I do my weekly DVR Purges, but let's be frank: they are crap. I don't proofread them at all most weeks. They're collections of scattered thoughts that barely even make sense a week later. What I've decided to do is, with most of these shows I watch taking a break, reflect on where I stand with them, assessing what is in the show's favor (assets) and what could get it in trouble (liabilities).
Now, not every show I watch will be included. In general, I'm sticking to shows that I've kept notes (be them from Purges or otherwise) as I've watched. That means, shows like The Bridge, Looking, Sherlock, and Dexter will not be included. To get my thoughts on those, ask me. This project, supposing I stay on schedule should take all month and I hope it does a good job summing up where these shows stand. In some cases, I'm hoping to convince you to start watching. Other times, it'll be nothing more than a postmortem for a show that's gone.
I hope you enjoy.
Favorite Episode(s): "Looks Blue, Tastes Red" and "It Was the Change"
Deep Roster: Game of Thrones is the only show with as many characters to manage. The confined setting and number of episodes allows OitNB to cover them all more extensively. They could cut the cast in half and it would still be a full show. That's remarkable and it means that they can try out new combinations as often as they want to keep things fresh. Equally impressive is that there aren't many drags. An episode can switch between Red and Nicky to Piper and Soto to Pennsatucky and Healy to Poussey and Taystee without missing a beat. It's only when Larry shows up out of the prison when things drag and still, I like Jason Biggs. Nothing says he can't or won't be interesting. He simply hasn't been good yet. This depth also helps with the flashbacks. Any fan of LOST can tell you that the flashbacks got old when it was the umpteenth time for a character (Remember that time when we learned about Jack's tattoos?). That's never going to happen with OitNB (except with Piper. We've already had too much of Piper's origins). Perusing the IMDB page, I count at least 30 characters in the prison I could see getting their own flashback episode. Then, there's the turnover of the prison population always bringing in someone new. It's a big cast that is managed well. Let's leave it at that.
Consistent: In terms of quality, each episode is roughly at the same level, and structurally, except for the premiere, they are all the same. Of course there's stand-out moments and scenes. There's just not a lot of weak links on this show. That's exactly why people binge it. There aren't cliffhangers. They don't manipulate you into watching more (I'm looking at you, House of Cards). There's simply no reason to stop watching. The last episode was good. The next episode will be good. It's not constantly building to something like a Breaking Bad. It consistently is doing something.
Vee: Of the new characters this season, Vee is the most significant (sorry Soto). She drove the story away from being centralized around Piper, created a rift between Poussey and Taystee, battled with Red, played surrogate mother to "Crazy Eyes", and basically involved herself in all the happenings of the prison. It looks like she isn't making it out of the second season, so she'll go down with Mags Bennett (Justified) and the Trinity Killer (Dexter) on the list of great, single season "big bads".
The Premiere: I'm on an island about this. I didn't like this episode much at all. The tone of it was uncomfortable*. The familiar characters (Piper, Alex) were among my least favorite, and I didn't care for any of the new characters. It was a case of "if you don't like the ingredients, you're probably not going to like the dish". The reason I call this a liability isn't my preference though. It's the reminder that this is a Jenji Kohan show. Fans of Weeds know that show was notorious for rebooting itself each season. Now, there's no way they'd be stupid enough to drop so many characters that people love all at once, but we should always be wary of big shakeups that could upset the balance of the show for the worse. Think about it. What characters are actually untouchable?
*I'm not stupid. I know the disorienting nature of it was the point. That doesn't mean I have to like it.
Soto: Piper was never this bad, was she? The whole point of bringing in Soto initially is to contrast her with Piper, to see how far Piper has come since she showed up. Once they had to develop a character for Soto, it's basically that of "annoying girl". I don't think it was an accident. They meant to do it, but it took her leading the prison in singing Lisa Loeb to keep her on my good side.
Flashback Twists: This is a small gripe but I'm getting a little tired of the bait and switch with all the flashbacks. I don't remember it happening as much last season (and I'm probably remembering it happening more than it did this season) but I'm not a big fan of all the hinting about one crime, then getting arrested for another. It worked for Morello. The rest of the time, it felt like a cheap trick.
I'm baffled by this show. I don't understand why it is so popular. That's not to say that I think it's bad though. At the same time, I'm not sure I'd place either season in my top ten list for its year. I've seen the prison stories before, narratives told with flashbacks, female-dominated casts. The show doesn't do anything special. It just does it right. I recognize its quality and I'm determined to figure out what everyone else is seeing that I'm not; why it isn't clicking with me. Until then, I'm pleased to keep watching. Excellent cast. Great writing. Solid direction. There's nothing to begrudge here.
Previously this Offseason...
Community
Brooklyn Nine Nine
New Girl
Suburgatory
Modern Family
Parenthood
The Mindy Project
The Michael J Fox Show
The Big Bang Theory
Agents of SHIELD
The Crazy Ones
Back in the Game
Parks and Recreation
The Walking Dead
The Middle
Saturday Night Live
Cougar Town
House of Cards
Louie
How I Met Your Mother
The Americans
Archer
Silicon Valley
Hannibal
Girls
True Detective
Mad Men
Veep
Game of Thrones
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