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One of the great things about the Netflix approach to releasing series all at once (although they’ve also begun experimenting with weekly release as well) is that you can go through a show at your own pace. If a show grabs you, as the first couple of seasons of Orange Is the New Black did me, you can polish it off in a weekend. That it took me the better part of a month to finish the third season speaks to the lack of momentum that plagues this entire run of episodes, even as it occasionally rises to the quality that made the first two seasons so binge-able.
The season picks up with a revised status quo at Litchfield Penitentiary: yuppie Piper (Taylor Schilling) and ex-girlfriend Alex (Laura Prepon) are back under one roof, though they’re not particularly happy with one another. Former shot-caller Red (Kate Mulgrew) is back from her injuries, but she’s unsure where she fits in the new prison hierarchy. Most surprising of all, fundamentalist redneck Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) and aggressive lesbian Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) have become best buds.
These and many other subplots play out to varying degrees of success, but the most consistent and consistently disappointing storyline concerns Litchfield’s takeover by a private company amid financial difficulties. What could have been a source of great drama or humor just kind of putters along while exasperated new warden Caputo (Nick Sandow) deals with increasing layers of bureaucracy and caricature-ish greedy execs. It doesn’t propel the overall drama or various character subplots the way season two’s inmate power struggle did.
That lack of focus extends to the numerous flashbacks as well. It’s always a pleasure to get some backstory on a relatively unknown character or deepened understanding of one we’re more familiar with, but this year much of that material seemed to be telling us things we already know. It’s still an effective technique, but it needs to be better utilized next year.
All that said, though, Orange Is the New Black continues to lead the field in a couple of areas. The focus on a diverse group of women and their distinct, individual points of view remains a highlight, as does its humorous approach to the crushing mundanity of prison life. With such a weak central story, however, how much you get out of the season will depend on which characters and subplots work best for you. While I loved the quick brush with prison fame that Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba) receives as an author of sci-fi erotica, I was less enthralled with a long story arc about a new-age-y cult forming around the perpetually silent Norma (Annie Golden). Meanwhile, Piper, the show’s ostensible “lead,” remains one of the least compelling and most actively irritating characters, even though a late-season turn gives me some hope for a better showing going forward.
Season three of Orange Is the New Black may have hit a rough spot, but there are still plenty of reasons to check it out. It remains one of Netflix’s stronger offerings, and the ability to watch at your own pace should help to even out the experience a bit. It’s just not the addictive, binge-worthy success that it was before. So take your time, enjoy the parts that work, and look ahead to the possibility of another lost weekend sometime next year.
