I am the author of a music and television blog called OnPirateSatellite.com and yesterday as I was looking through my analytics it occurred to me that it might be fun to make lists of the most popular posts that I have written about the different television shows that I cover on my site. Yesterday, I did my Top 5 list for Mr. Robot (USA) and today I will be covering Orange Is the New Black (Netflix).
For the uninitiated, I write about the series the perspective of a formerly incarcerated person (which I hope adds some context to people’s enjoyment and understanding of the series and of prisons in America).
5. Riot FOMO (Orange Is the New Black Season 5 Episode 1)
Season 5 happens over a period of about three days and starts off with Daya Diaz instigating a riot by shooting a Correctional Officer in his leg. This recap of Episode 1 allowed me to discuss the lack of immediate riot response by the authorities, Daya’s decision-making, and Caputo’s complicity in the ongoing violence that preceded and inspired the riot.
4. Pissters (Orange Is the New Black Season 5 Episode 3)
Who made a bigger impact during Season 5 of OITNB than “Linda from Accounting” aka Von Barlow (aka The Counterfeit ‘C’ from Connecticut). “Pissters” is the episode that finally lets us in on Linda’s backstory. Much more importantly, my recap of Episode 3 allowed me to investigate the list of demands that the prisoners send to authorities in order to open negotiations.
3. I Wasn’t Ready (Orange Is the New Black Season 1 Episode 1)
This was actually the second post I wrote about Orange Is the New Black (I wrote a preview piece when I decided to start writing about the series explaining why I picked this series as a lens to share my own prison experiences through). But, this is a really important episode because of its us Piper Chapman (played by Taylor Schilling playing Piper Kerman) to introduce us to prison through a set of eyes the majority of Americans might empathize with. My recap of Episode 1 allowed me to demystify and explain many of the procedural and social issues she was facing as she entered Litchfield for the first time.
2. Lesbian Request Denied (Orange Is the New Black Season 1 Episode 3)
Season 1 was about establishing the truths of prison life for a new inmate and this episode was no exception. During my Episode 3 recap I was able to discuss official racism in prison administration practices, the cruelty of some Correctional Officers, and the disgustingly low-level of medical care for inmates at prisons.
1. Tit Punch (Orange Is the New Black Season 1 Episode 2)
Okay, here we are, at my most popular Orange Is the New Black post ever (drumroll please) and the winner is Season 1’s Tit Punch. During my Episode 2 recap, I talked about the realities of prison and bunk moves, prison orientation, prison food, and prison economics.
Okay, that is it. Writing about Orange Is the New Black has been one of the most personally rewarding things I have done to date and some of the responses I have received have really deeply moved me. Thanks for reading and, as always, enjoy!
