PBS Idea Channel

How Is Orphan Black An Illustration of the Simulacrum? (3x9)

Air date: May 14, 2014

SPOILERS FOR ORPHAN BLACK AHEAD... OK, so "Orphan Black" features clones brilliantly portrayed by Tatiana Maslany, and while watching their search for truth, we began to think: are we ALL clones? Hold up- we're not talking about sci-fi dystopia, but rather the concept of SIMULACRUM. "Orphan Black" seems to be a perfect illustration of the simulacrum, aka a copy without reference to an original. We see simulacra in pop art, in religion, even Disney World, but does going down this rabbit hole lead us to OURSELVES?