Orange is the New Black: Season 2 Review. Share. For my thoughts on some of the more specific twists and turns of the season, head over to this discussion here. A week gone by, an entire season of Orange is the New Black watched. Not my favorite way to watch a new batch of episodes from a TV show I enjoy, but binge- watching is what Netflix and cyberspace's minefield of spoilers demand. The illusion of free will. Basically, it's TV not fully on our timetable. It's kind of like when the waiter/waitress places the bill down on the table and says, . I don’t know the answer to that and neither does “Orange is the New Black” but it’s more. Everything that's going down on Orange Is The New Black's fifth season. Home; News; World; Politics; Sports; Tech. The Whole Of “Orange Is The New Black” Season 2 Is Greater Than. Pennsatucky is the embodiment of memory in the middle of a rape plot that is being pursued. Orange Is The New Black - Season 2 - Official Trailer. Season 2 Official Trailer. Orange is the New Black - Season Two 'Rules Aren't Any Fun' Clip. Orange Is The New Black Episode List and Show Guide: Based on the U. Taylor Schilling and Jolene Purdy in “Orange Is the New Black. The following essay discusses plot points throughout Season 4 of “Orange Is the. To give us more time to chat and speculate about characters, story threads, and such. But we get it all in a clump. Of course, I could merely be speaking as someone who also likes to write about TV, and so for all I know Netflix's model could suit most viewers just fine. In the end, none of this takes away from the fact that Orange is a good show. A very, very good show. One that still surprises me with both its choices with regards to storyline payoff and its ability to take a seemingly peripheral characters and turn them three- dimensional within a few choice scenes. Looking back at Season 2, what strikes me the most now is that Piper no longer felt like the central character. A main character, for sure, but where the Season 1 poster understandably had her front and center, a poster for Season 2 could (and did) feature a large grouping of characters with her huddled somewhere around the middle. So Season 2 really focused heavily on the development of the ensemble, wherein Piper wasn't necessary to facilitate story. In fact, thinking back, she barely rubbed elbows with perhaps the biggest story of the season - that of Lorraine Toussaint's . With SHU art. No, Piper's personal drama remained Piper's personal drama. And Season 2 found her more powerless than ever as those around her made huge choices, causing her to feel even more left behind and marginalized than before. Which, in turn, made her more confident in her stubbornness. This was the evolution of . As time wore on her, and with personal betrayals seemingly awaiting her at every turn, Piper remained a minor narcissist while shedding her vanity. Meaning, mostly, that she started to stop caring if people thought she was selfish. Piper did get separated from the pack a couple of times - most notably at the top of the season when she was mysteriously (and scarily) whisked away from Litchfield, and then again toward the end of the season. In the middle, however, Piper blended into the mosaic, no longer an . It fed into the notion that individuality does indeed get stripped away and a more communal role is cultivated. The idea - - and it's showcased greatly on Orange via use of flashbacks - - of prison is that while inside, these women have lost the privilege to be who they once were. And that new roles are created for them. And so, given that, Season 2 worked tirelessly to flesh out many characters' backstories. And as battle- worn as the . Granted, some flashbacks worked better than others. Some were revelations while some felt a touch redundant. Some truly showed you things you didn't know about someone while others basically put a cranky inmate's bad behavior on a much larger display. So inmates like Lorna, Gloria, Miss Rosa, and Sister Jane got to have their stories told, but the the stories that got told first were those of Taystee, Crazy Eyes, Poussey, and Cindy. Which was important given the big things that were about to happen to their tight- knit group with the introduction of Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) - a seductive, drug pushing, den mother . And so the second biggest element to Season 2 involved the transformation of the black inmates into a somewhat diabolical crew. And with this story came the season's biggest dose of heartache and triumph, as one member of this group had to watch all her friends morph into unrecognizable thugs. And it's with her character, and her looming war with Red (who also had to figure out how to reinvent herself this season), that the stakes felt at their highest this year. Not because I deeply cared about who ran the prison or who controlled the contraband, but because actual characters' identities and lives were at stake. I wasn't fully crazy about the final two episodes of the season. Some things worked wonderfully, while others felt too neatly wrapped up. Compared to Season 1's ending, Season 2 felt like it had hospital corners. There's a certain amount of - shall we say - serendipity at play on Orange. And that can be a fun device, but it can also be overused, especially if it's done in place of more dramatic, resonating creative choices. But that's where the tricky blend of drama and comedy comes into play, which is always a tightwire act. And Orange gets it more right than wrong. But if the purpose of the season is to shake things up only for them to return, mostly, to the status quo, then we're basically getting Dexter all over again. So the destination wasn't the greatest. The journey is the reward on a show like Orange, right? And we certainly got a lot more characters this year. I don't mean new faces, necessarily, but a focus on previously peripheral ones. Red managed to stay in the spotlight and continued to be given great material, sure, but Taystee, Poussey, Miss Rosa, and even Caputo got minor promotions. Granted, there was less Alex, Sophia, and Pennsatucky, but these all of these women are meant to blink on and off like pulsars. The Verdict. Mother issues, anger issues, family loyalties, friendships, the question of . Orange continued its strong tradition of being both heartbreaking and hilarious. And as Piper grew more weary of her surroundings, we grew more accustomed to prison- life as viewers. And more readily willing to learn the stories of every inmate, no matter how obscure they may have once seemed. I do worry a bit about the show becoming too precious with who it considers to be its core cast, but then again, this isn't supermax. Tragedy need not lay around every corner. I just don't want it to rest on too many laurels. Season 2 remains a strong offering nonetheless. And I applaud many of its choices, both in character and format. The first two episodes alone are surprising in their focus. And, of course, it remains infinitely quotable, with enough witticisms, both insightful and shallow, to meet any guard's shot quota. For my thoughts on the end of the season and some other big spoilers - - and a place for you to comment on those plot points without spoiling others - - click here. Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @The. Matt. Fowler and Facebook at Facebook. Everything To Know Before The Season 2 Premiere. Pacific time on Netflix, which means you might want to call out of work now so you can binge watch that baby! We don’t condone such behavior – that would be insane. But if you happen to do so - - wink - - catch a cold - - wink - - on Thursday night, here’s the guide to prepare you for what’s to come in Season 2 of “OITNB.” Because let’s face it . So, dear reader, this is your guide to feed you the most vital information about what happened in Season 1. Feeling hungry? Episode 1, “I Wasn’t Ready”Piper Chapman gets sentenced to 1. She leaves behind her fianc. As a result, Piper's life is turned into a living hell. But things only get worse when the protagonist's former lover, Alex (who recruited her to carry the drug money), gets sentenced to the same prison. Episode 2, “Tit Punch”After insulting Red’s food, Piper is starved out by the kitchen. Even the inmates are too scared to intervene to stop Red’s punishment. Everyone except “Crazy Eyes,” that is, who helps Piper concoct a medicated lotion to soothe Red’s aching back. This ultimately ends Piper’s unintended fasting. This is also the episode in which we get a look at Red’s life before prison. Flashbacks explain Red's backstory about how she was once an outsider in a group of hoity- toity Russian housewives. In one flashback, viewers see Red pop one of the Russian wives' breast implant, which is how her family gets mixed up in “holding packages” for “business men.”Episode 3, “Lesbian Request Denied”Piper has a lot on her plate in this episode: She lost authority over her soap- making business with her best friend, Polly; turned down advances from “Crazy Eyes,”; deal with the repercussions of turning “Crazy Eyes” down (there was pee on her bedroom floor); and make nice with her not- so- nice roommate, Miss Claudette. In episode 3, we learn about Burset and that she’s behind bars because she committed credit card fraud to finance her gender reassignment surgery. She asks her wife to smuggle in pills to maintain her female physicality but is flatly turned down. Episode 4, “Imaginary Enemies”Ah, the screwdriver episode! The ladies of the prison have found themselves in deep - - ya know - - when a tool (aka a weapon) goes missing from the electrical shop. Mendez, who is better known as officer Pornstache, molests Piper while “looking” for the screwdriver. Turns out Piper did have it. But she took it accidentally. Miss Claudette freaks out because she could be held accountable for this, and she doesn’t want to spend any more time in prison than necessary. After the search comes to an end, Piper and Miss Claudette make peace. Chapman offers to review appeal letters for her and other inmates who want help. We also find out how Miss Claudette was locked up for murdering a man who abused one of her housekeeping company's employees. Episode 5, “The Chickening”This was hands down one of our favorite episodes. While relaxing in the prison yard, Piper spots a chicken. She finds it weird and tells the inmates. Red starts freaking out and offers a reward to anyone who catches the chicken and gives it to her to so she can cook a proper meal - - and “absorb its powers.”We also learn in this episode that Alex is the one who gave Piper’s name to the Feds from Larry; Bennett and Dayanara start taking their relationship a little more seriously after passing notes to each other; and that Burset was denied estrogen pills. Episode 6, “WAC Pack”Because Larry told Piper that Alex had nothing to do with her imprisonment, the two ex- lovers start rekindling their relationship. But what does Larry care? He’s more interested in writing about his fianc. Because of this, she opts to perform oral sex on him, which is when she discovers that he has a prosthetic leg. Episode 7, “Blood Donut”Watson finally gets out from SHU (Security Housing Unit/Solitary) and comes back with a beef with Piper for getting locked up because Piper misplaced the screwdriver. Also, Piper gets the track reopened for the former track star- turned- robber. But that’s all she’s able to do with her “bullshit” power. Doggett becomes infuriated with Piper’s title because she wanted to use it to obtain new teeth. Alex gets annoyed with Doggett and gives her a taste of her own medicine by threatening to rape her. Episode 8, “Moscow Mule”Mendez has been pestering Red to smuggle drugs into the prison but so far she’s refused. But Mendez eventually gets his way when Nichols, Red’s right- hand woman, gives him the scoop that the cook gets contraband into the prison through “Neptune’s Produce,” a company Red might have been affiliated with when she worked with the Russian “businessmen.” Nichols betrays Red because Red cut off Miller, an inmate who went into drug withdrawal and was sent to SHU. Larry’s article based on his fianc. Healy, who has some sort of vendetta against lesbians, starts treating Piper coldly when he learns of her affairs. We also find out Dayanara is pregnant. Episode 9, “Fucksgiving”Mendez gets his drugs into the prison, but Red flushes them down a toilet. That pisses off the prison guard, which is when he retaliates by peeing on the Thanksgiving turkey and issuing Red a death threat. Dayanara attempts an abortion but resolves to keep the baby, which pleases her mother. During a Taystee’s goodbye party, the ladies celebrate by dancing - - to none other than Kelis’ hit single “Milkshake.” Even Alex and Piper show off their moves! Doggett spots the “lesbianing” activity and alerts Healy, who throws Piper in the SHU. The officer goes a step further and calls Larry, which we assume is to break the news to. Larry about his fianc. It’s later revealed that his prosthetic leg isn’t from his tour in Afghanistan but from a dirty hot tub in Florida, which means Aleida’s plan to cash in his limb won’t exactly work out. A group of “Scared Straight” juveniles go to the prison to get “spooked” by the inmates, but little happens other than Doggett forcefully throwing one of the trespassing juveniles from her wheelchair as she attempts to . But because of her unstable state, she ends up overdosing. The ladies are beside themselves over her death, especially Nichols and Red, who blame themselves for what happened. They begin to plot to take Mendez down. Nichols and Red from . So they attempt to pin a rape charge on him. But their plan fails when Mendez uses a condom. Larry gets to tell his side of the story during an interview on NPR. But his comments are particularly hurtful when he recites the negative things Piper told him in confidence. Larry knows Piper cheated on him, which is when he reveals that Alex was the one who gave her name.“How does it feel to be in love with the woman who ruined our lives?” he asked. Episode 1. 2, “Fool Me Once”Finally, Mendez is caught having sex with Dayanara and is put on unpaid lead to avoid a rape investigation. Dayanara tells Bennett what she did to protect him, but he’s livid. Claudette’s appeal gets denied, and in a moment of weakness, she attacks a guard, which lands her in maximum security. We also find out the why Yoga Jones is locked up. She mistakenly killed an eight- year- old boy after thinking he was a robber. Doggett’s storyline reveals that she killed an abortion provider who “disrespected” her. In Episode 1. 2 she attempts to baptize Piper, but Chapman is unwilling to participate. That causes Doggett to start planning how to murder her anti- Christ- loving foe. Episode 1. 3, “Can’t Fix Crazy”In the last episode of the season, Red gets stripped of her title as head cook. She’s replaced by Mendoza. Red attempts to sabotage the kitchen and as a result, she gets starved out. Sound familiar? But the episode's crazier storyline is between Doggett and Piper. The toothless inmate has been threatening Piper to tears and eventually owns up to her words when she attacks her foe with a shiv fashioned from a wooden cross. Piper calls out to Healy for help but he ignores her. When Doggett strikes, Piper kicks her to the ground, jumps on top of her and starts hitting her repeatedly. Aaaand that’s how Season 1 ends!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2017
Categories |