When you first started to watch Orphan Black, maybe a little logical voice in your head kept reminding you that all of these characters were played by the same actress, but at some point that voice faded away. It's impossible not to think of Cosima, Alison, Sarah, Helena and even Beth and Rachel as entirely separate people who happen to look alike, even though we know that they're all Tatiana Maslany talking to herself. That's the brilliance of Orphan Black. Each clone has an utterly unique physicality which distinguishes her as much as her hairstyle or accent, but Maslany even manages to trick you into inventing superficial differences between them. Doesn't Alison look a little older than the others, and isn't Helena bonier? Of course not, but the series lulls you into belief with alarming alacrity. It's even more impressive when you find out that the filming process is so arduous and technical that some of the Clone Club scenes took hours on end to complete. The effects wizards and writers deserve kudos for their achievements here as well as Maslany, but it's difficult to shake the feeling that the series would have been a campy mess without her. She'll be very welcome back on our screens in April. Are you excited about the new season of Orphan Black? Tell us why in the comments below.
