If you have not jumped on the bandwagon yet, immediately get on it.
Do not read the rest of this post. I am being so serious right now. Don’t read this because you should go into Orange Is The New Black knowing nothing and watch it unfold.
If you’re still here, I’m assuming you’ve watched it.
In case you haven’t watched it but for some reason are still around, here comes some ruining.
Orange Is The New Black is a show about a woman who one time smuggled drug money between countries for her girlfriend and 10 years later after she’s already made a totally new life for herself, she goes to prison for it.
I’m finding it very interesting to see how her friends and family deal with it, since no one in her life assumed she’d be going to prison.
I also realized after the first episode that not many shows have this many women on it. It’s so wonderful to see such a smart, interesting take-you-on-a-ride show that showcases so many wonderful women.
Spoiler alert: One of the things I really love is how one of the most evil villains of the show is a women! So it’s not this “man vs. woman, all the male correctional officers are evil antagonists” thing. Oh no, a woman is the most evil one at all.
I also love how I really believe the show lets us see both the good and the bad in our main characters. Sure, Piper is lovable. But I can totally see her flaws, and I can easily be on the side of Alex or Larry sometimes.
And I think it’s wonderful to watch a show that’s not so incredibly precious with the main character. It doesn’t try too hard to make us love her – ’cause sometimes I don’t!
I also think some very true and profound opinions are said throughout the course of this show. Two of the examples I like the most: I like when Piper actually takes responsibility for being in prison. When one of her visitors is still helping pile the blame on other people, Piper readily admits it was her mistake and she did it to herself.
(I understand she felt like she had to, and it was an unfortunate situation. And it’s really unfortunate she’s paying such a heft price so many years later. But I still thought it was nice to see her take responsibility.)
I also thought it was really lovely when the nice female correctional officer said that it easily could’ve been her in the tan outfit instead; her bad decisions just weren’t caught.
The show has definitely made me fascinated about our prison system. Piper Kerman, who wrote the book off which the show is based (her real-life story, btw) has a website where she talks all about prison reform and I can’t wait to delve more into it!
Back to the show, I was reading an interview with Jenji Kohan, the creator (the same person who created Weeds, which now I’m gonna have to watch). She was talking about how one of the things that was great about this show was that she gets to tell stories involving minorities. She said a white girl was her way in. And once people get in that world, she gets to expand it.
(Still kind of sad that we need a white girl as a way in, but I thought it was a very interesting interview.)
Speaking of women in the minority on the show, there is a transgender actress on the show who does an excellent job! The story about her not getting her estrogen pills infuriated me!
I love seeing all the different stories of the various women unfolding over the course of the season. Some are absolutely heartbreaking.
Again, I don’t think they make the women seem overly sympathetic. But it does as least make most of them seem human, layered, and interesting.
I thought possibly the most heartbreaking thing was when one of the girls purposely came back to prison because it seemed easier than being out in the world. Out in the world, she had nothing. She said everyone she knew was poor, in prison, or dead. She said in prison at least she got a bed to sleep on.
And it totally broke my heart. Unfortunately, it’s probably extremely true.
If somehow you read all the way to the end of this and still haven’t watched it, I don’t know what to do with you. I’m sorry it’s completely ruined. Maybe watch it anyway. It’ll be worth it… and OITNB will probably go on for many fabulous seasons. So get in on it now.