Out of all the Leda clones on Orphan Black, Alison Hendrix (Tatiana Maslany) makes a most unexpected and unusual impression. She’s someone who can easily be underestimated, often pigeonholed for her appearance and socioeconomic status. Alison’s various roles/monikers are simple enough: mother, wife, soccer coach (and keep in mind alcoholic, adulterer, drug peddler and occasional murderer can also be tagged on)…but who is she? And why does her storyline seem separate from the clone intrigue? Is she simply providing comic relief, as many viewers seem to think?
Often when Alison is on screen, she’s either in her suburban home, especially the garage, on the soccer field, or in her minivan, with her blubbering husband, Donnie (Kristian Bruun), not far behind. Her location is interesting to note considering her other sister clones are usually in an urban setting, even imprisoned in labs and military bases, which provide quite a contrast to the safety of suburbia. Other than the first episode of the current season, Alison seems to have almost escaped the hazards of Proletheans, Castor clones, and corrupt labs only to thrust herself into danger of her own design. No one has forgotten Alison’s obsessive quest to find her monitor, and the severe consequences that befell her wrongly accused friend and neighbor, Aynsley (Natalie Lisinska). Nor can anyone forget real monitor Donnie accidentally shooting and killing Dr. Leekie (Matt Frewer) for his many deceptions.
As separate as Alison’s story may appear, the clone intrigue still finds its way in. Inadvertently, she and her husband exterminated one of Dyad’s power-playing scientists, and so far appear to have gotten away with it. As Alison and Donnie take on the new role of “pharmaceutical entrepreneurs,” dealing drugs via neatly wrapped soap packages so Alison can blackmail her way to school trustee, one need only remember that Dr. Leekie is buried just under their feet, beneath the garage floor. Alison can do her best to bury Dyad, the Proletheans, the Castor clones and whatever other deadly threat that may come her way, but the reality of the danger she faces is always there, no matter how squeaky clean the surface may be.
Alison is an enjoyable and funny character, so it’s understandable that viewers associate her odd sayings and quirkiness with comic relief; it’s obvious her presence is meant to elicit laughter. But by solely viewing her as a clown, were overlooking her complexity, charm, vulnerability and unexpected resolve. These, after all, are what make Alison shine. Noam Cohen of the Observer shares this train of thought: “It is always tempting to treat Alison’s life, so separate from the intrigue surrounding her sisters, as a kind of comic relief sideshow. But her scenes are always so cleverly and subtly written that it’s a mistake to do so; her world is always reflecting, distorting or underlining what’s happening in the rest of the show.”
It’s possible that a good part of Alison’s place on the show is to provide some lightheartedness, a break from the dark, brooding seriousness. It’s also possible that Alison’s character may offer a different perspective on how a mother and wife struggling for normalcy deals with an extraordinary set of circumstances. She’s juggling more than just traffic, dinner and her kids’ soccer games; she’s a clone, and her battle for her own safety and survival and that of her family’s will not be easily won. Much like the play she was in that went disastrously, Alison continues to put on her own show, keeping even herself at bay from the true danger that lurks so closely. Once things get serious for Alison, it’s doubtful there will be much room for laughter.
Danielle Callesen & Dicky Continental 