Women get their spotlight on Netflix's newest prison drama

Obviously, Netflix did it again.  After producing not one, but three hit series in the first half of this year, the streaming sites apparently refuse to catch a break and continue to surprise TV aficionados with its unusual, yet brilliant choice of exclusive shows. And ‘Orange is the New Black’ is definitely one perfect example to prove that point.

Centers on a woman in her 30’s, Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), this Netflix’s newest original offers you a closer look to a life in female’s prison would’ve liked. And surprisingly, it doesn’t only give you a bitter and thrilling sense out of it, but also brings you a package of joy through its touching moments, smart lines, and perfect comic timing in between.

In this prison drama, we get to see Chapman’s life turned upside down as she convicted for a crime she did 10 years ago as a drugs smuggler. Use to have a good life with adorable fiance (played wonderfully by Jason Biggs), Chapman then forced to leave it all behind when she decided to surrender and live behind bars for the next 15 months.

For someone who never tasted a life in a prison, the idea of being locked for more than a year is frightening enough, no doubt. And that was exactly what we could see in Chapman. Once she steps her foot in prison, she realizes that she just entered a totally different world than she’s ever been this whole time. Her life then gets more even intriguing as she finds out that her former lesbian partner turned out to be one of her inmates.

Basically, ‘Orange’ tells us about Chapman’s struggle to survive in her new world. But then we get to see her explore her relationship with some inmates and find camaraderie in the process. It was awkward, yet beautiful at the same time.

When I saw the pilot, honestly it didn’t get me hooked enough. I just felt a tingling of curiosity about what’d happen next. Then I thought, maybe watching only the pilot wasn’t enough to sum up the quality of the show, so I continued to watch the second episode. And it turned out to be a right decision after all. After watching episode 2, I could easily say that ‘Orange’ is one of a few TV shows that proved to be smart and refreshing these days.

What have made me say that? Well, first, this show has a great storyline and really promising plots. A bunch of women locked up in one place? Who dare to say that there’s nothing more to it? I bet there’s a lot potential from this prison drama and I believe we get to see all the good stuffs, since the creator is the one who’s created ‘Weeds’, Jenji Kohan. No wonder this show has gotten a nod to continue to second season even before it premiere.

With female’s prison becoming the set of the show, certainly most of the characters we’d see are women. But not just ordinary women, they’re diversified and interesting women to get to know of. White, black, Hispanic, you could find all of that on ‘Orange’. So many characters came from different background and each of them has a fascinating storyline to explore. That’s why I see this show as a character driven story and a show like this always a pleasure to watch. 

Instead of focuses only on Chapman, ‘Orange’ also gives a proper background of some inmates to the audience. I love this scheme and I love the way the writers tell it in flashback sequences during the show. It gives me an understanding about how a character could’ve end up in a prison in the first place and how they could’ve become the person they are now. And we get to see more location to watch other than prison, so we don’t get bored. 

The cast also brought their best game on the show. Remember the sweet, red headed girl, Donna Pinciotti from ‘That 70’s Show’? Yup, Laura Prepon was definitely back in the game for playing Chapman’s former lesbian lover, Alex Vause. It’s really nice and refreshing to see her performed as someone other than Donna and the result is not disappointing at all. She really could act as a masculine and manipulative woman on the show.

Schilling did good as a lead role as well. She could portrayed Chapman’s confusion and fear perfectly once she got in the prison. Her cluelessness was depressing, yet really amusing to watch. Biggs, on the other hand, was also playing well as a lovable, gentle fiance. And I could see a legit chemistry between the two of them on screen, like I could depict them as a couple in a real life.

Talk about real life, it's not a prison if we don't get to see a homosexual relationships. So, of course, in this show we'd likely get a view of some lesbian's making out here and there. I'm warning you, homophobes, this one totally not the kind of show that suits you. Meanwhile, for you who's more liberal, those scenes only make the show even feel more alive and realistic.

Overall, I think ‘Orange’ is a great show, totally worth your time. I give this one 8 out of 10. Netflix profoundly gave women the spotlight on the show with their complexity issues and powerful touch. And seeing how the story unfolds this far, it would be an impressive and awesome way to tell it.