Orphan Black: Echoes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Orphan Black: Echoes Blu-ray Movie Review

So much potential, all to leave me shrugging my shoulders and muttering "eh"...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 8, 2025

The fun of the original Orphan Black was watching Tatiana Maslany inhabit four wildly different versions of the same woman, often sharing the same scene together. The story helped, of course, and did a fine job not only pitting Maslany's clones for and against one another, but also in weaving a larger tale of corporate corruption and scientific intrigue. Orphan Black: Echoes is amost Orphan Black in name only. It has more in common with its progenitor but barely, playing much more like a separate script was grafted into Orphan Black's lore to boost ratings than anything that expands upon the OG OB. The biggest carry-through from series to spin-off is little Kira Manning (played here by Keeley Hawes), all grown up and important, doctorate and all. It turns out the now-adult daughter of Orphan Black's Sarah Manning is at the center of Echoes' twisty crossroads... not that the Manning mantle or the original show's thrust ends up mattering all that much.

Set in 2052, thirty-seven years after the events of the original series, Orphan Black: Echoes examines the continued exploration and scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women -- amnesiac Lucy (Krysten Ritter), Dr. Kira Manning (Hawes), 16-year-old Jules (Amanda Fix), Elanor (Darros Rya Kihlstedt) and others -- as they weave into each other's lives and embark on a strange journey into their past and present selves, unravelling mysteries of their identity and uncovering a story of love and betrayal. The series also stars Avan Jogia, James Hiroyuki Liao, Reed Diamond, Tattiawna Jones, Zariella Langford-Haughton, Jonathan Whittaker, Jaeden Noel, Eva Everett Irving, Adam Kenneth Wilson, Liam Diaz, Alex Castillo, Izad Etemadi, Alice Hamid, Vinson Tran, Georgia Leva, Dayle McLeod, August Winter and Evelyne Brochu.

While Krysten Ritter is front and center on the cover art and promos, she's simply the biggest star on tap. The series actually divides its time fairly evenly between all its main characters, particularly the female leads, with Ritter often sitting second-chair to the smartly cast, exceptionally talented Amanda Fix. Performances are pretty terrific across the board -- if, that is, you enjoy a dash of comic-book villainy to your baddies -- and the confusion, heartache, despair, disappointment and other emotional extremes the series' women face are handled with almost effortless ease by a cast on their A-game. The scripts are a bit hit or miss, with early episodes seeming sluggish and unsure and later episodes striking as hurried and over-confident. It's a strange acceleration, but one that doesn't quite falter; pressing its advantage to its absolute breaking point, but thankfully without snapping under the strain.

But... there's always a but, isn't there? The science is garbled and jibbery, the plot developments too loose and overly manufactured, the dialogue too melodramatic, and the overarching story lacking precision and polish. It's not bad, just far too cliche and, well, ordinary, particularly considering the complexity, perfect balance of comedy and drama, and wink-a-minute entertainment of its parent series. Color me unimpressed. I'd still be willing to give a second season a shot, if only to see if the showrunners could pull off something more unique, but maybe I'm a glutton for punishment.

Unfortunately, AMC has already cancelled Echoes, meaning this is all we get. The 3-disc Blu-ray release of Orphan Black: Echoes features all ten (apparently) limited series episodes, which include:

1. Pilot - When Lucy's quiet life in the countryside is violently interrupted by forces from her past, she must escape to the city with her new chosen family to find answers, only to meet a familiar young woman who begs even more questions.

2. Jules - Lucy forces Jules to go to Settlement House where she enlists Craig's help in a haphazard interrogation. Kira receives an unexpected visit from a family member. Billionaire Paul Darros raises alarm with his team in his search for Lucy.

3. Pegasus Girl - Jules begins to question her past, taking Wes on a journey to investigate. Lucy and Jack chase down a lead that may reveal Jules' origin. And Kira confronts Darros about his handling of Lucy.

4. It's All Coming Back - With Jack supervising, Lucy and Jules turn to extreme measures to excavate a shared memory that may contain clues to their past. Kira encounters Emily at a Darros Foundation event and discovers she may be more friend than foe.

5. Do I Know You? - 30 years in the past, Kira's groundbreaking research captures the attention of Paul Darros as well as the affection of Professor Eleanor Miller.

6. Unless You Trusted Someone - After being kidnapped and taken to a mysterious compound, Jules attempts to escape captivity with the help of an unusual new friend, while Lucy and Kira chase down a lead looking to uncover how Jules was created.

7. The Dog's Honest Truth - Kira confronts hard truths when the printout she made of Eleanor meets Lucy, while Jules tries to turn the tables on Darros and Xander to escape the compound.

8. The Paradox of Joyce - Kira meets with Emily and realizes her loyalties are divided; Lucy and Craig track down Lucy's old flame to help unlock Darros security token. Jules and Eleanor reconnect with their closest relative and get a grim look at their future.

9. Attracting Awful Things - Lucy nurses Craig's gunshot wound as he fights for his life, Xander has a revelation while on the memory drug that may cause him to abandon his loyalty to Darros, and Kira gets closer to uncovering Darros' master plan.

10. We Will Come Again - After Charlie is kidnapped Lucy is left with a difficult choice, Kira and Eleanor finally uncover the connection between the twelve unidentifiable files and Darros' bigger plan... but it may be too late to stop him.

Orphan Black: Echoes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Orphan Black: Echoes at least looks the part. Dazzling fountains of color are bolstered by gorgeous primaries and inky blacks, with blues, reds and silvery whites taking lead roles in the palette. Skin tones are lifelike and convincing, saturation is rich but satisfying, and contrast is dialed in beautifully. Add to that precise detailing -- razor sharp edges, proficiently resolved fine textures, et al -- and you have an image that's sometimes as bold as it is breathtaking. The encode has a few nagging issues, namely minor compression artifacts, but instances are few and far between, and tough to spot in the first place.

Orphan Black: Echoes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Orphan Black: Echoes is also backed by a hearty, altogether assertive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is clear and intelligible at all times and prioritization is smart and savvy. LFE output kicks things up a notch whenever action or intrigue strikes and low-end support is quite notable for a lower budgeted TV series. Rear speaker activity rounds out the soundfield, creating an immersive string of spaces and locales that showcase plenty of environmental ambience and slick directional effects. Dynamics are excellent across the board too and the series' music delivers on all fronts.

Orphan Black: Echoes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Two extras are included: a pre-premiere "Inside Look" featurette essentially advertising the series and a collection of Episode Insiders, 3-5 minute behind-the-scenes shorts that aired after each episode.

Orphan Black: Echoes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Orphan Black: Echoes looks the high-concept sci-fi part, but it's ties to the original series are threadbare and its story isn't complex enough to hold attention. It's decent science fiction, I suppose. But if you're going to add the name Orphan Black to something, be ready to give the people what they want. Average doesn't cut it. AMC Studios' Blu-ray is at least a solid one, with an excellent AV presentation and a few short but worthwhile extras.