The Less Appealing Aspects
1. The main "Big Bads" are English and Ukrainian. Yes, some of the main "good guys" are also English but they were predominately raised in Canada by an Irish women. Plus they are essentially street urchins which is another cliché I could have done without. The evil English character has a posh accent which is a cliched way to signify evil in television drama. To have one of the other major bad characters be Ukrainian is also a fairly cliched choice.
2. Accents that make no sense other then to advance character development by stereotyping. Similar to my previous grip. I find the geographical stereotyping a little annoying. The more "lower class" sounding Londoners are essentially hustling street urchins and the woman who raised them is Irish. The Irish accent may well be just a happen-stance since that is the nationality of the incredibly talented actress, Maria Doyle Kennedy, who is perfect for the role, but it is still odd to have another foreign accent in Canada where the show takes place.
3. Self harm is graphically displayed and poorly handled. One of the main characters very graphically self harms and when this is mentioned it is used as a means of judging the character to be mentally unstable, but at no point does this behavior get addressed in a way that is helpful for the character or even in a way that is particularly sensitive. Self harm is a serious issue and should be addressed more carefully. It seems more a plot tool to shock and visually give insight to the character's state of mind. I have even considered it a manipulation to make the audience feel more compassion towards a character that is less likeable. I am not saying the Orphan Black creators should not have included this part of this character, but they could have addressed the issue more directhy and more compassionately.
Let me know what you think of Orphan Black Season 1, but please, no spoilers.
Kate Blake is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow her on twitter: @K8_Blake
