Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "Orange Is The New Black."
Real issues are handled here:
There's the nature of the prison system, racism, homophobia, human trafficking, addiction, abuse and more are explored within the show.
Piper Chapman is a brilliant character:
This is kind of challenging because the show is based on the real life story of Piper Kerman. However, the fictional character is developed by the creator of “Weeds.” Just like Nancy Botwin before her, Piper is an anti-hero. She is the audience introduction to the prison world but she is as complex and as flawed as anyone and peeling back the layers of her character is one of the joys of this season.
Pipex:
Along with complex characters, this show offers a lot of complex relationships. At the center is the fractured relationship between Piper/Alex. Though Piper begins the show engaged, she is immediately put in the presence of an ex-girlfriend. Their figuring out how to deal with each other and how they want to deal with each other is one of the best things about the show.
The LGBT representation:
Many of the characters on this show fall into different ranges on the Kinsey scale. There is a transgendered character. There are gay characters. There are bisexual characters. There are also characters who seem to be fighting off the loneliness of prison. It hits a lot of different demographics which is great.
There is just a lot of representation in general:
This show has characters of all races and all ages. They each get some representation. The show does not make it easy. Some is uncomfortable. Some is hilarious. It is amazing that actresses from all walks of life are getting work now though. There is a large cast of women.
There is a huge cast and many characters are developed:
One of the best things I have seen in a show review is that in group scenes, you feel like you know almost everyone there. We don't see all the 200 people in the prison but that is what season 2 is for. We already have that confirmed. The show goes in depth with some characters. Some are misunderstood and some did have it coming. It's interesting to see who gets a pass.
You see prison from more than one perspective:
The first season alone shows Piper's family and other families of the people on the outside waiting for their loved ones to come out. We see life on the inside. We also see a few different instances of people leaving prison.
It's a show that will keep you guessing:
There are plot twists. More importantly, there are character twists. There is never a clear idea of who to trust in a prison. Those who are on your side one day, may not be the next day. It keeps things interesting.
The show has quite the pedigree:
To name drop a little? Jodie Foster directed an episode. The show was created by Jenji Kohan who created Weeds. Some of the actors? Kate Mulgrew from “Star Trek” and “Warehouse 13.” Taryn Manning from “Sons of Anarchy.” Natasha Lyonne from “But I'm A Cheerleader” and “American Pie.” Jason Biggs from “American Pie.” There are actually a few show reunions going on here and part of the fun might be figuring them out for yourself. They have a trans actress playing a trans character. Great stuff.
It's Hilarious:
“They so bad, they cows had to die.”
“Umm, Dear Mr. Christ?”
“All I wanted was to eat the chicken that is smarter than other chickens and to absorb its power.”
I didn't even include all the best quotes here. I didn't want to spoil the fun. There are some great bits. There are call back jokes. There are jokes made referencing the actor's and creator's other works. Even some plots are amazingly funny.
The entire first season is available now on Netflix.