TV ► Orange is the New Black

[Pandymint]

I just finished season four. I honestly don't think any show has ever affected me this much. Not to mention that last shot...


the fuck have i done to myself guys

 

[Chuman]

this season was very good. it had it's shortcomings.

then the last two episodes completely made me forget about them all. this show is so fucking fantastic.

 

[maleficentfan123]

I think this season was miles better than season 3, and probably only possibly behind season 2 as far as overall quality of the seasons so far. Reasoning explained below. (Spoiler alert)

Spoiler Show

I attribute that to them going back to having a main antagonist like Pennsatucky in season 1 and Vee in season 2. Season 3 had the MCC drama that went down, but while there were things going on, there wasn't really anyone trying to be the badass that this show needs in order to survive, I think. Piscatella and his guards truly were easy to hate and I think that made them great characters, just like Vee was in season 2. At the beginning, I thought Maria (the Latina girl) was going to be the main villain, and the twist mid-season to them focusing more on the corrupt COs was surprising and refreshing.

I also thought this season had a lot less focus on certain characters and more focus on characters that needed screen time, which helped me feel like I wasn't hearing the same inmates over and over again as was the case in previous seasons.

I thought the general storylines were a lot more interesting and shocking than that of season 3. Piper getting branded with a Nazi symbol was not something I was anticipating, but as someone who hated Piper throughout season 3, it was nice to see her get what she deserved.

And finally, the last two episodes. The last two episodes of the season made this season, for sure. The death was not something I was expecting even a little, and I truthfully sat through the entire last episode thinking that she was going to wake up any second. When the episode ended, and she didn't, I was heartbroken. Just devastated.

Leaving Daya with the gun was an interesting turn of events, and I'm curious to see how they will handle it. I could see her making a mistake that will land her more time as a result of her new friends.

I want the old CO's to come back next season. I miss them a lot and I think it would be nice to see the inmates and Caputo make amends with them and it could be a great subplot for an episode for season 5. I am also ready for the inevitable showdown between white trash girls and black/Asian girls.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to get it all out there.

 

[Annoyance]

I got spoiled but I absolutely agree that this season is so much better than 3. I actually gave up on the series midway through 3.

 

[EchoFringe49]

Spoiler Show

Poussey's death is one of the saddest i've seen in a TV show, its been days since I finished the season and still can't stop thinking about it.

 

[Audo]

I have been seeing a lot of criticism of the ending, both in how it apes Black Lives Matters and mishandles the themes and issues, and the fact that they killed off a prominent lesbian character (especially in a wider television season filled with the death of lesbian characters).

Some links, for anyone curious:

Spoiler Show

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146222505273/samira-wiley-of-orange-is-the-new-black-on

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146173318563/psa

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146165564513/eazzypink-nothing-says-fake-woke-like-a-show

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146164545238/onewordtest-also-can-we-stop-writing-stories

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146134106618/nabyss-chrysalisshell-i-found-myself-wishing

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146092532918/the-only-political-statement-lgbt-people-need-from

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146173767478/the-celluloid-closet-the-importance-of-queer <- not direct criticism of oitnb but may help understanding of the response to another lesbian death

https://reyton.tumblr.com/post/146092978698/listen-i-was-going-to-make-a-post-saying

The show has also garnered criticism due to their writer's room for this season having literally no writers of colour, which is pretty bad for any show, but especially egregious for a show that is so focused on the stories of marginalized folk.

 

[XIII Heartless]

The writers issue is a pretty legit concern. Wild that you can have a show about so many women of color and not have one writer on the team who can possibly contribute to the points of view of all those characters. Especially given the sensitive nature of what happened in the penultimate episode of the season.

 

[Max]

what's good about this show is, the people in it are realistic portrayals. they're not written characters (well they are but i hope you catch my drift).

there are layers and complications to everyone, some have their own motivations, they have disabilities and afflictions, and the cast is truly diverse.

the point i'm making is that, a few times through the show i felt the same way you do now. but i warmed up to some, felt bad for others and understood their motivations.


you're telling me you didn't like rosa tho?

I get what you're saying, and I can really appreciate the realism the characters bring to the show, but there's just a fine line with such a realistic cast and still trying to make characters relateable. I can't really think of any characters off the top of my head that I made a connection with, something I usually do within the first few episodes of a show. A good example I think is the show Bloodline. Every character on that show can be pretty despicable at times, but there are a couple that I root for and enjoy to watch, I instantly had a soft spot for Danny. The tagline of the show is literally "We aren't bad people, but we did a bad thing." I felt that show did a much better job in the writing of showing that kind of human complexity.

And no, I didn't dislike Rosa, but it's also not a thing where I tuned in specifically for her or anything.

It's so hard to try and explain how I feel about this show. I don't hate it, if I did it would be easy enough to just not watch it.

 

[Taochan]

Those last couple of episodes were really hard to watch. :c

She was probably my favorite character and it just... eh...

#2016istheyearofdeadlesbians