Orphan Black: Echoes review: AMC’s sequel series falls short

“Why don’t I know who I am?” a manic Lucy (Krysten Ritter) screams in Orphan Black: Echoes’ opening minutes. This question looms large in AMC’s 2050-set drama, which premieres June 23, as she grapples with her identity—or rather, the lack of it. She wakes up in a sunny living room to the sound of chirping birds with no idea of her past. That’s because she doesn’t have one. Lucy is a brand-new 4D printout of a human being, a technological marvel. It’s an intriguing sci-fi premise that pays off decently. But unfortunately for Echoes, “decent” doesn’t hold up to the spectacularly weird panache of the original.

Graeme Manson and John Fawcett’s Orphan Black, which ended in 2017, was a groundbreaking achievement: a high-stakes, immediately transfixing drama with a flawless lead. In Orphan Black, it’s easy to forget Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany played all the clones who are often onscreen at the same time, with the actor distinguishing each one’s personality, physicality, and intonation. And even when it got convoluted during its five-season run, OB was bustling due to her talent and the show’s innovative narrative challenges. Echoes is disappointingly subdued in comparison, especially for a futuristic TV show.

Created by Anna Fishko, Echoes’ script doesn’t give its ensemble the chance to do the same heavy lifting as Maslany. The mild mystery lacks a sense of urgency as well as a roster of fleshed-out characters to support it all. Where are the gratifying moments of absurdity, like the Leda clones dancing? Where’s our humorous Felix? Crucially, Echoes doesn’t have anything unique to add to the wonderful world Orphan Black built. Even the color palette is paler here. And the few reminders that this is indeed a sequel (with the help of some cameos and references) either feel forced or random.

Lucy spends most of the 10 episodes hunting down the reasons for her existence. This means there’s a limitation to the emotions Ritter can bring to life, which are primarily a mix of confusion and sadness. She’s a good choice for a role that blends OB’s Sarah Manning and Jessica Jones, but the actor is capable of so much more. Here, Ritter is joined by Keeley Hawes as the scientist who made Lucy (and feels akin to Maslany’s Cosima Niehaus). AMC has kept Hawes’ character details under strict embargo, including her name, which is a tad silly because Echoes aired in Australia last year, so the spoilers are already out there. But you should know that she is the major connective tissue to Orphan Black. Her subplot has all the ingredients for a nostalgic, suspenseful, and tragic genre story. It’s really too bad, then, that she’s not more of the show’s focus. (That said, the character does get a welcome standalone episode halfway through the season’s run.)

Anyway, Lucy gets help from her and the others she meets on her journey of self-discovery. They include her boyfriend Jack (Avan Jogia, with whom Ritter shares zero chemistry), his deaf daughter Charlie (Zariella Langford-Haughton), and Craig (Jonathan Whittaker), the man who took her in. Sadly, Echoes doesn’t devote time to building her relationships at all. They merely exist by the time we catch up to her two years after that aforementioned opening scene, making it tough to invest in Lucy’s personal life and why she’s hellbent on protecting it.

The most insightful connection she makes is with the sly teen Jules (Amanda Fix), another inexplicable 4D printout. The two share a single memory that binds them, so they team up to figure out how and why the hell they came to be. One of Orphan Black’s strongest suits remains its exploration of found family, not just with Sarah, Cosima, Helena, and Alison (Maslany), but also with Felix, Donnie, Mrs. S., and Art. And Echoes certainly tries to replicate that with Lucy, Jules, and other women our new pair meet along the way.

But let’s circle back to the question that launches Echoes: Why does Lucy exist? The second half of the season strives to answer that, but the outcome is lackluster (so don’t expect Neolution-related antics). The straightforward twists are further dulled by the show’s commonplace billionaire antagonist Paul Darros (Barry’s James Hiroyuki Liao). Thanks to a flurry of recent projects with similar wealthy caricatures (Succession, For All Mankind, Glass Onion), Paul’s motivations and desire to control 4D printing feel as inane as the need to continue OB.

Admittedly, the original wasn’t always smooth sailing, but it infused a fresh, imaginative voice to the TV landscape. A decade later, Echoes fails to justify its existence. It’s a mediocre sci-fi drama that might’ve worked better as a separate series altogether. For now, its biggest achievement is reminding audiences that Orphan Black was a truly great ride.

Orphan Black: Echoes premieres June 23 on AMC