I know your summer will be filled with traveling, swimming pools and outdoor adventure. If you're anything like me, then that list also includes spending your Sundays, and maybe every day, binge watching your favorite shows on Netflix. There are plenty of shows I could recommend you watch, but for your reading pleasure, I want to discuss "Orange is the New Black."
The show takes place in Connecticut at Litchfield Penitentiary, a fictional prison. The show is actually filmed in Rockland County, New York, if you were curious. Throughout the four seasons, we not only get to see a glimpse of what prison might look like, but we also get to know each individual inmate's story and how they ended up in prison. "Orange is the New Black" ("OITNB") does an excellent job of incorporating both drama and social justice issues all in one show. Kudos to you Netflix, since it's a Netflix original series. Each year a new season is released in full, which means you get the opportunity to watch the whole season in one night. If that's not enough to convince you to check out "OITNB," then through thought provoking memes and opinion-based humor I will attempt to convince you to turn on your Netflix and join me in binge watching.
1. The Inmates
All of these actresses in this show are some serious bad asses. You might recognize Laura Prepon aka Alex Vause from "OITNB," a.k.a., Donna Pinciotti from "That '70s Show. "That's right friends, Donna has grown up, dyed her hair and become a drug peddling lesbian. What a time to be alive. Another one of my favorite characters, Sophia Burset, played by the stunning Laverne Cox, puts the LGBTQ community in the lime light in a whole new way. You see, Cox has a twin brother, M. Lamar, who plays Marcus Burset who identifies as transgender. As viewers, we experience Marcus transitioning into Sophia. I won't go into too much detail, but as a cisgender female, I learned more from this show then Google could teach me. Each person on the show has a different backstory. Go learn about Nikki, Piper and Poussey. Wait though, finish my article first.
2. The Correctional Officers
It's a love-hate relationship with the correctional officers. Some you'll want to hang out with and others you'll want to kill. Though they can suck, they sure do make the show more interesting. For example, one of the correctional officers gets one of the inmates pregnant but blames it on another correctional officer so he won't get fired. Want to find out who? Of course you do, but first finish my article.
3. Women's Health
Sophia gives the girls a hardcore lesson on their own bodies that they probably should have known all along, but hey, it needed to be explained. It's humorous sure, but really many women don't learn about their own body until something's wrong. In this episode alone, we learn that women's health education is lacking. I bet you all want to learn about chachas now, but finish my article first.
4. Social Justice
Season four is a ball of social justice issues. "OITNB" does not hold back, as they shouldn't. From the Black Lives Matter movement to rape culture, they address it all in a very in-your-face way. They even reference the death of Eric Garner. If you've been living under a rock since 2014 and don't know who Eric Garner is, let me explain. Eric Garner was 'accidentally' killed by NYPD because he was put into an illegal choke hold. His words, "I can't breathe," became an iconic phrase to the Black Lives Matter movement. Though "OITNB" is fiction, the social justice issues they focus on are very real. I'm sure you want to go educate yourself and turn on your Netflix now but first let me give you one more reason to watch.
5. You've Got Time
The opening credits alone give me chills. At first I wondered when it would end, but by season four I'm singing along each time. You have got time. Seriously, though. Watch the opening credits here!
Now that we have gone through all the reasons you should watch "Orange is the New Black"...go do it!
