Orphan Black: Echoes

The original Orphan Black is one of my all time favourite series. I was delighted when this was announced but it is a terrible disappointment.

The basic storyline is sound. However, the connection to the original Orphan Black is tenuous and in my opinion this is not am Orphan Black story. Using Kira as the main character with an occasional nod to the original clones who never appear is a cop out.

That's not the main issue with this though. The main is issue is the terrible dialogue, which at best is clunky and at worst is cliche ridden nonsense. It's easy to say the acting is terrible but when reliable talent like Keeley Hawes has to try and deliver it and fails what chance does everybody else have? What have the writers got against Felix? In the original series he was an outrageous and fun character. They have turned him into a crushing bore who now affects a stilted posh English accent. Don't even get me started on the fake beard that any amateur dramatic troupe would be ashamed of.

Orphan Black had a bit of everything. This has taken the name, removed all the drama and fun of that series and left us with this drab affair.

If like me you loved Orphan Black and haven't watched this my advice is don't.

I started watching OBEs and was a little meh, it's not grabbing me the first episode. I was almost ready to ditch it. But the story starts to pick up speed and well it was an intruiging twist on the original OB.

Second half of the season I felt the story telling and actng was really starting to be on par at times with OB. OBE, I think it needed to find it's groove, but every now and then it doesn't quite hit it and that's okay because overall it's an enjoyable, exciting watch and the premise is a good one and stands alone in it's own right.

Great to see the OB universe expanded.

The really low reviews on here are a shame as I think a number of the reviewers have given up too early. But great to see it tempered with people seeing this show for it's own worth.

The writing and editing is so bad, it is distracting.

My "favourite" scene is where a doctor is helping a character with regaining her memories, literally having her repeat information about her life. And when the person asks whether she can now go live with somebody, the doctor scolds her that she can't: "I thought you knew that!". You literally explained TO HER that she lost *all* her memories! YOU would have had to give her that information!

The choices are so perplexing!

Having it set in the future, with everything basically looking the same, minimal differences in technology and clothes (oooh, self driving cars, how "futuristic"). Adults walking into a night club in office clothes (and getting IN!). The weird cheap wigs. Having a 33-year old playing a 70-year-old. Having a Canadian doing a weird over-the-top 1940s British accent, while the British actress does an American Accent (I get why. But it's very distracting). Having characters explain and explain after we just saw what they are explaining (two kids talking about their parents and their strained relationship). It is all quite tedious and boring.

Which is sad. Because we know these actors are capable.

There might be a coherent story in there somewhere but you will never find it because the editing is so bad it's beyond comical and moves back into just bad it makes the whole show confusing because you're like what just happened?, did my internet blip out? Did it accidentally skip ahead 40 seconds? I love Kristen Ritter and I thought I could make it through even if it was bad like a lot of the reviews have said but it's just unwatchable. Maybe by some miracle they figure this out in the future but the lack of attention they put into the pilot episode kind of sets the stage for the rest of the series.

I mean it distracts to the point of distracting everything in the scene she is in I just cant get past it .

Felix is straight of of Austin powers. Love it.

Only on episode 2, will keep going.

The problem here will always be Tatiana absolutely nailed her many performances. It was quite something to watch, especially the multi clone scenes even with the way they were filmed, you were hard pushed to notice.

Hopefully the rest of the series fills out as the actors settle in to their characters.

See now I'm watching it Keeley is back on screen, and I have now lost my thread as per accent... oh lord her accent, it's not bad I think but I am so used to hearing her real accent.