After House of Cards, Netflix has bagged its next goldmine – the critically-acclaimed Orange is the New Black. Tonight, South Africans will better understand why this prison drama has been canonised by the industry and critics alike. Debashine Thangevelo delves into how it has propelled Taylor Schilling into stardom and the series’ addictive hold over viewers.
THE TV playground has enjoyed many gripping prison dramas. To date, Prisoner: Cell Block H (aka Prisoner), Wentworth (a contemporary reimagining of Prisoner) and Bad Girls remain among the most iconic.
These offerings explored the gritty underbelly of prison life, dramatising issues of bullying, feminism, homosexuality, turf wars and miscarriages of justice, too.
Orange is the New Black doesn’t stray too far from some of those rife and deep-seated issues. What does, perhaps, make it a cut above the rest, is a twofold response. First, the fact that it is based on the real-life memoirs of Piper Kerman, who penned Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, adds such authenticity and personalises the journey of the protagonist.
Second, with creator Jenji Kohan (Weeds) offering her Midas touch on the fleshed-out series, which has been given the green light for a third instalment, she has created binge-watching monsters. Aside from the dramatic sway of the storylines, she masterfully juxtaposes the violence, prejudice, high-strung emotions and prevalent law of the jungle’s pecking order with the solid friendships and heartfelt emotions.
And Taylor Schilling is definitely counting her blessing. In spite of appearing in the TV series Mercy, and big screen attractions like Argo (she has a handful of others, too), Orange is the New Black has been her magnum opus in announcing her to the world.
In an interview with Collider. com, she revealed how she became involved with the show.
The Boston-born actress, who got her acting break while working as a nanny for a family in Manhattan, said: “I was really excited that Jenji Kohan was attached to the project. I had a hard time on TV so I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do that again. And once I read the script, I was really, really impressed that there was a woman who was the centrepiece of her own story and that she was at the centre of her own narrative.
“And I love the idea that it was based on a true story. When I read it, I was ready to do anything to be a part of it.”
And she didn’t seem fazed by the fact that her wardrobe comprised mostly one unflattering orange jumpsuit – but she does wear it well.
Although Schilling only met Kerman once shooting was in full swing, the author became an invaluable resource of information for her depiction.
She admitted: “What really helped me is listening to the minutia of experience, with the sensory details and things like that.”
As with any character that is inhabited, it can be a learning curve or an eye-opening experience.
The actress shared: “Well, a lot of things surprised me. There were things that I never thought about in my life. I never thought about how loud prison was. I’ve never thought about how your ears never get a break from all this noise. That was actually replicated on our set pretty well. And I never thought about how the lights don’t go out, so you never really rest, in that way. I never really thought about the intensity of being watched all the time.”
Although she arrives as a fish- out-of-water, Piper is speedily schooled on the dos and don’ts as well as friends and foes.
The twists in the tale often take on dark overtones that speak to the psychological state of the inmates and their sense of vulnerability.
In a chat with HitFix.com, Kohan explained the genesis of the series: “Someone sent me the book and I loved it from a purely character-driven point of view. I thought the stories were great. I loved the world. Then I pulled back and I started thinking about making a show… it’s a great vehicle for a lot of tales and a lot of agendas and interesting things.
“You know, the book was really a launching point for us. We stuck to the book a little bit in the beginning, both for our creative process and Piper Kerman’s comfort,” she continues.
But, with great storytelling, conflict is a cornerstone. And as the various story arcs developed, it sort of took on a life of its own, so to speak, and was bolstered by comic moments, too.
That’s probably why this series is hot property among its legion of growing fans and explains its nominations and wins in some of the small screens most prestigious award ceremonies.
Great casting – especially with Schilling proving to be a gem of an actress and delivering the gravitas mandated for this biopic tale – and ingenious and pioneering storytelling – that’s the kryptonite of TV addicts these days.
• Orange is the New Black airs on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) tonight at 9pm.
BEHIND (AND OUTSIDE) THE WALLS OF LITCHFIELD PENITENTIARY
Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling): also nicknamed Dandelion, College and Brain. A bisexual, she finds herself in her new abode for 15 months for helping her former lesbian lover, Alex Vause, smuggle drug money into Europe a decade ago.
Alex Vause (Laura Prepon): a former drug smuggler who was on the payroll of an international drug cartel. She introduced Piper into the world of drug trading. In fact, she was the one who ratted Piper out. After becoming addicted to heroin, she managed to clean
up in prison. She has Daddy issues, though.
Sam Healy (Michael J Harney): Litchfield Penitentiary’s old prison guard and supervisor, who is the prison counsellor to Piper and several other inmates. He is also terribly homophobic, cynical and has issues at home with his Ukranian mail-order bride.
Miss Claudette Pelage (Michelle Hurst): this is Piper’s cell mate. A bit on the OCD side, she instils fear. Her back-story: a familial debt eventually led to her running an illegal cleaning service using child labour. She reportedly killed a customer who was abusing one
of the cleaning girls. However, the reason for her imprisonment remains ambiguous.
Galina “Red” Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew): she is the MasterChef of the prison’s kitchen. Aside from being in control of that aspect, she is also the masked leader of the prison’s white masses. She wields much influence and respect among the prisoners and has an almost mother-daughter kinship to Nicky. Formerly affiliated to the Russian mob, she hasn’t strayed from
her criminal past and runs a smuggling business from her kitchen. She is often in the company of Norma and Gina. While she takes to Piper initially, that sours after Piper unintentionally insults her cooking.
Larry Bloom (Jason Biggs):
a Jewish freelance writer and Piper’s unconfident and, at times, self-absorbed fiancé. While blindsided by Piper’s past, he tries to be supportive… but his ambition gets the better of him.
Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (Uzo Aduba): deranged comes to mind when summing her up. She develops a dangerous infatuation with Piper and shadows her around. She is overdue one straitjacket. As crazy as she is, though, she seems to have a knack for literature
and poetry.
Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson (Danielle Brooks): this inmate is a black representative of WAC (Women’s Advisory Council). Although she is paroled, she finds it difficult to adjust to life on the outside and soon finds herself back at “home”. She works in the prison library and is well read.
Her childhood reads like a poverty-porn tale. She strikes up a sort of friendship with Piper and is assigned to share her cell.
Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne): a former drug addict and Red’s right-hand gal. Despite being raised by her wealthy socialite mother, her nanny was the one who took care of her. But her inherent rage saw her spiral down a dark path. Red helped her when she went cold turkey after arriving in prison. Aside from befriending Piper and Alex, largely spurred on by her curiosity about their past, she finds herself increasingly attracted to Alex. Then again, she is a nympho and will pretty much jump anything that passes her by. It’s her coping mechanism.
Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett (Taryn Manning): she was sent to prison for shooting an abortion clinic worker. While the media pegged it as a religious act, it was more personal for Tiffany, who, having been down that road five times, took offence at the health worker’s flippant comments. She is a rabble-rouser of note. Her religious rants have racist and hostile undertones. She is Piper’s biggest foe behind bars.