Orphan Black or Falling Skies?

[Llama]

So I just got Netflix - best $8.99 per month I've ever spent.

I've already watched Daredevil, and I'm planning on watching House of Cards with the wife; but I need a new sci-fi fix.

Both Orphan Black and Falling Skies look interesting, and I'll probably give both a shot - but may I ask you, the wise denizens of the TrekBBS, to give me your recommendations on which I should watch first?

Thanks

 

[Guy Gardener]

Orphan Black.

If you make your wife watch 4 seasons of Falling Skies, she will hurt you before leaving forever.

 

[Llama]

That bad is it?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Oh by all means watch as much of Falling Skies as you can stomach, but Orphan Black First.

Falling Skies is Lucy with the foot ball.

You always think it's going to be good, or get better, and then you're flat on your ass.

The story is about a pompous asshole who thinks that he is always right, and no matter what stupid shit he does to sacrifice the world to save his 3 kids, everything always turns out peaches for him as he is regaled as a super hero, when he should be food.

Stupid god awful decision after stupid god awful decision about "we are Americans who love family and our culture and history, and that if this is what we have to do to win, it is not worth it because we'd rather die together as an American family than live live as sneaky rat bastards who make the hard choices".

Falling Skies is about hope, that becuase of the filter of an awful writers room, translates as delusion.

But factually if it came to a choice between the world or one of his kids, Tom Mason would let the world burn. He's just lucky that every time he made that decision that fate intervened and the world didn't.

Oh and he keeps trying to martyr himself, and that never works as well.

So, every time Mason survives one of his own suicide attempts, the last dregs of humanity look on at him in awe and build another statue.

But the mechs are cool.

Sleeker looking Ed 209's from Robocop.

Stomp, stomp, bang, bang.

If you want to see Noah Wiley where he's not infinitely slappable, check out the Librarians.

You shouldn't not watch it, because you want to watch shows about space ships, but you shouldn't have high expectations when you do get around to it.

Falling skies is like masturbating with a cheese grater, slightly enjoyable, but mostly painful.

 

[Llama]

Thanks Guy, graphic but useful feedback

So is Orphan Black good or is it just better that Falling Skies (which doesn't seem to be too hard from what you said)?

 

[Guy Gardener]

It's good science fiction geared toward a female audience, with the Max Headroom seal of Approval.

 

[SPCTRE]

It's good science fiction geared toward a female audience

The fiancé didn't like the pilot, I did.

Hmm.

 

[Guy Gardener]

You didn't tell her that she can play bare bum bingo with the entire adult cast?

 

[Christopher]

I gave up on Falling Skies after one season, and I was overly generous to give it that long. It was mediocre and weakly written, and the only reason I stuck around as long as I did was that it had some really beautiful women in the cast, like Moon Bloodgood. The moment where it totally lost me was...

Spoiler: in the first-season finale...

when the resistance was on a mission to blow up one of the aliens' huge four-legged tower bases, and they sent four teams to blow up one leg each.

Think about that. If you're sitting on a chair and just one leg breaks, what happens? They didn't need to blow all four! They could've done it with one! That was when I realized just how little thought and intelligence was going into this show.

Orphan Black, on the other hand, is brilliant. There are elements of it that are too dark for my tastes -- violence, moral ambiguity, drug use by a lot of the characters -- but it's a very well-made and intelligent story with a lot of cleverness and humor and surprising warmth. And it's built around an utterly amazing feat of acting, since star Tatiana Maslany plays a large number of identical clones who all have remarkably different personalities, and she's so incredible at it (with help from her hair and makeup people) that I often forget I'm not watching multiple different actresses. If you admire the craft of acting at all, Maslany's performance is a must-see.

It's also one of the most LGBT-inclusive shows on TV, and also very feminist -- not in a self-conscious or strident way, but simply because it's centered so overwhelmingly on female characters by its very premise (and not just the clones but the other women in their lives), and because the clone characters are fighting to assert control of their lives and bodies against those who want to exploit or possess them, so there's an allegorical element there if you look for it.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Orphan Black by miles. Great show, great acting, compelling characters, interesting storyline.

Falling Skies is pure trash that I'm only still watching out of sheer force of will and an almost unhealthy need to be a completist and watch till the end. Don't start down that rabbit hole. Save yourself before it's too late.

 

[Guy Gardener]

clones

The First Rule of Clone Club...

 

[SPCTRE]

Falling Skies is pure trash that I'm only still watching out of sheer force of will and an almost unhealthy need to be a completist and watch till the end.

LoB, I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully, completionism only hits me with video games, and thankfully, I usually don't end up with bad ones.

 

[Reverend]

I think I've officially given up on Falling Skies. It's had it's moments and some genuinly good cast members doing the best they can, but sitting through the last season was like pulling teeth.

Orphan Black on the other had generally fires on all cylinders.

 

[The Wormhole]

That bad is it?

Falling Skies spends too much time per episode of character sitting around providing detailed accounts of previous events, even if it's just character stuff, instead of seeing it it's just the character sitting around talking about it happening. It's the ultimate violator of the "show, don't tell" rule. All the excitement of turning on the TV for a radio program.

I've only watched one random episode of Orphan Black, but it was generally more engaging than the two episodes of Falling Skies I saw.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Wow...I wouldn't be THAt harsh on Falling Skies...

Bt Orphan Black would be the better choice, especially with season 3 just starting backup.

 

[John Clark]

Orphan Black. I watched the first season of Falling Skies but didn't really get into it.

I really enjoyed Orphan Black though.

 

[Guy Gardener]

They ripped off literally the worst thing that happened on V.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Wow...I wouldn't be THAt harsh on Falling Skies...

No one is harsher on Falling Skies than the writers of Falling Skies.

 

[JD]

I enjoy Falling Skies, but even I would have to go with Orphan Black. IMO Falling Skies is pretty good, but Orphan Black is f'in awesome.
I doubt there are many people who watch both shows would recommend Falling Skies over Orphan Black.

 

[Noname Given]

I thought the first two Seasons of Falling Skies was decent, but it went WAY downhill after that, fast.

I myself haven't been able to get into Orphan Black at all (and have tried.) I'm not saying it's bad or badly done (the acting and production values are excellent) - i's just the overall story doesn't really grab me. YMMV.