Give Tatiana Maslany The Emmy (Again) – She Deserves It

When Tatiana Maslany won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series back in 2016, many considered the accolade to be long overdue. After all, there seemed to be no harder working woman on television, especially given that her starring role on BBC America’s Orphan Black saw her take on not one character but at least a dozen throughout the series, five of which—the wonderfully flawed and inspiring Sarah Manning, Cosima Niehaus, Alison Hendrix, Rachel Duncan, and (of course!) Helena—were part of every episode. The series ended in 2017, but Maslany has another chance to take home the statue at this year’s Emmy ceremony in the same category—and no one deserves it more.

Maslany is in good company in her category, of course. This year she’s up against the likes of Killing Eve‘s Sandra Oh and Elisabeth Moss for her work on The Handmaid’s Tale; there’s clearly no shortage of talent among the Lead Actress nominees. Still, Maslany’s work, while always exemplary, rose to new heights in Orphan Black‘s fifth and final season, bringing the series’ long-building arc to an intense, emotional conclusion. For that alone, she deserves to be honored.

Without her, there would have been no Orphan Black. A small but stellar group of co-stars lended added intensity and upped the stakes for the clones—the incredible contributions of Evelyne Brochu, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jordan Gavaris, and Kristian Bruun (not to mention Maslany’s double Kathryn Alexandre) were a joy to behold in their own right—Maslany’s sestras were always the focal point of the show as well as the launch pad via for all the other characters’ story arcs. While many lesser actors might cave under the pressure of holding an entire series on their shoulders, Maslany took it in her stride, regularly plumbing new depths of pain, vulnerability, and strength to instill in the women she portrayed.

For the role of Sarah, Maslany didn’t just learn a Cockney accent, she transformed into something seemingly teflon-coated, rough around the edges but with an unwavering loyalty and persistence which allowed her to rise above unimaginable hardships. She imbued Rachel with a taciturn coldness, an absence of feeling which she hoped would cover up a despair that would destroy her if she were to embrace it. Cosima, the nerdy, brainy, romantic type, was Maslany’s chance to experience the devastating beauty of love via the character’s relationship with Delphine Cormier (Brochu) while Alison’s neurotic, over-the-top reactions encouraged the actress to let loose and really follow the most extreme, overdramatic instincts. As for Helena, well, anyone fan of the show will know that the character’s psychotic yet surprisingly soft-hearted nature would require a willingness to go to a whole new place as an artist.

I imagine that it’s both mentally and emotionally taxing enough to be the star of a long-running TV show playing one character. You have to truly get to know what motivates, inspires, scares, and infuriates the person you’re playing, and that takes guts and dedication. The fact that Maslany was able to do this for multiple characters, often simultaneously, and still portray them with such nuance and compassion isn’t just impressive, it’s outstanding. The opportunity she had was a rare one and it was clear she intended to make the most of it. The results were nothing less than brilliant.

Many would argue that Maslany has already won the Emmy once and that with so many other talented women in her category, someone else should have a turn. While I don’t disagree that any of the nominees would be worthy winners, Maslany’s excellence continued beyond her 2016 win. In fact, instead of becoming complacent, content to have become TV royalty of sorts, she continued to reach even higher. Her work in the final season of Orphan Black transcended all that had come before. While the episodes were not necessarily the series’ best, they were integral to bringing the narrative full-circle, and her commitment to offering long-time fans, lovingly known as the Clone Club, the ending they wanted and deserved was admirable, to say the least.

Whatever happens on September 17th, one thing is for sure: Maslany will forever be a formidable talent in the industry, and her work on Orphan Black was just a small sliver of what she has to offer TV and movie fans. (But seriously, give her the Emmy.)

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.

Where to stream Orphan Black