It’s getting a little better towards the end (I’m on episode 10). That or I’m subconsciously lowering my standards. At first, I couldn’t keep track of all the new characters, but I’ve become more successful at remembering who did what to whom. Baddison irritates me more than Piper.
ETA: I do find Aleyda’s storyline about how difficult it is for an ex-felon mother to get back on her feet quite poignant, however.
Finished the season. Is this the end of the series?
I’m about 6 eps in. I loved the opening sequence with Suzanne’s hallucination. Piper can get paroled , shivved or die in a good old fashioned kitchen fire for all I care. Badison went directly to hate watch status after her first ten seconds on screen. I can only hope there’s an especially bad ending for her.
This season is better than last, though I’m not sure how much of a feat that is.
I don’t mean that I’m not enjoying it. It’s just fallen so far from the excellent first seasons. The good moments make the lesser moments worth watching.
They renewed the series several years ago for the fifth, sixth and seventh seasons.
It’s been my experience that when the renew a show for several seasons like that it goes downhill right away. Cf. The Drew Carey Show. Renewed thru season 9 just before season 7 aired. Ratings promptly tanked and it struggled to finish airing the last episodes.
I agree that Piper is a very uninteresting unlikable character, and was so even in the early seasons. Is this the fault of actress or writer?
I found the early seasons to be a wonderful blend of comedy and drama, and it was one of my favorite shows. But 4½ episodes into Season 6 I’ve never had a single urge to laugh. It isn’t good drama either — it’s a horror show! Someone who skipped seasons 1-5 to start season 6 would be turned away in confusion and disgust.
I’ll finish season 6, just because I’ve invested time getting to know these characters.
I think one season was as good as another in long-ago TV dramas. Did it really matter if you started Gunsmoke or Bonanza at season 1 or season 5? But I started NCIS with season 5 because that’s what the video store had … and found the characters inane and childish. I suppose they were more lovable in season 1, and by season 5 writers figured exaggerated performances would appeal. OITNB has also gone to extremes. Can anyone think of a TV drama which became so … macabre?
Oh, it’s the writing. Piper wasn’t as bad in the very beginning when the show was kind of about her. But where good characters grow, Piper has shrunk. A lot. There is no complexity to her. She’s just there to be mopey and in love with Alex. The Alex character has ruined Piper, and what’s weird is that Alex isn’t that bad of a character by herself. Scenes that feature Alex without Piper are OK.
I turned Episode 3 of Season 6 off halfway through and haven’t felt compelled to tune back in.
IMHO they could have ended it with the finale to season 3.
It did get progressively better toward the end. I’ll still watch season seven. I did like the ending.
Blanca getting on the ICE bus and Diablo waiting for her was heartbreaking. I got to like Blanca a lot more this season.
I’m enjoying this season well enough. At least it’s better than season 5. I am finding it interesting that now that the girls in in Max, the old racial divisions have disappeared and been replaced by block gangs. I just watched episode 10.
Things I like:
-Black Cindy (Tova) and Flaka’s radio show
-The salsa dancing
-The sister bosses
-Taystee basking in the glow of being a social justice hero.
-Daya getting all twisted up in the game with Daddy
-Daddy.
-The no-nonsense African lady.
-Aleda doing the MLM thing.
Things that are contrived, that I wish they had left out:
-Black Cindy and Suzanne finding out about the cover-up
-Black Cindy having an ulcer over it (or whatever is wrong with her)
-Florez trying to have a baby. I like Florez, but I wish she had a different storyline.
-Taystee’s guard (I did enjoy their flashback, though)
-Aleda hooking up with that guard.
Things I don’t like:
-Badison. I know we aren’t supposed to like her, but even Vee, the most evil of characters, was halfway interesting.
-Piper and Alex. I’m so through with them and their cutesy shit.
I always say I’m going to watch one episode a week. I am so lying to myself. I sure wish they would spend more time on the more interesting characters. I am really impressed with the talent of the cast. The acting is great, but the writing…is not. Fortunately I can fast forward through all the Piper and Alex crap.
Huh. I watched the season over two consecutive days on purpose. I prefer to watch a series that way.
Are there people that watch an episode a week? Why?
For something like this, we watch one episode a night. We’re up to 7 so it’ll another week before we finish.
Some shows just seem to fit the once-a-week format. E.g., we are watching 800 Words that way. There’s not a lot of episodes and we want to savor and stretch them out.
Regarding the “credit only” streak of Michael Harney (Sam Healy):
The “credit only” part ended with S06E01. So 16 in a row. But he only appeared in S0602 this season.
Also: Mackenzie Phillips? She’s aged. American Graffiti came out just a few years ago, right? Right? :o
THAT’S who that was! There was something about both of them that was striking and that was one of the reasons. Their flashback actors did a spectacular job. Most of the min security crimes we saw were understandable or minor. Oh boy, theirs was not.
I didn’t hate the season, but it was by far not my favorite. Least favorite? Maybe.
When the only consistently likeable person is CAPUTO, you got problems.
Killed it in two days. I’m left lukewarm . . .
I just couldn’t bring myself to care much about all the new characters and storylines, I was near starting a scorecard just to keep track of everything. I guess maybe prison IRL consists of people coming and going and alliances changing? I much preferred the smaller ensemble, seasons one - four (I wasn’t big on the riot season).
The ICE ender had me in tears – that was a punch to the gut.
I hate Daya’s stupid, mopey face. Waaay too much of her.
And Kate Mulgrew can do no wrong, I’d watch her reading the phonebook.
I’ve always liked Caputo, I find the actor fascinating. And Fig DOES look like a camel!
ME, TOO. She did a lot of theater here in the Seattle area in the seventies. My mom enjoyed plays and dragged me to some. I wasn’t all that thrilled overall, but Kate had me riveted. I’ll never forget how she drew in even a little kid.
I also think Laura Prepon does an excellent job and Alex is written fairly well. Alex doesn’t need Piper to be an interesting character, while Piper does need Alex. I hope she gets more to do next season now that “Pipes” is out of prison.
Amen to everything ** Jennshark** said, especially the comment about Daya. Fig is the epitome of a character you love to hate and Caputo is kind of a schmendrick but a good guy at heart. I hope they write a nice ending for him.
Piper is finally getting out?! Is Taylor Schilling leaving the show or will we now have to watch her mope and pine for Alex from her home?
Finished the S6 last night. I actually liked it. I enjoyed seeing the returning characters struggle with meeting new inmates and adjusting to a different prison life. I’ll spoiler my thoughts :
1. Tasha’s guilty verdict hit me in the gut
2. Blanca getting deported hit me in the gut too. When her and Piper were taken in different directions, I thought for sure Piper was going to stay in prison to be with Alex. Which would have been stupid, but par for the course with Piper.
3. Great ending with Barb and her Sis taking each other out. The whole war was just a set up to kill the old tattoo’d lady. Fitting ending and opens up a new story for next season.
4. Uzo Aduba is a phenomenal actress. That first episode had me riveted. She was spectacular.
I should’ve spoilered that part! My apologies! I suspect the latter.:rolleyes:
Syko, I don’t think I need to spoiler my agreement that Uzo Aduba is a phenomenal actor. I’ve only seen her in OITNB, but last night I was surprised to see her in a Netflix movie called Tallulah (I like Alison Janney). Aduba played a pregnant social worker and it made it pretty obvious what an amazing job she was doing OITNB.
No worries 
It won’t stop me from continuing to watch (I’m looking forward to it:p )