Orphan Black S1
Sep. 30th, 2014 06:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sprocketI did not expect to enjoy this as much as I have.
Helena's self-harm issues are well into fast-forward territory. And Vic's adventures with losing fingers and Paul with the staple gun in 1x05 is way over my line. Yet I made it through the season (with Aynsley's death meriting enthusiastic skipping forward). Felix is awesome, Sarah's plot is interesting, and Alison is insane in the best traditions of good entertainment. I really want more Art, trying so hard to do right by his partner. I should love Cosima, by all rights. But she makes me a little sad, because Cosima knows biology, I want her science background to sway her toward greater caution in ways it clearly doesn't.
The show stands or falls on the writing and the acting working in tight tandem. The writers do a great job differentiating the clones, while weaving in little shared character traits: smart on their feet but not strategic, not that great at healthy romantic choices (Sarah and Vic, Sarah and Paul, Cosimaplaying with fire and Delphine). Tatiana Maslany sells the viewer on that divergence, aided by a slew of costume and makeup changes. It's possible I may sort of ship Sarah/Paul, just a bit, in an epically fucked up Buffy/Faith "who can pull a faster one" way. It's a vibe related to my burning desire for Cosima to set limits and circles of trust with Delphine, to balance out the many, many lies Delphine brought to their initial relationship.
Some of the plotting didn't entirely work for me. I was very on board with the "cops doing cop stuff" part of Sarah-as-Beth, but some of the middle episodes had a frustrating lack of progression. And the final shot of Sarah screaming for Kira wasn't really my thing. Possibly because I would not be surprised if Kira rescued her own self, and is hiding somewhere she is sure mommy will find her.
Helena's self-harm issues are well into fast-forward territory. And Vic's adventures with losing fingers and Paul with the staple gun in 1x05 is way over my line. Yet I made it through the season (with Aynsley's death meriting enthusiastic skipping forward). Felix is awesome, Sarah's plot is interesting, and Alison is insane in the best traditions of good entertainment. I really want more Art, trying so hard to do right by his partner. I should love Cosima, by all rights. But she makes me a little sad, because Cosima knows biology, I want her science background to sway her toward greater caution in ways it clearly doesn't.
The show stands or falls on the writing and the acting working in tight tandem. The writers do a great job differentiating the clones, while weaving in little shared character traits: smart on their feet but not strategic, not that great at healthy romantic choices (Sarah and Vic, Sarah and Paul, Cosima
Some of the plotting didn't entirely work for me. I was very on board with the "cops doing cop stuff" part of Sarah-as-Beth, but some of the middle episodes had a frustrating lack of progression. And the final shot of Sarah screaming for Kira wasn't really my thing. Possibly because I would not be surprised if Kira rescued her own self, and is hiding somewhere she is sure mommy will find her.