Orange is the New Black

[rcarlberg]

Ay OITNB fans here? Just finished the final season, and to me OITNB ranks up there with The Sopranos and Six Feet Under as the peak of TV offerings. Great characters, incredible acting, smart scripts. There were a few elements which were less than perfect (like for instance Season 5 outlived its plot), but overall I enjoyed all seven seasons immensely.

[progeezer]

One of my favorite shows ever as well, Robert.

I won't be opening this thread again until I've watched episodes 5 thru 13 of season 7.

Spoilers are a bitch, Triscuits.

[rcarlberg]

Urine for a treat!

[rcarlberg]

Did you catch "Russian Doll"? Stars Natasha Lyonne (Nickie from OITNB) and also excellent.

[SteveSly]

Ay OITNB fans here? Just finished the final season, and to me OITNB ranks up there with The Sopranos and Six Feet Under as the peak of TV offerings. Great characters, incredible acting, smart scripts. There were a few elements which were less than perfect (like for instance Season 5 outlived its plot), but overall I enjoyed all seven seasons immensely.

I thought the first season was outstanding. The second season went downhill a bit, but I still thought it was pretty good. Season 3 is where they lost me, and I stopped watching after that. My wife kept going for another season or two, but she eventually dropped it too. It got to a point where they just seemed to be doing a lot of things for shock value, and some of the characters were becoming kind of ridiculous. Maybe I should give it another chance……….

[progeezer]

I loved "Russian Doll" and love Lyonne in anything.

Well, I guess I know now that Suzanne doesn't die, but that's OK, since I've never seen this show anyway.

[Mister Triscuits]

Deleting posts and bowing out to avoid ruining anybody's fun.

[Progbear]

Finally all caught up with this series. I was disappointed with Seasons 5 and 6, so I wasn’t expecting much apart from some closure, and the first episode of this season wasn’t promising. I need not have worried, the rest of the season was really excellent, but they stuck the landing. They left a few dangling threads, but I love that the ending was neither unrealistically happy nor overly bleak; rather a convincing mix of “good for some and bad for others.” In general, I am satisfied with how things turned out.

I loved "Russian Doll" and love Lyonne in anything.

I think I discovered her in either But I’m a Cheerleader or Die, Mommie, Die! But, yeah, I was pretty much a fan from the start. Her character in Russian Doll is virtually the same as her character in OITNB, but less junkie-ish.

Without spoiler-ing, there’s a great outtake featuring Lyonne and Laura Prepon in the closing credits to the last episode.

[rcarlberg]

Without spoiler-ing, there’s a great outtake featuring Lyonne and Laura Prepon in the closing credits to the last episode.

I hope you all caught this too:

[frinspar]

^
That's a great video. Uzo is a beast.

I kind of felt like the series flagged a bit in the 4th and 5th seasons, but it was still pretty solid overall, and ended so well. Weakest parts for me were always the Piper/Alex story, I've never cared for Piper. I've enjoyed everyone else so much more. And there are some great characters that you start out hating, who manage some really good redemption arcs.

Not to hijack, but anyone who is a fan of this show might also dig Wentworth. It's an Australian series, also in its 7th season, and it's based in a women's prison. It was originally a soap opera in the 80s that was rebooted several years back. It's available on Netflix, the 7th season was just released. They tend to get it a month or so after each season ends on Aussie TV.

It's funny because it does have some parallels to OITNB, but overall I think it's much darker and more intense. And it is most definitely not a copycat.

[rcarlberg]

overall I think it's much darker and more intense. And it is most definitely not a copycat.

Darker than killing and cutting up a guard and burying him in the vegetable garden? Yikes.

[frinspar]

Darker in general tone, and yeah, there's plenty of grisly stuff along the way, too. OITNB has some characters and scenes that are practically cartoons that they use to lighten things up when they get too tense. And it works for that show. Wentworth eschews that kind of pressure release with a little more grounded approach, most of the time. They do have "Boomer" who is a cartoon and they use her that way sometimes.