full of action where the women's plotlines and motivations are what matter, and the men are satellite. I would only complain on a token level of there was more of that.
In this show there is: conflicting loyalties, betrayal, science, chase scenes, gay characters who are just gay without it being made into a Thing, corporate espionage, believable and realistic relationships between women with a wide range of priorities, lies, religious zealotry, eugenics, different accents that don't bug the hell out of me, great sets, Canadians...
tl;dr IS IT SATURDAY YET, I WANT THE NEXT EPISODE
I'm going to do something I almost never do, and unabashedly sing the praises of a work of fiction. Remember when I didn't like anything? ...Well, you should, that's a fact of life of being Jes.
But Orphan Black is amazing. I fell in love at the first episode and have been eagerly awaiting its return ever since, wondering what I'm supposed to do with my life between seasons. (It returned this past Saturday for a second season and I was so happy.) I didn't expect much when I began, because I never do, but the previews intrigued me for one simple reason: there was a GO train in the background. It was filmed in the Greater Toronto area and a few of the locations are places I've been to personally. That was enough reason for me to tune in. I didn't expect to become addicted to it so quickly.
The entire premise is CLONES, I'm going to say that right now, so pretty much half the cast is played by one actress. And, she knocks it out of the park. The show follows three clones predominantly, and the different energy the lead actress puts into all the performances is amazing. From the dialect work, which I could probably write a whole entry on, to the physical acting aspect of it. The character of Alison is particularly stand-out in this regard, to the point where I sometimes forget the actress playing Sarah (the protagonist) and Alison (one of the three central clones) is the same person.
The writing is really clever. Not only are all the characters very well written, engaging and sympathetic despite occasionally questionable actions. Early on in the first episode, Sarah (a UK expatriate living in Canada who sustains herself as a grifter and con-artist) sees a woman who looks exactly like her commit suicide via train to the face and... steals the woman's purse and runs off. This is our heroine, but never has she crossed the line into unlikable or unrelatable. She gets herself into sticky situations and constantly has to weasel her way out. The show never tries to convince you that it's easy for her, either; she's not "easily forgiven" for her actions early on. When she makes the right choices, it's always satisfying.
In fact, that's a pretty good way to describe this whole show. satisfying. I have yet to be disappointed with a single episode.
One thing I noticed while watching is, that despite being a sci-fi/mystery/thriller show, the focus is entirely on the women--so much that it's a failure of a reverse Bechdel test. The male characters exist on the periphery and their motivation is generally centred around what's going on with the ladies in the show. The rare time they converse with one another, it's about the ladies. (in fact, I can only think of one example of this: Felix and Vic, whose every conversation revolves around Sarah.) While not exactly a great thing, I find myself guiltily enjoying it. A well-crafted, tightly plotted, engaging show full of action where the women's plotlines and motivations are what matter, and the men are satellite. I would only complain on a token level of there was more of that.
In this show there is: conflicting loyalties, betrayal, science, chase scenes, gay characters who are just gay without it being made into a Thing, corporate espionage, believable and realistic relationships between women with a wide range of priorities, lies, religious zealotry, eugenics, different accents that don't bug the hell out of me, great sets, Canadians...
tl;dr IS IT SATURDAY YET, I WANT THE NEXT EPISODE