Netflix series storms the small screen

‘Orange is the New Black’ leaves audience excited for the release of Season 2

“Orange is the New Black” is BACK!
The show that shocked its audience in July is returning for all those anxious viewers who have been waiting since summer for Season 2.
The Netflix original series is practically designed for binge watching by revealing entire seasons at a time. Rather than having to wait every week to watch an episode that will frustrate people by ending with a cliffhanger, “Orange is the New Black” made all twelve episodes of season one available at once, accessible only through Netflix.
“I finished it in like a week,” said senior Laura Wolinksy.
The plot of the show surrounds the activities of the women of Litchfield Prison. The show begins as Piper Chapman gets ready to go to prison. She is sentenced to prison for fifteen months for committing a crime many years before the show takes place. When the story takes place, Chapman leads a very clean, normal life. Her scandalous past is what gets her locked up.
The show is based off of the book Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman, a memoir detailing Kerman’s experiences in prison. Many controversial topics are explored in the show, such as homosexuality, transgender issues, abortion, and prison guard behavior in general.
Many would agree that the show takes a sympathetic attitude toward prisoners displaying the characters as humans rather than villains. Some might say, however, that it glamorizes prison.
“I think it’s controversial, but it’s really realistic,” said senior Reilly Brown.
Another unique element about the series is that the show centers around women.
“I like how it has a predominantly female cast and you usually don’t see that on TV,” said Brown.
Probably the most distinctive aspect of the show is the dynamic set of characters. Each episode profiles an inmate and delves into their backstory—the reason they ended up behind bars. Most of these characters are revealed to be misunderstood and more than just a criminal. The structure of the series provides for very strong characters that the viewers come to know deeply, rather than focusing on only one protagonist.
Season 2 comes out June 6, which is also the day of Prom. The new season is said to be darker and more intense than the previous.
“I was seriously considering not going to prom,” said Brown.