narellejoyc

I'm thoroughly enjoying this, particularly as an Australian viewer who recognises the actors or the celebrities among the dinner guests.

There are in jokes that some might miss, the chief of which is the casting of Julian McMahon as the Australian prime minister. Julian's own father, Billy McMahon served as Australia's prime minister in the Early 1070's

I really like that the show doesn't treat viewers as though they are stupid. We're expected to attend to what's going on, to notice, to think and to keep up, which beautifully reflects the message Detective Cordelia Cupp tells her fellow investigators is important. :)

Cynthia Erivo lacked subtlety and simply wasn't up to the task of playing multiple roles. The sisters came across as caricatures rather than characters.

I feel a bit sorry for the writers. I could see how amusing the lines could be if delivered with a little finesse, but instead we got a bizarre mix of intensity and over the top acting. Perhaps Erivo's shift from stage which needs big expressions and movement, to television which requires a more naturalistic approach, caused difficulty.

I need to fill in more words so will just say that Tatiana Maslany set a high bar for acting multiple chapters in Orphan Black.

Have to love Toby Truslove's sympathetic portrayal of Officer Toby Banks, perhaps the only sane person in the eccentric town of Coolum. The series manages to be very funny and truly bizarre, at the same time as evoking real empathy for the hapless Toby.

Barry Crocker and Patrick Brammall don't hold anything back in their deliberately off-putting characterisations of Gregor and Sgt Lloyd, creating great foils for Truslove to work with/against.

The sections that show Toby responding to the miscellany of inane, strange calls are a highlight.

The show reminds me of a grown-up "Round the Twist. It also has shades of series like "Twin Peaks" and "Northern Exposure".