The fifth and final season of the BBC America’s sci-fi series "Orphan Black" is to air in 2017. Let's recap. While returning from a 10-month separation from her family, Sarah Manning, played by Tatiana Maslany, sees a woman kill herself. Incidentally, the woman looks exactly like her. Rather than alerting the authorities, Manning decides that it would be more beneficial to steal her identity. From there, her life and the lives of those around her end up in a spiral of deceit, murder, and genetic barcodes. Through Sarah’s journey, a viewer fully questions the meaning of what separates science and humanity.
From here on out, it's the spoiler zone. You have been warned.
Whether you have seen every episode, or even if you're curious about this show, you have probably heard about across the internet at some point. Here are some reasons to binge watch it. (Since the series is ending with the fifth season, it is necessary to remember the details from the beginning of the series.)
1. You get to watch the characters grow.
From Sarah changing to a more empathetic and paranoid person to Allison Hendrix and her husband Donnie becoming dual murderers and drug dealers while trying to keep their children in the school district, you witness a lot of growth. As the series continues, it becomes more obvious that Sarah resists new characters, such as Felix’s half-sister (as seen above).
After Allison and Donnie confess to each other that they have killed someone, it is like a whole new world has opened for them. They are able to put their children first while making some of the worst decisions, such as taking over a drug-dealing practice ( the results of which can be seen above), being part of more murders and making a deal with DYAD in order to help themselves.
2. You'll see some (potential) familiar faces.
Tony Sawicki only appeared in one episode but is an interesting addition to the Leda Clone Club. He is a trans male clone that came looking for Beth, the clone who used police resources to reach out to other clones. When Tony’s monitor, and friend, died, he had nowhere else to go. He was scared and needed help. When told about the clones, he reacts calmly, as seen above, knowing who he is through a separate identity realization. Although Tony only appeared once in the second season, there is a chance that he may return in the final season so that everyone’s story feels complete.
3. The original.
One of the biggest reveals on "Orphan Black," besides Project Castor, would be finding the original: Kendall Malone. Finding out that she was, in fact, the original to both Leda and Castor, Mrs. S’s mother, and resistant toward helping her genetic identicals, was arguably one of the largest surprises of the series. Her elimination was also a large shock, leaving Clone Club wondering how to treat their illnesses now.
4. You get to see Rachel go off the deep end.
Rachel Duncan was to "Orphan Black" what Prince Joffrey was to "Game of Thrones." She began her descent with the loss of her adoptive father, one of the creators of Project Leda. Rachel faced her hardest trials after a pencil was propelled into her eye. She couldn’t walk for several episodes and speaking was difficult. Not to mention having her eye replaced with a neolution-inspired eye made from Castor’s genes which effectively made her begin to “glitch.” At the end of season four, she has taken over DYAD group and begins to take her vengeance on those who she believes have personally wronged her. Watching her spiral out of control is terrifying and entertaining all at the same time.5. Tatiana Maslany’s brilliant acting.
6. Witnessing Clones imitating Clones.
7. Watching the rollercoaster that is Cophine.
8. Seeing Beth’s journey.
9. Watching Helena find a home.
Helena is the lovable, serial-killing assassin that is good with kids, seen left in the above image. Everything about her is an enigma. She maintains a childlike personality as an adult and is very protective of her family. Tatiana Maslany portrays the character perfectly. Helena is nothing like the other characters, setting her apart from the main group but still finding a place. She grows protective of Sarah and Sarah’s daughter, Kira. Watching Helena find a home that she can be happy in is worth the binge in itself.
10. Discovering how Kira fits into the series' final season.
Kira Manning, played by Skyler Wexler, is another puzzle piece. Sarah is one of the only Clones who is able to have children. From the series, we see that Kira can tell the Clones apart, even if they are impersonating someone else, as seen above, and that her cells repair themselves quicker than one would think possible. While Kira’s health and psychology seem to remain a mystery, her presence in the show becomes much more noticeable. As the seasons go on, she gains a voice she didn’t have at the beginning of the series. It’s exciting thinking about how she will fit into the final season and what it really means to be the child of a Clone.
These are just some of the many reasons to binge-watch the series. Even if it is just to refresh your memory on how everything is connected or if you are a new viewer, "Orphan Black" is the perfect show to watch this fall.
