I truly admire those that have the self control to not watch all of Orange Is The New Black in one sitting. Really I wish I could spread it out and make it last, but inevitably I end up watching whole seasons within a matter of days. Season three came out a few hours early this summer causingTwitter and Facebook to explod with cries of “ITS HERE, ITS HERE.” I dove in; the next week every free moment was spent binge watching. The result of all this inactivity was a resounding “eh”, the “eh” heard round the world if you will.
Its not that the highly anticipated third season of OINTNB was all bad, it certainly had great moments. It just wasn’t all good; the first two seasons had clear cut arcs and character development all while delivering unexpected twists and turns. This season meandered, as if it did not know what it wanted to be. This season was you if you took a year off after high school to “find yourself” but just ended up getting high with the younger siblings of your friends who had all gone away to college.
However like I said, not all bad! Black Cindy had a really amazing character arc that flew fairly under the radar until her beautiful monologue about Judaism hit us all right in the feels. “It’s like a verb, it’s like you do God”.... it was one of the most powerful OITNB speeches to date.
Plus the rise of Piper as a legitimate villain was equal parts horrifying and entertaining. In past seasons she was whiny and selfish, sure, but in season three we see just what three years in Litchfield has brought out in Piper. In a way this was an overall theme for the entire season, the prison’s way of turning people into the worst versions of themselves.
The strongest episode of the season was ‘A Tittin’ and a Hairin’, here we see Jenji Kohan do what she does best. Namely make you feel so much empathy for a villain that their motivation becomes totally clear. We see in this episode the way Pennsatucky grew upandhow rape culture was ingrained in her from her very first signs of puberty, how unwanted sex became such a part of her life that she now has trouble recognizing it as a problem. It’s a powerful episode that shows just how Pennsatucky ended up in her current situation. Throughout season three we find ourselves rooting more for her then we do the original heroine, Piper. Kohan’s ability to show you a character from all sides never wavers; she could make you feel bad for the Manson family if she so wished.
The weakest episode of the season was ‘Bed Bugs and Beyond’; was anyone looking for a Bennett flashback episode? I think not. Daya is angry with Bennett because she’s, ya know, pregnant in prison. This should be interesting but it isn't because neither character is willing to do anything about it. It’s stagnant; a whole episode that revolved around it was mostly boring.
Additionally, when we finally get the moment we are waiting for, which is Alex finding out that Piper is the reason she is back at Litchfield, that ends up being unsatisfying as well. Rather than getting a big Piper tell off in which she finally gets put in her place, we get library sex. It certainly makes sense for this couple but still, Piper is the worst in this episode and not in a fun way.
Regardless of the problems this season had, the last scene was one of the more creative and fascinating endings to a season of television I’ve ever seen. Hopefully the symbolic baptism will wash away all the sins of season three and our favorite inmates will be back to normal for season four.