Clone Club, are you ready for another wild ride that is a season of Orphan Black? That’s what’s coming up when the series returns to BBC America on April 18 for its third season, and with the introduction of Project Castor, there are more clones than ever — and more to be explored.
BuddyTV joined a conference call with series star Tatiana Maslany to get the scoop on what to expect in season 3, from the Leda clones to the Castor clones, from Kira to Art, and more.
“It’s a huge season,” the actress said, and while answers are coming, like in previous seasons, don’t think that doesn’t mean you’ll just end up with more questions. “The mysteries continue to unravel and like in seasons past, as soon as you get a little bit of a clue into what’s happening, the rug gets pulled out from under you and you have a thousand more questions.”
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Who Can Be Trusted?
Mrs. S and Paul may be off Sarah’s list, but is that permanently? It very well may be for Paul. In the season 2 finale, Mrs. S sat with Paul and watched as the military took Helena, and that’s something that has “changed the game in terms of who Sarah can trust,” Maslany revealed. “I think Paul was always somebody that Sarah was wary of, and at this point, he’s really kind of sealed the deal on how she feels about him.” So no more Hot Paul in Sarah’s life for good?
On the other hand, Mrs. S’ betrayal is “more complicated” because of what she means to Sarah. “Sarah had really started to take on this idea of Mrs. S being her mother, being part of her family, and being somebody she could trust,” the actress explained. “This betrayal is so enormous [because] it forces Sarah into some of the most difficult decisions she’s had to make so far on the series.”
Honesty and Burying a Body Is Good for a Marriage
Season two also saw Donnie find out that Alison is a clone, and he quit his job as a monitor in quite the explosive way: by accidentally killing Dr. Leekie. The couple then shared their killer secrets — she was there when Aynsley died, he shot Dr. Leekie and put his body in the trunk — and together, they buried him in their garage. “There’s a sense of understanding why the two of them get together and why they work,” Maslany said. “We’ve only ever seen them in conflict before this, so it’s really nice to get to explore their romantic feelings towards each other and the sense of them being a team.” Expect more from Team Hendrix in season three.
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No More Making Crazy Science Together?
It seems as though season three is going to put Cosima and Delphine back where they started: “on opposite sides of the equation.” Even though Delphine is her monitor, “Cosima continually trusts Delphine and continues to love her and romanticize what they could be,” Maslany admitted. “There’s definitely a lot of conflict.” Even though they may want to be together, that doesn’t mean they can. Delphine’s taking on a new role at Dyad, and Cosima has to protect her sisters, so once again, they’re on opposite sides.
Felix’s “Unlikely Friendships” with Sarah’s Sisters
The first two seasons saw an odd — but very, very fun — relationship formed between Felix and Alison. Despite getting off to a rocky start, he became her confidant and the one she told about that unfortunate kitchen/scarf accident of Aynsley’s. In season three, it’s time for another “unlikely friendship” to form between Felix and another clone: his new roommate, Cosima.
Maslany shared that Jordan Gavaris doesn’t think that Felix trusts Cosima, but despite that, the two do “have so much in common in terms of just the shared experience in terms of being lonely.” “There’s just a heartache in the two of them, and so we really get to see that this season,” she said.
More from the “Moral Center”
Maslany sees Art as “this moral center” in the series, and while he has fought for the sisters, they’ve never explored why. “We get a lot more insight into him this season,” she revealed.
Along those lines, Art’s involved in the world of clones because he was Beth’s partner, and Maslany would love to explore more about the clones whose suicide at the train station kick-started this whole crazy ride for Sarah. “There’s a lot to her that is unknown and sort of has been hinted at,” the actress said. “I think she was going through a lot of turmoil and pain.” There’s so much to explore, especially when it comes to her relationships with Paul and Art.
A Family Compromised
Kira continues to be a “driving force” for Sarah, but because of that, Sarah is going to have to make difficult decisions that will affect her daughter. “This family unit [will] be compromised,” the actress shared.
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Will Tony Be Back?
While Maslany couldn’t say, she did like bringing him in to further explore identity in season two. If he does come back, she’d like to see more from him and Felix, as well as more from Tony’s backstory.
Shaking Up Rachel’s Facade
Maslany enjoys taking a character and showing them in a different light, and that’s what bringing Rachel’s father in last season allowed them to do with the pro-clone. “Rachel has always been sort of buttoned up and sort of aloof and difficult to access emotionally, so it was fun to get to push her in a new direction,” she explained.
“I think a lot of these clones are dealing with identity, and I think family has a lot to do with identity,” she continued. “So any time we get a little glimpse into the backstory of any of them or learn something that we didn’t know about them, it’s always exciting to see them sort of be shaken up by it, especially somebody like Rachel, who is so buttoned up and so together and seemingly together and seemingly untouched by any kind of pain or any kind of fears or insecurity.”
Expanding and Exploring the Clone World and its Surroundings
After the reveal of Project Castor in the season two finale, there is going to be a “shift” towards the male clones as they get explore them more in Orphan Black season 3, but also expect to see more from the characters in the clones’ lives, like Paul, Mrs. S and Donnie.
Bringing in Project Castor offers a new perspective on clones, as the male clones were raised self-aware, unlike those from Project Leda, whose journey includes finding out about one another and coming to terms with the fact that they’re clones, according to Maslany. “I think what [the Castor clones] offer us is another exploration of nature/nurture, a different one, a different perspective, a different kind of experiment.”
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With more clones on the table, might there be an even more complex scene than the dance party from the finale? “There’s some very cool clone scenes coming up,” Maslany allowed, but she wouldn’t say more. They do enjoy pushing the boundaries of what they can do with those clone scenes, so expect “more complex clone work this season,” especially as they grow more comfortable with the technology used to make those scenes happen.
A New Take on Playing Clones
Maslany couldn’t say enough good things about Ari Millen’s performance as he takes on playing the clones of Project Castor. “When I saw his first clone scene — I saw a rough cut of it — it was unbelievable. His understanding of the technical side of it while still being able to be present and be relaxed and not make it about just the technical, I was amazed by it. He’s kind of a natural at it, so it’s very cool to watch somebody else go through the same process I did.”
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The New Guest Cast
While she couldn’t say anything really about the characters they’ll be playing other than that they’re “awesome,” she did express how “lucky and honored” they are to have actors like James Frain and Justin Chatwin guest on the series. “James was such a blast to work with. He’s such a compelling actor and kind of has this darkness to him that’s so fun to play opposite. And Justin too is hilarious and offered a real great comedy to the series.”
Orphan Black season 3 premieres Saturday, April 18 at 9pm on BBC America.
(Image courtesy of BBC America)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
If it’s on TV — especially if it’s a procedural or superhero show — chances are Meredith watches it. She has a love for all things fiction, starting from a young age with ER and The X-Files on the small screen and the Nancy Drew books. Arrow kicked off the Arrowverse and her true passion for all things heroes. She’s enjoyed getting into the minds of serial killers since Criminal Minds, so it should be no surprise that her latest obsession is Prodigal Son.
