Natalia Padgen
Orphan Black, season 2, has hit the screens of BBC America, giving its cult following the much-anticipated opportunity to continue following the quest of Sarah Manning and the now 7 revealed other clones who dominate the twisted and thrilling plot.
The premier season took viewers by surprise and reeled them in with the main character Sarah Manning – a strong, fearless individual involved in drugs and theft. While seeking to thrive in a better and brighter world and reunite with her estranged daughter Kira, she assumed the identity of a suicided look-alike (Beth Childs), and found herself caught up in a terrifying world much deeper and darker than her own – with Kira further and further out of reach.
While the science fiction story deals with evolution, neolution and cloning, the story is a vehicle to drive themes that are much more universal. Motherhood and nurture are central to the show on several levels. Sarah’s strong bond with her daughter and urge to keep fighting for her is evident. The fact that each clone was born by a different surrogate mother and has been brought up to look and behave completely differently underlines that idea that nurture plays such a huge role in our lives. It also brings up the theme of individualism. While each clone shares the same genetic material, they are distinctly different people with their own thoughts, interests and beliefs as is made very clear in the writing and brilliant acting by lead Titania Maslany (8 clones and counting).
Maslany says, “I love playing her (Sarah) most; she’s my homegirl. There’s something primal about her, and listening to the Prodigy’s Breathe helped me get into character. What’s central to her is this inner conflict she has about motherhood: her daughter Kira is her entire life and yet she doesn’t feel like she’s fit to be a mother. It’s key that Sarah is adopted, too. She was never really part of a family, so she sees herself as a solo act. She has difficulty being intimate with people and she always feels like an outsider. When she meets the other clones she finally feels a sense of ‘being home’ – a sort of sisterhood, like twins have. The clones help bring her back to herself.”
Other apparent themes include family and connectivity – as seen through the connection that the clones have; surveillance – the clones always being watched by their monitors which provides some nod to NSA spying and the general diminishing privacy in today’s society; hierarchy and underground politics, reflective of any government or indeed organisational structure; and trust – we see Sarah struggle to trust the people that enter her life and also see her trust broken a number of times, something that anyone can relate to.
Production plays a large part in sweeping the viewer up in this epic journey. Desaturated lighting, jerky camera movements, loud, high energy music and episodic slow motion camera bursts all add to the underground vibe and the constant sense of urgency.
Season 2 is set to take viewers on a wild ride, stretching the imagination, pushing boundaries and tugging at the heart as Sarah sets out to find her daughter who is her everything. If you can’t wait for TV, SBS on Demand has decided to fastrack the series airing each episode 2 days after its US release. Watch episode 1 here.
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