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It's far more likely that I'll see it now that I don't have to watch it on Netflix, so it's got that going for it

That is the polar opposite of the reason why everyone else was such an early adopter of this show!

mfunk9786 wrote:Still the best original series on Netflix

A very powerful man would like to have a word with you

I guess we know what happens to Katherine Hale at the end of Justified now!

Started the 1st season Friday, midway through the 2nd now. It has it's moments, but I'm kind of with domino but a little more lukewarm.

Interesting piece about some of the real stories behind the series.

flyonthewall2983 wrote:Started the 1st season Friday, midway through the 2nd now. It has it's moments, but I'm kind of with domino but a little more lukewarm.

Just sort of clarifying for Domino's sake: I don't think there's a post here to indicate that he's seen the show yet. I don't know how you can be more or less lukewarm than him.

Fair enough. Anyway, finished the 2nd season.

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The last two episodes are terrific.

domino harvey wrote:I guess we know what happens to Katherine Hale at the end of Justified now!

Not quite.

Season 3 is up on Netflix now and crashed the service for many users last night

The mean & misguided thinkpieces about how horrible of a character Piper is and how she should be entirely written out of the show are back, too! I'd link one here but there are surely thousands and I can't pick just one - the show works so well because of the construct of a naive outsider serving as a vessel for [most] viewers (whether they want to admit it or not, the average Jezebel writer etc etc likely has the most in common with Piper than the rest of these characters) to confront their misconceptions about the prison setting and the people within it while having her own somewhat compelling throughline, but OK

Really enjoyed S3 of OITNB. Great episodes - it's tough to compare it to S1 - S2 since I liked all three almost equally. This season was like the first two in that it combined drama & comedy quite effectively.

I liked the new back-stories for the characters (that we hadn't seen before), i.e.

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Caputo, Healy & his alcoholic mother, Doggett & the abuse she suffered, the girl who had been Amish, the woman who wanted to go to college & run track, etc. These definitely made me feel sympathy for some of these characters, which hadn't been the case before I saw the back-stories...

I thought the shank/knife made out of

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Jolly Roger candy was hilarious

As in the earlier seasons, Laura P. as Alex Vaus was hot, even hotter than she had been in That '70's Show - the black hair & glasses really suited her in this series.

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Hopefully her character survives the attack?! that we saw in the S3 finale...

I liked how Soso

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was finally able to find a group of friends to hang out with, even though the reasons for this were quite horrible - i.e., her new friends saved her from dying from an overdose....

I was disappointed that we didn't get a back-story in S3 explaining why Crazy-eyes ended up in prison - she's one of my favorite characters, and the back-story we did get in the first couple of seasons was quite poignant (i.e., showing her not fitting in with her adoptive family, etc.)

Like the previous seasons, Season 4 of Orange is the New Black is both uneven and very good; unlike the previous seasons, this one borders on greatness, if only for the massive payoff that the last two episodes deliver -- and not just for this season, but for the series as a whole. Particularly after having come to know the characters so well. The show is no longer centered around Piper, she's now just part of the ensemble, and so much the better.

I really don't want to say much, spoilers and all. I will say that I hope Lori Petty gets some kind of recognition for her contribution to this season.

But those last two episodes are game-changers. I would put those up against the last two episodes of Game of Thrones (apples and oranges, I know). As phenomenal as those last two episodes of GoT were, I will give the slight edge to Orange. All I know is, we're in a new Golden Age of television, and it's real and it's spectacular.

AnamorphicWidescreen wrote:I was disappointed that we didn't get a back-story in S3 explaining why Crazy-eyes ended up in prison - she's one of my favorite characters

You will get the answer in Season 4.

Just noticed that the 12th episode was directed by Matthew Weiner of Mad Men fame...

Midway through final episode, and man, every season this show just breaks. my. fucking. heart.

I'll try to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that this show does the best job of remaining relevant and even crucial in dealing with subjects that most popular television won't touch, and not just in its representation of the private prison industry. So while the show can be emotionally trying, it manages to be political in a way that's rarely heavy-handed, and more true to its narrative logic than to didactic or polemical considerations.

jbeall, what did you think about the last five seconds of the last episode?

You know the scene.

Quot wrote:jbeall, what did you think about the last five seconds of the last episode?

You know the scene.

I don't know about you, but I bawled like a fucking baby.

I cried on at least four occasions during the finale. But yes, those last five seconds are particularly devastating.

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The revelation that Poussey's been incarcerated over a relatively minor offense stays in the background and we instead get a narrative of a magical night in NYC, ergo her narrative as shown on the screen directly contradicts the one MCC (and Piscatella) are concocting. It was an unexpected departure from the show's more familiar way of providing backstory leading up to whatever crime each inmate committed. Instead, the episode literally becomes a celebration of Poussey's life, which was still full of promise, and the juxtaposition of this backstory with the disgraceful behavior of pretty much every MCC employee made the scenes in Litchfield all the more painful to watch.

Withdrawing into the more predictably melodramatic Wentworth for a bit, where I'm less personally invested in the characters.

jbeall wrote:

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The revelation that Poussey's been incarcerated over a relatively minor offense stays in the background and we instead get a narrative of a magical night in NYC, ergo her narrative as shown on the screen directly contradicts the one MCC (and Piscatella) are concocting. It was an unexpected departure from the show's more familiar way of providing backstory leading up to whatever crime each inmate committed. Instead, the episode literally becomes a celebration of Poussey's life, which was still full of promise, and the juxtaposition of this backstory with the disgraceful behavior of pretty much every MCC employee made the scenes in Litchfield all the more painful to watch.

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And echoing your thoughts, I read one critic who made the observation that the atmosphere surrounding Poussey's enchanted excursion on a subway was the polar opposite of that of the prison and the judicial system in which she became ensnared. Yeah, the juxtaposition of her joyous night out and the fact she was so full of life and so anxious to explore it, against the the scenes of the aftermath of her death made for a very tough watch, and I am very grateful that the actress got a chance to shine in the final episode. Ending the episode by having the close-up on her smiling face as she breaks the fourth wall was just icing on the cake.

It took us a while to get through the first season of Orange. It was a decent enough show to fill time, but the tone was inconsistent and it didn't grab us. I can't think of too many shows where the first series or season is definitely the weakest (Blackadder), but this is definitely one example.

Ever since, the show has ramped up pretty dramatically and appeared to take itself more seriously, whilst still maintaining it's comedic touch. The exploitative elements of gratuitous nudity and sex have been dialled back on, showing a confidence in allowing the show's great ensemble writing to stand afore. The layers of narrative and the depth of characterisation of the entire cast is testament to the writers and actors. The switch from the show focussing on Piper to the prison en masse is all for the better. If there is a better show around right now, then I want to know.

TMDaines wrote:It took us a while to get through the first season of Orange. It was a decent enough show to fill time, but the tone was inconsistent and it didn't grab us.

do you suffer from multiple personality disorder?