Orange is the new Black (Season 1)
Aug. 2nd, 2015 07:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakFannish osmosis told me the following things about this show ahead of watching: a) Non-exploitative women in prison character and ensemble drama, and b) this is one of those shows where everyone - for an euphemistic value of "everyone", i.e. of course there are people who hold other opinions, nothing is ever unilateral in fandom - seems to hate or dislike the lead. Whether the second is true, I don't know, but the former definitely is. It pulls off a really large cast and multiple stories going with it, and does the key trick of of complex characterisation - when people appear as stereotypes at first, later reveals show them as far more interesting and complicated without retconning the events that led to the first stereotype impressen. (Well, that goes for almost all of the characters. There's one bad guard and one particular inmate who at least in the first season are exactly what they appear at first unsympathetic glance.)
As for Piper as the original pov character, I can see where she'd draw fannish ire (she's white, rich, privileged and pretty selfish), but the story is aware of her flaws (which btw don't make her worse than anyone else, either), and doesn't make anyone else suffer for her education. (She partly learns through their stories, which isn't the same thing.) Basically, she works in the first season narrative as a guide for the audience to meet everyone else in the ensemble. Sometimes the show uses Piper to reflect audience expectations and changes back on them, as when late in the season her fiance Larry repeats some of the descriptions of the other inmates she gave him early on on the radio, and it's horrible because both audience and Piper have gotten to know these women so much better now that those descriptions sound grossly unfair. And yet, if you'd asked for a summary of the women in question based on the first two or so eps, they might not have sounded so differently.
The only actor who was instantly familiar to me was Kate Mulgrew, who plays Red the chef, but I was impressed by everyone. Especially by the actress playing Miss Claudette, Michelle Hurst, who does a lot just with facial expression and her eyes. It broke my heart when her hopes got dashed late in the season, even though I had a feeling it was coming. Not surprisingly, the very messed up mother-daughter relationship of Aleida and Daya (I hope the spelling is right) captured me. My favourite friendship was perhaps between Sophia the transwoman and the incarcareted nun, which was delightfully surprising and relaxed and good for them. Speaking of Sophia, I also appreciated the show didn't shy away from the struggle of or conversely demonize her wife from her pre-op life who fell in love with a man and has her own emotional struggle going on despite being basically supportive, not to mention that now Sophia is in prison she has to raise their son Michael alone. (In some other fictional stories involving trans characters I've watched, family members are either vicious and not understanding or completely and seemingly effortlessly supportive.)
Speaking of tropes associated with prison stories, in the first season the backstories as revealed so far avoid letting all the characters be innocent and/or in prison for a sympathetic crime. (This includes Piper who did do the action she's in prison for, and while early on seeing herself manipulated into it later comes to realise she's avoided taking responsibility for anything all her life.) Though the backstories are all illuminating, with the exception of the only inmate who remained on the cliché side for me. To wit, Tiffany, with the only twist being that she became a Christian fundie after, not before shooting the abortionist, because her lawyer told her that it would reduce her sentence if she acted for religious reasons. Tiffany feels like an escape of a minor Stephen King novel who somehow wandered into a completely different narrative, if that makes sense. (Which I say as someone who likes a lot of Stephen King novels.) Everyone else, though, is great, and the show is a good example of how you can explain without excusing. Take Alex, who is a drug dealer. Now the show does a turnaround in as far as Piper's view of herself and Alex is concerned, i.e. Piper's idea of herself as the innocent party and done wrong party in their romantic relationship is pretty thoroughly shattered. But at no point is Alex suddenly shown as someone who, say, got blackmailed into dealing drugs (as opposed to poor Tricia). Alex' flashback showing her as the made fun off daughter of an overworked poor mother showed why she'd be heavily invested into becoming rich, but we've seen the consequences of drug dealing for people far poorer than Alex ever was. It's explaining without excusing at its best.
There's a lot of humor in the show, but it also makes its tragedies cut deeply. I've come to care about all these people, and will definitely continue watching.
As for Piper as the original pov character, I can see where she'd draw fannish ire (she's white, rich, privileged and pretty selfish), but the story is aware of her flaws (which btw don't make her worse than anyone else, either), and doesn't make anyone else suffer for her education. (She partly learns through their stories, which isn't the same thing.) Basically, she works in the first season narrative as a guide for the audience to meet everyone else in the ensemble. Sometimes the show uses Piper to reflect audience expectations and changes back on them, as when late in the season her fiance Larry repeats some of the descriptions of the other inmates she gave him early on on the radio, and it's horrible because both audience and Piper have gotten to know these women so much better now that those descriptions sound grossly unfair. And yet, if you'd asked for a summary of the women in question based on the first two or so eps, they might not have sounded so differently.
The only actor who was instantly familiar to me was Kate Mulgrew, who plays Red the chef, but I was impressed by everyone. Especially by the actress playing Miss Claudette, Michelle Hurst, who does a lot just with facial expression and her eyes. It broke my heart when her hopes got dashed late in the season, even though I had a feeling it was coming. Not surprisingly, the very messed up mother-daughter relationship of Aleida and Daya (I hope the spelling is right) captured me. My favourite friendship was perhaps between Sophia the transwoman and the incarcareted nun, which was delightfully surprising and relaxed and good for them. Speaking of Sophia, I also appreciated the show didn't shy away from the struggle of or conversely demonize her wife from her pre-op life who fell in love with a man and has her own emotional struggle going on despite being basically supportive, not to mention that now Sophia is in prison she has to raise their son Michael alone. (In some other fictional stories involving trans characters I've watched, family members are either vicious and not understanding or completely and seemingly effortlessly supportive.)
Speaking of tropes associated with prison stories, in the first season the backstories as revealed so far avoid letting all the characters be innocent and/or in prison for a sympathetic crime. (This includes Piper who did do the action she's in prison for, and while early on seeing herself manipulated into it later comes to realise she's avoided taking responsibility for anything all her life.) Though the backstories are all illuminating, with the exception of the only inmate who remained on the cliché side for me. To wit, Tiffany, with the only twist being that she became a Christian fundie after, not before shooting the abortionist, because her lawyer told her that it would reduce her sentence if she acted for religious reasons. Tiffany feels like an escape of a minor Stephen King novel who somehow wandered into a completely different narrative, if that makes sense. (Which I say as someone who likes a lot of Stephen King novels.) Everyone else, though, is great, and the show is a good example of how you can explain without excusing. Take Alex, who is a drug dealer. Now the show does a turnaround in as far as Piper's view of herself and Alex is concerned, i.e. Piper's idea of herself as the innocent party and done wrong party in their romantic relationship is pretty thoroughly shattered. But at no point is Alex suddenly shown as someone who, say, got blackmailed into dealing drugs (as opposed to poor Tricia). Alex' flashback showing her as the made fun off daughter of an overworked poor mother showed why she'd be heavily invested into becoming rich, but we've seen the consequences of drug dealing for people far poorer than Alex ever was. It's explaining without excusing at its best.
There's a lot of humor in the show, but it also makes its tragedies cut deeply. I've come to care about all these people, and will definitely continue watching.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-02 05:59 pm (UTC)Re: season 1 Piper, I think she's a pretty good protagonist though I know there's a lot of complaints about season 3.
Incidentally, if you're interested in the subject matter, I recommend Piper Kerman's memoir; her personality has very little in common with show Piper and I find her very admirable.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-02 06:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-02 06:08 pm (UTC)I can see where she'd draw fannish ire (she's white, rich, privileged and pretty selfish), but the story is aware of her flaws (which btw don't make her worse than anyone else, either), and doesn't make anyone else suffer for her education.
S1 Piper is *delightful*, as is S2 Piper (the first episode is solely about her, and it's RIVETING). Unfortunately - and without spoiling too much - the Piper of S1 and S2 is replaced by S3 Piper, who suffers from really, REALLY crap writing. Literally, there is not a single Piper scene in S3 where I can remember and identify-with the Piper I loved in S1/2, and that's pretty common in fandom (at least, the part that doesn't worship Vauseman or Piper/Stella).
Not surprisingly, the very messed up mother-daughter relationship of Gloria and Daya (I hope the spelling is right) captured me.
Oh man, Aleida and Daya (Gloria is a different inmate, she's the Santeria-practicing woman with short hair who takes over the kitchen from Red, and is SO MAGNIFICENT OH MY GOD I can't wait for you to get to her episode in S2) are heartbreaking and brilliant. They drive me insane in different ways - Daya's neverending waffling over Bennett/the baby/keeping the secret and Aleida's absolutely SHITTY parenting skills - but their scenes are always incredibly honest and fascinating.
the backstories as revealed so far avoid letting all the characters be innocent and/or in prison for a sympathetic crime
I love all of the backstory reveals. Again, without spoilers, you're going to FLIP when you find out how Morello went to prison and what Norma did to land herself in jail. Even with the truly sympathetic stories, where the inmate really IS a victim of either someone else or the system - like Miss Claudette, Gloria in S2, Daya's getting caught up in her mother and Cesar's drug operation, Taystee's being manipulated by Vee (JFC TAYSTEE AND VEE IN S2 AHHHHHHH), Leanne's story which you see in S3 - there are negative aspects that remind us that these women are *criminals*. Miss Claudette committed flat-out murder. Daya allows herself and her siblings to be exploited by Aleida/Cesar because she desperately wants to be loved. Gloria loves her children and is a victim in several ways, but she's a shrewd businesswoman who doesn't care about collateral damage. Taystee did and still does think selling drugs was fun and lucrative, and has a twisted sense of loyalty. Leanne is a sheltered little sheep in so many ways, and likes hurting people who aren't as powerful as her or her friends.
To wit, Tiffany, with the only twist being that she became a Christian fundie after, not before shooting the abortionist, because her lawyer told her that it would reduce her sentence if she acted for religious reasons.
TIFFANY. OH MY GOD TIFFANY DOGGETT. Wait until you get to S2 and S3. I have never done a 180 on a character like this, and it's entirely due to Jenji Kohan's excellent and deft writing and Taryn Manning's performance. S1 Tiffany is one-note, yes. S2 Tiffany is a monster realizing just how bad she's gotten. S3 Tiffany is a sympathetic victim.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-02 06:21 pm (UTC)re: Miss Claudette: I loved how we saw her both as a victim of the system (the way she started as an exploited illegal immigrant) and then later as a part of it (she has the supervisor position in the second flashback), both as a defender (when she sees the abuse the girl has gone through) and a killer (killing the abuser in cold blood - understandable motivation, still murder). When she nearly strangled the female guard after her parole was denied, you felt for her as an audience member, but it was still a frightening scene.
no subject
Date: 2015-08-03 02:49 am (UTC)And yes, this:
"It pulls off a really large cast and multiple stories going with it, and does the key trick of of complex characterisation - when people appear as stereotypes at first, later reveals show them as far more interesting and complicated without retconning the events that led to the first stereotype impression."
OITNB pulls you in quickly, because I feel that some of the characters are built on stereotypes that we think we know; it means instant familiarity and eases you into the show. But every step along the way we learn more about the characters, including the bit players.
As for Piper, I like her more than the rest of fandom; that sympathy for her is undoubtedly built around the truth that in many ways, I am like Piper. It doesn't go so far as to find her compelling -- if I could choose I would center the show around Poussey. Samira Wiley is amazing.