Image: Steve Wilkie\/BBC America <\/p>\n
There are perfectly legitimate reasons why you missed the first season of Orphan Black. Youve got plenty of things going on in your lifeand frankly, there are plenty of shows youre more likely to be spoiled on via social media. You might have gotten a casual recommendation here or there, but you havent been flooded with urgent texts telling you to get on it, so you didnt. And thats okay. <\/p>\n
But on Saturday, Orphan Black is back for a new season. In other words, your grace period for getting into one of the best sci-fi thrillers on TV is officially over. At this point, you probably dont even have time to binge-watch the 10-episode first season in time. Never fear, though; with help from this handy-dandy cheat sheet, you can get through the first episode or two of the new season without having seen a minute of it. <\/p>\n
Orphan Black is a show about a bunch of genetically engineered clones (all played by the terrifyingly talented Tatiana Maslany) who were separated and released into society as orphans.Its all the work of Aldous Leekie, charismatic geneticist whos convinced hes the Steve Jobs of neolutionisma fancy word for altering your genetic makeup to suit your whims.Neolutionism has developed a new-age cult following of people who get off on the idea of genetic enhancements (one dude in the first season had a Jason Alexander-esque tail). At its core, the ideology is pure, unadulterated eugenics, which isnot great, Bob. <\/p>\n
Anyway, the clones grew up (and were closely monitored) under different circumstances around the world. We dont exactly know Leekies motivation, apart from observing nature-versus-nurture in its purest form. (Eventually, we found out that each clone has a single differentiating gene that acts like a nametag.) Two clones, Sarah and Helena, were spirited away by their birth mother to protect them, which means theyve grown up unmonitored, outside the experiment.Meanwhile, several of the other clones have begun to suffer from a mystery illness that involves coughing up your own blood. So far its affected Cosima, a dreadlocked Berkeleygenetics student, and Katja, a red-haired German who sought out other clones (and in doing so tipped off detective and fellow clone Beth Childs to the entire conspiracy). Meanwhile, yet another clone was brainwashed by a group of anti-Neolutionist religious extremists called the Proletheans; she believes that shes the original, and has been hunting down and killing the clones, one by one. <\/p>\n
The surviving clones have discovered not only that they are the products of a highly unethical, super-illegal science experiment, but that their DNA sequences have been patented like any inorganic commodity, effectively turning them, living humans, into products. (Leekies moneyed lobbyists convinced governments to pass pro-business, genetic patent lawsa practice ruled illegal in the United States around the same time the episodes were airing.) At the end of the first season, Leekie has coerced the clones into a fishy set of contracts: Alison signs hers after shes promised safety and freedom (obviously untrue), in exchange for regular medical testing; Cosima is on the verge of signing one that offers employment at the Dyad Institute and freedom to study her and the clones genome; and Rachel seems to have kidnapped Sarahs daughter Kira to strongarm her into signing hers. <\/p>\n
Image: Steve Wilkie\/BBC America <\/p>\n
Sarah Manning: Our protagonist clone. Sarah is a badass\/screw-up British grifter who, before the story starts, has had some trouble staying out of, well, trouble. She dates thugs (like wantonly violent drug dealer Vic), sells drugs, and partakes in myriad other behaviors that prevent her from maintaining custody of her daughter, Kira. The show begins with her witnessing Beth Childs, a well-dressed woman who looks exactly like her, throw herself in front of an oncoming train, she assumes her identity, thereby setting in motion a chain of events that will eventually lead her to Alison, Cosima, Helena, and the whole clone plot.Her motives for anything and everything she does on this show are twofold: one, self-preservation (which makes her the de facto leader-slash-wild card of the clones), and two, regaining custody of Kira. <\/p>\n
Image: BBC America <\/p>\n
Cosima Niehaus: The lesbian scientist clone. Cosima is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota, where she studies experimental evolutionary developmental biology (or evo devo). Shes the brain, researching the clones genetics and trying to stay two steps ahead of the Dyad Institute; through her connection to Leekievia her love affair with Delphine, orchestrated by Leekie to reel her in but somewhat backfiring considering Delphine flips and Cosima is aware of the manipulationshes able to keep the clone club informed. <\/p>\n
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Catch Up on Orphan Black With This Handy Cheat Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Image: Steve Wilkie\/BBC America There are perfectly legitimate reasons why you missed the first season of Orphan Black. Youve got plenty of things going on in your lifeand frankly, there are plenty of shows youre more likely to be spoiled on via social media. You might have gotten a casual recommendation here or there, but you havent been flooded with urgent texts telling you to get on it, so you didnt Continue reading