TV Review: Orange Is the New Black — Season 1
I’ve got a lot to say about Orange Is the New Black, which may well be 2013’s best new show and is almost certainly the most daring and important scripted series to debut this year. It’s a piece of tonal brilliance, a wonderfully addictive and engaging drama that filters in expertly judged comedy while never forgetting its dark edges. It tells the stories and gives us the perspectives that television tends to hold at arm’s length. Brimming with insight and emotional power, the unique appeal of the show is how invested it gets us in types of characters we just haven’t seen before.
After watching the excellent premiere back in mid-July, the show found its way onto a list of others that I mean to get around to watching. In the past week or so, though, I got back into it in a big way, culminating with the mainlining of the eight episodes that make up the second half of the season in a single evening. Once you’re hooked by Orange Is the New Black, it really is as addictive as so many have claimed it to be. It’s a pleasure to watch and it becomes very difficult to stop. If you’re not finished with the season, I must warn you here that I’ll probably touch on a couple of plot points from the latter half, although I don’t intend to throw in anything too spoilery.
To begin with, I’m just going to talk about what’s so great about this show. If maintained, the early focus on Taylor Schilling’s Piper would’ve made for a great show that could delve into the struggles of one woman out of her depth and her familiarisation with a difficult environment. There’s potential for strong drama in there, but Orange Is the New Black takes a riskier and more rewarding route by minimising Piper’s significance after three episodes and choosing to dive into the fascinating lives of its numerous supporting characters (while keeping Piper central to the show, of course). It’s not an exercise in character development so much as it is a process of constantly peeling back the surface details in order to uncover the layers within each and every person on the show. Even those who would be considered minor characters in earlier episodes get their chance to shine, and the show makes it easy to root for everyone while also not letting us forget their mistakes and their capability to do terrible things.
It’s a terrific ensemble full of performers able to consistently impress and able to effortlessly switch between the comedic and the emotional. When I watched ‘I Wasn’t Ready’, I had a great deal of praise for Schilling’s lead performance. She remains outstanding throughout the whole season (especially in the ninth episode, ‘Fucksgiving’), her character’s journey is compelling and it’ll be ridiculous if she’s not nominated for a lot of awards for this; however, the same can be said for most of the supporting cast. It would take rather a while to talk about the strengths of every performer, but I’ll say that the talents of Michelle Hurst (Claudette), Kate Mulgrew (Red), Natasha Lyonne (Nicky), Laura Prepon (Alex), Uzo Aduba (Suzanne, aka “Crazy Eyes”), Laverne Cox (Sophia), Taryn Manning (“Pennsatucky”) and Madeline Brewer (Tricia) are particularly striking.
There’s a realness and an expansiveness to the world of Orange Is the New Black that immediately gives it potential to run for much longer than originally assumed. After watching the first episode, it would be logical to expect that the show might exist for the duration of Piper’s prison sentence. However, it’s easy to envisage how this show continues beyond that, with Piper released but others not, perhaps. No matter what, this isn’t a show that feels like it is constrained by its premise in the way that Homeland sometimes does. Both the prison and the outside world feel alive (although time spent at Litchfield is usually more rewarding), meaning there’s a lot of possibility for the series to continue for much longer. Also, there are so many characters with stories worth telling that we’re only just starting to get to know. Nothing on Orange Is the New Black ever feels extraneous because every scene gives us valuable insight into characters through scenarios that always feel at least a little believable (I’m not sure that the drama is always realistic, but it’s definitely grounded in well-rounded characters). The flashbacks also assist with this, at first seeming vaguely character-centric (as on Lost) before becoming a surprisingly effective way to emphasise episodic themes.
This is a show that gets how television works, too, by understanding the value of an episode as a complete story rather than always as a chunk of a larger one. House of Cards was sold as a thirteen-hour long film and it is consequently lacking in narrative focus within each of its instalments. At least this show proves that Netflix is moving towards something that is more likely to be marathoned by its subscribers and that provides something rewarding in each episode. It’s easy to see what characters want to achieve or gain on an episodic basis, something that makes episodes engaging within themselves. Interestingly enough, the buzz has also been sustained, perhaps proving me wrong about the problems with Netflix’s release strategy. It must be noted, though, that certain traits and the high level of anticipation for Season Two are what is keeping Orange Is the New Black in the cultural conversation and the company’s other offerings are left out because they don’t have much individual or original to them.
As a season, this is just a really well structured and delivered story. There are multiple arcs that intersect and resonant moments for so many characters. Nobody is who they seem at first, an idea that allows us to get a glimpse of the struggle that Suzanne faces just to keep herself together, coupled with her confusion at why everyone calls her “Crazy Eyes”, and that allows us to see how there might be more to George “Pornstache” Mendez (Pablo Schreiber), a seemingly repugnant man who gradually becomes more real as the season progresses. Piper’s journey is the central one, and it becomes a complex tale of her perhaps losing or perhaps finding her sense of self. Through Piper, we see that the transformative aspect of prison is not in what others do to you but what becomes of yourself in order to survive. It’s hard to see why her fiancé Larry needs to appear as often as he does, but his story also provides an interesting angle on proceedings.
Red’s arc is all about how she tries to maintain her integrity and her position as the head chef while Pornstache is attempting to get drugs into the prison through her kitchen. It’s a strong story, one with consequences and conflicting motivations, and it provides the backbone for much of the season. There’s also a heartbreaking arc for the lonely Claudette, who has her hopes of an early release dashed when an appeal doesn’t go her way. The story that drives the season’s final few episodes is mostly about Pennsatucky’s rivalry with Piper and Alex, as the hatred begins with a series of pranks but eventually becomes something much uglier. While slightly rushed, this builds to some great moments and a tremendous final scene.
There’s so much else to value within Orange Is the New Black, from the ever-watchable friendship shared between Taystee (Danielle Brooks) and Poussey (Samira Wiley) to the surprisingly affecting tale of ex-addict Nicky. Relationships and their complications are elements of the show that always work, and it’s hard not to care about the messiness of the relationship that develops between Daya (Dascha Polanco) and prison guard John Bennett (Matt McGorry). Similarly, the reconnection of Piper and Alex makes for great television, and the reaction of Larry occurs in a way that is unusual and interesting.
The social commentary of Orange Is the New Black is not quite at its most astute yet, even if the show displays a strong indication that there is material it wants to explore. I imagine we’ll see much more of that next season as we frequently get little details that hint at a closer look at the benefits and pitfalls of the prison system (Taystee’s story definitely conveys that). Mostly, what the show succeeds at in Season One is character-driven stories that are different to those that we see more often. I’ve barely even touched on Sophia’s desperate attempt to hold onto her identity as a transgender woman or Tricia’s uphill battle with her drug addiction. There are incredible stories that fill every moment of this show, and I can’t wait to see more.
Orange Is the New Black is unquestionably Netflix’s biggest success in its first year of original programming. When I wrote about the premiere, I said that it seemed to be a show that another network might want. I still think that’s true, but I think this is a show that only Netflix could commission. It fits perfectly with what they’re attempting to prove (that they can be as important as any cable network) and it is genuinely groundbreaking and different. It’s an incredible piece of tonal confidence, blending humour with darkness and joy with pain to create stories that should be celebrated and wholeheartedly recommended.
