Orphan Black - Season 2 Discussion

[Christopher]

So it looks like the Proletheans took ova from Helena and fertilized one in vitro, using the same tools they'd use for cattle. Not quite as rapey as what I feared they were doing, but still pretty horrid. Particularly since I would imagine the plan was to re-implant the fertilized ovum inside Helena. I wonder now, will they try to recapture her or use a surrogate?

Really good special effect at the end there of Helena hugging Sarah. I remember a time when a split-screen shot of a single actor playing twins or duplicates required them to avoid touching each other or crossing the center line at all. Anyway, it's nice that Helena doesn't hold a grudge over the whole "tried to kill you" thing.

So that was Cal who deliberately crashed into the car. I don't see how he had time to drop Kira off at that place and then intercept the car, because I thought only a couple of minutes passed in the interval.

And Roger Cross continues his domination of Canadian-produced television. I just saw him in Vancouver in a Continuum episode last night, but he flew clear across the country to Toronto to play Carlton here.

 

[Aldo]

So it looks like the Proletheans took ova from Helena and fertilized one in vitro, using the same tools they'd use for cattle. Not quite as rapey as what I feared they were doing, but still pretty horrid. Particularly since I would imagine the plan was to re-implant the fertilized ovum inside Helena. I wonder now, will they try to recapture her or use a surrogate?

Yeah, I can't completely hate them now. And on that same tangent, I wonder if we're going to find out later on that they're actually on the right side of the fight and Dyad (Neolutionists) are on the wrong side? Not to say there is a right side or wrong side, but that could definitely be an interesting twist, that they actually turn out to be fairly good versus Dyad.

Really good special effect at the end there of Helena hugging Sarah. I remember a time when a split-screen shot of a single actor playing twins or duplicates required them to avoid touching each other or crossing the center line at all. Anyway, it's nice that Helena doesn't hold a grudge over the whole "tried to kill you" thing.

As I mentioned above I had no idea Helena would catch up to Sarah that quickly. In fact I was quite scared for Sarah when it looked like Daniel was going to torture her (which he did start), I figured that would be the cliffhanger they were going to end the episode on...not Helena showing up and killing him.

 

[sojourner]

Holy Shit! Ms. S is working with Libr8!

So it looks like the Proletheans took ova from Helena and fertilized one in vitro, using the same tools they'd use for cattle. Not quite as rapey as what I feared they were doing, but still pretty horrid. Particularly since I would imagine the plan was to re-implant the fertilized ovum inside Helena. I wonder now, will they try to recapture her or use a surrogate?

Just to keep the twisted sensiblity in that group going on, most likely the daughter will be used as the surrogate.

 

[Aldo]

Speaking of that daughter, I thought for sure Helena was going to kill her.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The pregnancy could kill her, and that would lose them their egg supply.

I'm looking at Helena and all I can think, golly, imagine the actionfigure McFarlane could make out of this character?

 

[tomalak301]

HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!

Just when I think this was a transition episode, they once again throw us a feat of technical brilliance that confirms that, yes, Orphan Black is the best show I'm watching on TV right now. That scene at the end with Sarah and Helena was spine-tangling and Tatiana Maslany shows once again why she is the best actress on TV today. The horror on Sarah's face and the love on Helena's was brilliant.

God I love this show.

 

[Ruaidhri]

This really is a great and tightly plotted show. Maslany is excellent. Personally, Alison and Helena are my two favorite clones. Oh, and I was so happy to see Peter Outerbridge join the cast this season. I've missed him since ReGenesis ended, and he was so great in that show.

I am puzzled by the show being so reluctant to actually say that it is set in Toronto and the surrounding area. In the first episode, the GO commuter train was digitally made blue and white instead of the normal green and white. They've avoided letting the CN tower into any shots except one, and the framing left the more identifiable upper portion out of the shot. They say that Alison lives in an area called "Scarborough", which is actually in the east end of Toronto, yet the map Felix used to figure out how to get to Alison's house in season 1 showed an intersection in Markham, a suburb to the immediate north. They've put generic license plates that look like Ontario plates without the Ontario identifiers. The police have not once mentioned the Crown (or the State) in their dialogue, leaving the authority completely ambiguous, and the police badge/logo doesn't have a city name in it. They somehow missed a sign in a hotel that said Toronto on it in season one, and One King West is a clear Toronto address. Siobhan's drivers license in the most recent episode sure looked like an Ontario one, but it passed so quick that I don't know if it had a Trillium symbol on it or not. People with southern accents seem to be just a hairsbreadth away from the city, as well.

So really what I'm wondering is: are the producers afraid that setting it in Toronto would cost them viewers? If so, why not just say it's in New York or wherever else and be done with it? Why put so much effort into not establishing where the show is taking place? It seems very strange.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I'm sure I've seen "Ontario" on license plates in S1. I'll look again & get screencaps.

 

[Christopher]

So really what I'm wondering is: are the producers afraid that setting it in Toronto would cost them viewers? If so, why not just say it's in New York or wherever else and be done with it? Why put so much effort into not establishing where the show is taking place? It seems very strange.

This is actually the norm for Canadian-produced shows meant for distribution in the US, rather than the exception. For instance, Lost Girl has never explicitly stated that it's in Toronto either, just using vague clues like their city being close to Niagara Falls and not very far from cherry-growing country. Flashpoint was vague about its Toronto setting for the first season or two, not getting explicit about showing the CN Tower and mentioning Canadian institutions until later seasons.

This is common enough to have its own entry on TV Tropes, offering more background on the origins and reasons behind the practice:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CanadaDoesNotExist

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Here's 3 from Ep.1. Someone else will have to verify if they're accurate Ontario plates.

Are the suburb/housing development names they mention near Toronto?

 

[Christopher]

Are the suburb/housing development names they mention near Toronto?

Apparently the neighborhood where Alison lives, Scarborough, is a real Toronto neighborhood, but the map they showed of it in one episode is of a different part of the Toronto area.

The thing is, shows like this aren't necessarily denying they take place in Canada, they're just trying to keep it subtle, so that American viewers don't notice the clues unless they're actively looking. It's more of a subtext.

 

[sojourner]

Are the suburb/housing development names they mention near Toronto?

Apparently the neighborhood where Alison lives, Scarborough, is a real Toronto neighborhood, but the map they showed of it in one episode is of a different part of the Toronto area.

You don't say?

They say that Alison lives in an area called "Scarborough", which is actually in the east end of Toronto, yet the map Felix used to figure out how to get to Alison's house in season 1 showed an intersection in Markham, a suburb to the immediate north.

 

[Aldo]

I wish I could find the source now, but I recall reading somewhere that one of the stipulations BBCa had was that the show downplay the fact that it's in Canada.

 

[tomalak301]

Does it really matter where the show takes place? I guess one question I had was the timing, like when Daniel or Helena show up to the appartment, but I'm starting to look past that considering the time of travels seems to be thrown out the window on tv shows (like glee).

 

[Aldo]

I suppose it isn't a huge deal where it takes place. But for me it'd be neat if they acknowledged it as Canada since that country is usually under represented in movies, especially when so many movies film there but only as a stand in for the states.

 

[neozeks]

Wow, that last scene was really something. At first I thought Sarah's breakdown was a bit too much, she always struck me as a bit more of a stoic type, but it all somehow fell into place. Helena now shares first place with Alison in my clone ranking.

I wonder if Daniel cutting her behind the ear has any connection to the fact Beth supposedly had a scar there. It seemed like a very specific place to start cutting.

Very intrigued by the hints we got about Rachel's past and how they're the opposite of the predictable path. I feel like there's a lot of potential there. But Rachel texting "update pls" was so

I do feel like the show is getting a bit too complicated with the whole mythology (not that that couldn't have been predicted). It's all still interesting but the individual clones' storylines (plus Mrs S', plus Art's, etc) are starting to feel a bit disjointed and episodic instead of cohesive. I know that's sort of the point but this episode just confirmed that the clones' interactions are by far the best part of the show.

 

[Christopher]

Are the suburb/housing development names they mention near Toronto?

Apparently the neighborhood where Alison lives, Scarborough, is a real Toronto neighborhood, but the map they showed of it in one episode is of a different part of the Toronto area.

You don't say?

They say that Alison lives in an area called "Scarborough", which is actually in the east end of Toronto, yet the map Felix used to figure out how to get to Alison's house in season 1 showed an intersection in Markham, a suburb to the immediate north.

Oh! I knew I'd read that somewhere, but it blended in my memory with my reading up on TV Tropes, so I thought I'd seen it there. Sorry.

 

[Ruaidhri]

In the end, I don't really care where it's set. But I kinda do want it to be set somewhere. Setting seems somewhat important as a framing device, if not a necessity in a story like this. I'm probably being a little anal about it, I know.

Other than my nitpick on that, I really loved the direction in the final scene, with the struggle between Daniel and Helena off camera around the corner. The sound of it built the suspense, and I thought it was very effective.

Hah, I almost typed "Doral" instead of "Daniel".

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ I'm currently doing a re-watch of nuBSG, and though Doral hasn't appeared in a while (Resurrection Ship PtI, PtII), I'm feeling really stupid right about now.

I thought Daniel looked familiar, but hadn't made the connection til right now.

 

[tomalak301]

Wow, that last scene was really something. At first I thought Sarah's breakdown was a bit too much, she always struck me as a bit more of a stoic type, but it all somehow fell into place. Helena now shares first place with Alison in my clone ranking.

Well Sarah did think she killed Helena so I could understand the horror on her face. I'm so looking forward to this week to see seestras in action.

As for Daniel, I didn't make the BSG connection until I read about it after the episode. He did seem familiar but it's been a while since I've seen BSG