Orphan Black: Echoes (2023– ) User Reviews

In between watchable and unwatchable

[a-kastenas · 5/10 · 8 November 2023]

I liked the first episode of the show. It had some mystery, suspense. Things were happening and many loose ends were mentioned, however things started changing a bit after the first episode.

Don't get me wrong I watched only 3 episodes, my review might be subjective, however there are things that does not make sense to me. Things that make this show less of a show it was supposed to be.

Main actors are doing a good job. However most of the time nothing is happening. People are walking around. Talking with other people visiting places they should not be able to access.

What starts as a suspense mystery, a thriller evolves into a woke melodrama that is boring and devoid of substance.

I think it will be possible to cut some of the unnecessary scenes to make this show into decent mini series. 2-3 episodes max.

Let it grow on you, worth it in the end

[Renae-001 · 8/10 · 3 December 2023]

I started watching OBEs and was a little meh, it's not grabbing me the first episode. I was almost ready to ditch it. But the story starts to pick up speed and well it was an intruiging twist on the original OB.

Second half of the season I felt the story telling and actng was really starting to be on par at times with OB. OBE, I think it needed to find it's groove, but every now and then it doesn't quite hit it and that's okay because overall it's an enjoyable, exciting watch and the premise is a good one and stands alone in it's own right.

Great to see the OB universe expanded.

The really low reviews on here are a shame as I think a number of the reviewers have given up too early. But great to see it tempered with people seeing this show for it's own worth.

Disappointing

[Valentijn78 · 4/10 · 1 December 2023]

I'm another lover of the original Orphan Black - it had a fast pace, good character development, and some phenomenal acting. This sequel has none of those.

At best it could be said to be providing detail regarding the creation of the clones, but even that didn't make much sense or even spark some interest. It's just used as a platform for more tiresome melodrama.

While the lead is an experienced actress I've enjoyed seeing in other roles, she simply lacks the range to carry this show. And with such a weak script, that otherwise passable flaw becomes a major failing point.

After 6 episodes of boredom, I finally gave up after another soap opera rendition of attempted dialogue between several characters I simply couldn't care about.

Welcome back Orphan Black

[pbratulis · 8/10 · 4 November 2023]

A timely return with a twist. Good story telling and drama that builds on the fantastic Orphan Black.

Not sure I agree with the person who rants about diversity and a lack of spaceships giving the series a 2. The review is as mean-spirited as the mark.

There are some decent ethical dilemmas explored and the main actresses are engaging and play their parts well. Some of the bit part players are - well - bit part players. However, as we saw with Orphan Black in later series - characters were fleshed out when is was appropriate to explore their backstory in the main story line. So there is time yet for additional layers.

Hopefully the series will get renewed and there will be other spinoffs in the Orphan Black Universe.

Uncle Felix

[bazgoodwin · 8/10 · 8 November 2023]

Like the show but Uncle Felix is terrible and ruins it hope he is not in it for long, very poor acting and the fake beard and hair is horrible. Nearly finished episode two and had to write this review because he is soooooo bad in it, could have got someone off the street to do better. Very interesting show and story line is good and I am enjoying watching have to fast forward when Uncle Felix is in it. All other cast are great. Lucy is excellent and loved her in the Marvel series Jessica Jones and Keely Hawes id good even though it's difficult to get past her not having a British accent overall a good show.

Godawful

[MongoLloyd · 2/10 · 5 November 2023]

I'm a sucker for any kind of sci-fi with a female lead but this dreck is plagued by horrid casting, amateurish writing, and once that happens, nothing can save what follows. I admit, I could only get through one and a half episodes but that was more than enough. All the weird looking people acting strangely was enough to convince me of the above and seek out the original Canadian series which is starkly different in all regards and unlike this mush, is actually really engaging.

The one off the charts bits of terrible writing has the hero, Ritter, kidnapping her probable teenage clone and constantly accusing her of being "in on it," while "it" has yet to be established and how even is an obviously clueless teenage phone addict "in" on anything other than tiktok controversy?

I will be shocked if this sees a 2nd season.

Worthwhile, engaging, and unique follow-up to the original.

[ustinah · 9/10 · 5 November 2023]

Going into this series, I was expecting a show that would be weaker than the original, considering I did not know the new staff in any way. However, in a stroke of good fortune, this series is made with the utmost care and compassion for the original show, echoing (pun intended) the original in its narrative but telling a completely unique story.

Without spoiling, the premise of this show is like the original, but with far different and sometimes more horrifying implications. While the original dealt with identity based on environmental differences, this focuses on differences in memory.

The story remains engaging and exciting throughout - no old Orphan Black fan will be put off by the pacing or the thrills. It's not guns blazing like the original, but finds new avenues to pump the series with the adrenaline and intrigue it needs.

New characters are genuinely endearing and earn the care of the audience. Returning (!) characters are treated with a great deal of respect for the original source material, and adding onto it in turn.

Even without the ties to the original source material, there would be a lot to love here. But the ties it does have adds a dimension to the story that enriches it and would not have been as rewarding otherwise. This is a story that acts on its own, as well as a continuation, and because of that I would recommend watching the original. However, if you can't, this works as its own story too.

A major highlight is episode 5, which may very well be one of the strongest episodes in all of the series. It tells a delicate, mature, nuanced character story that I think is among the best episodes of the entire Orphan Black universe - including the original show. Perhaps top 5, even. And the ending pulls off a gambit that. While not as paradigm shifting as the original, is just as risky and bold, if not more, and absolutely earns its keep.

Only one point has been removed due to some slightly uneven editing in the first three episodes, as well as a handful of production issues. The setting does in fact feel a little out of place considering the year it is set in. However, none of that in the end distracts completely from what is an overwhelmingly, resoundingly successful unique follow-up to the original, and a show with enough gusto to hold its own as a completely separate work..

So much talent wasted

[Skreee · 4/10 · 7 November 2023]

The writing and editing is so bad, it is distracting.

My "favourite" scene is where a doctor is helping a character with regaining her memories, literally having her repeat information about her life. And when the person asks whether she can now go live with somebody, the doctor scolds her that she can't: "I thought you knew that!". You literally explained TO HER that she lost *all* her memories! YOU would have had to give her that information!

The choices are so perplexing!

Having it set in the future, with everything basically looking the same, minimal differences in technology and clothes (oooh, self driving cars, how "futuristic"). Adults walking into a night club in office clothes (and getting IN!). The weird cheap wigs. Having a 33-year old playing a 70-year-old. Having a Canadian doing a weird over-the-top 1940s British accent, while the British actress does an American Accent (I get why. But it's very distracting). Having characters explain and explain after we just saw what they are explaining (two kids talking about their parents and their strained relationship). It is all quite tedious and boring.

Which is sad. Because we know these actors are capable.

Get through the first episode, the rest is golden

[valinvancouver · 8/10 · 13 December 2023]

I initially ditched this part way through the first episode but then I saw a youtube vid that made me want to give it a second chance. I ended up binging it, finding it pretty compelling from the end of the 1st episode onward. For fan service there's a couple of cameos from, and a few references to, Orphan Black. It wasn't hard to buy into the main lead being Sarah's daughter Kira as an adult. The sci-fi storyline is good. They took it a step further in using it to explore human connections, love and grief, and also varying viewpoints. This show has a lot of heart. The ending is clearly set up for a second season, I hope they renew it.

A poor man's Orphan Black

[michaelheath-71560 · 3/10 · 9 November 2023]

Having watched Orphan Black I kind of knew this wouldn't be very good. Orphan Black was held together by the amazing performance.of Tatiana Maslany and some decent writing. This show has neither. The lead actors are decent enough. I don't think Krysten Ritter could put in a bad performance. Her character here is basically Jessica Jones without the alcohol tolerance and super human strength. There was a fight scene where I was kind of wondering why Jessica Jones was letting a guy win.

There are some pretty woeful supporting performances. One in particular is embarrassingly bad with ridiculous make up to match.

On the topic of that embarrassing character, Echoes' narrative connection to Orphan Black feels like a bit of reverse engineering. My guess is they had a show about clones, realised it would be dismissed as a poor man's Orphan Black, and went, "hey let's do this". The connection has no real influence on the plot and means characters from Orphan Black have to be shoehorned into the story for no particular reason.

The writing is wildly inconsistent in quality. Again I think this has to do with needing to constantly establish that this is an Orphan Black show. There are also bits of quite horrible writing. The one that really stood out for me was when two characters go for a ride to talk about something incredible and unbelievable (that one of them is a clone]. You then see the characters arriving at their destination having had the conversation. When you're relying on the audience to write the script for you then you're in trouble.

In the end the real problem is it's impossible to suspend disbelief. The clones simply don't look like each other. It's not unusual having different actors playing a character at different ages but they're never all on screen at the same time. Perhaps if the plotting wasn't a bit silly and the writing was better and the acting wasn't so occasionally awful, then maybe you could get away with it.

So why 3 stars. Despite everything I did enjoy it and I did finish it. There are enough good bits and good ideas to keep you interested. I binged it in two days and that helped. I didn't have long enough to dwell on the show's obvious flaws.

Great Spin-Off

[yszhb · 10/10 · 3 November 2023]

I'm only halfway into the series and I'm already hooked!

This series will likely be a hit with both newcomers and veterans alike. Anyone that was a fan of the original will appreciate this fresh take on the world, and new watchers will have no issues following the storyline in my opinion. The story is incredibly captivating and has had me so eager to binge the entire thing.

Even with so many callbacks to the original series and returning characters the show still manages to keep its own identity and individuality.

With great casting for returning characters and even some you may remember, everyone does an incredible job in their roles. I specifically need to applaud the casting of 2030 Kira. She looked so specifically like her mother's clone and like Kira herself from the original I was dumbfounded. I do not think she could have been cast more perfectly.

Lastly the musical composition. It's so on point with how it should be. It's so familiar and yet different at the same time, and when the end credits played for the first time it just gave me such great throwback vibes.

All in all I would highly recommend this series to any original or newbie to the universe, and am very much crossing my fingers for a Tatiana Maslany cameo in the second half of the series.

Incredibly bad

[michalguver · 1/10 · 6 November 2023]

Don't waste your time. It has the improve high school theatre vibe in a very bad way. Not sure what happened to the actress in recent years but her performance lacks believability, and it's detracting from the overall experience. The setting's attempt to blend 2052 with vintage elements creates confusing vibes. Additionally, the dialogues get worse with every scene. I couldn't even finish one episode. I loved the original orphan black, it had great story and Tatiana was incredible strong female lead, that sold the story. She was the story. Sad how one actress can do it all with no recognition and this one can't do it together with 20 other actors, yet is overhyped. Overall, the production struggles to capture the magic of its predecessor.

An impressive echo of a loved series

[skpn123 · 10/10 · 8 November 2023]

I thought that Orphan Black would be a close to impossible act to follow however I thought wrong: The constant violent deaths in OB was not my style though I loved the story and the acting. The strong female leads also seemed unfeasible to attempt to equal.

But the cast in Orphan Black: Echoes are truly masterful in their own way - there are definitely echoes of the predecessor (excuse the pun) but nothing jarring or repetitive.

In addition, there is a strong relational arc which I really love. Couple relationships, family bonds and genetic connection are all played out with gentle creative strokes. There is a slow but effective build on each of the relationship arcs.

I found the themes disturbing. What is intended to be for good, helping mankind ends up in simple exploitation driven by greed. There are woke elements but they are not too jarring.

Overall, bravo to all involved!!!

Irritatingly mediocre. I wanted better.

[HorrorFilmHellion · 4/10 · 5 November 2023]

The casting and scripting on this show is quite weak.. and distractingly so. I liked OB because it was less childish with its content, even though it was highly diverse.. and the characters and script were engaging and solid. This is a weak gender-absent sibling with rediculous scripting such as "a health center rooted from social justice.." Ritter looks and feels like Jessica Jones for the most part. The lesbian love story is fine I guess, and I was interested to see it through, but the sociopolitical pandering smothers the execution to be a sloppy affair. The future bits look 5 years older than today, minus an occasional cgi backdrop or set gimmick. Still, it carries some spirit and occasional nod or guest appearance towards the original show, and it has the ghost of the same feel to it.. its just not near as good, unfortunately..

I recommend Orphan Black: Echoes. It has potential

[mamalimaria · 10/10 · 7 November 2023]

I really don't understand the negativity towards this series...They rate it 1, 2 and it's so weird because the series is good. The problem is that you compare the original with this. WHY??

They are two different series. With different stories, different characters. Why do you keep comparing them? It's so unfair. The Orphan Blach: Echoes isn't the continuation of Orphan Black. If you have that in my mind, you will like the NEW series.

The best story is Kira and her family. I'm invest in them and they are the key of the whole series. Keeley Hawes carries the series. Also Jules is very interesting character. As for Krysten Ritter, she's okay but she just needs more time to grow on fans.

Things I don't like: Too many characters without a reason. Charlie & Jack are some characters who offer nothing...They are incredible boring and they must go.

I want this series to have a season 2, without a doubt. They just need to focus on the interesting characters. Fans must watch it till the end, because season 1 ends with a huge cliffhanger...I think you will like it.

weak

[imizrahi2002 · 4/10 · 13 November 2023]

A weak weekly.

It's not that i don't have the ability to separate the two series, Orphan Black and Orphan Black: Echoes, it's just that one was seriously(seriesly? Yeah...this is me throwing in ridiculous filler to meet the 'required characters') good(Orphan Black) and the sequel, Orphan Black: Echoes isn't. It's weak television. So the name applies aptly...but it's a DIStant echo. Again. Weak.

The acting is fine. But, talk about filler, the action is not. And neither is most of the dialogue. I just don't feel like the actors have much to work with...it's mediocre at best...part of the filler i spoke of is the main character running from one place to another without furthering the plot any.

I only watched the pilot...but i won't waste any more time on this. And i doubt it will be renewed for a second season...

An even more captivating story than Orphan black

[adrienfoulonlfgeb · 10/10 · 14 November 2023]

The story plot and the acting are really on par with the original serie, the storytelling and music are also really good and will definitely make some emotional

It's one of the only shows where I have not been able to guess the plot from the first 10 minutes.

In fact I really like that there is a few clues in the serie that are simply plot dead ends that you would have never guessed

The only let down is maybe some scenes could have had just a few more shots to better understand what is going on (I could have used a shot of seeing Kira pregnant to understand to understand where is the baby from for instance) but it's just some detail that you eventually just accept as obvious a few minutes later

I honestly don't get the hate or the low rating, it's an absolute banger of a show, can't wait for season 2 already, I watched the whole 10 episodes in 2 days, that's how much I enjoyed this

They also managed to get a few of the old actors from orphan black to make the story more compelling and connected to the original story.

Overwhelmingly Predictable

[studumpling · 4/10 · 18 January 2024]

If the twist of "there is another clone" still works on you after five seasons of the original show, boy do I have a show for you.

The complaints in the rest of these reviews of the first episode are 100% accurate - the show picks up a bit after. And Jessica Ritter proves she's good in Jessica Jones type roles by, well, being basically Jessica Jones in this.w

The rest of the cast is all over the place. The main villain of the season is about as intimidating as a snoring elderly pug. There are 2-3 actors who I know are good because I've seen them be good elsewhere who are just nothing in this (Keely Hawes as Kira, girl what are you doing).

Now, here's the thing: the OG Orphan Black has a ton of filler in later seasons and a lot of phoned-in performances with mediocre scripts, and people look past that because Maslany was so good it didn't matter. Unfortunately, if you take Tatiana out of the mix, all you're left with is filler, mediocre scripts and phoned-in performances.

This could have been good. But it just isn't. And I think that's mostly keeping with og Orphan Black, which got worse as time went on. Time to put it to rest or let someone more capable try this subject matter out.

An enjoyable offshoot of the original

[somethingreal81 · 8/10 · 29 February 2024]

I'm not really sure what the people who wrote the negative reviews were expecting. While Orphan Black:Echoes isn't as good as the first couple of seasons of the original Orphan Black, it is FAR better than the later seasons of the original show, which completely went off the rails imo. The first episode of Echoes was admittedly a little slow, but after that I found myself totally hooked. My only real criticism is that some of the casting choices felt a little odd, but certainly not enough to interfere with my enjoyment. For fans of the original there are also some fun easter eggs and appearances by members of the original cast. If you liked the original show, I'd say it's worth at least giving this one a try.

Hard to watch

[opmail-10673 · 4/10 · 28 November 2023]

I loved the original series, but cancelled Echoes within Episode 3. The cast, apart from Keeley, is hard to watch and the acting in general is really dumb and basic - theater high school Level.

Bringing back characters from the original series was a brave move - I laughed soo hard - but not in a good way.

The part with the girl-boy-girl and the sign language?! Why? To be inclusive? She played well, but why that story???

The rushed sex scene felt so uncomfortable, I needed to fast forward.

I cannot recommend the spin off at all... Although the story might be interesting and I like the way the Set up the scene... but the execution is a mess...

How to top a great?

[weAlliNothing · 10/10 · 21 November 2023]

Well to answer my question I'd have said, simply, make it greater. And so in Orphan Black: Echoes that is exactly what they did.

Everything else I was going to say and more has already been said by others that gave this 10/10. So I'll simply say, read all off them to.

If you liked OB you are gonna love OBE. It's not got the same level of terror that comes to us in Orphan Black but you have a feeling it's not far away. But the show has links to and star from Orphan Black making an appearance.

But I trust this is the first of many seasons as it surely is a favourite of mine for 2023.

Don't miss it.

Meh

[simbiat · 3/10 · 16 December 2023]

I liked original "Orphan Black" (for the most part), but this one felt really uninspiring. I could not even finish the first episode properly.

Original was far from perfect, especially its last season (or maybe like 1.5 seasons even), which felt very rushed and chaotic, and I could barely make sense of anything happening on screen. But most part of it did have good pacing: it was fast, but it knew when to slow down and give you a conversation, that could stir important thoughts in your head. Sequel does not have that.

It felt really slow. Which is not a bad thing, some movies and series are meant to be slow, to have sort of brooding atmosphere. Very often that works really well with psychological stuff, with thriller. Echoes tried to be thriller-ish within first minutes, but it fell flat in my eyes.

I think the issue is combination of the writing and the casting. I liked Avan Jogia in "Twisted", he did an amazing job for the character and all the mysticism parts of it. I loved Krysten Ritter in "Jessica Jones", she was amazing as this sort of cynical and brooding character. I thought they could make things work in the world of "Orphaned Black", because original did touch (heavily) on topic that fit both "brooding" and "mysticism" concepts.

In reality, Avan felt more like an eye candy, which is not bad by itself, but I did not feel anything else behind the character. And Krysten... As one of the reviews put it: "she lacks range". Tatiana Maslany was pulling original show even in last season simply because of how great she was at portraying different characters in different circumstances.

Ritter's character Lucy, though... Even though she is just one character she is shown to be mutli-faceted person, but... They all feel same. They all feel boring and mundane. Because Lucy is an empty shell, that has been around for like 2 years? Or because she is poorly written? I think the latter, because grown adult with a life experience of 2 years can be an interesting topic to explore.

I admit, that I may be biased, because I did not even finish the first episode, but to me it still says a lot: there's just no hook besides in this show besides a familiar name.

As good as the original

[recklessmeepe · 10/10 · 23 January 2024]

This spin-off is filled with greatness. Since the first episode when they present the main characters is kind of clear how wonderful and exciting the whole season will be. I love how is actually connected with the original orphan black compared with other spin-off that were a total disaster. I mean they've worked to maintain the original show essence.

To be completely honest, i came without expectations and was prepared to be dissapointed but i actually enjoyed every single second of this show and will wait for the next season with excitement.

It is as good as the original. Thanks to the stranger that recommended it to me.

A Massive let Down

[AngelHonesty · 4/10 · 28 April 2024]

I loved the original Orphan Black. It's one of my favourite series. I was quite excited to see where this new one was going to take the story. Unfortunately I was so let down.

There is no grit. There is no real mystery to uncover or bad guy to take out. There are no deep onion layers to dig through. Or cool exciting characters to find. It's so fluffy and boring compared to the original series.

The writing is so bad. The show could have been summoned up in one episode and yet somehow they manage to drag it out for 10 by adding in too many empty filler scenes that it gets boring fast. They had a great cast, but no real story to act out. What's even more disappointing is that this is supposed to be the future. And yet there is no future tech. No cool costumes. Everything is the same, except everyone has an electric car, and there's less violence. Where is the creativity? Where is the cool tech? To make it even worse they have Kira looking like a sixty year old. Which means Sarah and the other clones would be in their eighties. And yet they talk like they are young and spry and out saving the world. To top it all off, they didn't do one episode with Tatinan Maslany.

In the original Orphan black, cloning was bad. You got people playing god and making armies of clones. Everyone wanted power... it's understandable. But in this new series, remind me again what is so bad about printing a dead loved one? No one is making clone armies here. No one is selling prints for money or personal gain. The answer that they give you in the series is that, it's heartless to bring a teenager into the world that has no past memory of who they are. We need to stop this and rescue them so that they aren't confused about who they are... what is so evil about this?

Another thing that makes no sense is why the richest man on earth only has three body guards to do his biding. These three people better bring down the bad scary prints and if they can't do it... no one can.

To top it all off, I made it through all ten episodes hoping the end would end with a bang of some riddled plot that makes you finally feel like you've found out a secret and uncovered evil. It's a let down.