I really love this show and have so much to say about it that I doubt I can fit it all into one post. But here goes….
What I love about OITNB is that it it presents such an unsanitised view of humanity. Nothing is hidden, nothing is sugarcoated; sex, swearing, comedy, pathos, weakness, brutality, injustice, ignorance, tenderness, it’s all there, so matter of fact, so real. The writers clearly have an agenda about social justice, but it is showcased through empathy, not preachiness. I love how it challenges me, amuses me and puts me through an emotional wringer all at once.
Favourite character: Piper. While she can be frightfully annoying, she’s still the one I find it easiest to relate to (the S1 Piper I mean), even though I’m not an upper middle class, American, white lady. Another big part of why I might like her is because of how Taylor Schilling plays her. Her expressions and delivery are brilliant, and I think she’s somewhat underrated amongst an enormously talented cast.
Others whom I am highly partial to include (in no particular order): Poussey, Taystee, Gloria, Sister, Caputo, Red, Tucky (post S1).
Most interesting social issue: There are many, and I find it hard to pick just one. I found most of the S4 storylines really engaging. The mental illness stories were particularly heartbreaking – both Crazy Eyes’ and Lolly’s. The scene where Lolly was taken to Psych and she was asking Healy if they’d travelled back in time was the one and only time I teared up.
Theories about S5:
– Daya does not shoot Humps. Someone takes the gun from her.
– Taystee turns dark. Daya does too, and Ruiz uses this to her advantage.
– Something really bad (death, serious injury, transfer to max/psych) happens to Alex or Piper. This was foreshadowed by Leanne and Angie talking about how bad things happened to those who went into the cardboard time travel box.
– We learn that Piscatella murdered someone at the men’s max facility.
– The old guards return.
The reason why OitNB often makes me uncomfortable (again, in a good way) is that it forces me to reckon with my own status in society and this is where it’s helpful to talk about Piper.
I agree with your thoughts about Piper. Privilege is an interesting thing – you often don’t realise that you have it until you compare your experience to someone to doesn’t. While I like Piper, I don’t really think of myself as being like her. I do consider myself privileged, but I’ve seen a bit of both sides of the track at various times and in different areas of my life.
Season 4 is my favorite because it felt so gosh darn relevant.
Absolutely! I want to talk a bit about Poussey’s death as it’s probably the biggest moment of S4. After reading a few articles, I gather that many people are upset about both the fact that it happened and how it was handled. It’s obviously about “Black Lives Matter”, but the argument goes that it was unnecessary and hurtful to kill off such a beloved and relatable character to illustrate a painful reality to (mainly privileged, white) people who frankly, should have known about it anyway. The counter argument is that we live in an unfair world, and as painful as they might be, shock tactics are often necessary to spread awareness amongst the oblivious masses. Personally, I see both sides of the argument, but if I HAD to pick, I’d lean towards the “it was an evil necessity” argument. I’ve been thinking about whether the same effect could have been achieved by killing off another character in place of Poussey. Soso for instance, represents a similar type of innocence, but is nowhere near as popular (as far as I’m aware). But would this substitution have an the same effect on the audience? More importantly, is the level of emotional investment in the character proportional to the action audience members will take on this issue? I honestly don’t know.
The other criticism is how the killer, Bailey is portrayed as an innocent and sympathetic character. I’m in two minds about this as well. Clearly, the message they are trying to convey is that the fault lies with the system, not the individual. In real cases of police brutality, I would guess that while the same may be true, there are also many instances where BOTH the individual and system are at fault. So should the show have made it a point to show individuals being held accountable? Is it acceptable to show complex situations for the sake of complex situations, when doing this may undermine the deeper message? I can’t make up my mind conclusively. On the one hand, reality is never simple, and rarely are there clear cut heroes and villains. Highlighting this has always been one of OITNB’s strengths. However, I can appreciate the frustration affected viewers might feel at this message of “It’s complicated” and “It’s the system’s fault”. Because, really, what exactly is the system? Where are its boundaries? Are we talking only about the criminal justice system? The government? Are taxpayers included? What about the public who turn a blind eye to these injustices? Spreading the blame across a vaguely defined, abstract entity is nowhere near as emotionally satisfying as heaping it onto a single individual.
Piper and Alex–does anyone care anymore?
I am interested to see where they take this ship. It’s made abundantly clear that 1) this relationship is very unhealthy and 2) the two of them do have a connection. I think the best they can do is show the relationship develop and mature into something more functional, along with the individual characters’ growth. If we look at this show as Piper’s hero’s journey, then I think the Piper/Alex ship represents one of the two extremes that Piper is trying to reconcile in her life, i.e. her need for excitement and novelty. The other extreme is Larry, who to me, represents her need for safety and certainty. Everyone needs both certainty and uncertainy in their lives, and I am curious to see where on the spectrum Piper will end up when her prison journey is complete, and how that will be reflected in her lifestyle and her relationships.
I do think their constant on again/off again dynamic has become tiresome. I’d like to see them remain friends and slowly develop trust. However, their relationship needs to be kept in the background and remain very much secondary to their primary arcs – at least for the next few seasons.
Suzanne’s girlfriend–Maureen–why is she in prison?
No idea, but I too, am curious.
Have we seen the last of Aleida Diaz (Daya’s mother)
I wouldn’t mind if we have. She was never one of my favourites. I thought she was a bit of a jerk and her story arcs weren’t that interesting. Daya needs to come out from under her mother’s shadow. Having said that, I do still expect to see her, if only intermittently.
Were you satisfied with the ending of the Doggett and Officer Coates story?
First off, I want to say that I thought the rape story was very well done. While I might not agree with every single part of it, I thought it was explored with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. The conversation between Boo and Tucky about forgiveness was an absolute gem. While I totally get where Boo was coming from, I think Tucky nailed it when she said that forgiveness is not about what the offender deserves, but about giving yourself peace. That’s wisdom in a nutshell. It also showed how much Tucky’s grown since S1.
What was interesting about this arc was how they chose to humanise the rapist, Coates. While it was emphasised that he was in the wrong, he was also shown to have genuine remorse when he realised how much he’d hurt Tucky. They also made a point of showing that he had more compassion than the other guards. Now, personally, I don’t disagree with this choice. I suspect that there are many real rapists like Coates. However, the flip side is that there really is no excuse for his behaviour, and hence there was no need to portray him in such a sympathetic light. I would have had no problem with purely evil Coates either, if they had gone that way. What are your thoughts on this? Another thing that stuck out for me was Coates’ entitlement. He just assumed that Tucky wanted what he wanted. This type of male entitlement is too prevalent in society for comfort, so well done to the show for pointing this out.
The only part of the story that I didn’t like was the final scene with Tucky and Coates, where she kisses him. Frankly, this shocked me. Forgiveness is highly commendable, but it does NOT oblige you to be friends with your rapist. In fact, I’d say common sense dictates that you should stay away from him (or her). People usually don’t change quickly; in fact, Coates was shown to still have his sexual impulse problem. As for initiating a kiss? Heck, no!!! The reason I was shocked was because I thought Tucky, in her newfound maturity, would understand all of this. This felt like going three steps back, and I didn’t understand what they were trying to do with this scene.