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Orphan Black was a jolt of sci-fi adrenaline when it debuted on BBC America in 2013, powered by a spectacular performance from Tatiana Maslany as a bevy of identical clones. (Maslany won an Emmy in 2016 over the likes of Claire Danes and Viola Davis — and she damn well deserved it, too.) But if you took away Maslany and the whole #CloneClub concept, what would you have left? The answer might be Orphan Black: Echoes (premiering Sunday, June 23 at 10/9c on AMC and BBC America; I’ve seen the first five episodes), a disappointingly mediocre follow-up that lacks the unique spark of the original and isn’t interesting enough to justify how convoluted it is.
Krysten Ritter stars as Lucy, who wakes up not knowing who she is after some kind of “procedure.” Years later, Lucy begins to uncover the truth: She was cloned from a cutting-edge “4D printer” that can reproduce human flesh and bone, and she’s still haunted by fleeting memories of a bloody knife. Soon enough, she’s tracked down by shadowy creeps and has to go on the run with her boyfriend Jack (Avan Jogia) and his deaf daughter Charlie (Zariella Langford). Along the way, she forms a bond with disgruntled teen Jules (Amanda Fix) and reconnects with a scientist (Keeley Hawes) who has an intriguing link to the Orphan Black universe.
Echoes has an eerie, Severance-like quality to it, taking delight in keeping us in the dark. But for those of us who made it through five seasons of Orphan Black as well as countless other sci-fi shows, we know we won’t get the answers we want anytime soon, so our patience is thin to begin with. (The fifth episode starts to put together the puzzle pieces, but not in a way that’s satisfying enough to keep us hooked.) Echoes doesn’t give us much to chew on while we wait for those answers, either, saddled with clunky plot machinations, bland supporting characters and sinister, mustache-twirling villains.
Granted, the original Orphan Black definitely went off the rails at times, too, but it always had Maslany’s wizardry to fall back on, and her absence is glaring here. (Fear the Walking Dead alum Anna Fishko takes over as showrunner, with original co-creator John Fawcett back as director and executive producer.) Echoes does have some connections to the original series I can’t reveal, with a familiar face providing much-needed comic relief. But it feels less like a worthy successor to Orphan Black and more like just another interchangeable paranoid conspiracy thriller. (Plus, despite being set in the year 2052, it has precious little future tech on display and mostly just looks like it’s set in present day.)
Really, the joy of an Orphan Black show is seeing an actor play multiple clones, and watching those clones bounce off each other, and marveling at how distinct those clones can be from each other. Echoes doesn’t have any of that. Ritter makes a solid lead as Lucy, but she can’t live up to Maslany’s titanic performance(s), because Echoes never gives her a chance to. Fix has a sarcastic, cynical edge as Jules, but her storyline feels too much at times like Orphan Black: The Teen Years. Watching Echoes just made me appreciate how special the original Orphan Black and its once-in-a-decade performance from Maslany were. In trying to replicate Orphan Black’s success, Echoes just proves that a copy is never as good as the original.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: The new spinoff Orphan Black: Echoes is disappointingly mediocre, lacking the spark that made the original so fun.
Not surprising considering there was absolutely no hype for it when it came out everywhere else last year.
Really? Did you have to rain on my parade? It’s the one show I’m most looking forward to this summer. I already adjusted my expectations knowing Tatiana Maslany isn’t in it. Isn’t the storyline of any interest if you remove that expectation of Tatiana’s performance?
Read my comment. Decide for yourself. Dont let anyone rain on your parade.
Yes Bernadette. Yes he did.
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To answer your question since the show has been out since last year everywhere else; there are some interest elements but the show overall is just a mess. Ritter is not that great to carry a show. The one supporting character who is both likable and has a good arch well… The cameos and connections to the OG series are nice until you realize that storyline wise it doesn’t make much sense. The bad “guys” are almost carbon copies of OB. Everything Dave Nemetz says is spot on. The grade he gave is fair. It’s basic sci-fi with some interesting elements that we’re wasted by the writers and showrunner trying to capitalize on an established brand.
Between Jessica Jones and Don’t Trust The B, I disagree that Ritter can’t lead a show. The problem here is the material she was given.
That’s why I said she’s “not that great…”. She was awesome in JJ and while DTTB wasn’t my cup of tea I do acknowledge she was good in that. However, a really great actress/actor can elevate bad writing/material to a level better than it actually is. Maybe Ritter is capable of doing that but she definitely doesn’t do it here which is why I said what I said.
I’ll give it a shot. I’m so over zombie themed shows.
That has got to be the cat-iest, mean girl title to an article I’ve seen on this site.
People put work into this, and made a living off this show. You know how the internet works people are going to see that not give the show a chance and reduce the opportunity for future seasons.
Handle your responsibility more and at least offer nuance in the Headline, like “It’s not going to be the same show, but do we want that”
Something to give it a chance
I appreciate an actual review. You may not agree with it, but it expresses opinion and detail to back it up. It is not just a bland synopsis, or a series of overhyped grades with no basis in reality (ahem, American idol ‘reviews’). There is also no value in discussion of art/media if we only seek affirmation and puffery.
Thus, I say this is well written and needed.
It expresses ONE CRITICS prespective. A critic that has watched everything. Let the public decide. Fans of the original know we are not getting the original.
And I wasn’t talking about the review I was talking about the headline the title of the article. I’m not saying the show is great I obviously haven’t seen it, if the show is trash the show is trash. But with the headline like this why should I even send my limited time giving it a chance? We live in a world of headlines why should anybody watch the show if the headline is “it’s a pale copy that doesn’t live up to the original”
I mean, that’s kind of the point, we have a limited amount of viewing time and more options than can possibly fill it. It’s going to come down to deciding between which shows to give a show and reviews like this are one way to make that decision…
The title is a play on words surrounding the theme of both shows. It’s cliché not catty.
And how many people get that, how many people know the original show so well that the nuance or context you’re alluding to comes through? Cuz I loved OG orphan Black, probably one of the top 10 shows I’ve watching the last decade. I don’t see the nuance nor the context of which you’re referring to.
We live in a world of headlines. Make the nuance in the article with context. Reading that headline why should anybody watch the show or read the article?
I think you need to leave it up to the viewers who havent had the opportunity to view it yet. Nothing will ever be as mind bending & exciting as the original, its not meant to be the original Maslany is a true artist, as were all the cast. I for one am looking forward to seeing a grown up Kira & a new prespective. Let the viewers decide . Critics can ruin a show before it even begins. I choose to keep an open mind, always.
*Spoilers*
I think you hit the nail on the head with regard to the essence of the original. They likely did a disservice connecting this to Orphan Black which was extremely unique and without that moment of forgetting that the characters are being played by the same actress, any successor is going to feel a bit thin and ghostlike
I never liked orphan black. It was dull & boring.