It’s been over a decade since fans first became enthralled by the complex sci-fi thriller Orphan Black. The show introduced us to Sarah Manning and her discovery that she was one of several clones created by a secretive corporation. Through Sarah, we met a brilliant cast of characters, all portrayed by Tatiana Maslany, who brought each one to life with depth and dimension.
Now we find ourselves some thirty years later in the world of Orphan Black: Echoes. Scientist Kira Manning, the young girl at the heart of those earlier Clone Club adventures, has grown into a renowned researcher. Following a personal loss, she reopens her mother’s work, investigating the ethical questions surrounding human cloning and replication.
Enter Lucy, who awakens with no memories or sense of identity. Through Kira’s research, we learn Lucy is no ordinary woman but instead one newly printed from tissue scans. As she tries to uncover the truth of who and what she is, Lucy finds an unlikely ally in Jules, a rebellious teen wrestling with mysteries of her own.
Set in a visually striking yet grounded vision of 2052 Boston, Echoes continues exploring what makes us human amid cutting-edge science. Though more gradual in its unfolding, this new chapter brings vivid new characters and moral quandaries to the table while offering a fresh perspective on this story’s timeless themes.
Continuing an Iconic Story
The first few episodes are all about introductions. We meet Lucy, who awakens with no memory of who she is or how she arrived at this facility. Through clues and encounters, she slowly starts to piece things together. It seems she was “printed” using revolutionary new technology, with her genetic code drawn from someone else.
But who? And why? Those pulling the strings aren’t eager to provide answers. We also join teenager Jules as she grapples with her own traumatic past and estrangement from her wealthy adopted family. When her and Lucy’s paths cross, they form an uneasy alliance to uncover the truth.
Stepping into the story is Kira, now a renowned scientist working to help transplant patients through innovative new methods. Yet her personal life is in turmoil, with her wife’s passing leaving unresolved issues. It’s revealed she has revisited the questionable research of her mother’s time.
Meanwhile, billionaire Paul Darros publicly champions progress while pursuing private agendas. His interest in Kira’s work sets alarm bells ringing. As Lucy and Jules dig deeper, horrors from the original series are recontextualized in a chilling new light.
By the midway point, revelations pick up pace. Kira’s shadowy role is more defined, with her good intentions increasingly hard to discern from manipulations. Flashbacks bring the darker truth behind Lucy’s creation to the fore in gut-wrenching fashion.
Jules experiences her own awakening by revisiting long-buried traumas and discovering a special ability linked to her duplicate origins. She and Lucy grow ever closer as they support each other through emotional turmoil.
In the explosive season finale, secrets can no longer be kept. Fault lines emerge between our heroes and those who’d see them as little more than experiments. Darros makes his boldest moves, and Kira must face how fully she’s betrayed her own principles in her quest to play god.
Memories resurface that change everything, demanding justice and truth. Through pulse-pounding showdowns and heartrending revelations, Echoes brings its existential themes to a shattering climax. While some threads are left loose for future seasons, it leaves an indelible mark as a gripping story that honors its predecessor while forging bold new ground.
A World of Prints and Originals
What makes someone truly human? This is the central question explored in Orphan Black: Echoes. Like the original show, it delves into complex issues of identity, individuality, and the boundaries of scientific progress.
At its heart, the series examines how people retain a sense of self when stripped of memories and formed by another’s imprint. Lucy and Jules both struggle with feeling disconnected from their pasts. They grasp for clues to who they really are beyond blank slates. Hawes’ character, too, is haunted by playing god in this realm.
These themes directly echo those of Orphan Black. There, Sarah Manning discovered she was one of many clones, each with their own distinct personality shaped by life experiences. Despite shared DNA, they refused to be defined as copies. Instead, each found humanity and free will within.
Echoes updates this reflection on nature versus nurture for a new age. Where cloning once reigned, printing now allows reviving the dead with another’s flesh. Yet dilemmas remain the same: how do people maintain uniqueness without memories to call their own? And how far should science stretch before intruding into what makes us whole?
References to the past also highlight the progression of these themes. Kira grows from a child in peril to a skilled yet conflicted scientist, wrestling with the darkness in her lineage. Seeing former characters, now aged from the characters we knew, reminds us that life goes on, as do cycles of unchecked power over life itself.
While light in details, these connections give a glimpse into how an intricate world expanded its scope by continuing to look thoughtfully at what it means to be human in a future of limitless potential to create life anew. Some things, it seems, will always remain works in progress.
Expanding the Universe
Krysten Ritter and Amanda Fix give captivating performances as the two mystery women struggling to uncover their identities. As Lucy, Ritter conveys the distress of waking with no memory through subtle expressions and timid body language. Her eyes often hold a searchingly desperate look, silently begging each new person for clues. Yet, when pushed, Lucy displays flashes of fiery defiance that suggest strength beneath her fragility.
In contrast, Fix portrays Jules with an aloof, angry exterior to mask her own vulnerabilities. Jules is prickly and antagonistic, daring others to challenge her through cutting remarks. Yet in quieter moments, something restless and pleading emerges from Fix’s expressive eyes.
Both actresses imbue their roles with complexity, showing the fear and confusion within these women even as they project bravado. Their scenes together are a highlight, as Lucy and Jules form a prickly but caring bond of shared struggle. Hawes is also effective as the enigmatic scientist, leaving viewers uncertain whether to trust her apparent empathy. Hawes navigates her character’s murky motives deftly, hinting at depths within a woman doing her best in a difficult situation.
While the supporting cast varies, a few standouts emerge. James Hiroyuki Liao subtly captures the danger underlying Paul’s charm and seemingly benevolent goals. His interactions convey manipulative intentions behind polite smiles. As Jules’ foster brother Wes, Liam Diaz brings humor and heart, playing well off Fix.
However, some relationships, like Lucy’s with boyfriend Jack, feel thinly written, and their scenes distract from the leads. Ultimately, it’s the stirring work of Ritter, Fix, and Hawes that makes this an intriguing expansion of the Orphan Black universe. Their layered portrayals of intangibly human experiences elevate themes of identity, purpose, and the limits of science.
Fusing Vision and Place
Orphan Black: Echoes stays true to the compelling visual style established in the original show. John Fawcett returns as director, retaining memorable elements like bold colors and artistic compositions. Scenes featuring pink liquid or fragmented memories feel reminiscent without simply rehashing past moments. Locations also blend exposition and intrigue, whether industrial facilities or cozy homes.
Perhaps the series’ greatest strength lies in imagined technical advancements grounded in everyday authenticity. 3D-printed organs represent a feasible extension of today’s frontiers yet avoid glorifying change for change’s sake. Much futurology envisions flashy gadgets over nuanced impact, yet Echoes considers humanity. Subtle tweaks suggest progression without abandoning intimacy; touchscreens remain tactile, and community persists.
Naturally, world-building broadens scope yet risks half-measures. While printouts probe personhood reinvented, some supporting characters or settings feel hastily sketched, from transient criminals to identical high-rises. Yet audiences follow hearts, not hardware.
By prioritizing characters’ inner lives over outer pageantry, Echoes expands its predecessor’s soulful questioning of what defines our shared experience. Its vision recognizes that humanity transcends any single era and that tomorrow remains unwritten, contingent on the compassion we cultivate today.
Finding its Footing
It takes Orphan Black: Echoes time to truly hit its stride. The early episodes feel sluggish as key facts are kept deliberately obscure, leaving viewers with more questions than answers. While mystery can be compelling, this taps the brakes on an already gradual start. Memories are missing, motives unclear—we share our protagonists’ frustration at lacking understanding.
Gradually, the layers peel back. Details surface through measured reveals, not rushed exposition dumps. By midseason, pieces fall into place and a fuller picture emerges, propelling the intertwining arcs forward. Character motivations that seemed muddled start making logical sense, with nuance beyond what early impressions suggested. Krysten Ritter and Amanda Fix emerge as the clearest focal points; their complexity deepens as grief, identity, and compassion take center stage.
Not all fare as well. Side characters meant to add context or support sometimes feel sketched, lacking dimensionality. There’s potential left untapped. Meanwhile, ties to the original feel obligatory versus organic—quick nods would have landed better than distracting attempts to directly connect threads. While in tribute, these cameos veer toward fan service over natural progression.
Still, Echoes ultimately finds confidence in carving out its own identity. Strong themes around what defines our humanity resonate as technologists play at being gods. If the overall stakes remain muted compared to Orphan Black’s high-octane intrigue, smaller moments shine as characters confront what it means to exist in a world pushing scientific boundaries.
Their interior experiences anchor speculative plots, prioritizing heart over spectacle in a way that feels true to the nuanced stories this universe explores so compellingly. By the journey’s end, Echoes proves an echo worth listening closely to.
Finding Its Own Footing
While Orphan Black: Echoes doesn’t quite live up to the high bar set by the original series, it shows signs of promise as it finds its footing. The first season takes time to develop its characters and weave an engrossing sci-fi mystery, with some missteps along the way.
In the latter episodes, the series hits its stride. Krysten Ritter, Amanda Fix, and Keeley Hawes sink their teeth into nuanced portrayals that grow richer with depth. Their emotional arcs drive home thought-provoking themes about what makes us human in a technologically evolving world.
With fuller characterizations and an independent identity established, a second season could really take flight. Loose ends from the finale suggest plotlines left to explore. If connections to Orphan Black are loosened in favor of standing on its own, Echoes may evolve into compelling viewing in its own right.
While it never achieves the original’s brilliance, Echoes presents intriguing speculative concepts and performances strong enough to invest viewers in the humanity of printed people. Science fiction at its best holds a mirror to society, and this series shows potential to spark meaningful discussion as it continues cultivating its voice. Fans of Orphan Black willing to embrace Echoes on its own merits may find food for thought to enjoy.
The Review
Orphan Black: Echoes
Orphan Black: Echoes shows flashes of promise but ultimately struggles to escape the towering shadow of its predecessor. While the concepts and performances become more engaging as the season unfolds, inconsistencies in the plot and weak connections to the original hold them back. There remains room for improvement if it finds its full identity in future seasons.
PROS
- A thought-provoking exploration of scientific ethics and human identity
- Strong performances from leads later in the season
- Engaging sci-fi mystery and speculative future concepts
CONS
- Slow starts and withheld information hamper early episodes.
- References to the original feel forced and unnecessary at times.
- Plot holes and lack of resolution leave questions.
