Drama
The Acolyte
The Acolyte takes Star Wars fans into a time when the Empire didn’t exist. But that doesn’t make everything rosy—in that galaxy or on this show.
“Why don’t I know who I am?” Lucy demands.
A moment earlier, she awoke in an unfamiliar living room next to an unfamiliar woman holding a picture of an unfamiliar baby. And to make her situation even more unnerving, the woman—Kira—implies that Lucy should know exactly what’s going on.
Lucy’s situation shifts from unnerving to appalling when she escapes from the living room and wanders into a biomedical lab. There, she finds synthetic printouts of human body parts and a pool of pink goo.
“What is this?” Lucy asks Kira.
The short version goes like this: Lucy was created using four-dimensional technology that prints copies of human beings.
Lucy doesn’t hang around for a longer explanation. Instead, she flees the lab before Kira can yell “clone.”
Two years later, Lucy’s life is under control. She has a steady boyfriend named Jack. She’s close with Jack’s daughter, Charlie. And she only has a blood-filled recurring nightmare every so often.
Ok, maybe Lucy’s life isn’t so great.
But she’s determined to improve her situation. Lucy believes that if she can discover the secrets about her past, then she’ll be able to protect the life she’s built.
Unfortunately, the details of Lucy’s creation are more complicated than she expected. Lucy learns that she is a clone of Kira’s late wife, Eleanor. And there are more clones like her.
While Lucy pursues the truth about her creation, Kira struggles to accept her past.
In 2013, Canadian creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett introduced audiences to the Orphan Black universe. Like in Orphan Black: Echoes, the original series dealt with clones and identity crises.
The reboot recycles these aspects of the premise, reintroduces old characters and revisits all the original series’ problematic content.
Characters suffer kicks to the head, car crash injuries and fatal gunshot wounds. And while the depictions aren’t overly gratuitous, the bloody effects of these violent acts are shown. In some cases, characters—including women and children—experience mental trauma after these violent exchanges. Additionally, characters regularly use profanity including the f-word, the s-word and misuses of God’s name. Often, the inclusion of this harsh language amplifies the show’s other content problems.
A major plot line in Orphan Black: Echoes centers around a same-sex romance. The series explores Kira’s and Eleanor’s past relationship, and some scenes feature the two women kissing and passionately caressing one another in bed. And although we’ve not seen evidence yet, some articles have reported that Kira and Eleanor are investigating the possibility of becoming parents.
For fans of the Orphan Black series, the reboot might be delightfully reminiscent of the original. But most families may decide to avoid Orphan Black: Echoes because of its echoes of prior problems.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Lucy’s past threatens to destroy the life she’s built. But Lucy is determined to face the bizarre truth about her own identity and uncover the identity of a young woman who looks like her.
A man tackles Lucy and points a gun at her. Lucy accidentally cuts her finger, causing blood to trickle from the wound. A woman expresses her anger by shattering a lamp. In a flashback, a character holds a bloody knife, and a pool of blood covers the floor and someone’s body. A male nurse tranquilizes a woman with a needle. Characters engage in a physical altercation, which includes kicks and punches. After the fight, a man’s face is covered in blood.
A woman emerges from a pool of pink goo, and her face contorts in pain as she attempts to clean off the substance. A man dies from a gunshot wound to his head. A character gets hit by a vehicle, and the accident lands her in the hospital. After breaking into her home, a man attempts to kidnap a woman and threatens to snap her neck. In self defense, the woman attempts to choke the intruder.
There are three uses of “h—,” one use of “a–,” six uses of the s-word, eight uses of the f-word, and four misuses of God’s name. A character drinks alcohol and makes a joke about getting tipsy.
Jack and Lucy kiss passionately and caress one another. During their romantic interaction, Lucy pulls off Jack’s shirt and pants, and it is implied that the two have sex—though nothing critical is seen. The episode’s opening credits feature unclothed bodies floating in liquid, but critical body parts cannot be distinguished. Two characters lie in bed together in their underwear. Lucy makes a sexual innuendo about a man.
Out of curiosity, Charlie steals one of Lucy’s notebooks. Jack and Lucy hide their relationship from Charlie. Jack reveals that his ex-partner walked out on him. Lucy attempts to hide her past from Jack. An unmarried couple discusses moving in together.
The Acolyte takes Star Wars fans into a time when the Empire didn’t exist. But that doesn’t make everything rosy—in that galaxy or on this show.
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