# Orange is the New Black **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399 "2013-07-13T14:30:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/101 "2013-08-12T17:29:20Z")
And for me, Pennsatucky’s (Taryn Manning) main key to fame was her role in [“Hustle and Flow”](http://www.lahiguera.net/cinemania/actores/taryn_manning/fotos/2838/taryn_manning.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/102 "2013-08-12T19:01:11Z")
I finished the season and really enjoyed it. It took until about episode 4 or 5 to start growing on me though, the whole show has a bit of a “trying to hard” feel to it with the characters and situations, but I’m enjoying the ride so far. At this point though it is basically Grey’s Anatomy, with shivs and nudity. I’m definitely in for season 2. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/103 "2013-08-12T20:55:15Z")
It took me a bit to get into the groove of things. For starters, they didn’t make the main character all that likable. Also, the mood whiplash can be very strong. Still burned though the entire series in two days, though. Killer writing, not a word is wasted. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/104 "2013-08-12T21:19:46Z")
I really don’t get what kind of prison it is, though. It’s supposed to be federal, right? So of the inmates we know backstories on, Piper and Alex make sense, Red obviously had some sort of mob-related thing, Claudette I guess was for immigration shenanigans and maybe not the murder, Yoga Joan probably it was the pot angle? But the runner, how on earth was that a federal crime? If the young druggie did get arrested for stealing/not stealing, how is that federal? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/105 "2013-08-13T15:25:59Z")
Piper Kerman was interviewed on NPR’s Fresh Air yesterday (and Jenji Kohan will be on today’s show). > **[Behind 'The New Black': The Real Piper's Prison Story](https://www.npr.org/2013/08/12/211339427/behind-the-new-black-the-real-pipers-prison-story)** > > When she was 24, Piper Kerman dated a woman who was part of a drug smuggling ring. Years later, after being named as part of that ring, Kerman served time in a federal prison and at one point shared a cell with her former girlfriend. Her memoir of... ---
**Author:** ![anothernovel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@anothernovel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anothernovel)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/106 "2013-08-16T22:04:47Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > A thought just occurred to me about the final episode that is pure speculation.Warning: This contains episode-spoiling informationLast chance to back out. 🙂Could the fight between Chapman and Pennsatucky at the end have simply been a dream? I don’t see how Chapman is not sent to solitary permanently if it was real, or how she’s not tried and convicted of murder and then sent to death row if Pennsatucky dies. I considered that too Onomatopoeia, but I think this show is too high quality to go that route, seems like a cop out. With the rumors swirling about Laura Prepon’s limited appearance in season 2, (though I personally think this is just some dumb rumor leaked by a caterer who misunderstood something and they’re just still working out scheduling and pay etc. because the storyline without her is extremely different- too different- for a follow up in that way) here are some ideas I think might explain what’s gonna happen in a post below… ---
**Author:** ![anothernovel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@anothernovel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anothernovel)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/107 "2013-08-16T22:10:04Z")
These are my predictions about what’s going to happen after the final episode. SPOILERS!!! 1. Piper beats Pensatucky unconscious, ultimately resulting in her getting new teeth (this will definitely happen- Taryn Manning has signed on for a full cast member in season 2) and can’t be a full time cast member if her character is dead. The new teeth thing is just going to be hilarious, cause, that’s totally something they would do for her character, at least until she gets fucked up on meth again. Obviously Piper lost control when Pensatucky was taunting her that she didn’t deserve love- which is what made her snap. Her face just like, goes berserk at that moment, it’s such a rich, disturbing scene. Anyway. 2. Piper will get thrown in solitary for the beating 3. Somehow Piper will get others involved to know that Healy stood by and did NOTHING (maybe the security guards that don’t actually suck will review the video footage, or something) 4. Alex will find out about this and get proper pissed, probably, and do something that gets her thrown into solitary, punished in some other way, etc- this is how I could see the writers believably getting her taken off the show for a while (the only conceivable notion I’ve had so far, everything else is just too unfuckingbelievable) 5. Eventually Piper will get taken out of solitary because it will be common knowledge that Healy could have prevented that shit and if Piper stays in there there’s going to be some serious lawsuit/human rights violation shit that would go down and I don’t think Natalie Figueroa ( the no-nonsense money pilfering prison admin) would let that shit fly. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/108 "2013-08-18T05:27:12Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’ve now finished watching all 13 episodes. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am very much looking forward to the next season. > > I know it’s ridiculous, not to mention unrealistic, but I want Dia and John to find a way to be together in the end.I want Mendes to be brought down, permanently, by Red.I want Red to get her kitchen back, even though I really like the Spanish ladies.I want Pennsatucky to live, but be permanently cowed enough to keep her religious nonsense to herself.I have a suspicion that the woman prison administrator will end up an inmate in the prison. They more or less knocked us over the head with the not so subtle hint of her embezzling funds.I don’t know how I feel about Chapman at this point. I kind of felt sorry for her in the early episodes, but now she not only seems to want to have her cake and eat it too, but is genuinely confused and upset when others consider this inexcusably selfish, like a child. I just finished episode 13 and Holy Shit! That last one would sure be entertaining, no matter despite it being widely unrealistic for many different reasons. For starters the way our legal system work’s it’d take a hell of a time jump to get to the point where Figueroa is actually serving time; also she’d never be sent to the same institution where she worked. As for Red; I’d love to see her get the kitchen back, and I also think she’ll end up putting a hit out on Mendez. Then again if she had those kind of connections you’d think she’d already have done so instead of trying to frame him for rape (as flawed a plan as that was. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/109 "2013-08-18T13:39:02Z")
Wasn’t the point of Pennsatucky’s flashbacks to show the Religiousness is all BS? Her followers are sincere probably but she is just playing the role because it benefits her. Or has she been living that lie for so long she internalized it? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/110 "2013-08-18T16:15:54Z")
I think it started out as an act, but by now she actually believes all that crap. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/111 "2013-08-18T17:40:53Z")
One element about the show I don’t like is the opening theme. 90 seconds wasted on face pictures…zzzzzz… It doesn’t tell a little story like _Dexter_ or is kinetic like _Oz_, or a fraction as interesting as the various _Weeds_ intros. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/112 "2013-08-18T17:44:13Z")
I like the opening theme for this reason: Unlike a lot of shows there is nothing before the credits and they’re always exactly the same length. So I can start the episodes, set fast forward to 32x and play a little game to see if I can exactly hit 1:16 for hitting regular speed again. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/113 "2013-08-18T18:34:53Z")
I just finished it, and had kind of a hard time getting into it because it was so, so different from the book. Ultimately it was better that it was different- the book didn’t have a lot of opportunities for drama. I liked it, but as often happens with these types of shows I didn’t really like Piper very much. Like Sex and the City where everyone but Carrie is likable. But I have to admit I got sucked in and am super stoked that there’s going to be a second season. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/114 "2013-08-18T18:49:15Z")
I’ve just learned and am quite surprised that Jason Biggs _isn’t_ Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/115 "2013-08-18T18:59:21Z")
I really hated Piper’s pregnant friend… was she supposed to be so unlikable? There are a lot of stuck-up twat female characters on the outside: Piper’s friend and mom, Red’s Russian mobster wife-friends, the prison owner, Healy’s wife, etc, but all these real women on the inside. And Piper bridging the chasm, being mildly irritating. I also want to add that my activist friend on facebook posted her disappointment that despite the 1-point-something percent of the prison population who are Asian there was such little representation of that minority group and that no one noticed that when admiring how racially diverse the cast is. That seemed like a stretch to me. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/116 "2013-08-18T19:17:14Z")
Isn’t there at least one Asian character, albeit with very little dialogue? She’s on the “prisoner committee” with Piper and that black woman who was briefly paroled. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/117 "2013-08-18T19:30:06Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Isn’t there at least one Asian character, albeit with very little dialogue? She’s on the “prisoner committee” with Piper and that black woman who was briefly paroled. Yes, there is. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/118 "2013-08-18T19:31:27Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > I also want to add that my activist friend on facebook posted her disappointment that despite the 1-point-something percent of the prison population who are Asian there was such little representation of that minority group and that no one noticed that when admiring how racially diverse the cast is. That seemed like a stretch to me. 1.something percent would be 1.somethings Asians per 100 inmates. There is no where near 100 characters on this show. So, in actuality, Asians are over-represented just with the one lady on the prisoner’s committee. I understand your friend’s argument, but her data defeats her. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/119 "2013-08-18T19:57:23Z")
> [@Red\_Stilettos](#): > > 1.something percent would be 1.somethings Asians per 100 inmates. There is no where near 100 characters on this show. So, in actuality, Asians are over-represented just with the one lady on the prisoner’s committee. I understand your friend’s argument, but her data defeats her. There’s only about 250 women at Litchfield; which would translate to there being 2-3 Asians in the entire prison. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399/120 "2013-08-18T19:58:07Z")
These are women, some lesbian, so you have to take the Poisson Distribution into account. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orange-is-the-new-black/663399.md?page=7)