Piper Chapman is bisexual. I don’t think that word is ever said during the entire season, but that’s what she is. She’s not “straight” nor a “lesbian”. She’s into girls and guys, or at least one of each; her fiancé Larry and her girlfriend Alex. It’s an important distinction because the theme of Orange revolves around sex and romance. It’s a prison soap opera filled with constant drama. The analogy is high school because what’s petty in the real world is serious enough to fight or kill someone for in prison. There are also plenty of laughs. It’s the combination that entices as you find yourself coming back to follow not just the lives of Chapman and her two partners, but also her fellow inmates; one of which really is a fellow.

Why a man, albeit one who alters his body to be like a woman, is sent to a women’s prison is never addressed, though the scenes sometimes cut from current time to backstory. Each episode focuses on one or two characters, and that does wonders to humanize them, but it’s not consistent. Certain people are covered more than once while others are completely overlooked. Also, the initial idea to end each episode with a wild cliffhanger is abandoned after only three. Soon a show that started-off great has settled into an inferior comfort zone. The drama is sometimes over-the-top and the comedy occasionally misses the mark; the Michael Jackson bit comes to mind; but the show is both zany and endearing on the whole.

my rating : 4 of 5

2013

video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 2 ]
video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 3 ]
video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 4 ]
video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 5 ]
video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 6 ]
video review : Orange Is The New Black [ Season 7 ]