Orphan Black's Gripping Opening Scene Sets Up a Sci-Fi Masterpiece

Orphan Black is undoubtedly one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time, but unlike many series that have a slow beginning, it throws you right into the action from the first scene. The story starts with the troubled Sarah, who has a chance encounter with her doppelgänger and discovers that she is part of a secret experiment involving clones.

Orphan Black is a sci-fi thriller that starts with a twist, as we are unsure if the main character is good or not. Sarah sees Beth, a distraught woman at the train station who looks identical to her, and steals her identity after she walks in front of a train. This scene perfectly sets up the masterpiece sci-fi series.

Orphan Black’s Shocking Opening Scene Sets The Tone For The Entire Series

Before the opening credits roll, we learn that Sarah is in trouble, and has a daughter she wants to see. We begin by sympathizing with her, before she steals Beth’s bag. Even the best characters in Orphan Black are sometimes antiheroes rather than classic good guys, and this is a great first example. That said, the contents of the bag add to the intrigue.

The shocking moment when Sarah sees her own face looking back at her is one of the best in the show, and this repeats throughout Orphan Black. Every time a new clone is introduced, they add a new layer to the story. This reveal never gets overdone, as each is so different, though all 17 Orphan Black clones are played by Tatiana Maslany.

The opening scene masterfully places Sarah’s personal struggles into the bigger picture, while we learn early on that she is not alone. Her best friend, the artist and part-time drug dealer Felix, is a fan-favorite, and their brief interaction sets up an enthralling dynamic of a group of misfits helping each other.

Tatiana Maslany Gives A Masterful Performance In Orphan Black’s First 10 Minutes

Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning on the phone in the opening scene of Orphan Black Ep 1

Orphan Black‘s opening scene quickly gives us insight into Sarah, from her tense phone call about her daughter to her curiosity about the woman whose face we do not see until the last minute. While the character is not a subtle person, Tatiana Maslany uses subtle details like posture to show that Sarah and Beth are completely different people despite looking identical.

The first 10 minutes of Orphan Black show us several different versions of Sarah. She is frustrated and vulnerable when alone on the train, disturbed when looking through Beth’s bag, and relaxed when confiding in Felix. Orphan Black is undoubtedly Tatiana Maslany’s best performance, and she even uses a British accent to play Sarah rather than her natural Canadian one.

There are many underrated performances in sci-fi TV shows, so it is a refreshing change to know that Maslany was highly commended for her work on Orphan Black. Her skill at playing 17 different people with a variety of accents won her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, as well as heaps of critical acclaim.

Release Date: 2013 – 2017
Network: Space, BBC America
Directors: Ken Girotti, T.J. Scott, David Wellington, Grant Harvey, Helen Shaver, Aaron Morton, Brett Sullivan, Chris Grismer, Peter Stebbings
Writers: Aubrey Nealon, Karen Walton, Tony Elliott, Peter Mohan, Sherry White, Jeremy Boxen, Kate Miles Melville, Greg Nelson, Jenn Engels, Nikolijne Troubetzkoy