'Orphan Black: Echoes' is a Brittle Clone of Its Parent Show

When Orphan Black premiered in 2013, it had such a wow factor. The drama about genetically identical human clones was immediately engaging and unlike anything on TV at the time. But what gave the series that extra oomph was star Tatiana Maslany’s incredible performance, where she played no less than 17 different characters. That’s a high bar to set and one that AMC’s Orphan Black: Echoes can’t quite reach. But how could it? The bar was set too high. But since TV is currently in its reboot/remake... let’s call it its clone era, you can’t blame the show for trying.

Set in the Orphan Black universe, Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) stars as Lucy, a woman who wakes up one day with no memory of who or where she is. She’s handed a picture of a baby she doesn’t recognize. “Who is this? Who are you?” she asks. The how of Lucy is revealed in short order. A scientist (Keeley Hawes) explains that she was printed from a “high-resolution scan,” using a new technology that’s  “four-dimensional printing of human tissue.” (Meanwhile, half the time, my printer doesn’t even work to print paper, but I digress).

The why of Lucy is less clear. Why did the scientist do this? Who was the real Lucy to her? “What the f*ck are you talking about?” Lucy asks her, which does seem like the only appropriate reaction to discovering you were basically made at a high-tech Staples.