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When a fan loses a beloved TV show, it happens one of two ways: one, when it’s not the right time for it to end, and everything feels kind of rushed. In this way, a fan’s “breakup” with a show can feel bitter and resentful. But when a show has run past its prime, yet came back with a brilliant final season, the way Jenji Kohan’s “Weeds” did, in 2012, the fan isn’t left bitter and angry. We saw these characters, whom we’ve loved and hated throughout the years, come to a conclusion that was bittersweet, but felt right. I feel like series creator Jenji Kohan felt a void in her heart after “Weeds” ended. But like any other working person, she needed a new project.
Kohan has talked about how when season seven of “Weeds” was starting, she wanted to do a “women-in-prison” season, but decided against it because it would break up the family dynamic that the show had for the previous six seasons. Season 7 of “Weeds” was probably the lowest point, creatively, of the entire series. But when the show was awarded a surprise eighth season, she didn’t let fans down.
In the back of her mind, Kohan was already conceptualizing “Orange is the New Black,” a series based on the best-selling memoir by Piper Kerman. Since Jenji left me with a brilliant final season of “Weeds,” I vowed to follow whatever she wrote in the future. I expected “Orange” to more or less be Kohan’s ‘rebound project’ from “Weeds”, if you will. I expected the feeling for this to still feel like “Weeds”, but be a little different.
Jeez, was I wrong.
“Orange is the New Black” is such a silly title for such a serious and affecting show. We follow Piper Chapman (a different name than the memoirist, for reasons that we’ll get to later), a WASP-y and successful Manhattanite who was a wild child in her glory days. She worked alongside her then-lesbian lover Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), who worked for an international drug cartel. Ten years later, the statute of limitations for her crime is almost over (12 years), and she’d long forgotten about the whole thing. She and her fiancé get a knock on the door one day, telling her that everyone in the cartel has gone down. She can either go to trial, or surrender to 15 months in federal prison.
Each character who she meets on the inside has her own superbly written backstory. Every one of them is flawed and complicated. The show is less about Piper’s existential journey while behind bars, and more about the fascinating people, good and bad, who she meets there. There are so many fantastically written female characters in this one show, that even I was caught a little off guard.
Standouts of the supporting cast include Kate Mulgrew, as the inmate who runs the kitchen, nicknamed Red. Her backstory is probably the most interesting, since she has obvious mafia connections, but it’s not completely drawn out as to how she wound up behind bars. Mulgrew is fantastic in this part, as a vicious, tough-as-nails broad who is really vulnerable and human at the same time. Also, Laura Prepon is excellent as Alex, who becomes an ally to Piper, even as she’s the reason that she wound up behind bars.
Also, Natasha Lyonne, of the “American Pie” series, is superb comic relief as Nicky, who is the one character who’s automatically likable. Laverne Cox plays male-female transgender inmate Sophia, who is one of the best characters in the series. Sophia’s the subject to a lot of inhumane treatment, when she is denied medications that might slowly erase all of the work she’s done to become a woman. Even characters who seem like they’re not that pivotal to the story are. In each episode, we explore a different character’s backstory, and they’re all vastly different, and superbly fascinating.
Another thing I admire about Kohan’s approach is that she’s not scared to show the ugly side of prison. Corrupt guards and sketchy prison counselors rule with an iron fist, and every inmate is in a gang – tribal stuff – the blacks, the whites, the Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, old people, teenagers, what have you. There’s a mother and a daughter, both there for different crimes. And a prison guard is carrying on an affair with an inmate, which is surprisingly one of the happiest subplots in the whole show. It’s surprising that this is really how it is in a federal prison.
In one excellent episode, we explore how different life is in solitary confinement, versus minimum security prison. In SHU (short for “special housing unit”) a person is treated like an animal. They’re quite literally in a box, with a metal toilet and a cot, where they are completely cut off from other people. They’re fed a loaf of tasteless food, which has enough nutritional value to keep someone alive, but is completely disgusting. I did some research on my own about how accurate this is, and shockingly, it’s all true. SHU is very real, and it’s horrific.
One reason why this show really does work is because of Taylor Schilling. In an actress whose work I’d never seen, I wasn’t expecting much. But Schilling is a dynamic actress and brings a great deal of depth to the character of Piper Chapman. She’s so unlikable at one point, and we’re rooting for her in others. I don’t really like the relationship with her fiance Larry (Jason Biggs), but Schilling never lets the viewer forget that there’s more than meets the eye. Also, there’s a reason why the character’s name is Piper Chapman, rather than the real-life Piper Kerman. These are two different stories. Chapman and Kerman are not the same woman. This allows Kohan and Schilling to create subplots and other story elements that may not have happened to the real woman. This is no docudrama.
In 13 hour-long episodes, Jenji Kohan creates a vast new world and a slew of extraordinarily interesting characters. I had read the book, by Piper Kerman, before watching the series. If this had been a straight adaptation of the novel, it would have been over by episode 13. The series probably covered three months of time in its first season, so clearly this show could run for a while, even with the obvious endgame. If it continues to be this good, it should go on for as long as possible.
I was very surprised at how dark “Orange” got in its later episodes. Because of this, the show only becomes more compelling, the longer it goes on. With a Netflix subscription, viewers have the option to watch each episode in a row. I tried to make “Orange” last as long as I could, because I truly enjoyed being around these characters. Each episode was more interesting than the last, and it truly ended with a bang. I can’t wait to see where it goes.
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Orange Is The New Black: Season 1 [Blu-ray + Digital HD]
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Reviews with images
Interesting, bold, captivating and funny!
I love this show!!!! Piper is the perfect every day girl learning the ropes the hard way! Her transformation is captivating! Her facial expressions say it all. The rest of the cast is a bonus times ten. You won't be disappointed if you watch this one, with an open mind that is....
Top reviews from other countries
Charlotte Gardner
Orange is the new five star tv show
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2014Red87
Wish I had watched it sooner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2016
Nightrider
Starke Frauenknastserie zum Lachen und Weinen
Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2015