My Recent Netflix Addiction: Orange is the New Black

Why I continually allow myself to get addicted to television, I will never know. But of course, after finishing House of Cards, I needed another quality show that I could completely binge on. This resulted in me coming across the Netflix original series of Orange is the New Black, and falling in love with it right away. Though currently I'm only 4 episodes in, I can safely say I know it'll only get better. There's a couple reasons why this show is becoming the strong hit that it is.

The setting (a women's prison) at first glance wouldn't seem like they could write a TV show around it. I was skeptical about it too, but that assumption is immediately crushed in the first episode and I quickly found myself being drawn into it. The comedy, the dramatic and touching moments, and the actors all come together and present a show about regrets, pushing through the present, and looking forward to a brighter future.

The whole show is not just set in the prison, might I add. There are many flashbacks to tell the back stories behind the characters we meet in the prison. The way they do this is intriguing and keeps every episode fresh and free from becoming dull.

What's impressive about this show is how perfectly and delicately they can blend dark comedy. One moment I'm laughing until I'm crying and the next moment I'm sitting in pure awe with goosebumps at the chilling and dark side of the show. I'm very glad the show is not just one tone all the time, because when shows do that it doesn't allow for much variation and often doesn't allow for much character development either. What I truly respect about this show is how it isn't afraid to get down to the dark and dirty stuff either. It's a comedy about prison, but it also very much acknowledges that it's a prison too and things won't always be a hapy and comedic time.

Netflix really did get another hit on its hands with this one. Taylor Schilling as our lead Piper Chapman is absolute gold on screen and knows how to work subtle facial expressions and keep her character consistent throughout the show. She, along with many other characters, bring a lot of pathos to the audiences and makes us feel like we really know Piper. Like she's a friend that we need to check in with every once in a while. And that's what makes this show addictive. My advice? Run to your Netflix and watch this all in one day. If that's not possible, I suppose watching it at a normal pace would be acceptable too. But regardless, watch it!