Orange Is The New Black – 8.4/10 IMDb
Orange Is The New Black is an excellent Netflix original TV series based on a New York woman’s time spent at Litchfield Penitentiary federal women’s prison. I have outlined this Series Spotlight similar to the previous Game Of Thrones post, so both non-fans and hard-core fans have something to look forward to. I’ve included a brief summary of the show, a fun Top 10 favourite quotes list, and a recap of the end of last season, so all current fans can brush up on all the storylines before starting Season Three!
The TV series is loosely based on Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange Is The New Black: My Year In A Women’s Prison (2010), which I have just recently started reading and I would highly recommend to those looking for something new to read this summer. The first 13-episode season was released back in 2013 and was an instant hit. The second season was just as perfect, and I can’t wait to binge-watch the third season which just released on Thursday!
Piper Chapman, a character based on real-life Piper Kerman, is the main character of the series who is in prison for transporting a suitcase full of drug money across international borders a decade earlier for her ex-girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). After breaking-up with Alex, Piper built a quiet and simple upper-middle class life in New York with her fiancé Larry (Jason Biggs). Therefore, her sudden arrest and incarceration severely disrupts her life and relationships with her loved ones.
I absolutely love the style of the show as it mixes hilarious lines with serious and dramatic scenes. Also, my favourite part about the show is the ongoing character development of the Litchfield inmates. During most episodes, time is spent on flashbacks of individual inmate backstories, which often provides evidence regarding how they ended up in prison. My three favourite characters are Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (Uzo Aduba), Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley), and Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson (Danielle Brooks) because they each have such unique personalities, and are often apart of my favourite scenes each episode.
I would like to point out that if you are not watching this show already you are doing yourself a disservice because it is excellent. However if you haven’t watched it just yet I would like to take the time to say STOP READING because the rest of this post will contain MULTIPLE SPOILERS!!!
TOP 10 FAVOURITE QUOTES:
1) “Wait shawty, you want a book to read or a step stool? ‘Cus I tell you right now you ain’t steppin’ on the Goblet of Fire. Don’t be f*ckin’ with Harry Potter” – Taystee – S1
2) “No Dandelion … I’m a Garden Rose!” – Suzanne – S2
3) “White People Politics” – Taystee & Poussey – S1 .. check out the link at the bottom of this post for the full scene!
4) “It don’t matter what you wanna watch, I’m President of the TV and you can’t do nothin’ about it.” – Taystee – S1
5) “I’m not your wife.” – Piper “I threw my pie for you.” – Suzanne – S1
6) “If you want to assassinate someone, vision is a basic requirement. It’s like Step 1, pick a person to kill. Step 2, kill the right person.” – Red – S2
7) “Man you’re cold.” – Poussey “Bitches gots to learn.” – Piper – S1
8) “It’s just chillin’, you know? Kicking it with somebody, talking, making mad stupid jokes. And like, not even wanting to go to sleep ’cause then you might be without ’em for a minute, and you don’t want that.” – Poussey – S2
9) “I like hot girls. And I like hot boys. I like hot people. What can I say? I’m shallow.” – Piper – S1
10) “Always so rude, that one.” – Miss Rosa – S2 Finale
END OF SEASON 2 RECAP:
- After putting in her initial request for Furlough Piper gets released from custody for 48 hours. She attends her grandmother’s funeral, which turns into her brother’s wedding. Also, Larry reveals that he slept with someone and Piper figures out it was her best friend Polly. Piper and Larry are officially finished, and Polly decides to leave Pete for Larry.
- During the storm Piper uncovers that Figueroa and her husband are embezzling money from the prison for his campaign and her personal benefit. She confesses to Caputo who tells the Warden, and then Figueroa resigns from her position.
- Officer Mendez a.k.a. “Pornstache” returns to Litchfield. However, Bennett tells Caputo that Daya is pregnant and it must be Mendez’s child. Therefore, Mendez is fired and then arrested for rape. However, in the finale Bennett reveals to Caputo that Daya’s child is his, but Caputo doesn’t want to ruin the new administration’s reputation so he covers it up.
- The tension grows between Red & Vee as flashbacks show that back in the day Vee forced Red to smuggle illegal drugs through the kitchen after her posse beat Red for saying no initially. Red’s prison friends “The Elders” decide to take matters into their own hands so they attempt to assassinate Vee but end up killing the wrong person.
- During the storm, Red attacks Vee by strangling her but she can’t bring herself to murder her, so the two call a truce. However, the next morning when Red is cleaning up after the storm she is badly beaten by Vee as retaliation! Vee’s group begins to break apart as she tries to pawn the attack off on Suzanne.
- Vee decides that there is too much heat on her about Red’s attack, so she escapes through Red’s garden centre drain pipe. Meanwhile, Rosa has been given 3-6 weeks to live by her physician, so Morello intentionally leaves the keys in the prison van so Rosa can escape. On her way out of town, Rosa sees Vee on the side of the road and decides to veer off the road and epically KILL VEE!!!
Check out the first video link below for one of my favourite scenes “White People Politics” from Season 1, and then click the second video for the official Orange Is The New Black Season 3 Trailer #SorryNotSorry.