I'm late to the game this season when it comes to my favorite binge-worthy Netflix series Orange is the New Black. The season four premiere began on June 17th and I finished the series at roughly 2:30 AM last night. For those of you who are even later than I am in watching season four, I will do my best to omit any spoilers, but no guarantees.

OITNB has always had a reputation for pushing the envelope but this season may just be the most provocative yet. While this show is no stranger to dark topics like sexual assault, racism, homophobia, transphobia and death, this season dives head first into even more shadowy topics in the typical twisted, hilarious, sensitive and emotionally wrought fashion of its creator Jenji Kohen.

This season's most pivotal theme revolves around that of power dynamics and structures that are prevalent whether you're behind bars or out in the real world. This is shown in the corruption of the for-profit prison industrial complex, mounting tensions between inmates at Litchfield grasping for a sense of control in a chaotic environment, or battling inner-demons as a result of mental illness.

In this season we are shown a number of ways that absolute power can corrupt absolutely. Viewers get a taste of this at the end of season three when Piper goes from being a mildly annoying, self-righteous person who is oblivious to her own privilege to a heartless, power-hungry "Panty King Pin" in her ridiculous business scheme. Alex (her ex-girlfriend) warns her ominously and somewhat prophetically that, "there is no such thing as a benevolent dictator" to no avail.

When Litchfield sold itself to become a privatized prison, it opened its doors to some truly awful people, and I'm not talking about the inmates. What were once benignly idiotic, perhaps petty and mildly incompetent CO's are replaced with ruthless tyrants who abuse, exploit and even sexually assault inmates on a regular basis, but it doesn't stop there. It is not enough that these guards are cruel they're as incompetent as they are mean-spirited which is how a beloved fan favorite meets her tragic ending (click at your own risk!) Where there were once issues like mediocre food and old plumbing, there are now women stacked on top of one another (literally) like animals in a zoo and struggling to come by even basic hygiene products like tampons and maxi pads. Through imbalanced power dynamics, a vulnerable population of women are utterly dehumanized, while the powers that be are either active participants or completely complacent in putting it to an end.

The powerful message behind this series comes from telling stories of women that have been silenced. This season is all about what happens when you strip human beings of everything when they have nothing left to lose. The reason this series is so compelling is that it tells stories that resonate with all of man-kind. Whether or not you have ever been to prison is beyond the point; in the broad array of stories told by a phenomenal and truly diverse cast it's hard not to be able to place yourself in any one of their shoes'.

So prepare yourselves to laugh, cry, and really think about the world around you. It's summer, go on Netflix; You've Got Time.