In case you're not like the seasoned binge-watcher I pride myself on being, the latest and final season of Netflix's original series "Orange Is the New Black" premiered this past Friday. As an avid watcher of the show since I was fourteen years old (Yes! I have loved and re-watched it for the past four years!), I crammed watching the season in two days. Although this left me with a terrible feeling as I knew this story would continue, the sobs I cried at the end were fueled by every emotion possible that only incredible television shows can bring you.
Without spoiling anything, this final season was truly a bittersweet, yet perfect way to close off the series. Each character, new and old, was highlighted and closure was given to our favorite girls. And, with the touch of Nastasha Lyonne crying through one of her Nicky lines at the end, I found myself overly grateful for this show and for the laughs, tears, and joy it has given me.
Specifics aside, the one thing I have always appreciated about this show is how raw it is. It has never failed to hold back the truth of how the prison system works as well as the way that America can function. Every season has portrayed a sense of realness that viewers have always appreciated, allowing the audience to connect with the characters and reflect on their own experiences. Season seven especially highlighted several current events in America such as immigration, the #MeToo movement, and certain inhumane conditions of prison.
We often don't think about prisons itself, but on the movements that were experienced on screen for the past seven years. However, "Orange Is the New Black" allows us to see how lives of reform are carried out, how some lives may never change from the pathway of bad, but most importantly, the ways in which we can all improve to create a better world.
Personally, the touch of creating the "Poussey Washington Fund" to aid in criminal justice reform and the lives of incarcerated women was the best way to end the series. We watched the lives of these strong female characters for seven years, but to have it continue into the real world to shape real lives is something truly beyond words.
Between the actual impact on everyday people, the newest way we can financially aid imprisoned women, and how we can focus on important social issues, "Orange Is the New Black" will continue the future as more than a Netflix original series. It is one of the many steppingstones for change and inspiration that will carry on forever.
