Orphan Black

You know a show is binge-worthy when you simply have to watch the next episode, and the next, and the next.  Orphan Black met that bar and exceeded it.  I stayed up late and watched all five seasons in less than a week.  It was an emotional roller-coaster which had me on the edge of my seat.  Reminiscent of Frankenstein, La Femme Nikita, Breaking Bad, anything from Michael Crichton and a book called "The House of the Scorpion" the show is in no way derivative.  It is engaging, surprising and not nearly as bleak as I expected.  We begin the tale with Sarah, a punk street kid and con woman, who sees a woman who looks just like her in a train station, only to see that same woman step in front of a train moment later.  Sarah, being the practical sort, takes the woman's purse and plunges into a life far different from her own, discovering along the way a network of clones who are identical to her in looks but completely different in lives and personalities.  There are, of course, the big evil corporations, the ethically bankrupt scientists, etc., but the bigger questions of the series focus around nurture and nature, what makes a family and how to find the strength to survive.  It's kind of brilliant and the major kudos go to Tatiana Maslany, the lead actor who is responsible for portraying some dozen clones.  As many have noted her work is incredibly impressive.  It's not just that the characters are very distinct, you quickly forget that this is the same actor portraying all of them.  At times the women have to impersonate one another.  Even this is specific -- the impersonations are slightly imperfect, and are clearly the original character "playing" the woman she is pretending to be.  The CGI is also terrific and in scenes where there are multiple clones it is easy to slip into the storyline without a single thought that this is the same person playing multiple roles.  The show isn't perfect.  Not every clone is fully realized.  The needed humor in one storyline sometimes becomes too much.  Characters seem to change gears quickly and extending the show through five seasons meant an unending list of bad guys trying to do in the women.  Season four, in particular, became hugely dark and fairly gross.  In the midst of it all, however, is a growing bond of sisterhood and of redemption for those whose circumstances made them into monsters.  It's a compelling tale and a show worthy of the many awards heaped upon it.  Go ahead, binge it.  You know you want to.