ORANGE is the new BLACK
Starring:
Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Taryn Manning,
Kate Mulgrew, Natasha Lyonne, Jason Biggs
There are the shows out there that are good, there are shows out there that are bad...and then there are those that are great! "Orange is the new Black" is one of those shows in the 'great' category. Maybe it's due to the fact that the cast is brilliant, or the characters are individually and collectively three dimensional and well thought out, or the writing is perfect, or maybe because the creator of the show is none other than Jenji Kohan (creator of Weeds)? Personally I think it's the combination of all of the aforementioned. It also doesn't hurt that the show is adapted from the book of the same name, a true account of Piper Kerman's year in prison.
Meet Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a normal girl with a perfect life. She lives in a nice apartment with her loving boyfriend Larry (Jason Biggs), seemingly the girl next door. And she is. But she has a secret, and that secret is about to turn her life upside down. You see, ten years previous she was in a relationship with a woman, a beautiful, sexy woman named Alex (Laura Prepon). But Alex had a dark side, and a dangerous job in a drug cartel, and when Piper helped her carry money across the border she never thought that ten years after she would get caught.
So now we see her in the pilot episode getting ready to surrender herself in to the Litchfield Prison. And throughout the 13 episode season we see what it's like inside a female prison and we meet some colorful characters. Among those characters are a Russian woman who heads the kitchen and who you do not want to mess with if you want to eat (Kate Mulgrew), a Junkie lesbian who just wants to be loved (Natasha Lyonne), a Born Again Christian who you do NOT want to disrespect (Taryn Manning) and many others.
The love I have for this show is beyond what I can put into words. I finished watching it at 1:00am on Friday night and immediately wanted to re-watch. You will fall in love (and hate) with these characters. They are so well developed you can even love and hate them at the same time. Tears will be shed, laughter will bellow from your mouth. You will feel empathetic to some of the trials these women face and most of all you will walk away wanting more.
Bravo Netflix on a job well done! :) And for your entertainment...some photos-
