Pilot Review: Orphan Black

Orphan Black (BBC America)
Premiered March 30 at 9pm

This review is decidedly late, but a Saturday night premiere on a network I don’t usually watch caught me off-guard, and, as a result, I’m posting this review as the second episode airs. I thought about waiting and taking the two together, but this highly original pilot merited consideration all by itself. The storyline seems familiar at first, reminiscent of last year’s “Ringer,” with a woman on the run conveniently taking the identity of a lookalike after her suicide. That’s far from the case here, as Elizabeth is not the only one who looks just like Sarah. The appearance of Katja at the end of the episode was enough of a jolt, and her murder solidifies the very serious nature of the situation in which Sarah has found herself. She’s a fascinating lead character, one who does her research upon preparing to assume someone else’s life but still leaves many holes to be filled. Fortunately, she knows how to think on her feet, and drinking soap to force herself to vomit during her interview was bold and brilliant. With a suspicious but gullible boyfriend and a partner who doesn’t trust her in her new life, and a loyal friend and a persistent boyfriend in her old life, Sarah is going to have to contend with a lot, and this pilot was an excellent introduction into what’s sure to be a thrilling series. Tatiana Maslany is an actress with a unique appeal, and I think she and this show are going to go far. BBC America is truly a niche market – British television produced specifically for American audiences – and this is an example of why such a thing should exist. I’ll definitely be watching episode two tonight.

How will it work as a series? It’s not entirely clear from the pilot that Sarah is a clone, but series descriptions indicate that to be the case, so there’s sure to be a good mix of intrigue and suspense as Sarah struggles to maintain her newly-established identity and a decent amount of sci-fi as the technology that allowed her to be cloned and the reasons people want her dead will be explored. How can that not be appealing?
How long will it last? Strong reviews for the pilot were matched by great ratings on both BBC America and Space, the Canadian network which premiered the show the same night. With its previous original series, “Copper,” a proven hit, I think that BBC America will want to capitalize on its new market and renew this show right away to demonstrate that it can deliver top-notch original entertainment.

Pilot grade: B+