It’s been a long nine months since last we saw newly self-aware clone Sarah Manning stand at her daughter’s bedroom window screaming “Kira.” Orphan Black took the world by storm last year, and it wasn’t long before the niche series turned into a cultural fascination on the levels of The Walking Dead. The way various arcs and twists were rolled out in the series’ first season (tail, anybody?) left people begging for more, and in less than a week, the long awaited return of the world’s newest sci-fi obsession comes to television screens all over North America in the most spectacular of ways.
There’s no denying actress Tatiana Maslany is a powerhouse in the series; it’s a fact audiences have known since the pilot episode. Where Orphan Black occasionally suffered was in all the elements around Maslany’s varied performances. So much time was spent in season one making sure all the clones had such differentiating personalities that the development of other characters fell to the wayside. Paul was mostly a stand-in for the generic “is he bad, is good guy?,” Leekie was your cookie-cutter evil scientist (even if he was highly entertaining to watch) and Art was your typical every-man trying to understand the situation from the outside. In season two, all of that changes.
Now that Maslany’s characters have been so thoroughly defined, focus on development has switched to every other player in the series. In the premiere episode of season two, Paul has a conflict of morality, Leekie has a clear motivation and drive and Art’s accepted he must go deeper into a world he doesn’t fully understand in order to do his duty as an officer of the law. Every character that was missing a sense of dimension has been fleshed out with the beginning of season two. But that’s not all that’s been improved.
Since the beginning of the series, many new story elements and conspiracies have been launched, and now that, that phase of introduction is over, season two has the benefit of hitting the ground running. The first scene of the premiere alone features some the most intense, tension filled filmmaking seen on the series to date, and it comes from just a mere four characters – three of which have never been seen before. If this first episode is any indication, season two isn’t going to be slowing down. If anything, story’s going to be sped up double time, and for a show built on the foundation of forward momentum, there’s nothing wrong with that.
In addition to expanded character and story is the infusion of much more intentional comedy in season two. Even in the subtlest of ways – such as a moment featuring Allison at a community center – comedy has clearly become just as important to the writers as drama. From Felix’s outfit choices to an encounter between Sarah and a child on a bus, as Orphan Black grows darker and more complex, it’s going to be those laughs that help balance out and ground the growing series.
Orphan Black has evolved in season two. Where once it was simply a pulpy show with a cool premise and fascinating lead actress, it has become a fully realized show complete with complexity and personality. It has become a show that pushes the envelope of pulp fiction into award worthy storytelling and dares to take risks other would not because of it. Put simply: season one gave us a reason to watch Orphan Black, season two gives us a reason to stay.
Orphan Black premieres Saturday, April 19th at 9/8c on BBC America and Space
