Spoilers are ahead for Orphan Black: Echoes season 1, episode 1, “Pilot.”
Summary
At the end of its pilot episode,Orphan Black: Echoesperfectly pays homage to the series its based on. A fan-favorite sci-fi series, the originalOrphan Blackstarred Emmy-winning actorTatiana Maslany as a number of unique clone characters— genetic identicals with separate lives who discover that they are part of a larger experiment and illegal human cloning trials. The show’s protagonist,Sarah Manning — also the only Leda clone to have given birth to a child, Kira — goes to great lengths to protect her familyfrom the corporations that claim to own their bodies.
Set thirty-seven years after the events of the original series,Orphan Black: Echoes' new cast of charactersgrapple with fresh scientific advancements — and all the moral and ethical implications that go along with that research. In the pilot,Krysten Ritter’s Lucy wakes up in a room with no memory of her past. Mid-escape, Lucy learns that she is a 3D-printed human — the byproduct of a scientist’s endeavors to 3D print more than just organs. Much like Maslany’s clones, Lucy navigates her identity, past, and the many dangerous mysteries that populate the world ofOrphan Black.
Orphan Black: Echoes Episode 1’s Ending Reveals Kira Manning Is 1 Of Its Main Characters
Kira Followed In Cosima’s Footsteps In The Orphan Black Sequel
In the final scene of thestunning spinoffOrphan Black: Echoes, the show reveals thatthe scientist who’s responsible for Lucy’s creation is none other than a now-adult Dr. Kira Manning(Keeley Hawes). As of the first episode, not too much is known about what Kira went through in the intervening 37 years, though she’s clearly a game-changing scientist who’s learned to save an untold number of lives by 3D printing organs that are fit for transplants. Lucy, it seems, is the next step in Kira’s research — a fully functional, 3D-printed human being.
The name-drop alone isn’t the only indicator of Kira’s identity…
After evading Kira and her corporate forces for a year or so, Lucy is finally tracked down to a remote farm. Realizing that she must literally meet her makers, Lucy returns to the city to take the fight to Kira. While there, Lucy encounters Jules Lee (Amanda Fix), a teenager who bears a striking resemblance to Lucy. When Lucy abducts Jules,a frantic Kira calls her Aunt Cosima for advice. The name-drop alone isn’t the only indicator of Kira’s identity; the camera pans to her desk, which is stocked with photos of Sarah, Felix, Mrs. S, Cosima, and Alison.
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Echoes' Premise Perfectly Pays Homage To Orphan Black While Remaining Separate
Orphan Black References & Easter Eggs Don’t Get In The Way Of The New Narrative
The teaser trailer forOrphan Black: Echoesseason 1 reveals that a few original characters will crop up. However, the Kira reveal — from the unheard phone call with Cosima to the all-too-familiar pictures on Kira’s desk — suggest a very promising approach.Orphan Black: Echoescould have easily shoehorned in tons of references and Easter eggs into its pilot. Instead,the show practices restraint, delivering a bit of fan service as an end-of-episode hook. This allowsEchoesto set up its own story, while still feeling like part of theOrphan Blacktimeline.
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Kira Manning Is On The Other Side Of The Science In Orphan Black: Echoes
Kira Questions The Ethics Of Her Research
In addition to making itsOrphan Blackconnections relevant,Orphan Black: Echoescleverly flips the script on Kira Manning’s character. By the timeOrphan Blackseason 5 ended, Sarah and the rest of the Clone Club had been through it. A traumatizing, life-threatening, and identity-shattering experience, the clones' struggle against forces like Dyad reiterates the ethical complexities of ground-breaking science. Kira herself was abducted, studied, and experimented on as the seemingly impossible child of a clone. Needless to say,it’s surprising to see Kira creating a troubling life for Lucy that echoes her own family’s harrowing struggles.
New episodes ofOrphan Black: Echoesair Sundays on AMC through June 20, 2025.
Orphan Black: Echoes
Orphan Black: Echoes is a continuation of the Orphan Black universe set in the near future. The series follows a group of women as they entangle themselves in a complex journey, unraveling the mystery of their identities while exposing a tale of love and betrayal.
