In today’s installment of Yesflix/Noflix, we dive into the world of science fiction. I’ll be honest, I found it hard to come up with a Noflix. I was even contemplating two Yesflix’s. But that’s not in keeping with the spirit of these articles. Strolling through my Netflix library I recalled one particular show that didn’t live up to my expectations. And one show that completely blows it out of the water. Can you guess which one wins before the jump?
Yesflix – Orphan Black
The second season is now available on Netflix and I cannot recommend this show enough. Seriously, here’s my review for the first season from last year. Oh, and the third season is on the way!
Orphan Black is about Sarah Manning, played by the wonderful Tatiana Maslany, as she tries to protect her daughter from several different organisations out to dissect her, while also juggling a double life she stole from a lookalike who committed suicide. But that was no lookalike. Sarah soon finds out (SPOILER) she is a clone and meets her other personalities, Alison, Cosima, and Helena, and together they try to figure out why they were created, and why Sarah is the only who could conceive a child.
Tatiana Maslany plays all versions of her clones. Duh! They’re clones. But the amazing thing is you start to forget she’s only one person. Each character has a distinctive personality, and they’re so well-rounded you eventually lose sight they’re clones. It’s impressive to watch Maslany slip from one character into another with absolute ease. How she has not won an award by now, I’ll never know.
Orphan Black is a product of BBC America and runs at about 13 episodes each season. (You can binge watch that easily!) The shorter series does much to aid the show as there is very little time for filler episodes. The action moves fast, and the plot turns move quicker. But the story never becomes convoluted and the focus always remains on the characters.
There is much to gain from watching this show. Take few days leave from work and get viewing!
FANS OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AND MOON WILL LOVE THIS!
Noflix – Fringe
I have only seen the first few episodes of Fringe. Granted, that may not warrant a proper opinion. But what I did see didn’t impress me.
Fringe was created and executive produced by JJ Abrams. With Battlestar Galactica over and Lost coming to an end I was looking forward to a new show. Something to really sink my teeth into. Then I saw the pilot episode. We start with an emergency on a plane (I wonder where that idea came from). Not a single passenger is alive. And it is up to FBI agent Olivia Dunham, played by Anna Torv, to discover what exactly happened.
Her investigation leads to a crazed scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son, played by Pacey Witter from Dawson’s Creek. Dr. Bishop is on the fringe (he, he, he) of losing his mind, experimenting with things no man should ever mess with. But together all three of them must work to discover some big plot involving some big company… yadda, yadda, yadda.
Okay, so Orphan Black has a similar plot. Big companies doing bad things, evil, secret organizations, blah, blah, blah. But Fringe goes on for 20 episodes a season. The longer form series suffer from amount of story packed into one season. To get to an episode with clues to the overall arc, you have to sit through at least four where nothing happens. Some stand-alone episodes work, The X-Files had some incredible ones, but for the most part they are just there to fill time. It’s much harder to binge watch that many episodes.
Besides, after lost I became disillusioned with the idea of a big mystery show. And that’s what Fringe (at least in the first few episodes) is setting up to be. I’m afraid the writers will start making up the plot as they go along, and won’t deliver later down the line. I don’t think I can go through that again.
If someone can tell me otherwise, please feel free to do so. I WANT TO BELIEVE!
FANS OF THE X-FILES AND THRESHOLD WILL HATE THIS!
