Highly Recommended: Orphan Black by T. S. Jones

Imagine walking around downtown on your way to a subway platform ready to go home and the craziest thing you could ever think of happens. Being half a foot away from the mirror image of yourself who proceeds to jump in front of a moving train.

That happened to Sarah Manning…

This is how the BBC Original Series begins the journey we take with the con artist who only wanted to return to her daughter’s life and start fresh. What she would soon find out is her world is much bigger than she thought. Noticing that this mystery woman left her belongings on the platform, Sarah takes it upon herself to assume her identity. On the surface what harm could it be right? Not really, if there was an identity NOT to steal; it would be this woman’s.

It turns out that the woman who chose to take the train in a more unconventional way, is a woman named Beth Childs who was a cop for the for the city of East York in Toronto, Canada. She came upon a discovery that she wasn’t the person she grew to become. One could imagine that Beth felt overwhelmed with the information she obtained and didn’t want to process it any longer. Sarah, through the contents in Beth’s purse, learns about her doppelganger’s life; including a fabulous home & a hot boyfriend. Sarah on the other hand, comes from a life of being a foster child to Siobhan along with her foster brother/best friend Felix who she lovingly nicknamed Fe (or Fee, depending on the how the viewer interprets this).

Felix is an artist who is beyond comfortable with this sexuality. Ever the expressive, he has no filters and makes sure everyone around him is aware of it. That’s a part of his charm, not to mention the big heart he has for those he cares about the most. Thankfully for Sarah, he has no problem in helping her get Kira back and start a new life as well as finding out more about this newfound, yet strangely unique, extended circle of friends. Despite this being a shock to her system, Sarah seems rather well adjusted in processing the fact that there may be others who look like her. While working on assuming the identity of Beth Childs, Sarah & Fe would learn that Beth is the beginning of one of the craziest webs of deception brought upon in the name of science.

I present to you…The Clone Club!

Allison Hendrix

Allison is a suburban soccer mom, Allison can be considered the mother hen of the doppelgangers. She’s a strong type A person – a place for everything and everything in it’s place. Allison is more wound up than a pocket watch. As much as she hated to process the fact that she was a clone, Allison would become the resourceful one in the group. While it wasn’t expressed as much, it would be easy to say that she was more relatable to Beth; the closest to a real sister she could possibly have. Beth may have also taken Allison more seriously than Cosima did. And yet, she has a wild side that not only humanizes her; her husband Donnie seems to rock with it.

Finest Moment: During her campaign speech for school trustee, Allison lets her guard down and truly speaks from her heart & won over the audience in the end. It seems that the growing bond within the sister circle has been an empowering influence on her personality.

Cosima Nichaus

The super geek of Clone Club, Cosima has a scientific mind that would impress Stephen Hawkins & Nikola Tesla. Despite her quick intellectual thinking, she does know how to have fun and let loose. She crosses paths with a fellow intellect name Delphine who she became very drawn to. They connect while going to a speaking engagement featuring a popular scientist Dr. Aldous Leekie – there’s an interesting subplot with that one. Sensing a possible opening to becoming more than friends, Cosima gives a surprising kiss to Delphine. To put it plainly, Cosima is out and proud of her sexuality. Her best friend is Scott, another student who later became her right hand; he had her back no matter what.

Finest Moment: Getting her grove on at Felix’s art show dancing on a portrait of Rachel Duncan, the Queen Bitch of the Dyad Institute. She brought up a couple of drag queens & Scott to join in. It really exudes the beautiful spirit she has. Besides, who wouldn’t want to party with Cosima, yeah?

Helena

Having grown up at a church orphanage in the Ukraine, Helena is not actually a clone; she’s Sarah’s biological twin sister. Their initial meeting is not one to tell friends at dinner parties that’s for sure. She has the mannerisms of a highly skilled assassin and a heart full of love. She, it would come as a surprise to her other “sestras”, is excellent with children; they really do take to her. She had quite a terrible upbringing in the orphanage; primarily due to catching a nun in the act of loving herself. She was put in solitude and this same nun bleached her hair with actual bleach. Hence the blonde hair and the frigid look that continued when an opposition of science named Tomas took her under his wing. That’s something to check out for sure.

Finest Moment: While impersonating Donnie’s wife Allison, Helena wasn’t too pleased to hear drug supplier Pouchy’s niece threaten the Hendrix’s children; not to mention holding the cannister with her harvested eggs as collateral. The result, Helena took matters in her own hands ensuring they wouldn’t be bothered by him or his people again. It was an epic moment.

And then there’s…

Rachel Duncan

While not a member of the Clone Club, Rachel was presented as a cold calculating bitch; that’s putting it lightly to be honest. She would eat, sleep and breathe the Dyad Institute from when she was a young girl having been raised primarily by Dr. Aldous Leekie. She began to take much interest in the clones upon finding out that Sarah had Kira naturally. Rachel may come across as someone who runs the entire ship at Dyad but that’s not entirely accurate. She does conduct much business for the organization, but she has her limits and there are people behind the curtain to make sure she doesn’t forget that. She protected her heart so much that she failed to understand real understanding. She wanted order and nothing else; unless it were to raise her arousing level behind closed doors.

Finest Moment: All I can say about Rachel’s finest moment is that it’s one where it was out of pure empathy. A chance to do a good deed if you will. Unfortunately, it was too little too late.

There were some other clones in Canada that Beth either reached out to or were found by Cosima with the help of Scott. I like to call them Honorary Clone Members. The following is a brief description of said members:

Krystal Goderitch

A self-proclaimed fashionista with a large following on her YouTube channel, Krystal is not just a pretty face. She, along with her friend Brie, use their YouTube platform to tell their subscribers some of the dangers in various cosmetic products. While she is made aware of the cloning situation, Krystal can still be on the oblivious side that shows her as someone who is loving her life while masking her intelligence with the self-confident beauty; her attitude has bite as well.

Tony Sawicki

Formally known as Antoinette, Tony is a transgender male who is a career thief and was one of the first people Beth reached out to after discovering she was one of the clones. He didn’t stick around after meeting Felix and Sarah; they insisted that he moves out of the city for his safety.

MK

Perceived to be a hardcore conspiracy theorist, MK had her finger on the pulse of this madness that became their lives. She was careful with whom to trust when it came to the girls. Sarah was someone since Beth that she felt comfortable enough to talk with…eventually. MK helped to piece a lot of things together for the girls; giving them a broader understanding of Dyad Institute as well as the Leda and Prometheus clones.

Along with the clones from around the world, there were some other great and yet interesting supporting characters. For instance, Detective Arthur “Art” Bell who was Beth’s partner that was woven into the Clone Club and discovered he gained an extended family. Siobhan aka Mrs. S wasn’t just a foster mother to Sarah & Felix as stated earlier, she was a resistance fighter in her day and stayed in contact with some who were still active while under the radar so to speak. Donnie, Allison’s very supportive husband whose genuine love for his wife extended to her growing family. And Delphine, who started out at as a mole for Neolution who eventually fell for Cosima while in grad school at the University of Minnesota.

And we cannot forget Vic….

Known properly as Victor Schmidt, Vic is Sarah’s annoying ex and former con partner who was beyond the borderline of being obsessed with her. So much so that he was willing to go against some of the most dangerous people who on the surface wouldn’t seem like much of a challenge. Case in point – Vic thought he could take on Paul and get Sarah back; think again Vic. There are a lot of comical moments in this series and Vic had many of them.

These clones (Project Leda) were impressively played by Tatiana Maslany and has presented what could be called one of the greatest jobs to have as an actor. In saying that I mean that in one show she has shown she can play various personalities. So, should the question of whether she can play a certain part or not, the answer is found in this show. She rightfully won a Leading Actress Emmy in 2016 for her work on this hit Sci-fi/Drama that I found to be not only entertaining; innovating as well.

This show has developed a strong following that’s very comparable to that of The Walking Dead. So much so, it spanned a limited comic book series published by IDW Publishing as part of their "Deviations" series. Meaning they put a spin on the detailed back stories on the clones as well as the events at Helsinki; you’ll have to check out the show to find out more on that.

Orphan Black is a who’s-who’s show for Sci-fi fans as there are many familiar faces from other shows seen over the years in this long-standing genre. You can find the series on Amazon Prime (Seasons 1-4 are available with a Prime Membership – Season 5 is available for purchase), Google Play, iTunes, other streaming providers for purchase or you can add the complete series to your DVD/Blu-Ray library. If you consider yourself a true Sci-fi fan and love seeing a visual story being told in a way that it leaves a lasting impression worthy to be part of a nerdom conversations, I highly recommend the BBC Original Series Orphan Black.

That’s my opinion and everyone is entitled to one.

Runaways will be Marvel-ous for Hulu By T. S. Jones

Aside from having Marvel’s Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. on their roster of shows (it’s an ABC Network show), Hulu has officially joined the Marvel family with its original series – Marvel’s Runaways. Based on the comic book series created by Brian K. Vaughan & Adrian Alphona, Runaways tells the story of a group of childhood friends reuniting after the passing of one at the request of Alex Wilder. While this would come across as an opportunity to reconnect with the ones who made you happy, accepted you for who you are – this isn’t one of those times. Don’t misunderstand, there is joy in Alex’s face when he sees his friends at his front door, but the moment is short lived when they discover there’s more to their parents lives than they ever wanted to know.

From what is seen in the promotional trailer (5.4 million views on YouTube so far) the group of teenagers find a secret room in Alex’s home where they find their parents wearing monk-like robes and performing a ceremony where a young woman is being sacrificed. This is the beginning of change in the relationship between child and parent where breaking curfew is nowhere near the equation.

Over time, we’ll find out more about the parents who are a collectively secret organized group called PRIDE. This group is comprised of power couples – emphasis on the word power – who basically own all of Malibu, California. They each has a set of skills that when coming together is one that is literally out of this world. This will be presented in a broader sense on the show for sure. It’s not going to be some subplot; especially considering that they are now formidable foes to their children.

For some, this is an exciting moment to see yet another comic book series in live-action form; not so much for others. This would bring about strong opposing opinions, including my own. I recently purchased the first volume of Runaways (the original Vaughan/Alphona creation) which consists of the first six issues and I must say it was a great page turner and makes for an interesting story. In comparison with the trailer that is currently promoting the show, it is honoring the look of the characters that is the teenage supergroup; taken right from the pages of the book. Not to mention it sets a foundation on what to possibly expect in the series. I say possibly because like most everything involving live-action comic book films and television shows, there’s always opportunity to spin the story in one way shape or form.

Kevin Melrose of Comic Book Resources raved about the new series saying the show is “Smartly written and tightly paced” and feels the “it very well may be the most faithful television adaptations of a comic book yet – in spirit, in any case.” That’s is fitting for the high regard department. On the other end of the spectrum is Matt Goldberg of collider.com, he seems to have a very displeasing opinion about how the characters are being portrayed. For example, he doesn’t seem open to how show creators Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage are putting their spin on the newest live-action Marvel project – “Arguably the biggest change from the comics is that Schwartz and Savage decide to make the parents a much bigger part of the story. Rather than malevolent antagonists who have the city on lockdown, the show very slowly tries to tease out their end game…despite trying to give us the perspective of the parents, it ends up depriving the show of a strong central viewpoint.”

What I find intriguing is how some people who are hardcore comic books heads – maybe more than I – who it seems have no room for something called creative licensing. This is a broader interpretation of telling a story. What needs to be understood is that Schwartz & Savage are bringing this story to another medium which is television. This format allows the creators, including the cast & crew, to tell the broad story as it’s meant to be told. This can also be taken as a testament to the series bringing inspiration to the creators of the show who like many of us who have picked up a comic book and wondered what if there was more to the story than what’s being told; that’s what this series will provide.

It should also be understood that the first season of any show is the foundation of the series. These characters are being introduced to viewers who may not have read the comics and reintroduced to those who did. As expressed earlier, the casting was made very well by the casting department and I do believe that those who have read the books will agree they paid attention to detail when it came to bringing these young superheroes to life.

Runaways

Alex Wilder – Rhenzy Feliz (Casual, Teen Wolf)

Alex is the resident nerd of the group who longs for the days where he was part of a group of kids – teenagers – that despite the different personalities, there was some common ground. It’s his discovery that starts the adventure that they can’t walk away from even if they wanted to.

Nico Minoru/Sister Grimm – Lyrica Okano (The Affair, Ikenhisu: To Kill with One Blow)

Nico is perceived as an outsider at her school primarily due to her gothic look. She comes from a line of Wiccans who discovers her abilities in quite surprising way. For the most part she hasn’t been the same since her sister passed away. Maybe reuniting with her friends will bring her out of her shell.

Karolina Dean/Lucy in the Sky – Virginia Gardner (Zoo, Project Almanac)

The daughter of Hollywood actors, Karolina is a young model who wants to break free and have a more conventional life and be a normal teenager. She discovers not only more about herself but her parents as well. It is something truly not of this world.

Gert Yokes/Arsenic – Ariela Barer (Atypical, One Day at a Time)

Gert is just as much of a nerd as Alex is; she has a more of a logistical angle to it. She is described as the riot grrrl with an empathetic heart. Her abilities are associated with something in the animalistic sense. Except the animal is quite historic.

Chase Stein/Talkback – Gregg Sulkin (Don’t Hang Up, Anti-Social)

Chase is the cliché athletic high school student. He has arrogance and a rollercoaster relationship with his father who is an engineer genius. He may have a tongue in cheek sense of humor, but he will come to learn that his friends are the truest people in his life.

Molly Hernandez/Princess Powerful – Allegra Acosta (One Halloween, American Girl)

Molly is the youngest of the super friends circle who is trying to process how powerful she could be as well as how her parents can be part of The Pride. The group tries to protect her but ultimately, they accept that she needs to know as much as they already do. Side Note: Molly’s last name in the comics is Hayes

There has always been the fight between good and evil. When it comes to being in that battle with your parents, the people you saw as your strongest ally in life, it makes for a harder fight to participate in. Especially when your parents are part of a menacing group such as…

The Pride

The Pride is described as a sinister group of people consisting of mob bosses, time-travelers, dark wizards, mad scientists, alien invaders and telepathic mutants. For years, they have been known as pillars in their city for such things as their charitable contributions and property developments; this was all their children knew as well. When they find out the truth it’s like a can of worms they wished they never opened.

This group has a few familiar faces that should strike more interests in the show. To name a few, James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, New Life), Ever Carradine (Major Crimes, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Adolescence) and Kip Pardue (Agent X, Ray Donovan, NCIS: Los Angeles) are a part of this evil parental syndicate. They have a firm belief that what they do is for the greater good for their children and the world; maybe even the universe. That remains the be seen and as far as their children are concerned – they must be brought down. They will receive some help from another member of the Marvel Cinematic family – Julian McMahon. The actor known as portraying Dr. Doom in the Fantastic Four films (2005 & 2007 respectively) will be making a guest appearance as Jonah; he aids the teenagers in fighting against their parents.

Keep in mind, the reviews that you may have seen during the promotion of Runaways is based on the first four episodes that were viewed by them. This one on the other hand is based on seeing the trailer and reading the comics. At the end of the day the appreciation that this new series will bring is on the individual who views it. I for one am looking forward to seeing the premiere and how this story unfolds over time. I highly recommend giving this series a try and seeing the imagination of other comic book aficionados come to the small screen.

As part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity with both the television shows & films, Marvel’s Runaways premieres on November 21st with the first three episodes with new episodes to follow every Tuesday.

That’s my opinion and everyone is entitled to one.

Marvel’s ‘Gift’ to the Fox Network

True Blood star Stephen Moyer leads a talented cast as Reed Strucker in Fox’s newest hit series The Gifted. Created by Matt Nix (Burn Notice, The Comedians), this series is in line with the X-Men film series and take place in an alternate universe where the famous group of mutants and The Brotherhood still existing is being questioned.

Told through the experiences of the Strucker family after discovering the children carry the X-gene; an indication they are superhuman beings known as mutants. The dilemma with this realization is that the patriarch Reed is a District Attorney who happens to prosecute these superhumans with special powers. He’s now in the position where he’s on the other end of the situation; protecting his children from the perils his office puts on mutants every day.

Even though this is the first season and we’re halfway through the first season, there is much potential for longevity. The story is honoring the long legacy Marvel has built.

The story takes place in Atlanta where the Struckers live a seemingly normal life; until the unexpected happens. What could be considered typical teenage angst at a high school dance, Lauren is having fun with her boyfriend while her younger brother Andy is victimized by a group of bullies; unbeknownst to her. It’s at that traumatic moment that causes his powers, which he wasn’t aware of, became surprisingly evident. His powers can be compared to Havoc & Jean Grey.

The powers that Lauren possess would be viewed as controlling air and water; she produces air bubbles that look aquatic what gives a shielding purpose which was on display at the high school dance. While trying to process the newfound discovery of their children being mutants, Reed & his family find help in the form of The Mutant Underground. He reaches out to Marcos aka Eclipse who is the boyfriend of Lorna; she was imprisoned in the mutant wing of the Garland Detention Center. (Side Note: Marcos’ ringtone is the theme music from the X-Men animated series from the 1990’s.)

Which brings us to another story plot..

Not only will The Mutant Underground help the Strucker family & continue the fight for mutant civil rights from local law enforcement, they are also going against a federal task force known as Sentinel Services. If you are familiar with the history of X-Men, then you know the Sentinels are the size of skyscrapers that were created by Bolivar Trask.

These government agents are led by Jace Turner (Coby Bell – The Game, Third Watch) who has his own story to tell. While interrogating Reed, he expressed how he lost his wife & daughter during the July 15th incident; presenting very personal stake in harnessing the control of the mutant community. The incident he is speaking of is regarding a battle between the infamous X-Men and The Brotherhood. There’s no logic in why your family would be considered collateral damage when you’re an agent for Sentinel Services.

Like most incidents in this world, an entire community is found guilty on site for the faults of a few. Due to the acts of a select few of mutants who wish to and intentionally cause harm to humans, all who are in the mutant community are subject to being guilty until proven innocent; the latter will purposely take longer than the former. The Mutant Registration Act remains, no matter the timeline, in effect. If only Xavier was still around to balance out the peace with the government. Some forget how much of a history he has with those on the hill.

The Mutant Underground is the civil rights movement consisting of mutants resisting to the command of a society that by many means refuse to embrace them, accept them and learn about them. They would rather attack what they are afraid to understand and ask questions later. Despite having knowledge of this, they have a belief that there are humans who don’t feel threatened and would be willing to live in harmony with said individuals. The problem with that would of course be peer pressure; the fear of feeling ostracized from people you have known for years.

Allow me to introduce you to some of the interesting members of The Mutant Underground:

John Proudstar aka Thunderbird – Blair Redford

The Switched at Birth actor portrays the leader of the group as the mutant who has to ability to search and find other mutants as well as sense danger close by that proves to be helpful in the tightest of situations. He has a relationship with a mutant known as…

Dreamer – Elena Satine

Dreamer (Beautiful Dreamer in the comics) has the power to take away memories as well as give them to humans and mutants alike. She took her power to task to save the man she loves (Thunderbird) with the newest member of the resistance group…

Clarice Fong aka Blink – Jamie Chung

The reality star (Real Word: San Diego) turned successful actress (Once Upon a Time, Gotham) is the second actress to play the mutant who can teleport but not like Nightcrawler; she can produce portals. She has come to terms with her powers and yet she still working on controlling them better. She was found by Thunderbird and two other mutants…

Marcos Diaz aka Eclipse – Sean Teale

Remembered for his role as Louis de Condé in Reign, Sean is the mutant who was a former drug smuggler with abilities to control solar power. It’s so powerful it shoots out of his arms upon injury such as bullet he took for the magnetic love of his life…

Lorna Dane aka Polaris – Emma Dumont

The Pretty Little Liars alum has been cast as the character known as Magneto’s daughter. Although it hasn’t been expressed in the show yet, a true comic book head would know who she is. The question now is whether we will see some rendition of Professor Xavier’s best frenemy come in and fight alongside his baby girl. They compatibility of Lorna and Marcos is so strong; their powers together can mimic the northern lights of Alaska.

The Gifted has the potential to introduce an array of characters to fresh eyes. Bringing about curiosity and a spike in comic book sales due to the interest of backstories of the characters. Now like most shows of this magnitude, there is a character or two created for the series such as Marcos (the same can be said for Daryl Dixon of The Walking Dead), but there is that strong possibility of being brought into the medium of comic books. Especially when the interest grows more for that character.

I feel confident in feeling that I’m not alone in feeling that Lauren is one to watch for as someone who has come into her own as a mutant while still learning something new when it comes to her abilities. She’s also helping her brother Andy long the way as he’s coming to accepting being part of a society he didn’t have much regard for. Their mother Caitlin (Amy Acker – Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D., Suits) has stepped up to the plate and the go to for medical assistance; she’s even surprised herself with what she’s been able to do despite her limited skills. Her knowledge however, makes up for it.

You’ll find that the brother/sister bond between Lauren & Andy will grow stronger as the show progresses due to the former guiding the latter in the matter of sharpening the skills of their newfound powers. Yet like many storylines like this in comics – there’s that strong possibility of getting to the point of opposing sides. Remember when Pyro went from Team Xavier to Team Magneto in X2: X-Men United?

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Chairman Emeritus himself – Stan Lee. The former editor-in-chief mad a cameo appearance in the pilot episode. Thus, adding a stamp to his cameo book on projects that he co-created in comics and executive produced on either film or television. It’s almost like his appearance makes things official so to speak.

Another inquiry comes to mind. With much mention of both the X-Men and the Brotherhood, one would wonder if there’s a possible cameo made by Stephen’s wife Anna Paquin who was Rogue in the X-Men film series? She was after all a member of both groups. Not only would that be cool on a comic book standpoint, it would also be cool for True Blood fans to see these working together again.

The Gifted premiered on October 2 and had since received critical praises from both fans and entertainment critics. It would be safe to say there is going to be a strong following to this series and a grand fan base to go along with it. This show is another great chapter to the continuing success that Marvel has accumulated for decades. It’s highly recommended that those who claim to have a lifelong love of comics to check out this series. It’s a great live action story told very well by the actors telling it.

You can catch up on Fox OnDemand or the Fox Now app.

That’s my opinion and everyone is entitled to one.