Orange is the New Black - TV Series

Posted on at


Already a fixture in our Best TV lists despite being a relative newcomer, and one on which the buzz tends to die down quickly due to its binge-friendly model, Season 3 of Netflix's triumphant women's prison comedy is a lighter, less tightly constructed affair than Season 2, but it's still terrific. In fact, the move away from the rhythm of Season 2's Big Bad structure (in which Lorraine Toussaint's Vee emerged as the show's indelible villainess) may feel initially disappointing, but really it's a heartening sign that 'OINTB' is not afraid to abandon that momentum-building but traditional structure and develop a more patchwork format, which its Netflix platform allows it to do in a way that shows that rely on weekly cliffhangers cannot. Because within the whole cloth woven out of season 3 are individual threads and storylines as good as anything that has come before, and in showcasing more of its deep, rich, broad ensemble, 'OINTB' plays to its unparalleled strength in terms of the diversity of its talent and its anti-sensationalist, compassionate approach to sexuality, racism, feminism and trans issues. And while it obviously continues to celebrate the wit, strength and individualism of its female cast, season 3 also showcases some of the show's best-ever writing for men, with Healy (Michael J Harney) and Caputo (Nick Sandow) arguably undergoing even greater arcs and cycles of self-deception and revelation than Piper (Taylor Schilling), Gloria (Selenis Leyva), Poussey (Samira Wiley), Sophia (Laverne Cox), Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) et al. Plus: best-ever Chang (Lori Tan Chinn).



About the author

arsalz

Its all about photography

Subscribe 0
160