ORPHAN BLACK: An Ode to Felix, The Best Brother Ever

“Orphan Black”

Everyone is talking about the mesmerizing chameleon work of Tatiana Maslany as her various incarnations in the series ORPHAN BLACK, but one of the more fascinating characters making up the clone-club world is Sarah’s right-hand man, Felix (Jordan Gravari’s).

Sarah would literally be up a creek without the one person who has her back, her foster-brother Felix; even Paul (Dylan Bruce) had not been solidly on Sarah’s side to support her and help her until last week’s episode “Parts Developed In An Unusual Manner.”  Before that, Paul was really just monitoring Sarah’s increasingly erratic behavior.  It had been Paul’s job to only watch, not assist.

“Orphan Black”

But Felix, through the familial bonds of being her brother and the bonds of friendship forged over decades growing up together, has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty.  When Sarah appears out of the blue after a 10-month absence, Felix drops everything to be at her beck and call, including: planning a fake funeral to throw Sarah’s dubious ex-boyfriend Vic (Michael Mando) off her trail; hiding and selling the illicit cocaine that Sarah stole from Vic; covering with Sarah’s adoptive mother Mrs. S  (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and Sarah’s daughter Kira (Skyler Wexler); nearly getting shot in head; playing faux bartender for Sarah’s clone Allison’s block party; and then in last week’s episode, Felix infiltrated the goth Neolution club to scope out the set up for Sarah before she stuck her neck out.  Felix also anxiously waited to see if Sarah was successful in rescuing Paul, being her backup in case she didn’t make it out.  That’s Felix’s biggest job, having Sarah’s back.  He is literally the only person she trusts enough with her own well-being.

However, Felix is not just her back-up plan and her brother; Felix is really the only one that Sarah knows will always be there no matter what.  He may be the first to tell her that she’s out of her mind, but when things really start to get weird or out of hand, he is there.

“Orphan Black”

On the lighter-side, Felix is an outrageously fun character in his own right.  He is not just the loyal brother, the confidante, and the fixer; Felix is Mr. Party.  He doesn’t live just for his sister. He sneaks in flings with every good-looking guy that crosses his path – morticians not excepted.  His sense of style and fashion would put most runway models to shame.  And he knows exactly what to say, no matter what the occasion; a few favorites include: “Impersonating a dead officer – that’s like a whole new crime” and “I’m beginning to realize crazy is genetic.”  Sassy one-liners and eye-popping fashion aside, Felix is the kind of person we all want in our lives.  Someone who is so self-possessed and confident that we can lean on them when our lives go to hell.  In Sarah’s case, that is pretty frequently, so perhaps Felix has learned to be the reliable and secure one in their relationship out of necessity.

Sarah brings the adventure to ORPHAN BLACK, but Felix brings the fun.  The show would be just another gripping drama series without its perfectly timed moments of levity and the reminder that there is a family at the heart of the show.  Sarah and Felix’s relationship is stronger than most siblings.  Their time in the foster care system raised under the strong-willed and stringent Mrs. S taught them that they needed each other, and yet they also appreciate the other for the person they have become.  Neither Sarah or Felix seeks to fix or curb the lifestyle of the other.  When Sarah announces she is taking over the identity of her clone Beth, a cop, Felix barely bats an eyelash.  In turn, Sarah takes it in stride with the constant parade of lovers leaving Felix’s place.  These are the norms in their lives and they accept each other wholly as who they are.  The core of their relationship is founded on love. They love each other for exactly who they are and what they may do.  Though we suspect Felix’s love must be the stronger given the craziness that tends to rain down as a result of Sarah’s life choices.  Felix is Sarah’s “constant” – the one person she depends on when everything goes to pieces.  Wouldn’t we all kill to have a brother like that?

Kudos to Jordan Gavaris for bringing such joie de vivre to his portrayal of Felix.  Even during the more over-the-top moments, we sense that there is a feeling of love underlying the performance.  Jordan clearly loves playing Felix and we feel that radiant joy and embrace it.  He lights up the screen and we are riveted watching him.  For what would Sarah , with all her clones, be without her one person to call in a pinch?
Here’s to many more Felix moments, whether it is sitting in the car with the police on speed-dial, posing as a straight bartender, parading around in his erotic kimonos, or playfully reminding Sarah that pretending to be a cop doesn’t actually make her a cop.  He’s the cherry-on-top of this spectacular new series.  It may be clone-club on the show, but count me for the Felix-club.

To see what wondrous antics Felix is up to next, be sure to tune in for an all new episode of ORPHAN BLACK on Saturday, May 18^th at 9:00 p.m. on BBC America.

“Orphan Black”

“Orphan Black”

“Orphan Black”

“Orphan Black”

“Orphan Black”

DOCTOR WHO Redux: The Mystery of ‘The Name of The Doctor’

There is no greater mystery in DOCTOR WHO than the name of The Doctor (Matt Smith). That is until The Doctor met Clara Oswald (Jenna Louise Coleman) – “The Impossible Girl” who kept dying on him. As the show’s seventh season comes to an end this Saturday, fans are going to be wondering which of the two massive mysteries will DOCTOR WHO answer. Given the unlikelihood that a show that has been on for over 50 years would choose to reveal it’s grand mystery as to The Doctor’s identity, it is more likely that we will instead find out how it is possible for Clara Oswald to keep popping up in The Doctor’s life. But it will be a shame if they do for it has provided a grand mystery for the past season.

 

“Doctor Who”

From the minute Jenna Louise Coleman popped up on screen as the mysterious Oswin in “Asylum of the Daleks,” we knew something significant was going on. Our brains told us that she was destined to be The Doctor’s next companion, but then Oswin died. Then when Jenna appeared in the annual Christmas episode, “The Snowman” as Clara, we just knew she was around to stay this time – particularly after Amy and Rory’s tragic departure in “The Angels Take Manhattan.” Yet, we were wrong again – and we wept giant tears along with The Doctor over Clara’s lifeless body. That blasted girl had the audacity to die twice. And so the hunt was on.

Thus, we were breathless with glee watching The Doctor unknowingly encounter Clara as a young child in prequel to “The Bells of Saint John” and even more ecstatic when he heard her voice in at the beginning of “The Bells of Saint John.” The time had finally come and we would find out why Clara had died twice before. Yet in great agonizing fashion, the seventh season rolled right along with nary a clue as to the answer of why Clara had been destined to have died twice before and whether she was on the cusp of dying yet again. These past seven episode were instead tantalizing teasers as to the mystery of “The Impossible Girl.” Our brains and emotions raced right along with The Doctor as he fervently tried to keep Clara safe and out of harm’s way. Nary a Spoonhead, Ice Warrior, parasite, molten creature, ancient leeches, or wayward Cyberman was going to get in The Doctor’s way. It made for an grand adventure spanning the course of the entire season. The sassy Ms. Oswald seemed perfectly normal, and had we not seen her live two entirely different lives, we would have been none the wiser. Yet we had; and like The Doctor, the mystery keep tugging on our brains ‘til we felt as if we may also go a bit mad.

 

“Doctor Who”

Yet as The Doctor and the audience were struggling to fathom the mystery of Clara, Clara had her own mystery to unravel. One of the few companions to try to look a bit deeper into who The Doctor actually was, Clara’s curiosity was insatiable. In her mind, everyone had a name and the name of The Doctor was just the perfect mystery for her to solve. Quite by accident she discovered it in a book in the episode “Journey To The Centre of the TARDIS,” but that precious discovery was washed away when time reset itself at the end of the episode. But just because time reset does not mean that Clara forgot that she really wanted to know the name of The Doctor. For surely he must have a name – why hide it?

In a massively big tease, executive producer Steven Moffat entitled the finale episode of this season “The Name of The Doctor.” That coupled with the spoilerish slip announcing that Alex Kingston would be back to reprise her role as River Song, the heightened expectations have begun to reach a frenzy. Would the show actually tell us his name – after all these years? And if we do get a name, what does it mean that The Doctor kept it hidden for nearly a millennium? What power does a name wield? For Time Lords it just may give someone the power of them? But what is the true answer?

We are just dying of curiosity to find out. But if forced to choose between the two burning mysteries, The Doctor’s name and the reason that Clara is “The Impossible Girl,” which shall weigh out?

To see which is answered and which remains for another day, be sure to tune in for the seventh season finale of DOCTOR WHO on Saturday, May 18th at 8:00 p.m. on BBC America.

“Doctor Who”

“Doctor Who”

“Doctor Who”

“Doctor Who”

“Doctor Who”

 

 

 

 

What’s next and upcoming on MERLIN – “The Drawing of the Dark”

“Merlin”

Loyalty or Love? Mordred’s Decision Will Shape

the Destiny of Camelot on This Friday’s MERLIN

 

With three episodes left, the fate of the kingdom rests
on the Druid Knight’s decision;
MERLIN airs May 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy

A troubled Mordred must choose between love and loyalty – and ultimately decide the fate of a kingdom – in “The Drawing of the Dark,” an all-new episode of MERLIN premiering Friday, May 17, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, on Syfy.

“The Drawing of the Dark” is the last standalone episode of MERLIN before the epic two-part series finale, which airs May 24 and May 31.

A Saxon attack on a Camelot supply convoy leads to Mordred to reunite with the love of his youth, a Druid girl named Kara. He helps her escape, but when she is caught and sentenced to death, Mordred is torn between his two worlds. Little does he realize that the path he chooses will shape Camelot’s destiny.

As the drums of war beat ever louder, a desperate Merlin feels trapped by the cruel circle of fate: Is he powerless to stop his dreams for Albion from crumbling to dust?

After appearing in a few early seasons of MERLIN as a young boy bound to Morgana and her dark magic, Mordred returned to the story in Season Five with both a new, loyal-to-Arthur resolve and a new actor playing the role: Alexander Vlahos.

“Mordred is a difficult problem for Merlin, because no matter how hard Mordred works to prove his loyalty to the king, Merlin knows what the future holds and the role Mordred is destined play,” says Colin Morgan, who plays Merlin.

“Mordred has become one of Arthur’s most trusted, able Knights, and a man of magic like Merlin,” Morgan explains. “So it’s difficult for Merlin to make decisions and act in the present on things that won’t happen until the future.”

The core MERLIN cast welcomed newcomer Vlahos to the team quickly, and appreciated his dedication to preserving the groundwork of the first four seasons – and the foundation Asa Butterfield (Hugo) set down as the original actor portraying Mordred – while crafting a new story of his own.

“Alex is very clever,” says Katie McGrath, who plays Morgana. “He really did look at everything Asa had done and used that as a starting point to play Mordred. He was very conscious that Mordred is a very popular character, and he wanted to do him justice. But he has really taken that and made the character his own.”

MERLIN fans will see which way Mordred turns when “The Drawing of the Dark” debuts Friday, May 17, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, only on Syfy.

All four previous seasons of MERLIN are now available on DVD, on iTunes and on Netflix. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.

(Information provided courtesy of Fremantle Media.)

“Merlin”