The main characters on Orphan Black have survived bullet wounds, pencils to the eye, and more horrors throughout the sci-fi thriller's five-season run. All the while, the quick quips from Sarah and Felix and funny Alison-isms stated during these dangerous, high-stress situations have become fan-favorite quotes.
Each of the main characters on Orphan Black has a unique personality, even when half of them are genetically identical. From a Ukrainian killer to a British girlboss with very few morals, the identities explored in the show are complex and make for an interesting cast of characters. But sometimes it only takes a sentence or two to sum up these complicated characters.
Sarah Manning
"You Don’t Own Us."
Throughout the series, Sarah Manning went from an unaware clone to the de facto leader of Clone Club. Her street smarts might be a more unconventional intelligence, but her quick thinking has helped her family make it out of dangerous situations alive.
Sarah is brave and adaptable after her childhood spent in foster homes, and those two traits help her and her fellow clones as they dig deeper into the mysterious world of Neolution. When confronting Rachel Duncan to find her daughter, Sarah pins her fellow clone to the ground and holds her at gunpoint. This scene, along with the quote she utters, falls in line with her impulsive actions and newly found dedication to her clones, as well as her bodily autonomy.
Cosima Niehaus
"My Sexuality Isn't The Most Interesting Thing About Me."
Cosima Niehaus is the group's "geek monkey," dedicated to finding answers about the Leda experiment and figuring out a cure for the mysterious illness affecting clones around the world. Eccentric, cool, caring, and dependable, she will do whatever her scientific mind lets her in order to help Clone Club.
The fan-favorite clone has some of the best lines in the show, but none fit her more than this. When Rachel makes a pointed comment about her being gay, Cosima confidently hits back. This quote is one of the show's best, and it perfectly sums up the impressive Ph.D. student who is so much more than who she dates.
Alison Hendrix
"Thank You Sestras, For Your Bravery, For Protecting Us, For Making Us Feel Normal. I Know That Whatever Comes Next We'll Face It Together, As A Family."
Normality seems to be the one thing Alison Hendrix is chasing throughout Orphan Black. As a housewife and soccer mom, being part of a genetic experiment was not on her to-do list. But as the series progresses and Alison spends more time with her clones, she embraces her new family and their dedication to helping Clone Club have a sense of normalcy.
In her school board trustee victory speech, as she is surrounded by her new family half full of her own face, she toasts to her sestras. Family is one of Alison's core values, and her found family has become just as important to her as her family with Donnie. This heartfelt dedication is just some proof of her growth from an uptight soccer mom to a champion of her clones.
Helena
"My Story Is An Embroidery, With Many Beginnings And No End."
Helena had a childhood unlike any of her other clones, but she might be able to survive the apocalypse because of it. Raised by the Proletheans under harsh conditions to become a killer, her own genetic identicals were often her targets. But she slowly becomes de-programmed from this mindset after meeting Sarah Manning and the other members of Clone Club and redeems herself throughout the series to become one of the show's most beloved characters.
Her backstory is complicated and often ugly to look at, but Helena still finds some beauty in life after all the hardships she's faced. Her good heart and childlike personality come out more in the later seasons and show just some of her many layers. Much like embroidery, not everyone will appreciate the time Helena took to transform her empty canvas of existence into the beautiful art piece full of family and joy it becomes after the birth of her twins and her acceptance into Clone Club.
Rachel Duncan
"Controlling Evolution Is The Ultimate Power."
As the only clone raised by Neolution, Rachel Duncan has been aware of her status since she was a little girl. The primary antagonist, she holds her place in the Dyad Institute and Neolution in high regard. Rachel prides herself on being the first self-aware clone and uses her position as a way to control and continue the experiments on her fellow clones.
Calculating and cold-hearted, Rachel will only show signs of empathy or compassion when it will help her, instead she treats most of her interactions as a way to improve or maintain her status. Unlike many of her other clones, she usually keeps her emotions under lock and key while presenting a mask of polished perfection to the public. Her need to be in control of every situation is one of her greatest flaws, and her power-hungry nature ends up harming her more than helping.
Felix Dawkins
"Is Every Man In Your Life A Complete Wanker Besides Me?"
In Orphan Black, Felix Dawkins serves as his sister Sarah's confidante and conscience. He helps her and the other clones throughout the series and becomes the person that helps ground them as the madness of their existence threatens to consume their every thought. His quips are hilarious, punchy and some of the series's best lines. It all makes Felix one of the more likable characters on the show.
As the show's emotional support brother-sestra, Felix becomes protective of the Leda clones he knows and loves. His friendships with Alison, Cosima, and Helena give fans some sweet moments and funny dialogue, while also letting the character grow beyond his small foster family. This quote shows off his dedication to being a good brother to Sarah, and the dry, British humor that makes Felix one of Orphan Black's funniest characters.
Siobhan Sadler
“We Do This As A Family.”
Intelligent, tough, and dedicated, Siobhan Sadler is the mother hen many would be lucky to have in their lives. A practical and firm woman, she puts the welfare of her granddaughter and her adopted children before her own and works tirelessly to make sure they have better lives than the ones they were first dealt.
While her relationship with Sarah is prickly during season 1, the two slowly make amends as they fall down the Leda rabbit hole together. She embraces many of Sarah's clones as her own "chickens," her little family growing immensely in only a few months. And while she can't keep them out of trouble, she can help Clone Club out as best she can. It's what families do.
Delphine Cormier
"I Love Her, And If You Let Her Die Without Me, It Is Personal."
Assigned as Cosima's monitor before the start of the series, Delphine Cormier finds her loyalties changing the more she gets to know the clone she's been sent to observe. Their romantic relationship becomes one of the show's most pivotal, the two working together to try and find a cure for the illness impacting many Leda clones, Cosima included.
Delphine's middling position causes tension on both sides, with members of Clone Club and Dyad not trusting or knowing where she truly stood. When reprimanded by Rachel for making things too personal, she lets her true feelings for Cosima tumble out and it shows audiences and the clone where her loyalties lie.
Donnie Hendrix
"I’m Not As Perfectly Comfortable With Manslaughter As You."
The Hendrixes try to present a perfect picture of normality, but their lives are surprisingly chaotic. While his wife is the more assertive one in the marriage, Donnie Hendrix proves he will do what he needs to so his family is safe. Both have instances of homicide under their belts and experience as drug dealers, hobbies that oppose their perfect suburban image.
After he accidentally kills Dr. Aldous Leekie during a confrontation in his car, Donnie relies on his wife to help cover the crime up. The awkward, gullible man doesn't have the same experience as Alison with this kind of thing, and it takes him a few seasons to fully accept and understand the clone situation—with or without the manslaughter.
Art Bell
"Sarah, My Partner Killed Herself. I Didn't See It Coming. Help Me. Help Beth. I Know You Care."
A by-the-book detective, Art Bell is the moral core of Orphan Black. Helpful and compassionate, he tries to assist Sarah Manning and others uncover the secrets behind the conspiracy as a way to honor his deceased partner and fellow Leda clone, Beth Childs. Throughout the show, Art is shown as one character that tries to stay on the straight and narrow while others are more willing to do whatever it takes to survive or get what they want.
When she was alive, his loyalty to Beth serves as a driving force for his actions and causes Art to stray from his moral compass on a few occasions. He cares deeply for his partner and hides his romantic feelings for her to keep their professional relationship intact.