S1 : EP. 12-13

Sadly the first season has come to an end but we are once again left with anticipation to what lays ahead for piper and the other inmates. A lot of events happened in the final two episode that to say the least showed how unsuspecting at times the series can be. Who knew after Claudette’s appeal crashed she would almost choke the life out of CO Fisher?     Truly sad that a seemingly sweet woman like Miss Claudette will be sent to Maximum Security.

In “Can’t Fix Crazy” Piper and Alex’s affair and relationship have come to an end, to which Alex assures Piper that she may never come back to her, no matter what. Forty Minutes later we see that once Larry has halted his and Pipers relations Piper once again comes running back to Alex. Though some may believe it is Alex whom draws Piper further away from her reality and changes the way Piper is however in contrast I believe Piper is the one who solely craves Alex. Piper has been the one to start the affair, Piper is the one to send Pennsatucky to Psych, and Piper is the one to run back to Alex despite previously in the day breaking her heart.

Another previous theme that arises again is the common dehumanization of the inmates. This was clearly evident when Caputo talks with Fisher to get her to be more reserved and harsh towards the inmates. He states that these women “aren’t really people” and even shows that he doesn’t know what crimes the inmates have committed but just sees them all as killers especially the nun whom Fisher retorted that she was in for completely different and minor charges. Caputo exemplifies the common society views of criminals that they are all just dangerous criminals, that they don’t deserve to be treated like humans that they don’t even deserve to be given a name but “inmate”.

Once Taystee comes back I was obviously saddened to see a good girl like her return to prison but after her moment with Poussey in the library her actions seemed reasonable. Once these woman leave prison they are no longer labeled inmates, but despite being free they only get another label of “convicted felon”. Taystee’s experiencing after prison
portrays the common story of many ex-inmates, how once they leave they aren’t truly given their freedom back. They have to commit constant check ins, tests, and even pay several hundred dollars in fees to the prison. Taystee shows that leaving prison is the easy part but living out of prison is the hardest thing of all. Being a convicted felon leaves one ultimately with no home to sleep under, no job to provide oneself for, and no freedom one dreamed of so much.

Now we comeback to my obvious distaste I have presented for Healy. In the final episodes we get a clear view of whom Healy is, a real asshole. Telling Piper that “marriage is a privilege and you are not entitled to it. And to use one of your delightful phrases go fuck yourself.” Now i’m unsure if his response was because of Pipers sexuality, her being an inmate, or simply because of his anger towards her at the moment. Maybe all of the above. However towards the end of the final episode when Healy stumbles upon Pennsatucky ambushing Piper with a sharp pointed cross and he chooses to do nothing and walk away makes one wonder do the CO’s, prison, or society really even care what happens to these inmates behind those barbed wire fences. I really liked Healy when I first watched the series but re-watching the first season I come to question how I ever did considering how uncaring he is of the lives of these women. From this conclusion one wonders, does society even care?

S1 : Ep. 9-11

The moment Piper is thrown into SHU we finally gain insight to what that part of prison is like and why inmates are severely different when they return to minimal security. From the cold emptiness of the rooms to the chained shower supervisions it is quite obvious how SHU can be horrible to go through. The person in the room next to her even stating “it’s not living, I mean yeah your breathing, but you aint a person no more. You start to hear voices”. Afterward I began to question if Piper truly had a neighbor or if the psychology effects of solitary confinement already had her hallucinating and hearing a voice that was not there, possibly her subconscious. I believe there was never a neighbor and it was a way for Piper to communicate to herself how surreal prison really is, and that no matter what they decide if Pipers time in prison is bittersweet or literal insanity.

After Piper is rightfully taken out of SHU and brought back to “civilization” her experience was the tipping point of Alex and Pipers relationship and essentially beginning it all again. Healy’s drastic efforts in trying to prevent this was the entire reason it happened. I’m not sure what Healy’s reason for being overly infatuated with Piper, possibly because she resembles his uninterested wife or because in the beginning she was a beautiful woman whom actually acted kindly toward him. Either or it builds the reason I dislike Healy.

In “Bora Bora Bora” we even see the nature of what the prisons psych ward is like. Susan telling Piper that it is 10x worse than anything in solitary confinement and that you can come back from SHU but you will never come back from Psych. This brings back to Piper and Alex’s actions, practically causing Pennsatucky to be sent to Pysch not only messing with her actual sanity but causing others to perceive her as completely and utterly crazy (which for the most part isn’t entirely false). But through SHU and Psych we see how dehumanizing those places are, even literally  caging Pennsatucky like an animal during an evaluation and stripping her down to a bed. Not to mention the previous chained shower supervision Piper experienced.

By the end of episode 10 a huge issue is arisen with the death of Tricia Miller, it not only brings up the issue of suicide but also the constant pressure one is under in prison (due to drug-douche-dealer Mendez). The very contrasting reactions of the death between inmates and officers is both interesting and sorrowful. The CO’s showed lack of sympathy especially coming from Mendez even making light jokes about the girls suicide. This has huge contrast with the inmates whom get together in memory of Miller, the racial barriers between groups is brought down shortly just to help the other inmates in time of need. Which further shows the close relationship that is brought on the inmates once they go to prison. Just a great big old prison family.
Lastly I wanted to point out mainly Larry’s choice of words in response to the inmates at the end of “Tall Men with Feelings”. When Piper tells him that “These are people Larry, actual people. you made them sound like, like…” “What? Criminals?” Obviously the inmates are criminals and Larry was right in this terminology but Pipers point that these women were people really stuck with me. I’ve learned that there is no one perspective that everything is multi dimensional.The officers and public only see these women for their crimes, even when they have no idea what crime that actually committed. Essentially they are define by their crimes. And Piper Kerman and the producers are trying to point out that this is false, you can’t just degrade someone and define them as only one thing that’s happened. And this is seen throughout the series with these women’s backstories. Proving to the audience and public that these women are real, they have their stories, they are not defined by their crimes, that their crimes do not rid them of their stories.

S1 : Ep.6-8

It’s quite interesting that only after Piper is told that Alex “didn’t” mention her in the drug bust that she actually begins to take responsibility for her actions. As though Alex’s involvement was the only reason Piper felt she needed to push the blame forcefully onto her. As Piper states to her mother, “I made bad choices, I committed a crime, and being in here is no one fault but my own” we immediately see some character development. Though since the information Larry gave her was false we have no idea if these new realizations or feelings will play out for the better or worse.

In one case someone may say it to be for the better as Piper is seen through the episodes trying to find small ways to connect with Alex and apologize for the rudeness she has been displaying. In “Moscow Mule” we see that it is for the better after Piper and Alex are able to connect again on an emotional level through fixing the washing machine.

However another would say that its obviously for the worst because Larry has possibly caused his fiance to resurrect her past emotions for her ex lover. Another point one might add that Larry has lied to Piper and the events resulting if Piper were to ever find out may be detrimental not only for the relationship between Alex and Piper but also between Piper and Larry. It will be interesting to see how this conflict will play out through the series and how it will affect Pipers actions to come.

Another underlying theme that has been playing is the obvious abuse of power from the CO’s and Healy. Porn Stache (I should really learn his name) repeatedly abuses his power not only by molesting the inmates or using them to complete his own sexual endeavors but also to commit his own illegal actions. Porn Stache uses his power to threaten Red into allowing him to smuggle his drugs through her and again Morello in the prison van.

The abuse of power is also evident in our “favorite” sympathetic counselor, Healy, when he tricks all the prison inmates into thinking they can actually have a say in how things are. And again when his attitude drastically changes with Piper after she hands over the phone but refuses to really state who it belonged to. Obvious karma is portrayed after Penssatucky comments to Piper “You selling us out? For what,” and a few scenes later the only bathroom door is kicked in by another inmate when she can’t find the phone Piper turned in. Since the show is based, for the most part, on a true story it causes you to think how much of the worlds authority figures repeatedly abuse their power. This then relates to today with the repeated abuse of white power given to police who use it to continually shoot and kill black children and adults. And in turn most are never fired or charged and in fact get sympathy from thousands of people.

S1 : Episode 3

This episode is one of my favorites among the series because it addressed the important social issues towards transgenders through Sophia Burset’s backstory and stay in Litchfield Penitentiary.

Through out the episode we even see the majority of society’s views towards trans people portrayed through the shows characters. Revealing the over all confusement or distaste towards trans individuals. A major example of this is seen with the warden who refers to Burset with male pronouns and even states “Why would anyone want to give up being a man? It’s like winning the lottery and giving the ticket back”. Not only does it show that being a man in this world is its own entire privilege but also how the general public cannot understand why transgenders are the way they are so they decide to resent them for it instead.

We also gain an understanding of the discontent the inmates have towards Burset just because she’s a trans
woman. Often calling her a “he-she” or “tranny” all degrading terms for a trans person of color.  During Chapman’s visitation she even mistakenly uses “transexual” rather than transgender, another term that is usually very uncomfortable for the community. Red even states how she cant understand Burset and would even amputate her sons hands if they were to ever get rid of their “baby makers”.

As we begin to see Burset’s backstory, her transition stages and finally being out, we also see the great lengths she went
to to become who she wanted to be. Even going to great lengths to steal others credit information like when she was on the job and taking pictures of the “damage”. When she was taken off her hormone pills and asked her wife to sneak them in she stated “Please, or else this was all for nothing.” Signifying she doesn’t have much regret over her actions because it allowed her to become the women she always wanted to be, which sadly turned out for the worst. Her wife displayed a lot of anger in reaction to her request even retaliating with degrading comments like “be a father to your son” and “man up“.

Even in Burset’s backstory it presented a lot of the continuing distaste towards trans people for example when she runs in to her old colleague and all he can respond when seeing her is “Oh shit..”. And her sons obvious embarrassment that his father is now a “woman” even going so far as to turn his own parent in to the police.  I did find interesting that despite Porn Stauche’s immoral ways and abuse of power he of all people still understood in a way that Burset was in fact a woman now, “I live in the present not the past”.

Overall I found the episode to be very interesting and highly informative because it allowed the viewer to become aware of the many concerns faced by trans people, especially trans women of color.

S1 : Episodes 1 + 2

I’m quite familiar with Orange is the New Black, becoming a fan of the series shortly after I moved to Arizona a year ago. Since then I have even watched the show several times, this being my third time around with the first season. And even being an avid fanatic of the show and watching it several times you don’t really  look at the details or aspects of the story until you begin to watch it with the intent in mind to discuss it analytically later on. Strangely when you do this it actually makes the story more interesting. You are viewing it in another way than you may have been before.

Well with my third time around I found myself sympathizing with Chapman a lot less. Before I felt for her, thinking it must be awful to go through an ordeal like hers, being sent to a prison for “simply” abiding a drug smuggling ring. Well not anymore. Chapman is just another privileged white girl who believes that her actions were not of her own and the reason for her imprisonment was due to another. In “I Wasn’t
Ready” when Counselor Healy is going over Chapman’s criminal conspiracy charges she responds, “That’s what they charged me with.” Disassociating herself from the charges and not taking responsibility for them, simply pushing the blame off to someone else again.

In addition through the pilot and “Tit Punch” we see how their is a strict social and even racial hierarchy among the inmates. Chapman has barely been in Litchfield Penitentiary 24 hours before she is accepted into the dominant white social group. The racial grouping is evident when secondary character Loma Morella gives Chapman a toothbrush saying “We look out for our own.” Red is seen as being an inmate to dominant the prison food chain, easily influencing those around her. She’s able to effortlessly have those around her starve out Chapman without hesitation proving not only a hierarchy but how vital family-like relationships are created in the system. These relationships prove to be of valuable necessity if one wants to survive behind bars which Chapman quickly realizes after being shut out by Red’s girls and withheld food for several days.

From the moment the show began we could tell that it contained a well diverse cast, which helps to reel in a diverse audience as well. Since as the show progress a view can easily find a character to whom they connect with or relate to. And on the topic of diversity standard shows simplyhave the story follow the main protagonist and subtly hint towards other characters lives in the background. But interestingly in OITNB we get a deep first hand look into Red’s backstory, allowing us not only to understand her character on another level but to see how her character development will play out. These flashbacks will play a vital role through the series and even cause some of us viewers to raise questions like , “How did they get to this point?” or “What does the contrast from their past to present self tell us about them?” Watching the show again with a different perspective, as I’ve stated before, truly causes you to challenge your previous notations and look at the characters and story line at a deeper level.

For instance while reading chapter 10 of The Pop Culture Zone it suggested analyzing how the producers assign certain songs to a scene and how these songs describe the moment then and underlying details of the events going on. With this in mind I took a closer look at the shows intro, a song titled “You’ve Got Time” by Regina Spektor. Closely listening to the lyrics I found this verse to be not just words but something the directors possibly want us to think about:

Think of all the roads
Think of all their crossings
Taking steps is easy
Standing still is hard
Remember all their faces
Remember all their voices
Everything is different
The second time around

The lyrics pose a valid idea for the audience, as we watch the show to analyze how each character and theirs stories possibly connect to one another. And once we see the connections once we understand not only the story but these individuals that we should “remember all their faces/voices”. It brings up a topic that creator Piper Kerman brought up in her TED Talk that we watched in class last Tuesday. At the end of the TED Talk Kerman directly asks the inmates to voice themselves, to let their stories be know, to show that they are real people as well. And this is a great thought to keep in your brain as we watch the series that to constantly remember these woman and remember their stories because they are the characters of real people.