Season Six
Like season five, season six of Orange Is the New Black has proved to be a fairly divisive one. The decision to move the prisoners up the hill to max works as a soft reset for the show, with several key characters not returning for the season.
The changing dynamics provide some interesting character moments, and prison baddies, Barb and Carol, while being a little cliche, are often very fun to spend time with. Seeing the girls divided created plenty of interesting scenarios, and the season finale sets things up quite nicely for what is rumoured to be the final season next year.
As it so often does, the show addresses plenty of relative issues in the latest season, not least of which is the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which plays an important role in Taystee’s heartbreaking court case. The final moments, where we see Piper leaving as a free woman, due to the fact she got an early release, while Taystee is being dragged off for a crime she didn’t commit provides a stark juxtaposition and raises plenty of important points about racial inequality in America right now.
At this point in the show, there are plenty of arguments to be made that there are simply too many characters to juggle, and while some storylines seemingly get lost in the mix or feel largely pointless, the show still does a good job of developing its side characters and adding an emotional weight to proceedings.
Season Two
Season two of Orange is the New Black is, in many ways, the show’s darkest outing. After the light drama of season one, the show decided to introduce a new character, Vee, who, as it turned out, had a lot of history with Litchfield’s head honcho, Red.
The divide between the two women would soon spill out into an all-out race war, and would provide the show with some of the finest moments in its six-year history. Lorraine Toussaint is an absolute delight as the season’s chief antagonist, and the season’s ending is one of the best episodes in the show’s history.
This season also shifted the focus away from Piper and opted to pad out the rest of the show’s wonderful array of characters. The likes of Taystee and Suzanne really came into their own this season and would continue to grow into some of the best characters in the show. The added benefit of having known the characters for one season at this point also meant that we could explore their lives before prison in more in-depth, something which the show has continued to do until this day.
Season Four
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6O9rfoz0f8
Generally speaking, I live a happy life, but every now and again, someone will remind me of the events that occurred at the end of Orange Is the New Black season 4, and I will burst into tears. Few seasons have ever gotten to me in the way that Orange Is the New Black season 4 did, and the season’s final three episodes, in my mind, are the finest the show has ever delivered.
One of the biggest reasons for Orange Is the New Black’s success, is just how lovable the cast of characters are. As an audience, we can’t help but root for them as they simply try to survive their time in prison. It’s all the more heartbreaking then, when we are reminded of the huge injustices some of these women have to face, and there is no better example of that than in season four.
The first half of the season is solid, exploring the way prisoners are treated by private companies and exploring the horrendous living conditions some of these inmates have to face, but it is the season’s second half where things really get good. With tension growing between the guards and the inmates, things take a turn for the worst when a guard accidentally crushes the show’s most beloved character, Poussey to death. That moment has hung over every character in the show since then and has been one of the driving forces for the last two seasons, such was its emotional impact.
The addition of celebrity chef, Judy King, adds plenty of laughs to proceedings, while the introduction of several new inmates also helps keep things fresh. Backstories are also very strong in this season, with an episode focusing on Suzanne is one of the most emotionally challenging of the whole season.
Orange Is the New Black season four is a tour de force from the show- raising important questions, making audiences laugh, and then hitting us right in the guts emotionally, the show has never been better than this, and it probably never will be.
Liam Hoofe – @liamhoofe
Originally published August 10, 2018. Updated July 19, 2024.
