Alison and Helena unnecessary filler?

Alison's character was conceived from the start as one that tries to live a normal life. She pushes all the dealings with the science faction onto Sarah and Cosima. I would have had a bigger problem with the drug subplot if not for the fact that even in season one, Alison had a drug problem. It seems chilling now remembering that Aynsley urged Alison to take a "happy" pill. Even so, Alison got too withdrawn from the rest of the story in season three. However, there appears to have been a longer term plan of showing that Alison can't live a normal life, and that sooner or later, she'll was going to have to deal with the scientists.

I think your experience of these characters and their situations as like filler, if not pure filler, is related to the contrast in quality between setups and execution. Orphan Black is a case study in promising setups followed by mediocre to lackluster execution.

Whether one takes the broad view with S1 as a setup to the rest, or a narrower view with individual plot strands, the writers are all about promising setups, but with exceptions are at best mediocre at payoff.

This is why rationalizations that cite setups, like Alison's potential drug problem, miss the boat, because they don't address the source of the problem. The setup is fine. The source of the problem is the execution of that setup.

Your experience of "filler" is one of the symptoms of poor writing instinct. Alison and Helena - and Sarah too - were set up in ways that suggested great potential. But subsequent events and character exploration have had low impact and meaning relative to the potential of those setups.

Alison and Helena in particular became parodies of themselves. Sarah was tamed before S1 was over, her opportunistic, morally iffy street punk persona dropped as soon as she reconnected with her daughter, at which point they just recyled behaviour patterns. Cosima's always been a cute cypher, serving as a vehicle for scientific exposition and giving the show a tormented romantic relationship of no particular originality or distinction. How could it be otherwise for cute cyphers in love?


"You must not judge what I know by what I find words for." - Marilynne Robinson

Orphan Black is more than a scifi/mystery/thriller, it's also a character study about all of these women and how they can have identical genetics but turn out so differently. The stuff you see as filler is my favorite stuff, Alison, Helena, and Donnie are my three favorite characters and after watching the full episode I'll go back and rewatch just the scenes with those characters because they're so much fun.

Season 1 was very plot-focused and it was really good but I love that the show evolved to have more character focused and has let the characters exist, and develop, and grow and not just serve the plot.

Yup. No one can deny that lol

I've mentioned in the past that Alison could go away, but really, her value as soccer-mom contrast still has value, and as it turns out, I still really like Donnie. His participation in the last season was priceless, especially playing the gay partner.

Be careful with your words about Helena. And do NOT taunt the babies!

Be sure to proof your posts to see if you any words out

Regardless if you think Alison and Helena are filler clones I totally love them and find them each fascinating as they really feel like completely different people but played brilliantly by TM! Helena is Sarah's not just clone but twin sister and now she is having twins. I'm dying to see if see if her twins look like a combo of pseudo Shakira and Mini Me Kira or Sarah. It would be great if they had them look like other mini me pop stars just as an inside joke since everyone says Helena is looks likes a crazy, Russian version of Shakira. BTW, loving Crystal/Krystal and this clone was never supposed to have more than one non speaking scene during her near rape on video by the Castor Clones. TM did an amazing job of creating her into a more 3D character when we didn't need another clone and she is hysterical and one of TM's and one the whole cast and crews top 3 clones. I also love how TM got the idea of her personality from loving the comedy sketch Publizity from Comedy Central's The Kroll Show. That was may fav sketch and loved Nick Kroll's ugly Liz and how both Liz's always drank iced coffee or juices from a plastic cup and straw, with their crazy logic about PR and their shallow, mentality about life. TM has really pulled the best of those Liz
characters and made Crystal/Krystal one of the funniest clones since Alison/Helena. Also Donnie played by Christian Bruun always cracks me up as well as Felix (Jordan Gavrais). TM and JG can really pull off accents, especially South London accents like no one else I've heard in TV. I knew TM was Canadian but in the first showing the the S1E1, didn't remember JG from other shows as he's grown up and really thought he was an English Actor!!!

Not Agreed I watching orphan black for Helena and Alison cosima
Infect I say Sara manning is unnecessary filling she traveled a lot I really hate manning segments.

Helena and the talking scorpion was so stupid