Orange is the New Black

This week I watched the entire first season of the Netflix series, Orange is the New Black. It's about a naive WASPy yuppie woman who a decade before was involved in a drug ring, as part of her relationship with her lesbian lover. The crime catches up with her and she has to do 15 months in federal prison.

The first two episodes or so rubbed me the wrong way. They seemed to sensationalize lesbianism behind bars, making the threat of either being forced into or succumbing to homosexual activity the most menacing part of prison life. This salacious aspect seemed to calm down, or I got used to it as I got drawn into the myriad plots.

The main storyline involves Piper (the lead) and her former lover, Alex, as well as her ongoing relationship with her male fiance on the outside. But the cast of characters is rich, and there are many interesting subplots concerning the other women as well as the corrections officers. It is pretty soap-opera-y, and in ways lacking in subtlety and replete with cliches, but I got very invested. The ending of the final episode shocked me and I am looking forward to the release of the second season.