Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Orphan Black: Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

A solid sophomore season earns a solid Blu-ray release...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 19, 2014

What's new to Orphan Black this season? Clout. What was once an unproven BBC America dark horse has quickly become one of television's must-see sci-fi series. Weirder, more unpredictable and somehow even more addicting than ever, Graeme Manson and John Fawcett's little high-concept thriller that could has evolved beyond its clone-meets-clones gimmick into something more measured, complex and infectious. It doesn't hurt that Tatiana Maslany and her lovely and talented co-stars -- chief among them Tatiana Maslany, Tatiana Maslany, Tatiana Maslany, Tatiana Maslany and... Tatiana Maslany -- have upped their game considerably, with richer, more wildly disparate performances than those delivered last season. (Not that the rest of the cast suffers, mind you, other than by comparison.) Manson and Fawcett, meanwhile, cleverly write themselves in and out of countless corners, most of which prove to be terribly exciting, terrifically entertaining and refreshingly bold. You could accuse the series and its masterminds of a lot of things but, as newcomer clone Tony will attest, being timid isn't one of them.

However, and brace yourself for a tall, towering however, Orphan Black's second season is also more problematic and a touch less focused than Season One. With Sarah on the run and her clones in various states of emotional and physical decay, the series gets a bit lost in its crisscrossing plotlines and wobbly tone, favoring jarring twists over subtler, more organic developments, an influx of new characters over a fully satisfying dissection of the colorful personalities on tap, and a final-act reshuffling of the deck that feels slightly convoluted. Then there are the first four episodes, which suffer in some ways as the creators slowly erect a very large stage with endless moving parts. The clone club fractured; the clones separated by circumstance, distance and, occasionally, purpose.

That doesn't mean the second season is unwatchable or unenjoyable. Far, far from it. When I used the word "addicting," I meant every syllable. Yet Orphan Black remains one of the most flawed series among my go-to DVR faves, with each misstep and questionable turn of events weighing heavier than the last. I'm officially a fan, but a cautious fan. Cautiously optimistic perhaps, but cautious all the same.

Orphan Black: Season Two features ten episodes spread across two BD-50 discs:

• Nature Under Constraint and Vexed: Sarah is out of options, on the run, and pursued by deadly adversaries. Desperate to find her daughter Kira, Sarah suspects ruthless pro-clone Rachel is behind her daughter’s disappearance and sparks an all out war. Alison and Donnie attend the funeral of Aynsley, causing Alison to sink into guilt and despair. Cosima is faced with a perplexing decision that may have dire consequences.
• Governed By Sound Reason and True Religion: While Alison struggles with Aynsley’s death and Cosima grapples with the worsening symptoms of her mysterious sickness, Sarah enlists Art’s help to find Kira and is shocked when she learns where the trail leads.
• Mingling Its Own Nature With It: After hitting the road with Felix, Sarah is forced to turn to a ghost from her past – an old flame named Cal Morison. When their brief respite is brutally shattered, Sarah realizes that no matter how far she runs, it will never be far enough.
• Governed as It Were By Chance: Sarah comes home to look for answers. With Cosima’s help, she digs into the origins of the clone experiment. The hunt takes her right into the belly of the beast, but getting out again could cost her more than she knows.
• Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est: Rachel goes on the warpath, lashing out at Sarah’s nearest and dearest. While she tries to keep her loved ones safe, an unexpected visitor threatens to derail Sarah’s plans.
• To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings: Sarah joins forces with an unlikely and untrustworthy ally, following a trail of clues that she hopes will lead her to the origins of the clone experiment. Cosima and Delphine make a discovery that could be the key to treating her illness. Alison finds herself in unsavory company at rehab.
• Knowledge of Causes, and Secret Motion of Things: When a rehab confidante betrays Alison and threatens to expose the truth about Aynsley’s death, she goes into free fall on the eve of Family Day. With Donnie and the kids set to visit, it’s all clones on deck to contain the fallout.
• Variable and Full of Perturbation : A new player in the clone conspiracy turns up at Felix’s door, sending him into crisis mode. With Cosima running out of options, Sarah struggles with the decision to surrender a crucial piece of leverage and make a deal with Dyad.
• Things Which Have Never Yet Been Done: Cosima takes a turn for the worse, forcing Sarah to take desperate action – with tragic consequences for those she loves. The Proletheans set their ultimate plan in motion. Alison and Donnie tangle with the law.
• By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried: Rachel’s latest ploy forces a broken Sarah to concede. The Clone Club springs into action, uniting in a reckless gambit to save Sarah. As they fight to gain their freedom, Sarah encounters a new ally and uncovers a terrifying new dimension to the conspiracy.

Orphan Black: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like the Blu-ray release of Season One, Orphan Black: Season Two offers a near-perfect 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation free from any glaring issues. The series' palette is often stylized, with stark but striking splashes of color, beautifully saturated skintones, deep black levels and consistently satisfying contrast. Detail is excellent too, with crisply defined edges and lifelike textures. There also isn't any significant ringing or aliasing to report, or macroblocking or banding for that matter. The only thing that hinders the image in any way is intermittent crush and occasional noise, both of which are either inherent to the series' photography or intentional. (Some FX shots are noticeably weaker than others -- a military plane in the season finale is home to a number of poorly green-screened elements -- but that has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the BBC encode.) All told, Orphan Black continues to impress in high definition.

Orphan Black: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Orphan Black: Season Two's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is very similar to the series' first-season Blu-ray release, and that's a very good thing. Dialogue is clean and intelligible at all times, with precise prioritization especially during more action-packed sequences. Rear speaker activity is decidedly decent, with transparent pans and solid directionality, and LFE output is strong and steady, albeit a tad subdued by design. Be that as it may, more aggressive elements are still suitably commanding and dynamics are quite notable, leaving little to complain about.

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

• The Cloneversation with Wil Wheaton (Disc 1, HD, 42 minutes): Self-amusing host Wil Wheaton does his best Chris Hardwick impersonation... to mixed, over-enunciated and frankly irritating results. Wheaton aside, the guests in this season preview are the real draw and the real delight. Tatiana Maslany (Sarah), Jordan Gavaris (Felix), Dylan Bruce (Paul) and Evelyne Brochu (Delphine) stop by, as do "Clone CLub Members" Patton Oswalt and Orlando Jones, sharing their favorite bits from Season One and teasing what's to come in Season Two.
• Behind the Scenes (Disc 2, HD, 38 minutes): Four featurettes take fans on a fairly length behind the scenes tour of the series' second season, with one even offering a more in-depth look at the making of a specific episode (201). Of particular note are the easy-to-follow breakdowns of several complex shots in which multiple clones appear. Segments include "Script to Screen," "Hair & Makeup," "The 2-Clone Smackdown" and "The 4-Clone Dance Party."
• Deleted Scenes (Disc 2, HD, 6 minutes): Co-creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett introduce and comment on three deleted scenes featuring Alison and Donnie that were cut from the season finale.
• Clone Club Insiders (HD, 9 minutes): Seven rapidfire cast, character and crew featurettes, among them "Sarah," "Cosima," "Alison," "Felix," "Graeme & John," "The Real Cosima" and "Tatiana's Double."

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

In many ways, Orphan Black's second season is arguably stronger and more engrossing than its first. In some ways, though, it's more schizophrenic, with a story that pulls in too many directions, a cast of clones and non-clones that continues to balloon, and twists heaped atop twists. Even so, Tatiana Maslany is a force to be reckoned with, Emmy nominations (or rather lack thereof) be damned. Where Season Three goes is anyone's guess, but I'll be waiting; eager, anxious and willing to follow wherever Manson and Fawcett lead. Thankfully, the 2-disc Blu-ray edition is worth the cost of admission. With a terrific video presentation and a notable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, you might just overlook the fact that its supplemental package doesn't have nearly as many extras as it could, or should.