To help you prepare for the second season of “Orphan Black,” we’ve prepared this handy guide to all the clones we met last season. Yes, all of the photos that follow are of the same actress. She’s a clone! If that’s not enough clone fun for you, you can also check out our interview with Graeme Manson and a Q&A with Jordan Gavaris.
Your favorite grifter clone, Sarah. / Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA
Sarah
The main clone and the one who drives the show, Sarah is a bit of a grifter and con artist. She spent last season trying to get out of town with her daughter Kira, only to keep getting pulled back in to investigate the various clone mysteries. At the end of last season, her mysterious foster mother Mrs. S had disappeared with Kira, and Sarah is determined to get her back.
Smarty scientist and professional glasses wearer, Cosima. / Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA
Cosima
A fan favorite, geeky scientist Cosima is the most interested of all the clones in the science behind it all and can’t resist getting caught up in the exciting research of the Dyad Institute (the people monitoring all the clones). She’s also dating her own personal monitor, Delphine, who works for the Dyad Institute and whose loyalties are perpetually up in the air. Cosima discovered late in the first season that she’s developing the same illness that nearly killed another one of the clones, which adds another layer to her tentative consideration of working with the Dyad Insititute.
Housewife with steely reserve, Alison. / Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA
Alison
The prototypical perfect housewife, Alison wrapped up last season by watching her neighbor and frenemy die in front of her without trying to save her. Though her story can get dark, with indications that she has some drug and alcohol issues, the show has had a lot of fun mining the comedic potential of the slightly more punk Sarah and her foster brother Felix interacting with Alison’s uptight world.
The police officer who was investigating the clones, Beth. / BBC America
Beth
Beth’s death in the early moments of the show provides the catalyst for much of the action that follows. Sarah happens to witness the moment of her death and impulsively decides to take over her identity, thinking she’ll have a place to hide out for a few days, only to discover that Beth was a police officer working with Cosima and Alison to figure out exactly where the clones came from.
Religious fanatic but loving sister, Helena. / Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA
Helena
Raised by a group of religious fanatics opposed to the very existence of clones, Helena has some, um, issues with her clone status. She spent most of the first season trying to kill off all the clones before running into Sarah, who she felt was different from the others. Turns out, the two are technically twins, or at least were carried by the same mother at the same time. Helena was particularly enamored of Kira, even going so far as to walk off with her at one point, and Sarah, despite her own conflicted feelings about Helena, ends up shooting her because she’s too much of a menace.
The German, Katja Obinger. / Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA
Katja Obinger
Continually referred to as “The German” and providing for one of the better Sarah-pretending-to-be-another-clone moments, Katja Obinger has a mysterious lung ailment that has her coughing up blood (which seems to be the same illness now afflicting Cosima). However, she doesn’t get a chance to cough her way off this mortal coil – Helena kills her while she’s meeting with Sarah, who then has to hide the body, which she’s not too good at, so it’s uncovered. Then Sarah has to keep the police officers she’s working with (while impersonating Beth) from noticing that they have a dead person who looks an awful lot like Sarah/Beth, and basically it’s all a big mess.
The Pro-Clone, Rachel. / Steve Wilkie for BBC AMERICA
Rachel
The so-called “Pro-Clone,” Rachel’s role is as yet unclear. She seems to be a high-ranking member of the Dyad Institute, or whoever it is who’s really behind all the clone shenanigans. She showed up near the end of the first season to try and get Cosima, Alison and Sarah to sign a shady contract giving up some of their rights in return for protection. She and Sarah seem to be developing into nemeses, and show runner Graeme Manson has been teasing a Rachel/Sarah war this season.
