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Orange is the new Black (Season 1)
Aug. 2nd, 2015 07:45 pmFannish 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 ( spoilery things happen )
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. ( Spoilery comment to follow. ) 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. ( Spoilers don't doubt such people exist, but in a fiction where everyone else is more complicated... ) 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. ( Spoilery things the show does with Alex. )
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 ( spoilery things happen )
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. ( Spoilery comment to follow. ) 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. ( Spoilers don't doubt such people exist, but in a fiction where everyone else is more complicated... ) 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. ( Spoilery things the show does with Alex. )
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.
