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| Left to right: Laura Prepon and Taylor Schilling |
Welcome to the new recap series on the second season of the Jenji Kohan Netflix hit Orange is the New Black. Over the next few Saturdays, we will be looking through the episodes and highlighting the events that make this comedy/drama a stand-out in general TV. Does the series have what it takes to make another phenomenal season of TV, and can the tales of Piper Chapman and her inmates satisfy expansion? Stay tuned and make sure to follow along at your own pace.
Plot
After stabbing Pennsatucky and ending up in lock down, Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) ends up being transported to a prison in Chicago. Among her confusion, she meets inmates aboard the plane, and in her cell that want to know about birth as well as how to have cockroaches transport cigarettes. When she runs into Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), she discover that they are actually on trial to discuss their crimes under their boss. After a brief discussion, the two make a plan to protect each other and keep from getting into harm's way. This backfires when Alex decides to tell the truth, leading to more conflicts that will have her locked up back at the prison she initially stays at.
MVP:
Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling)
It is hard to really call anyone an MVP of this episode simply because Piper is the only character that the episode features around. Whether she is waiting to go to a bathroom while in transport or accidentally crushing a roach, it is her story with little highlights from anyone else. Yes, there are interesting inmates that round out the cast, but this is an episode meant to help us better understand Piper's case and help to make her into a fully fleshed out character. It works, but as evident by the series' first season, it is the community aspect of the series that makes for really entertaining TV. This episode kind of lingers and feels almost like a reboot with many characters confusingly missing until the point is made clear.
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| Clare Foley |
Flashback
Back in 1992, Young Piper (Clare Foley) went to a screening of Dazed and Confused with her friend. During this time, she runs into her father having an affair with another woman. Following a time honored tradition of students jumping off of a bus, Piper is considered timid and dull. With this one defiant move, she betrays her mother's trust and ends up becoming close friends with Alex. As they get older, they get messed up with the smuggling ring and end up where they currently are before a jury telling their stories.
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| Left to right: Schilling and Lori Petty |
Overall Thoughts
If one was to ignore the promotional materials, the first episode back would seem a little suspicious. While Piper has always been a main character of the series, it does seem like the show is taking grand liberties in redefining what the show could be. Up until the appearance of Alex, there is this vibe that the series is being uprooted to a coed prison and we're not going to see Poussey or Crazy Eyes or Red ever again. That was troubling, especially since the first episode felt a little meandering and familiar to the series premiere. It was introducing us to new concepts and doing so in a way that felt fresh. Here, they do the same thing, but we are familiar with most of it. Not to hate on Piper, but the series' diversity has always been its strengths. While her past is important to clear up, to invest solely on her costs a lot of the enjoyable factors of this episode and makes it kind of a weak start. We still have the fun and excitement, but not from a diverse cast hat we are promised will return. There's a lot to hope for from the season, especially after the first one addressed issues that ended up making the cover of Time Magazine. From what reports are saying, there's plenty to look forward to here. We just have to wade through it.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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