Orange Is the New Black: Season 1 (2013) [Blu-ray]
Comedy | Crime | Dark humor | Drama

Tagline: Every sentence is a story

From the creator of Weeds comes a heartbreaking and hilarious new series set in a women's prison. Based on Piper Kermans acclaimed memoir, Orange Is the New Black follows engaged Brooklynite Piper Chapman, whose wild past comes back to haunt her and results in her arrest and detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper trades her comfortable New York life for an orange prison jumpsuit and finds unexpected conflict and camaraderie amidst an eccentric group of inmates.

Storyline: The story of Piper Chapman, a woman in her thirties who is sentenced to fifteen months in prison after being convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting money for her drug-dealing girlfriend.

1.01 I Wasn't Ready - Sentenced to fifteen months for a crime committed ten years earlier, Piper Chapman leaves her supportive fiancé Larry for her new home: a women's prison. Her supervisor, Sam Healy sympathizes with her and tries to gently give her tips to survive. She grapples with the racial dynamics of prison life and learns some of the rules. Unfortunately, she offends Red, the powerful matriarch of the prison kitchen, who responds by serving Piper a bloody tampon and subsequently starving her. Piper is then shocked to discover that Alex Vause, her former lover (who recruited her into carrying drug money) is in the same prison. Flashbacks depict the particulars of Piper's crime, Piper telling her family about her crime, and Larry's marriage proposal. Daya Diaz, another inmate, is greeted by her mother, who is also incarcerated, with a slap to the face. (Disc.1)

1.02 Tit Punch - After insulting Red's food, Piper is starved out by the kitchen staff, and she struggles to offer up an acceptable apology. With help from "Crazy Eyes," she manages to prepare a medicated lotion for Red's back. Alex gives Chapman a cube of cornbread; Piper rejects it. The kitchen freezer is irreparably damaged; Red manipulates Healy into buying a new one. "Crazy Eyes" makes a romantic move on Piper. Bennett and Daya check each other out. In flashbacks, Red attempts to befriend the wives of well connected Russian businessmen. Unfortunately, she tells an insulting joke that alienates them. During a confrontation, Red punctures one of the wives' breast implants. As compensation, Red's husband agrees to hold secret packages for the businessmen. (Disc.1)

1.03 Lesbian Request Denied - Piper's best friend Polly takes more authority over the soap-making business. Piper deals with romantic advances from Crazy Eyes. After Crazy Eyes submits a request to bunk with Piper, Piper firmly rejects her advances. After Piper moves into Miss Claudette's cube, Crazy Eyes urinates on the floor of their space. Piper's relationship with Alex is very hostile. In flashbacks, Sophia, her wife, and her child struggle to adjust to Sophia's gender change. Sophia commits credit card fraud to finance gender reassignment surgery. In the present, the prison reduces Sophia's dose of exogenous estrogen in response to budget cuts. She asks her wife to smuggle pills into the prison; her wife flatly refuses, asking her "How fucking selfish can you be?" (Disc.1)

1.04 Imaginary Enemies - Piper adjusts to living with Claudette and working in the electrical shop. She starts to make friends with Nicky. After Piper loses a screwdriver, the prison staff searches high and low to find it before it is used as a weapon. Mendez molests Piper during the search. When Piper returns to her cube with the screwdriver, it places more strain on her relationship with Claudette. After the search ends, Piper and Claudette make peace. Piper agrees to review appeal letters from different inmates. Tricia Miller schemes to prevent her girlfriend Mercy Valduto's release, but Claudette convinces her not to ruin Mercy's chance for freedom. After Claudette receives a letter from her friend Baptiste, she agrees to have her case reopened. Flashbacks depict Claudette's career running a housekeeping company and that she murdered a man who abused one of her employees. (Disc.1)

1.05 The Chickening - While relaxing in the exercise yard, Piper sees a chicken. Red recounts her dream of cooking a proper chicken and offers a gift to the person who catches the chicken. Larry discovers that Alex gave Piper's name to the Feds. To keep Piper focused on life beyond prison, Larry lies to her. Polly Harper arranges for Piper to take a business call, but Piper skips it to chase the chicken. Morello ends her relationship with Nicky. Sophia asks Sister Ingalls for estrogen pills, but she refuses. The overloaded chapel ceiling collapses from a heavy cross Pennsatucky tried to hang. The prisoners work to clean up and repair the damage. Miss Claudette starts researching her legal appeal. Bennett and Daya pass notes to each other. Aleida advises her daughter to date another guard who can do her favors. Flashbacks depict life in the Diaz household. (Disc.1)

1.06 WAC Pack - Piper confronts her mother. Polly takes full control of the soap business. Now believing that Alex didn't name her, Piper starts to view her fondly. Larry agrees to write an article about his fiancée's term in prison. Healy announces elections for the women's advisory council, and encourages Piper to run for WAC. When she refuses, Healy places Chapman on the council anyway. The guards start searching for a missing mobile phone; Piper finds it hidden in the wall of the bathroom. Daya attacks her mother Aleida, for trying to have sex with Bennett. After saying he turned Aleida down, Daya performs oral sex on him, during which she discovers that he has a prosthetic leg. Flashbacks depict the friction between Nicky and her biological mother, and how Red helped Nicky deal with her drug problem. (Disc.2)

1.07 Blood Donut - Watson is released from SHU (Security Housing Unit/Solitary), and concludes that it was Piper who misplaced the screwdriver. Piper confesses but points out that Watson was initially sent to SHU for arguing with the guards. Flashbacks depict how Watson went from gifted track star to armed robber. Piper, frustrated with WAC, states "this whole WAC thing is basically bullshit." Piper tries to make nice with Alex. With Fischer's help, Piper gets the running track reopened, which pleases Watson. Piper's appointment to WAC infuriates Pennsatucky, who was hoping to use her election to obtain false teeth. Alex tires of Pennsatucky's complaining and threatens to rape her if she doesn't keep quiet. Mendez tries to pressure Red into smuggling drugs into the prison, but Red refuses. (Disc.2)

1.08 Moscow Mule - The flu bug circulates through the prison. Larry's article is printed. While Piper is happy that it was published, she is upset that most of the information is inaccurate. Healy reads the article and begins acting coldly towards Piper upon realizing her history with other girls. Piper and Alex flirt and reminisce while they try to fix a dryer. Pennsatucky locks Alex into the dryer. Polly gives birth. Daya is pregnant. Taystee is granted parole. In one flashback, Red gives the Russian bosses a good business idea, which begins her climb up the organized crime ladder. Tricia goes into drug withdrawal. Over Nicky's objection, Red cuts off Tricia and allows her to go into SHU. Caputo orders Mendez to investigate how the drugs entered the prison. Mendez performs a very intimidating interview of Morello. To retaliate against Red, Nicky tells Mendez that Red uses "Neptune's Produce" to smuggle contraband into the prison, a company which is possibly affiliated with the Russian bosses from Red's flashbacks. (Disc.2)

1.09 Fucksgiving - Mendez uses Red's smuggling connections to move drugs into the prison. Red flushes them down the toilet. Mendez issues Red a death threat and urinates into the Thanksgiving gravy. Pennsatucky and Alex clash over their views on homosexuality and religion. Nicky and Alex flirt. Flashbacks depict Alex being bullied for her low socioeconomic standing, her relationship with her mother, and her first contact with her washed-up rock star father. The flashbacks also show her beginning with the drug cartel. Sophia's wife becomes romantically interested in her pastor. With Sister Ingalls's encouragement, Sophia gives her wife her blessing. Sophia's full dose of estrogen is restored. Daya attempts an abortion using Mendoza's herbal teas, but Aleida colluded with Mendoza to keep the fetus alive. Later, Daya agrees to keep the baby. Taystee is released but finds that her support network is missing. Piper and Alex share a sexually charged dance, and Pennsatucky snitches on them for "lesbianing together," after which Healy unfairly sends Chapman to SHU. When Healy visits SHU, Chapman rages against him for punishing her for being a lesbian. After suffering in SHU, she resolves to obey Healy and avoid Alex. Caputo orders Healy to release Chapman from SHU when it becomes clear that her transfer to SHU is unjustified. Upon returning to camp, she has sex with Alex. Healy calls Larry, but the call's content is not revealed. It is implied that he tells Larry about Piper and Alex's sexual relationship. (Disc.2)

1.10 Bora Bora Bora - Cesar goes by Bennett's apartment, and asks how and where the baby will live, he learns that Daya is pregnant. He is concerned that the system will discover he had sex with Daya, which could result in disciplinary action for both. He explains that his prosthetic left leg, which is originally thought to be from his tour in Afghanistan, but is later revealed to be from an infection when he had a cut and stepped into a dirty hot tub in Florida. Flashbacks reveal what Alex and Polly are looking for in a spouse, and depict Chapman meeting Larry. Baptiste visits Miss Claudette. Tricked by Watson and egged on by others, Pennsatucky starts a faith healing crusade. Scared straight arrives at the prison, and the inmates attempt to intimidate the visiting juvenile delinquents; however, the inmates have difficulty intimidating Dina, who robbed a liquor store from her wheelchair. Piper succeeds by telling Dina the scariest part of prison is not other people, rather coming face to face with "who you really are." Pennsatucky's faith healing crusade ends after she attempts to heal Dina by forcefully removing her from the wheelchair, after which Pennsatucky is confined to the psychiatric ward. Flashbacks depict Tricia's life on the streets of New York City; she often shoplifts but keeps a list of what she steals so she can pay everyone back. She struggles to "make things square with Red." Mendez manipulates Tricia into selling illegal drugs. When the tour with juvenile delinquents begins, Mendez notices the state she is in, and locks Tricia in a closet to prevent her from revealing she is holding the drugs. When he returns to release her, he finds that she has taken the drugs, overdosed and died. Fearing he will be found out, Mendez manipulates the scene to make it look like a suicide hanging. Nicky and Red blame themselves for Tricia's death, and both resolve to bring Mendez down. (Disc.3)

1.11 Tall Men with Feelings - Prison officials cover-up Tricia's death to avoid an investigation. The inmates believe Tricia killed herself and organize an informal memorial for her. Tricia's death affects Mendez, and he vents over drinks with Bennett. Aleida, Daya, and Red scheme to cover-up Daya's pregnancy. Daya will have sex with Mendez, which will then deflect any suspicions once Daya's pregnancy becomes apparent. During their encounter, Mendez uses a condom, so there's no evidence to use against him. Pennsatucky is held in the psych unit. After Piper learns that psych is worse than SHU, she successfully petitions Caputo to have Pennsatucky returned to the general population over Alex's objections. However, Piper's bravery brings Alex closer to her. Flashbacks depict the breakup between Piper and Alex following the death of Alex's mother. Larry is interviewed on public radio, and his comments are particularly hurtful toward "Crazy Eyes" and Miss Claudette, though he is kinder to other inmates, including Red. Larry's comments regarding fidelity convince Piper that he knows about her relationship with Alex. Chapman calls Larry and confesses her infidelity. Larry reveals that during Thanksgiving, Healy told him that she was put in SHU for "lesbian activity." Piper admits to Larry that she loves Alex, which Larry sees as a deep betrayal. Larry then tells Piper that Alex did name her, thereby admitting that he lied earlier. He asks Piper, "How does it feel to be in love with the woman who ruined our lives?", and says that he needs time away from Piper. (Disc.3)

1.12 Fool Me Once - Caputo catches Mendez having sex with Daya. To avoid a rape investigation, the warden puts Mendez on unpaid leave. Daya tells Bennett about her plot, but Bennett is displeased that she framed Mendez. Mendez believes that Daya loves him, and he tells Bennett about Red's smuggling operation, after which Bennett informs Caputo. Claudette's appeal is denied, and she attacks a guard, resulting in her being sent to maximum security. Unable to adjust to life outside, Taystee commits a crime and returns to prison. Cal gets engaged via text message. Red mediates between Healy and his mail-order bride. Yoga Jones tells Watson how she committed manslaughter against an eight year-old child. A journalist following up on Larry's interview asks the deputy warden about spending cuts at Litchfield, despite an increase in the prison's funding. Piper and Alex argue, and Piper admits, "I am an emotionally manipulative narcissist who bailed on you when her mother died." Alex admits she ratted on Piper for dumping her, and she lied to Piper because she wanted Piper to like her. Alex gives Piper a choice: nest with Larry or travel with her and be prepared for anything. Larry asks Piper to marry him immediately. Flashbacks depict how Pennsatucky killed an abortion provider who "disrespected her" for getting her fifth abortion. A conservative Christian anti-abortion group provides her with pro bono legal help. Pennsatucky broods after being "beaten" by Piper, but her lawyer encourages Pennsatucky to witness to Piper. Piper "prays to Mr. Christ" for forgiveness, but she flatly refuses to be baptized. Since Piper disrespected her, Pennsatucky plans to murder Piper. (Disc.3)

1.13 Can't Fix Crazy - Caputo chooses Mendoza to replace Red as head cook. To reclaim her position, Red sabotages the kitchen. The resulting grease fire injures Murphy and prompts Norma to end her friendship with Red. Mendoza starts starving Red. Figueroa leans on Bennett to squash the investigation into Neptune's Produce, but Caputo fights to keep it on track. Bennett and Daya reach a low point in their relationship. Sophia receives a card from her son. Piper tells Alex that she is choosing Larry, and Alex cuts Piper out of her life. Larry visits Alex in prison and warns her to stay away from Piper, but Alex tells him that it was Piper who rekindled their sexual relationship. She asserts Larry's insecurity stems from Piper's weaknesses and not her machinations, telling him "I'm not your problem." After reflecting, Larry breaks up with Piper. Piper returns to Alex, but Alex pushes Piper away. Nicky seduces Alex. Piper is terrified after Pennsatucky attempts to harm her in the shower with a razor blade. Taystee and her friends encourage Piper to strike back, and Big Boo gives Piper the screwdriver that was never returned to the electrical shop. Following the success of the Prison Nativity Play, Piper breaks into tears and leaves during the final song. Pennsatucky sneaks off the stage in her angel costume to follow Piper. Piper and Pennsatucky have a final confrontation. At the fight's start, Piper appeals to Healy for help, but he walks off and abandons her. When Pennsatucky charges at Piper with a shiv fashioned from a wooden Christian cross, Piper kicks her in the groin. The episode ends with Piper on top of Pennsatucky, repeatedly striking her. (Disc.3)

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Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, May 12, 2014 -- What's Jenji Kohan been smoking recently? The force behind the long running Weeds, a series which saw its heroine do a bit of jail time here and there, has now moved on to Orange is the New Black, a series built entirely around a young, well to do woman ending up in the pen due to a long ago peccadillo. Based on the bestselling memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman, the series attempts to forge the same combination of wry humor and convoluted interpersonal relationships that made Weeds so successful. Judging by this first season, Kohan doesn't quite have her mojo working for her, at least in the early going, but the good news is the series gets markedly better as it goes along. Part of the problem is a structural artifice that sees the show repeatedly cutting away from the prison saga to offer background vignettes about various characters. The creative team attempts to knit these segues together smartly, but it's an inherently disruptive approach and one which tends to hobble the narrative arc of the piece. The humor in Orange is the New Black is also (perhaps unimaginably) even drier than Weeds, to the point that some viewers may be wondering if the show is indeed a comedy. It's ironic that President Obama brought the house down at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner with a joke about how the recalcitrant Republicans had turned on John Boehner, treating him even worse than they have been treating Obama, with Obama scoring big time with the punchline, "I guess orange really is the new black." There's nothing quite as raucously in your face like that going on in the series, but there's a certain undercurrent of uncomfortableness that may appeal to those who like their humor on the low key and often awkward side of things.

Weeds' Nancy Botwin was a character who at least seemed to always be in control, her mental wheels cogitating all sorts of simultaneously possible outcomes in the hopes she could navigate the treacherous waters of her lifestyle. Of course, it was all an illusion, as Kohan and her writing team repeatedly demonstrated throughout that show's long and healthy run. With the slightly renamed Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), Kohan is dealing with a character who has absolutely no control over virtually every aspect of her life, once she's found guilty of an almost forgotten about money running scheme when Piper was a closeted lesbian in the throes of a hot and heavy relationship with drug dealer Alex Vause (Laura Prepon).

Kohan plays with time repeatedly from the first episode of Orange is the New Black, contrasting Piper's regimented and often threatened existence at the penitentiary with several flashback anecdotes capturing her at various points leading up to her present sad state of affairs. We're introduced to her boyfriend and ultimately fiancé Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs), a seemingly nice, normal Jewish guy who calls Piper his shiksa and who rather amazingly doesn't freak out when he finds out about Piper's somewhat questionable past. We also meet Piper's super WASP-y family, who react with typically patrician reserve when they hear of her predicament, offering little bon mots like, "Was that when you were a lesbian?"

The problem with this approach is that it takes several episodes to meet and get to know the main cast of characters, both inside the penitentiary and to a somewhat lesser extent outside. The opening three or so episodes feel anecdotal rather than organic, though things perk up rather quickly once Alex shows up at the same prison (she's been there all along, simply waiting for the suitably chaotic moment in Piper's life to make her new entrance). The best part of the opening set of episodes is probably the introduction and development of Red (Kate Mulgrew), a seemingly hard hearted and ruthless bitch of a woman who is in charge of the kitchen. When Piper makes an ill advised complaint about the food in front of Red, lines are drawn and some unorthodox "food" is served. Mulgrew is absolutely riveting in this completely de-glammed, kind of smarmy but resilient, characterization.

Kohan and the writing team slowly but surely introduce the little groups that make up the strata of cultures in the prison, and critical mass is when we've finally gotten a handle on some of the intrigue surrounding Piper's cellmate Miss Claudette (Michelle Hurst). While Kohan's kind of quasi- Lost ping ponging between "before and after" doesn't always work (and is in fact perhaps a dramatic miscalculation at least some of the time), in Claudette's story there's a clear connection between traumatic past events and present day behaviors.

In other ways, Kohan tends to try to make Orange is the New Black fit into some kind of preordained niche that it really isn't meant to. A number of times overly dramatic situations break out, including a late developing arc involving Red and her hold on both staff and inmates, as well as Piper supposedly coming into her own as a force to be reckoned with. This kind of trite approach may have passing visceral impact and adrenaline raising potential, but it doesn't augur especially well for a more convincing examination, humorous or otherwise, of Piper's crumbling world.

Kohan's slightly skewed sense of humor can be an acquired taste. I know people who think Weeds is one of the greatest shows in recent television history, and others who find it impossibly self-conscious and precious. Those two groups will probably feel pretty much the same about Orange is the New Black, but here there's an additional issue with the storytelling style, which tries to do too much in the early going, threatening to disenchant viewers. Those with a little patience will find the series getting more interesting—and maybe even more darkly funny—once the main characters have been introduced and at least the outlines of their backstories depicted. Orange is the New Black feels like it's still finding its thong-laden feet in this first season, but considering the fact that the real life Kerman didn't spend that much longer than a year in prison to begin with, Death Row may come for this series sooner rather than later. While not perfectly executed (to continue with our prison analogies), Orange is the New Black generates enough interest off of its motley crew of characters, brought vividly to life by a great cast, to come Recommended.


[CSW] -3.1- I agree with this reviewer:
I can see why the show garnered such critical acclaim, but it is not for the faint of heart. It’s an unvarnished look into the realities of prison life, some of it sordid, sometimes surprisingly moving, emotionally wrenching, but always absolutely riveting. Appallingly foul language, explicit sexual material and human nature stripped raw, but with just enough moments of genuine laughter and heart to prevent it from being unbearably depressing. Believe it or not, there’s a sweetly romantic scene involving chewing tobacco. Full of carefully curated windows into the lives of the inmates, guards, and loved ones on the outside, it forces you to see them not as just fictional paper dolls, but as real people whose stories resonate with the viewer, whether you want them to or not. And Captain Janeway, how you’ve changed! Kate Mulgrew plays Red, the iron Russian chatelaine of the prison kitchen in a magnificent, charged performance. The writing showcases an infinite spectrum of humanity and like the terracotta soldiers guarding the emperor's tomb, every one drawn in precise detail but each totally unique. You might not like them all, but you've got to admire the craftsmanship. Enlightening and surprisingly profound, a real slice-of-life exposé that will leave you changed in some indefinable way. Acts of basic kindness and compassion abut petty cruelty and malicious tyranny, with the narrative pulling no punches. 'Orange is the New Black' is a human petri dish dumped into a crucible but in spite of all the gritty darkness, there’s some deliciously twisted humor. "

[V4.0-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

--- JOYA ---


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