Orange is the New Black.
A couple of months ago, I signed up for a Netflix account, so i could watch free films through out the summer and my spare time. Whilst browsing through Netflix, i came across 'Orange is the New Black'. I knew that everyone was talking about it, and how some people finished the first series in under a week. I wanted to find out for myself wether this Comedy Drama series was worth the hype, so i began to watch and i too found my self joining the 'Orange is the New Black', hype.
Taylor Schilling, plays Piper Champan, a happy 32 year-old city girl living in New York, with her, charmingly low-key fiancé Larry, (Jason Biggs). Piper Chapman's life was near enough perfect, her and her best friend started a line of bath products, and she had found the love of her life who she was about to spend the rest of her life with. Until her rebellious actions from the past catches up with her, which leads her to self surrender at an, upstate woman's prison. Which is all news to her family and fiancé Larry. As was the fact that Piper used to be a lesbian. And the fact that the arrest was for being a mule for some drug money she managed to sneak through customs in Europe.
As of this her family, friends and fiancé Larry had to come to terms that Piper will be spending 15 months behind bars. Piper explains, that she was only 22 years old, in love with a lesbian Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), and wanted to travel Europe, unknown that her partner, Alex, was involved in international drug dealing.
Chapman
Schilling is very believable when playing Piper Chapman that it makes Orange is the New Black work right form the start. From the second we meet Piper we buy that she is a sweet and an innocent young woman, who made a mistake a decade ago, and is now trying to live a quiet, normal life with her fiancé. It is clear to see that not many other women like Piper are in prison, and Kohan (the director), presents Piper as very lonely and isolated, and the viewers automatically start to feel sorry for Piper in prison. When Piper enters prison
Healy (Micael Harney) a guard at Litchfield prison, initially seems to be on Piper's side and dispenses advice on how to stay out of trouble, however whilst Piper is trying to keep her head down, she bumps into her ex-girlfriend, Alex Vause, the woman she carried drug money for. Her time in prison was then going to become a lot harder and complicated. Through out series one, we see Piper's character begin to change, she becomes a lot tougher in prison, and her innocence begins to fade, and her attitude to prison and the woman in prison starts to become stronger, as she stands up for her self and becomes a stronger woman.
Through out the series, the focus is sometimes taken away from Piper, and the director Kohan, looks into other woman in the prison and their life stories of how they got into prison. As the audience we understand different characters background and our opinions on characters begin to change. As the audience we understand and connect with some of the characters.
From watching the two series i have learnt about life in prison as i feel the way that it is present on the show is very realistic and not fake. Although the show is hilariously laugh out loud funny, it also deals with everyday issues, such as mental health, relationships problems, and family issues. The show sends a message that prison can ruin the lives of friends, families and relationships. I feel that the audience this TV series is aimed at is 18+, due to sexual scenes, and violence. The series also features homosexuality and how others react to it. Language is extremely colourful and some story lines deal with drugs and serious mental health issues.
