TV Binge: Orange is the New Black [Season 3]

I have to admit… It feels pretty good to be on top of things for once. I mean, I’m behind a ton of TV but I finished Season 3 of Orange is the New Black over the weekend.  I guess, there isn’t anything better than lounging in bed or in the office chair when I’m feeling sick.  That’s about the only time I sit still for so long. Anyways, its done and Season 4 is set to happen for next year. Although, I’ll tell you if I am excited for it or not afterwards.

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly excited for Season 3 to happen.  Sure, Piper is starting to feel more and more messed up and there’s a whole lot of unresolved issues going on.  Plus, we left off Season 2 looking like the big bad villain may have been killed off.  There’s a lot of crazy going on and change is about to go down.  That’s for sure! Before I start jumping into spoiler territory and if you haven’t seen Season 1 or 2 and plan to, just don’t read this, ok? I’ll understand 🙂

For the rest of us, let’s check it out!!

Orange is the New Black [Season 3]

Creator: Jenji Kohan

Cast: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Michael Harney, Kate Mulgrew, Uzo Aduba, Danielle Brooks, Dascha Polanco, Samira Wiley, Nick Sandow, Selenis Leyva, Yael Stone, Taryn Manning

The story of Piper Chapman, a woman in her thirties who is sentenced to fifteen months in prison after being convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting money for her drug-dealing girlfriend. – IMDB

Orange is the New Black in its third season is something that I really didn’t know how it’d go.  I was a huge fan of Season 1, then kind of half half with Season 2.  Season 3 had the potential to just crash and burn if it didn’t bring it something new to the show.  There’s only so much of Piper and Alex or Lorna fantasizing over her imaginary dude, or even Red fighting to have dominance over the kitchen or wherever else and let’s not forget the so far pretty in the background, Dayanara’s pregnant situation and then who knew what other shenanigans Taystee and her girls were going to get into, right? Especially now that Vee is out of the picture.  Then we have the bigger issue which kind of happens halfway through where Litchfield has gone private. It was really not a choice, because it was either that or closing down completely and with Caputo in the top management now, he’s not going to go down without a fight.

 While Orange is the New Black is about Piper and her stay in prison, I feel that this time around they still gave her character a good bit of development to look deeper into her inner psyche.  Maybe she’s not that goody two shoes at all and she’s just hitting the fact that she’s pretty intense herself in her own little way.  Plus, she enjoys this whole criminal mastermind business even if she likes to think she is feeling guilty about it. Or maybe prison is changing her.  There are a ton of possibilities of why she is the way she is.  What I do know is that Piper’s mentality/personality going downhill is kind of a highlight.  Who likes to see the goody two shoes stay that way? We watch this stuff to see the dramatic bits go through.  What is nice is that she’s finally  embracing her sexuality in a way where she’s accepting the whole “getting a girlfriend” bit. But you know, there’s only so much about Piper that I’d like to talk about because her character is getting a little tiring.  What I liked a lot more this time was Piper and Alex.  And just how Alex also has changed because she has more to worry about now that she’s back in Litchfield.

For me though, the best part of the series has always been the back story of everyone else. In this case, we got to take a look at the side characters that were overshadowed by everyone else.  We saw those that we’ve always wondered, at least I have.  Some bigger players which we’ve never seen their stories that I liked was Boo, Pennsatucky, Chang, Leanne, Norma and even Aleida (I mean, who doesn’t want to know why Dayanara and her mom has this kind of hateful relationship). I mean, on top of the inmates, this time we even saw the backstories of the officers like Joe Caputo and Bennett which was a little insignificant to me but at least it expands our understanding of the characters. In general, the understanding of the people in Litchfield we’re dealing with is a lot more clear and that is definitely a good thing.

While the main people in Orange is the New Black still keeps the show running, and some smaller roles get a more regular appearance, there are still new characters showing up.  While Piper does get tiring, the new character Stella, played by Ruby Rose is a nice addition.  For one, she’s got style and a whole lot of it and there’s something intriguing that she brings to the show. Then the real comedy comes with introducing the private corporate dudes that hire a bunch of nobodies as correctional officers and there’s a ton of eye-rolling laughs right there.

**Side note: did you see Ruby Rose’s short film called Breaking Free? Its pretty cool!

Orange is the New Black’s Season 3 isn’t perfect and there was a few moments where I just left and took a breather.  Not exactly binge-worthy material but to me, it changes the pace a little and steps back to let us reacquaint with some of the main players in the show a little more and gives us a better understanding of the “lesser” roles. My favorite story has to be Chang’s though.  Not because its Chinese and I actually didn’t have to read the subtitles but because Chang is the most random character who does the weirdest things but we get a peek into her life.  The same goes for Norma. For once, its not just about the ladies but also about the guys running the show on the outside.  Its about ending some of the situations that have been around since Season 1 and that’s what I like to see: progress.  Because I can’t keep watching Daya be pregnant for 3 years, for example.

I guess thats what I liked about this one. It wasn’t a lot of dramatic crazy stuff going on but it was progress and that’s what I enjoyed about it. I mean, there’s obviously a ton more but I’m trying to stay as far away from spoiler territory as I can and I’m sure I forgot to mention something that I liked but, overall, its a good season.  That ending kind of makes me wonder where Season 4 will go.  Am I super enthusiastic? Not really. But I’m definitely going to check it out when it comes out next year.

Have you finished Season 3 of Orange is the New Black? What are your thoughts on it?