Orphan Black creators promise 'fantastic' series finale

There is no more important episode for any long-running show than the series finale. If you don’t stick the landing, it can leave a sour aftertaste for fans that have spent years taking that journey with the characters in the hopes and expectations of having a satisfying conclusion.

The folks behind Orphan Black know this all too well, especially with the close relationship viewers (self-dubbed as the Clone Club) feel with the BBC America program. However, the creators of the show believe they will indeed deliver the goods this Saturday night (Aug. 12) at 10 p.m. when the sci-fi show ends its five-year run. (And you can see the first images of the series-ender right here.)

“We’ve really got a fantastic finale that plays out our entire series end game,” says exec producer Graeme Manson. “We’ve put our characters in the deepest, darkest hole, and they now have to get out. We’ve spent so long with these characters, and Tatiana [Maslany] has spent so long inhabiting this world of sestras so we’re really interested in paying it off for a Clone Club in a way that honors the sisters and the fandom. But we’re not a show that’s ever gone easy on the emotions.”

With that in mind, Manson has some advice to fans for props they may want to have handy for the final hour. “I would say trips to Costco for bulk Kleenex would be good, some very strong fortified wine perhaps, some brandy. John Fawcett directed it, I co-wrote it with Renée St. Cyr, and it’s an episode that we’re very proud of to wrap up the series.”

It seems the creators know from experience about the emotions the finale may bring up while watching. “I choke up,” says Manson of his reaction to watching it. “I’ve seen it tons of times, of course, and I choke up every time. John’s seen it even more times than me. I think John’s cried out. How are you, John?”

“I’m pretty cried out,” says fellow EP Fawcett, “but you never know. I haven’t seen it now for a while, and I’m looking forward to it. In a way, it’s sad to see the end of the road, with all of our fans and Clone Club behind us. But at the same time, I’m just really excited to show the work. We’ve always been that way. It’s always really just dying to see people enjoy all of the time and effort and love that we’ve put into the show, so I think people are really going to like it. It is a great ending.”

With Helena on the verge of delivering her twins, Sarah dealing with the loss of Mrs. S, and the phony baloney P.T. Westmoreland on the loose, there are indeed a lot of loose ends still to be tied. We’ll see how tight those ties are on Saturday night.