“It is Piper’s evolution as a privileged, upper-middle-class WASP mostly concerned with maintaining a website and making artisinal bath products to a hardened, cold version of her former self that draws in viewers.” — Danielle Ohl
Netflix lovers, the time has come. Take off the mourning veil, throw open the shutters, let in that beautiful sunshine and rejoice. Orange Is the New Black is back.
The almighty Netflix gods have smiled down upon us mere mortals and granted our wishes for more of the women’s prison drama. June 6 is the fateful day when we once again join Piper Chapman and company for 13 episodes of funny, heartbreaking, thought-provoking perfection.
If the announcement isn’t enough, it came paired with a 15-second teaser-trailer showing nothing but split-second images of almost every main character, sans one very important prisoner: Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), Piper’s ex-girlfriend. Or rather, half-ex and half-not. It’s complicated.
Before launching into ridiculous speculation, one should dwell on why exactly this show is so worthy of attention. Not only is Piper’s ludicrous situation interesting in and of itself, but every plotline of the entire series entices in a manner similar to AMC’s hit drama Breaking Bad. Piper and Breaking Bad’s Walter White find themselves in seemingly hopeless situations that they manage to make the best of, but they do so at a price. The characters sacrifice a bit of integrity to survive the circumstances.
It is Piper’s evolution as a privileged, upper-middle-class WASP mostly concerned with maintaining a website and making artisinal bath products to a hardened, cold version of her former self that draws in viewers.
The unknown is alluring, and Orange Is the New Black delivers two helpings of it. The average Netflix watcher’s reality probably never included a stint in lockup or a life-altering dose of culture shock.
Disorienting personality shift is not a displeasure most come by, but Orange Is the New Black provides a sneaky, witty preview to what it might feel like. We feel for Piper but also for ourselves as we reflect on what we might become if given her situation.
Sadly, we must wait to see just how that situation plays out. With less than four months to contemplate and prognosticate, it’s easy to come up with dozens of conjectures. Perhaps Piper will face further charges that keep her in correctional confinement. Maybe Alex will be released or take on a lesser role as other characters develop further.
Whatever happens, it will be worth the wait.
