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In Season 3 of OITNB, Did Alex Suspect That Piper Turned Her In to Her Parole Officer?

When Alex (Laura Prepon) and Piper (Taylor Schilling) first reconnect at the beginning of Season 3, Alex certainly doesn’t seem suspicious. The first thing Piper does is ask why Alex is back, and Alex can barely even answer her. She tells Piper…

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Before “Orange is the New Black,” how did “Stranger Inside” portray diversity in women’s prisons?

Quick Answer: Before Orange is the New Black, HBO aired Stranger Inside (2001), a movie about a young black woman’s life in prison directed by black lesbian feminist director Cheryl Dunye. We can compare the two in terms of their representations…

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In Season 3 of “Orange Is the New Black,” is Nicky Actually Back on Drugs?

Although Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) is never explicitly shown getting high, she definitely exhibits some symptoms characteristic of a drug user. She’s jumpy, her face is flushed, she’s paranoid (though that’s somewhat justified given her…

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Why are the prison guards on “Orange Is the New Black” so cruel?

[Spoiler Alert: spoilers for Orange Is the New Black Season 4.] Quick Answer: While the guards at Litchfield have never treated the inmates particularly well, the new C.O.s in Season 4 prove to be especially sadistic. This is due to the inherently…

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In Season 3 of OITNB, Why is Big Boo So Willing to Compromise Her Identity When She Wouldn’t Before?

Season 3, Episode 4 of Orange is the New Black portrays character Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) in an uncharacteristic way. When she was younger, Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) was a strong advocate for LGBT+ rights. She was proud to be a butch lesbian and lashed…

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What choice will Dayanara make following the “Orange Is the New Black” Season 4 ending?

[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Orange Is the New Black Season 4.] Quick Answer: The cliffhanger at the end of Orange Is the New Black season 4 left Dayanara Diaz holding a gun to a guard’s head. Although Daya has a history of…

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In “Orange Is the New Black,” will there ever be a life outside of prison for Piper?

Quick Answer: In Orange Is the New Black, Piper Chapman’s life centers around her time in prison. In addition to serving as the setting, prison functions as the catalyst for the breakdowns of her relationships, the majority of her reckless…

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How does “Orange Is the New Black” compare to past “Women in Prison” movies?

Quick Answer: Orange Is the New Black follows a long tradition of “Women in Prison” movies that dates back to the 1950s. But whereas most earlier movies tended to present female inmates with a message of moral judgment or as sexualized…

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Why do viewers empathize with Piper from “Orange Is the New Black”?

Quick Answer: At the onset of Orange Is the New Black, Piper serves as a proxy for the audience, introducing viewers to Litchfield and its diverse cast of characters. As a result, Piper became instantly empathetic, holding the Netflix-binging…

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What does Season 3 of “Orange Is the New Black” teach us about relationships?

Quick Answer: One of the successes of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black is its nuanced ability to lovingly portray its characters not just as prisoners, but as people. In the third season of Orange Is the New Black, the extensive character…

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In Season Four of “Orange is the New Black,” how has racial conflict grown and changed?

Quick Answer: Racial community and race conflict have always been central to Orange is the New Black. With Season Four, however, the series has at last opened to the question of white privilege through its shift to the discourse of gangs. But does…

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How Does “Orange Is the New Black” Acknowledge Bisexuality?

Although it has been lauded as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly shows ever on television or the Internet, Orange Is the New Black is notorious for failing to acknowledge bisexuality as an option for its main character, Piper (Taylor Schilling). So…

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How do “Ray Donovan” and “Orange Is the New Black” attract mainstream viewers despite edgy content?

Ray Donovan (2013) follows a conflicted middle-aged white man—a guy who wants to do good but can only seem to do bad, someone who’s deeply disturbed yet somehow loved, and a prime example of the male anti-hero mold that we’ve seen time and…

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Did Classic Hollywood films feature characters we would call “trans” today?

To answer this question, it’s best to start by defining terms. “Trans” most generally indicates a gender identity that differs from one’s biological sex. In binary terms: a biological male who identifies as female (trans woman) or a…

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In Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” what was revolutionary about the choice to kill off Marion Crane?

Quick Answer: Hitchcock’s Psycho was the first film to feature a false protagonist, a character who is seemingly the central figure of a story until they are moved out of the spotlight. This can cause a shocking plot twist, such as in the case…