10 Reasons Tatiana Maslany Will ALWAYS Be Our Emmy Winner

It's Emmys day, and while we wish we could be happy about it, we still haven't recovered from the epic snub that left Tatiana Maslany un-nominated for anything. Sure, we could get over it and move on, but we'd rather wallow in angst and take this opportunity to celebrate all the wonderful things about Tatiana there is to love (and nominate for an Emmy next year, dammit!). The list is endless, but here are the Top 10 Reasons We Love  Tatiana Maslany!

10) She's one half of one of our all-time favorite TV couples. Cophine, Team Sexy Science - call it what you will, the swoon-worthy pairing of Scientist/Clone Cosima and Scientist/Monitor Delphine on Orphan Black has stolen our heart, smashed it to bits, and glued it back together again. The emotional roller coaster these girls have been through/put us through is almost too much to bear, and yet every week we tune in and hope for the best for these potentially doomed lovers. Things were looking bleak when we last saw Delphine (or more accurately saw her get shipped away to Frankfurt), but who truly knows what season 3 will bring? Just a suggestion: hopefully a lot more of these two.

9) She's responsible for the best dance party ever. One of the most impressive scenes in Orphan Black's brief (but undeniably impressive) history is easily that clone-tastic dance party (feat. Felix) towards the end of season 2. In fact, rounding up the clone cuties for a techno dance party was so mind-blowlingly cool that a behind-the-scenes video had to be made to show us all  exactly what went down. Tatiana often speaks in interviews about how music and movement through song help her get into her different characters, and, thrillingly, this scene gives us a glimpse into that captivating process. The only thing that could have made this moment better would have been an invite!

8) She guest-starred on our other favorite show, Parks and Recreation. What's better than Tatiana on one television show? Tatiana on two of them! On Parks and Rec Tatiana played a doctor who became the apple of Tom Haverford's eye, and we can't blame him for going out of his way to keep her around. Tatiana certainly gets to stretch herself on Orphan Black, but the lighter, more comedic moments there are few and far between, so it's nice to see her in terrority that doesn't involve potential murder, dismemberment, or experimentation. Now, if only we could find a way to get her to guest-star on everything...

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7) She makes a totally adorable nerd. Tatiana and the Orphan Black crew owned Comic Con this year, taking part in packed panels and even going so far as to change a life or two. But it's this photo shoot of Tatiana playing around as one of her favorites, Shaun of the Dead, that takes our Tat-session to the next level. Blood, guts, n' zombies have never been more charming. And that smile!

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6) Blood Ties. Need we say more? Yes. Some of our fondest memories of Orphan Black's second season come from the oddly upbeat and weirdly circumstance-appropriate musical Alison Hendrix was starring in before her onstage accident. Tatiana dove head-first (literally) into the musical madness, resulting in our biggest regret of the season being that we didn't actually get to see the whole performance. All we can do now is hope for a special feature that finally shows us on all the disastrous potential Blood Ties may very well have had.

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5) Tatiana's so good at acting her own mother doesn't recognize her. According to a story shared by Maria Kennedy (Mrs. S) at this year's Comic Con, according to Tatiana's mom, the Orphan Black equation is Sarah = kinda Tatiana, and All the Other Clones = Where is Tatiana? That's right, even her mom's as mesmerized by her talent as we are. Now, that's some kick-ass skill, and even though the Emmy's for some reason haven't caught on yet, at least the Critic's Choice, Golden Globes, Entertainment Weekly (to name the more prominent few), have given some credit where credit is due!

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4) She knows the best (/most horrifying) bedtime stories.  Some of us were lulled to sleep by the calm and comforting words of "Goodnight Moon." Tatiana, however, was sent to bed with the not so calm and comforting images of child mutilation. In this Conan clip, she recounts the German childhood book of cautionary tales, Struwwelpeter, that has stuck with her to this day. Sounds a little violent for kiddos, but we'd definitely buy the audiobook now if she was narrating!

3) Cult cred. Tatiana Maslany didn't just corporealize out of nowhere to star on Orphan Black with flawless perfection. Among many other credits, she  had a co-starring role in the cult classic horror movie sequel Gingersnaps 2: Unleashed as a tiny Helena-looking character named Ghost. So look no further if you were looking for a way to infuse your Halloween this year with a little Tatiana awesomeness. Also, it's got an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, so now we have evidence that Tatiana has basically always been critically acclaimed.

2) She was on Instant Star, which was clearly indicative of her career following Orphan Black. According to Youtube archives, there really has never been a time when Tatiana wasn't a captivating, adorable actress. Here's to many more years of long-lasting stardom.

 

1) I'm sorry, she plays how many characters again? Seriously, how many? Answer: we don't even know, because there keep being more clones that she keeps playing with amazing specificity, so much so we can't even choose a favorite. Is it Cosima, with the super cool dreadlocks and penchant for making science lingo sound sexy? Is it Alison, with the alcohol habit and tendency to somewhat accidentally murder her friends? Is it badass protagonist with a heart of gold Sarah, psychotic but endearing Helena, or pro-clone Rachel who grew on us like a deliciously evil fungus? At the end of the day, there's no point to ranking the clones. Orphan Black works because Tatiana gives us so much to love, respect, despise (on purpose), believe in, and root for. She's a master of disguise who lives in every character she plays and gives us a performance unlike any other, one we feel lucky to be able to watch every week. The wait between seasons is killer, but at least we can count on something amazing waiting for us when it's over! As for the Emmys, one day they'll see what we already know: Tatiana Maslany is a winner.