Watch: Orange is the New Black

I can't stop watching Netflix's new show Orange is the New Black.  I had read and heard a lot about the show -- my good friend had recommend the Moth podcast that Piper Kerman was featured on -- so I was eager to check it out.  I had also read that this might be the most diverse show that you've seen in awhile and one that features so many women.  And it is.  It's actually so refreshing to see so many different types of people and so many strong female actors.  But what I think really gets me is just seeing prison life in a day-to-day way.  Much like how I was fascinated by the West Wing because of the setting, I'm fascinated by Orange because I want to know how it all works.  The show also has a bit of the Weeds vibe (it's creator is the same), in that it leaves you with a cliffhanger type ending at the end of every episode, leaving you wanting more.

So, I'm going to go ahead and blog about a few episodes at a time (the beauty of Netflix -- you can watch the whole series at once!!).  So here's episodes 1-3.  Stop here if you want to catch up!  If you’ve watched the whole thing, please don’t comment spoilers!!  

Episodes 1-3

In Episode One we meet Piper, her finance and see her get admitted to the prison.  I actually watched this episode twice (so that my husband could catch up) and enjoyed it more the second time.  It might be because the first time I was feeling a little nervous about what was to come and the awkwardness at her adjustment from her regular life to prison life.  She is awkward -- she's read up on what to expect, but you can never expect the harshness of that reality.  Her fellow inmates are fairly kind of her, but it seems like there can be an explosion at any given moment.  You start to get a sense of the racial divides ("it's tribal") and where people are placed on the hierarchy.  I think the most striking scene is when the prison guard is taking her ID photo and he can't get the computer to work.  She points out the hanging cord that isn't connected to anything and although she's right, he snaps at her and doesn't tell her when he's taking the photo, resulting in a bad picture.  He can't lose an inch of power.  The turning point is when she insults the food to the cook and starts to get starved out - by being served a bloody tampon in an English muffin.  That's when she finds out her former lover and the drug dealer who got her into the mess is also locked up with her.  The first rule of prison is to keep your mouth shut!!

In Episode Two Piper finds a way out of her situation with the prison cook, Red, and we learn more about Red’s background.  This gives us a better idea of the layout of the show -- scenes from the past of a select inmate, much like Piper’s in the first episode, juxtaposed with the prison scenes.  Piper’s solution pulls on her know-how from her former life, but saves her in the end.  Only she ends up with a new problem - an admirer who also happens to be nicknamed “Crazy Eyes”.  This episode also featured a glimpse at the commissary and the radios that the real Piper Kerman spoke of on the Moth.  I think the most heartbreaking moment is when Larry watches Mad Men without her.  How can he do that?!  It seems like he is not able to understand her new life at all....will they last?

Episode Three has Piper finally getting her footing - she also finally gets money and flip flops for the shower.  She confronts or is confronted by her former lover who says she wasn’t the one to sell her out.  I kind of believe her.  I think Laura Prepon is totally killing this role.  I kind of feel for her and she seemed genuinely hurt by Piper in the past, but you also think she’s a total jerk and 100% guilty of her crime.  Piper needs to find an out from Crazy Eyes and when she does... well Crazy Eyes doesn’t take it too well.  Also, Piper gets her bunk assignment and is sent to the “ghetto” where she gets to live with Ms. Claudette who’s incredibly mean, but you have to wonder if Piper will be safer there?  Also, we see more and more that Piper’s family and friends do not understand her situation and learn more about the heartbreaking story of a transvestite who is locked up with her.  

I feel a strange kinship to Piper.  I know that I probably wouldn’t last 24 hours without losing it.  In the end, prison seems like New York City - you’re constantly surrounded by people but incredibly lonely.  The show vaguely reminded me of my own experience getting food stamps.  Such a small thing, but I remember how much “the system” made me feel less than human, only weeks after finishing a difficult Master’s degree program.  That was only a day’s worth of lost hours - how will 15 months change a person?