Orphan Black has introduced someone new to the show this season and many fans are wondering who she is. It’s time to dig a little deeper into the mystery that is Shay.
When Orphan Black premiered this spring it started the season by breaking up one of the show’s most beloved ships, Cophine. Cophine, of course, being the combination of Delphine Cormier and Cosima Niehaus, was one of the biggest relationships in the fandom and sprouted several obsession with French culture and eskimo pies.
But it looks like the eskimo pies are no more as Cosima tries to move on from the relationship with someone new: Shay. We still don’t know her last name but it seems Cosima is already infatuated with the chic new girl she met on some random mobile dating app.
When Shay and Cosima met for their first date the fandom was immediately sent into an uproar. Who is this woman, what does she want with Cosima, and who is she really working for? Those were the questions immediately posed on social media sites like Twitter and Tumblr, and fans were not immediately open to her entrance.
are we sure that Shay doesn’t work for The Dyad Institute ?? #OrphanBlack
— Meryll (@meshannen) May 20, 2015
Shay is an agent. She has to be. Delphine better check this lady. #OrphanBlack #DemClones #CloneClub #clonesbians
— Delly P. (@_Delly_P) May 17, 2015
I DON'T TRUST SHAY AT ALL. LESBIAN DECOY SPYYYYYYYY
#OrphanBlack #CloneClub #Clonesbians
— Kim Dawson (@kdawson424) May 17, 2015
And their doubt is rightfully placed, because when Shay walks in to the bar for the first time she’s on the phone, as you can see below. While this may seem like a trivial thing what you must realize is that in TV, especially TV as precise and detail heavy as Orphan Black, coincidences are few and far between. When you take in the fact that she was on the phone along with the fact that someone was also taking pictures of the date from far away, that makes for some pretty suspicious material.
However, just because she was on the phone when she walked into her first date with Cosima doesn’t mean she’s necessarily evil; she could also just be checking in with a friend for safety reasons. For those of you who aren’t familiar with online dating etiquette, it’s common sense to be in contact with a friend when you go to meet someone new for the first time. You know, just in case they end up being crazy.
We like to think that Shay is a good person. This past week Shay was introduced to Delphine when she showed up at her apartment looking for Cosima, and the interaction seemed like a legitimate first meeting. And when Cosima told Shay of her respiratory problem Shay seemed to take it extremely well, and the concern on her face seemed genuine as well. We’ve been lead to believe that Shay is a baddie from day one, and the way Orphan Black has cut their episodic trailers have made it clear that’s what they want us to think. But if they’re trying so hard to make us think she’s evil, could Shay actually be just a normal girl?
At this point Shay could be a great human being who just happened to run into Cosima on a dating app and is actually falling for her, or she could be an evil spy from Topside sent to do her own investigation on Project Leda. But we’re really, really hoping it’s the former. Cosima deserves a shot at love outside of the clone club craziness, and from what we’ve seen so far Shay seems pretty deserving of Cosima’s infatuation.
What do you think of Shay so far on ‘Orphan Black’?
With Orphan Black only lasting a few more episodes it’s time to make your guess for what side Shay is playing for. Since Paul is gone it seems someone else has replaced him as the morally ambiguous character! So, is she trustworthy?
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
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