Orange is the new black - TV Series

Since quite some time Celia has been asking me if we could start watching Orange is the new black.
Now that we need to watch a series as homework, we can use this opportunity to start watching it.
I got the series from a website loved by pirates and shared it with some of my friends at the University,
because they were interested aswell. Is it a problem if we discuss the same series in this topic or do we have to write individual ones?

Anyway i will talk about this series now. At the start i was afraid it would be some kind of chick flick series, because the story is about female prisoners. However the series wasnt girly at all and actually give a quite realistic view of prisonlife in my opinion. The show was pretty emotional and funny at the same time. I recommend to watch this series and discuss it here with me!

(dont read this part if you dont want to read spoilers on the first episode)

Spoiler:

Hi,

Like Viktor said, I want to see this series since a very long time but I never had the occasion to see it. So the English course was the perfect reason! We have seen just the first episode for now and with english subtitles.

I agree with Viktor to say that this serie is very interesting because we can see the reality of the life in a female prison. However, that is not a dramatic serie and we can see the prison with a funny approach. There are still some shocking things in this series,

Spoiler!:

Furthermore I think that seeing a serie like that is a good way to get an impression about this kind of environment. It's very different than watching a report about it on the tv!

I can't wait to watch the next episode

I have just begun watching the first episode of Orange is the new black yesterday. By the way, I have never seen these series before.

I decided to watch "orange is the new black" because on the internet I have seen an abundance of positive opinions. And actually, I wasn't disappointed at all. I really like the atmosphere of the series, and now I just want to see the rest of the season.

Like said Celia before, I think for the moment that it's rather comedy serie than dramatic serie.

A lot of my Marketing students like this. Girls more than boys though.

Evening,

I just finished watching the second episode of Orange is the new black. This week I will be talking a lot more about the series itself instead of my personal opinion, because I already gave my opinion about most of the things last week.

The main character (Piper Chapman) got some trouble in the last episode I watched, because she made some remarks about the food that they chef served. As punishment she didn’t get any food for quite some time. Her main goal in the second episode was to regain her friendship with the chef so she wouldn’t starve to death.

Finally she made a backrub out of jalapeno peppers for the chef because she has backaches and she was finally able to eat again. This was a pretty smart move of her and now she probably will have a new friend in the prison. I noticed that it is very important in the prison to have good friends around you.

There is also the ex-girlfriend of Piper in the same prison. During Piper’s punishment she tried to help, so now she doesn’t get any food instead of Piper. Piper hates her because she thinks it’s her fault that she is in prison, so it’s pretty funny to see her not get any food.

I can’t wait to see the next episode!!

Peace,

Viktor Beekman

Hello everyone,

I also watched the second episode of orange is the new black today, but also the third because I really like the series. The principal character of the series, Piper was being starved by Red the chef of the prison. She also got into a difficult situation because of a lesbian inmate who wanted to be her girlfriend, but she was really weird. So Piper had to do some efforts to get out of these situations.

For the first problem she decide to make a jalapeno oil for Red, because she has back problems. After that she gets to eat again, so the problem is solved. The second problem was an inmate that helped her out a few times in the prison and the woman thought that she could have a romantic relationship with Piper, but Piper is already married. In the end Piper tells the woman that she isn’t interested, but the other inmate is a little crazy and doesn’t like that Piper refuses her. I’m curious what will happen next, but that I will see in the next episode.

Hugs and kisses,

Celia Butel

Hi everybody,

For the moment, I just watched until the second episode. I will probably watch the third episode this evening.

I love the moment when Piper tries and re-tries to apologize to Red for insulting the cooking of Red in the first episode. Meanwhile, Piper won't get anything to eat. At that moment, I wondered how the clash could be solved between the two. I didn't think at all that the lotion for Red’s back could suffice for Piper to eat again.

I have the impression that in each episode, we might be discovering a new character, through flashbacks.

Howdy partner!

Just finished watching my third episode, don’t read this if you don’t want to read spoilers!

Like Laura predicted we get to know another character in this episode of Orange is the new black. This time it’s the transgender inmate called Sophia. In the beginning of the episode we see her still as a male firefighter. We also get to see why she (not sure what she was at the time of the criminal acts because she was still playing a male firefighter) got sentenced to prison, because Sophia took photos of credit cards inside the burning houses that she extinguished.
The show really gave an amazing picture of how a family (in this case the wife and son of Sophia) reacts on a man deciding to become a woman. It also shows how society treats transgender woman. It was both heartbreaking and eye-opening for me.
Piper still struggles in the prison, especially with the crazy inmate that’s romantically interested in her. I’m really enjoying this series so far!

Viktor Beekman

Good evening,

I will post spoilers as well so beware..

After last episode I couldn’t stop watching this show. So now I’m a little ahead of Laura and Viktor because I just finished episode 4. In this episode we get to know Miss Claudette, the cellmate of Piper. The episode starts with Suzy (the crazy woman in love with Piper) peeing on the floor in the cell of Piper and Claudette. Piper shows her “I didn’t ask for this” behavior as always and Claudette tells her that she won’t help her clean up and that Piper simply has to take care of it herself.

I was shocked when I saw the backstory of Claudette. She used to be a house maid brought to New York from Haiti. There she would finally take responsibility for other housemaids. One day a man hurts one of the maids that she takes care of. In the end she murders this man to protect her maid. On one side I thought this was terrible, but on the other side she protected her own in a world where this injustice was allowed to happen. I didn’t expect this from the old lady at all.

Hugs and kisses,

Celia Butel

I think that the second episode is more boring than the third episode. This episode is very hilarious with a lot of unexpected developments. I like the different extrovert personages that we can discover in this episode.

I like Crazy Eyes a lot who decided to try and win Piper’s love. She considered Piper as her wife. In the third episode, she didn’t let her go, even though Piper has been trying to reject Crazy Eyes advances multiple times. Crazy Eyes asked to share her bedroom with Piper even though she wasn’t informed about it. So Sam Healy has to intervene and give help to Chapman to reject Crazy Eyes. Chapman decided to explain her clearly the situation, saying she isn’t interested, and strangely she accepted explanations without difficulty. Chapman still has to move bedrooms; her new housemate is Miss Claudette, who is a maniac. In the last scene we witness Crazy Eyes who pisses in their bedroom.

What will be the Miss Claudette's reaction ?

LC

Hello!

This weekend I watched a lot of episodes of Orange is the new black, I might soon finish the first season! I have seen up to episode 6 now and a lot has happened.

As always Piper got herself into trouble again. This time she told everyone she saw a chicken in the prison yard, and of course this led to a lot of drama between the inmates. The kitchen chef wanted to catch the chicken so she could eat it, the Hispanic inmates thought there was drugs hidden inside the chicken and the black inmates wanted to find the drugs/money before the Hispanics could. Of course in the end it was Piper that was blamed for telling lies when the chicken couldn’t be found. Just before the episode with the chicken finished (I think it was episode 5) Piper saw the chicken again. I believe we will get to see the chicken again in some later episode!

Cluck! Cluck!

Viktor Beekman

Hello everyone,

I have been watching the show a lot as well, together with Viktor. So I’m also at the 6th episode of this series. Since Viktor already talked about episode 5, I will be talking about the 6th.

During this episode there is also politics (just like our subject of the week!). The representative of the inmates is being chosen. Each ethnic group will be represented by someone. For the white population Red (the chef) wants that one of her friends is chosen as representative so she can influence the prison politics. However Piper gets in trouble because at the end of the episode she gets elected instead of Red’s choice, without evening presenting herself in the election. I think it’s the Prison head that picked Piper himself, because she is intelligent and they can work together well.

I also would like to state that Piper’s behaviour has changed a lot since the beginning of her prison sentence. She’s starting to learn and adapt herself. I believe that at the end of the sentence she will be a different person. Also this might cause some problems between her and her husband in the future I think.

Hugs and kisses,

Celia Butel

Hello !
In the fourth episode, we learnt a lot of things. I will speak about the plot concerning the screwdriver.

Chapman has to go to the workshop. The foreman gives her a book, a desk lamp that she has to repair quickly if she wants to go eat. To have a tool, she has to exchange a coin (this is a coin specific for a person) for a tool. When she gives back the tool, she gets back her coin. The day is ending, Chapman doesn’t finish repairing the desk lamp, and fortunately she is allowed to go eating. At this moment, we witness Chapman unwillingly put her screwdriver in her pocket. When she realizes that, she tells her mistake to Miss Claudette. Miss Claudette advises Chapman to put screwdriver back. But Chapman can’t put screwdriver back, so Miss Claudette decides to hide the objet in a pot of boiling water. During the first bedroom inspection, the prison guard doesn’t find the screwdriver. Then, before the second inspection Chapman decide to hide screwdriver under her mattress. The inspection goes well. Chapman lifts her mattress except that the screwdriver wasn’t in their place. Miss Claudette says that don’t worry about this problem. We see the foreman comes back in his car, he went to shop to buy a new screwdriver (because he had pressure from the warden). In the last scene, we see Boo who took the screwdriver from underneath Chapmans mattress, using the screwdriver like sex object…

Bye

Hi everyone,

I really watched a lot of orange is the new black this week, because I got a Netflix account now. I like how Netflix just keeps on playing episode after episode so I don’t even have to stand up from my bed or anything. Celia and I finished the first season this evening.

In the end of the season we get to see a lot of tension between Piper and another inmate called Tiffany. Tiffany is a crackhead who thinks she is in touch with God. Because Piper is having an affair with Alex (another female inmate she knew from before prison) Tiffany thinks she has to do something about it, since it’s not allowed by god. At some points things get heated and Tiffany starts threatening to kill Piper. One time the crackhead attacked Piper while she was taking a shower, so Piper started to prepare to defend herself. She got the screwdriver back from her friends so she got a weapon as well. During the Christmas spectacle Tiffany follows Piper outside and she attacks, but Piper wins and keeps on hitting Tiffany until the end of the episode. I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next season… I hate cliff-hangers! For Piper’s sake I hope that Tiffany isn’t dead. We will see!

Viktor Beekman

Hi everyone,

Since my last publication about Orange is the new black, I have finished the first season and watch the two first episode of the second season.
But the series is beginning to boring me. Actually many things changed at the end of the first season and I have found the series less funny than before. I think that’s because we see more and more about the real life in prison and the different kind of prisons.
Furthermore, like I thought Piper and his fiancé broke up because of the change in Piper’s behavior. This series show us how the prison can change people. For example, Piper was very sweet and reserved but with the time spend in prison she became violent. First in this word and finally in his act when she bit another girl.
I will continue to watch because maybe it will become funny again and because it is still interesting.

Hugs and Kisses
Celia Butel

In the fifth episode, apart from the chicken story, we have learnt a lot of details. At the beginning of the episode we see Pennsaticky, a prisoner, who hung a huge cross on the chapel. Being badly hung up and too heavy, the cross has destroyed the chapel. Then, we can see, Daya, another prisoner, and Bennett the prison guard, who exchange messages.
The break-up with Piper was difficult for Alex, after she started taking heroin. Larry’s dad is a lawyer and he announced to Larry that Piper was been denounced by her ex-girlfriend Alex. During this phone call, he says to Piper that Alex didn’t denounce her to avoid tensions between them in prison.
See you tomorrow!

Hi everyone,

When season 2 started I began to watch the show less, because I didn’t like the beginning. So for this week’s episode I had to force myself to watch orange is the new black. But I did it and I still liked it a lot in the end. I will watch and talk about the 3rd episode of this season now.

Piper is now back at the Litchfield prison so she is really happy. It’s much more comfortable at this prison then the one she was in before. This week we finally get to see the life story of crazy eyes, or Suzanne. She was adopted as a child and we see how she had a difficult life. We see that because of her skin colour she was treated very differently than her sister, who was a white girl. We also get to see Pennsatucky after her fight with Piper, she got new teeth and they seem to be at peace now after all that has happened.

Hugs and Kisses,

Celia Butel

Hi!

So this weekend I finally got to see some more “orange is the new black”. It has been a while since the last time I saw the series. I got to see up until the fourth episode of the second season.

A lot has happened in this second season, Piper got transported to a different prison which was a lot worse than the one she is in usually like Celia already said. However now there are a few new characters that got transferred with her. There is Vee, an African-American woman who is trying to be the chef of the inmates now. For Red this is going to be a big problem because she has lost control of the kitchen already. So now she is going to try to open a greenhouse to grow plants and crops. While she was cleaning up the greenhouse she found a manhole which probably goes into the sewers. This might be a big opportunity for Red because she is in a bad spot at the moment. I believe she might do two things. First of all she might continue her smuggling business through the sewer in the greenhouse, or she might try to escape. I’m very curious what will happen! We will see next time I suppose...

Viktor Beekman

I thing that the sixth episode is boring. Actually, for the moment, I enjoy 1 out of 2 episodes. I will repeat a little that Celia said.

In this episode it’s WAC (Women Association Council) election. Each community (black, Asiatic…) have to choose 1 person to represent themselves. The goal of this election, it’s each elected person could say problem at prison warden. For white person, Healy hopes that Chapman will be elected because she’s more educated than other. Unfortunately, at the end of episode, we learn that Chapman is elected whereas she didn’t stand for election. We can see that she’s surprised and worried to be elected. She’s afraid to be criticized by other, because she’s considered rich girl.

Now we have understood the prison world : generally, they are very disagreeable between them, they use crude language…. I hope the seventh episode will be interesting and surprising.

Hi!

Last episode Red found an underground sewer pipe. She has asked her son to come and cut open the bars that block the entrance to these tunnels. After his son cut away the bars she started using the greenhouse as a way to smuggle things in and out of the prison for her and her friends. She tried to befriend some of her enemies with presents but she didn’t gain their trust yet, but I think that she will in the future. On top of that she got the old ladies working in her greenhouse so she can boss around people like she used to do before in the kitchen.

At the end of the episode we see that one of the ladies, who is very old and probably got Alzheimer or something like that, escaped the prison. She was found in a bar listening to one of the prison’s employees band playing music.

Laura you're far behind, try and catch up
Sorry if we spoil the show for you!!

Viktor Beekman

Hey everyone!

I will talk about the journalism thing that Piper has started in the last episode. She is now writing a newspaper for the Prisoners of the Litchfield prison facility. There is 4 people in her newspaper team. 2 Latina women and 2 Caucasian women. Piper writes articles about interesting things happening in the prison, for example what the manager does in his daily life. Piper’s friend writes beauty articles and the Latina women make comics for the newspaper.

There is also a journalist on the outside of the prison who is interested in what happens in the prison. Especially why there is about 2 million dollar missing from the budget. There should have been built a gym for the prisoners for example, but it was never really built. I believe that the warden is using the money to buy things for herself, because she drives a really nice car.

Celia Butel