The title of this post is wrong. You’re talking about Season Two, right?
Thanks! It should be fixed now.
I thoroughly enjoy this show. To me, it is that rare moment of discovery (new band, new book, new person, etc…) where I absolutely know I’m going to fall in love with the experience.
I’m glad so many others appreciate Orphan Black. My only fear is that the story gets shot down mid-arc. Maybe less of a concern with BBCA?
It’s a deplorable act, arguably worse than anything this show’s “villains” have done so far.
Really? Really. The intensity with which people are criticizing Alison is unnerving to me. It’s absolutely a deplorable thing for her to have done but Mrs. S gets a write up of how her trust was betrayed and the benefit of “morally gray” and Alison gets “this is definitely worse than locking a girl in a cage and teaching her to self-harm as an act of redemption for sure. Also all those times that innocent people were shot in the head, what Alison did was way worse than that.” It was a poor decision, and someone is dead from it, but it was not premeditated or cold blooded. The lack of empathy for her character is boggling to me.
It still says season 1.
These are very good points, especially re: Tomas and Helena. What’s personally so unsettling about Alison’s act to me is that it felt so unnecessary. Whereas Mrs. S’s actions could be seen as self-defense (or defense of Kira), Alison thought Aynsley was fleeing town and would no longer be working as her monitor. Killing Aynsley wasn’t a way to protect her family, it was a way to seek revenge. And while the death wasn’t premeditated, Alison had PLENTY of time to save Aynsley’s life. This wasn’t a quick accident in which she was reacting on instinct. Alison’s hand hovered over the garbage disposal switch and she actively chose not to flip it. In my mind, that’s not a “poor decision,” that’s murder. (Also, for what it’s worth, Alison is my favorite character on the show. I think it’s possible to be both empathetic towards her but also condemn her actions.)
I think that’s just on the bbs page. It’s fixed on the main page, not sure if there’s a way to change this one.
Ah OK. 
Yes, she definitely didn’t act when she should have. I think it takes it way far into morally gray territory! I think there’s some argument for being pushed past the point of rational decision making, which doesn’t absolve her action (or inaction) by a long shot, but she was so convinced that Aynsley was her monitor, and she didn’t think it would stop. All of them have been so jerked around by everyone and everything they thought they knew, and Alison is already a raw nerve barely holding it together.
I think that it was really unfortunate, and I agree it wasn’t necessary (but I do like where they’re taking it). But I think the reaction to Alison overall (not just this: John Green compared her to Walt in Breaking Bad), the utter disgust and fervor with which people are demonizing Alison is really unsettling, and I wanted to point out that in no rational world is Alison’s second degree murder by conscious inaction on the same level as shooting the night cook who wanted to help Sarah.
I think it may be because the scenario is one that is easy to view through one’s expectation of self. (It sure felt wrong deeply to me.) So it is understandable that folks demonize her in an attempt to gain moral distance. The vitriol may be self-reflective.
Yup. All of the clones have deep mental or physical flaws. This is central to Alison’s decision-making. She is in a terrible spot, burdened by her own devils and makes a terrible choice.
I think this is where the expectation of self argument (“If it was me…”) breaks down. Nobody is Alison and nobody is in her shoes. Also, stressful situations increase the likelihood of stupid choices (It’s why training is important) so if you haven’t been in a similar situation you just don’t know how you would act.
Again, I don’t condone Alison’s behavior, but context matters. The writers are doing a wonderful job of making Alison’s flawed actions congruent with her character.
Ainsley deserved to die. The only thing heinous about her death is that the method was absurd and impossible. Disposals don’t work like that.
I spotted a formatting typo. The “negligible homicide” link goes to www.avclub, which is an incomplete URL.
Maybe it wasn’t a normal disposal, but instead a stealth shredder, geared out to support Ainsley’s status as an additional monitor. ;-0 Why would anyone assume there would be only one watcher per clone? I would think that Detective Frau Sphincterclench was another of Beth’s, as well.
Fixed it.
Agreed. Judge Not lest Ye be judged.
Allison has made a lot of bad decisions since her carefully constructed world began systematically turning against her.
How can anyone know that, under stress, they wouldn’t make a similarly horrible snap decision? — even something that, in retrospect, was clearly second degree murder?
Allison actions where shaped by her sheltered life. When you’re upper-middle class, the constraints of modern life don’t tend to bite with the same harshness and finality as they do for others.
Sheltered Allison didn’t really think she was killing her best friend. She was just insanely pissed off, and hey, they were all going to laugh about this later over a bottle of Chardonnay, right?
As part of my job, I sometimes find myself visiting BBC Worldwide’s NYC offices, and once was there when Tatiana Maslany was recording a promo in their lobby. I VERY MUCH regret that I was not a fan of the series at the time, otherwise I would have been in absolute heaven just being a few dozen feet away from her! I think she’s absolutely amazing, and the series is phenomenal. On some levels reminds me of Dollhouse, which I also think was primo stuff. Hope Orphan Black does better than two seasons, but given the cult factor and that they have massive billboards covering times square, I’m hopeful!
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