Orphan Black: Echoes Review: It’s All Coming Back
Our favorite printouts have finally seen the light and are ready to get some answers in Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1 Episode 4, “It’s All Coming Back.”
The characters and the writers as a whole definitely made questionable choices.
You may already know what scene I’m referring to, but this episode moved the story along in unexpected ways while hinting at both good and bad developments.
Luckily, the show has been consistent with its amazing actors and writers spinning a spectacular story, and now we’re going to break down this wild ride of an episode!
Orphan Black: Echoes Has Been a Non-Stop Excursion of Science Fiction, But Can It Avoid the Pitfalls?
Related: Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1 Episode 1 Review: A Beautiful Bird in a Cage
After so much worldbuilding around characters old and new and establishing the stakes, Orphan Black: Echoes may be headed for the dreaded decline.
It’s not uncommon for shows, especially science fiction ones, to start hard and fast with the story, but they run the risk of pace and interest decline.
Hollywood’s unspoken rule about crafting stories is that the audience only cares about the premise for the first fifteen minutes.
After that, the only thing that matters to viewers is the characters and where their journey leads.
Thankfully, the series has very likable characters to accompany a handful from the original Orphan Black series.
Specifically, Krysten Ritter is able to display Lucy’s inner and outer turmoil in a way that makes every look, reaction, and expression feel organic and natural.
What has worked so far is the show’s versatility, in that it easily shifts its tone to serve the story better and not feel like a one-tone wonder.
If there is one criticism of the series up until this point, it’s that there have not been nearly enough answers to combat the mounting number of questions.
Related: Jonathan Glatzer to Develop Silicon Valley ‘Dark Comedy’ For AMC
As a fellow fan of the show, I can tell you that only so many questions can be juggled before it’s hard to keep track of the priorities.
Orphan Black: Echoes Has a Bushel of Bad Guys, but Not All the Apples Are Rotten
Before we discuss the lovely leading ladies of this sensational sci-fi series, we need to address the show’s, more or less, bad guys, who are basically hunting Lucy and Jules.
First, there is Tom, the absolute personification of a “basic bro” who is caught in some delusion, seeing himself as the peak of male perfection.
While he hasn’t explicitly said those exact words, the vibes he gives off are dripping with privilege and entitlement that is on another level of cringe.
This is a testament to Reed Diamond’s acting ability because while we don’t know the man personally, we can’t imagine anyone is truly that insufferable.
On the flip side, there is Corporate Security agent and former CIA operative, Emily, who has been seen the most by Tom’s side.
Played by Tattiawna Jones, known for her role in The Handmaids Tale, The Darros Foundation agent has shown a considerable contrast to her douchey partner.
Related: Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Jules
How she helped Lucy without hesitation suggests that she will likely play a pivotal role as an ally later in the season.
As for the real bad guy, you can always spot them as the first person to utter the infamous line, “For the greater good,” as Paul Darros said with as much sincerity as Thanos.
Orphan Black: Echoes Knows How to Tackle Taboo Topics into Total Entertainment
Now, on to the technical “orphans” of the series, Lucy and Jules, because they certainly had quite the bonding experience this time around.
Right off the bat, we have to address one of the more, let’s say, interesting scenes of the aptly titles episode “It’s All Coming Back.”
You know I’m talking about the insane scene of Jules and Lucy doing designer drugs together to stimulate the memory houses of their brains.
And while the girls meant well, considering it’s a drug cooked up by the teenage Jules, it’s worth noting that they spent a large portion of their high being, well, just high.
Eventually, they got down to business, but AMC sure knows how to push the proverbial boundaries with necessary plot devices, like teenager-made narcotics.
Related: Anne Rice’s Universe on AMC Expands with The Talamasca
However, even though Jules and Lucy could properly paint the vision they’ve been dreaming, both characters missed what is likely a massive clue to their past.
The initials on the knife read “SRM,” and we’d be foolish not to see the connection to the protagonist Sarah Manning from the original Orphan Black.
While it was great that they got a few tiny details about their past, including their possible name and mother, the missed clue seems like, at best, an Easter egg and, at worst, an oversight.
Lucy and Jules Have Almost Nowhere to Run and Even Fewer People to Trust
At the core of Orphan Black: Echoes are its themes of paranoia and trust, as the main characters don’t even know if they can trust themselves.
More to the point, how can they trust anyone around them, let alone Kira Manning, who clearly only wants to help both girls, with a particular focus on Lucy?
She’s likely driven by her guilt about Lucy having to go on the run, but Kira is at the center of this whole mess without a single clue to the audience about how or why.
Mothers and guardians seem to be a core concept that has been explored by various characters up until this point, from Craig, who took care of Lucy, to Neva, who fosters Jules.
Related: Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Pegasus Girl
So far, Neva, played by Alexandra Castillo of Under the Banner of Heaven, has given many mixed signals about where her loyalties lie.
And while she protected and helped Jules towards the end of the episode, that doesn’t exactly clear her of any possible hidden agendas.
Speaking of the ending, the writers were so wrong to end Orphan Black Season 1 Episode 4 on a cliffhanger as heavy as that.
We really thought we were about to get all the answers for everything to just fade to black.
As rude as that ending was, we’ll still be at the edge of our seats to see how everything unfolds.
Are you excited to finally get some answers in the next episode?
Can Neva or any other characters in Jules’s life be trusted?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and join us again when we review the next episode of Orphan Black: Echoes!
