Orange is the Best Black [Remote Control Freak]

I have a new favorite show.

The latest in the Netflix family of original series is Orange is the New Black. Terrible title. Awful. But the show is fantastic.

If you were a fan of Weeds, if you liked the writing and the direction and the overall feel of the show – then you’re going to love this. Created and written by the same, Jenji Kohan – this show is stylistically very similar in tone.

It’s centralized around women, their struggles for power, acceptance, finding their inner strength and forcing a path in their own lives. Plus there’s boobs, lots of them. And lesbian prison sex.

And lesbians in general. And That 70’s Show’s Donna.

Donna…

I love so many things about this show. It’s funny, dramatic, personal, touching, uncomfortable and it deals with real shit. From grungy prison shit to middle class white shit, we’re brought into the personal lives of each and every character (so far as I can tell).

Before they were incarcerated, each of the women have a story of their own, and via flashback, we’re invited into their lives and what brought them to this point. Whether you empathize with their situation or just come to understand them on a different level – these are real women, and I am learning to appreciate them all on a human level.

Every episode focuses on the journey of the main character – Piper Chapman, while at the same time inviting us into the history of one additional woman she’s interacting with that episode.

Netflix has hit the nail on the head with this one. So much so that it’s already tagged for a second season, right out of the gate. Had it not been, I’d be rallying for it. I don’t think one season is going to be enough for me. Piper’s in there for 15 months. We’ve barely scraped the surface so far.

In doing some research for this article, I learned that Orange is based on a true memoir by Piper Kerman. I didn’t know that before I had formed my opinion, but it makes complete sense now why every hour feels so personal.

As is my Modus Operandi, I will not give spoilers because I want you all to turn on your Netflix, or subscribe to it now, and watch this show. If you’re a woman, you’ll appreciate that it portrays women in a real, sometimes unflattering light.

Men, you might learn a thing or two about what it’s like to be a woman – plus all that lesbian stuff.

Buzzfeed’s 11 Ways Orange is the New Black is Doing it Right.

Image Credit: Laura Prepon on Tumblr