Sickdays
So when you get sick, and I mean really sick, hospitalised and IV drip sick, you kinda don’t want to know what is happening in the big bad world of politics. So I tend to go into binge watching series on streaming sites.
This time I watched Orange Is The New Black season 6 on Netflix. I’ve been a fan for a while, watched all the other series but hadn’t got a chance to watch any of the new episodes. So amidst my sick bowls and venflons, I settled down to watch the amazing work of Jenji Kohen.
OITNB is not just your usual Bad Girls, Cell Block, Wentworth vibe. There are familiarities that we all expect, there is something more. From the real life inmate portraiture as opening credits to on the button social commentary. This is Jenji’s forte, as she delivered in the epic series that is Weeds. I remember limewiring episodes for hours and hours just to keep up with the story when I was in college. Getting CD Roms off people to just sit and watch on the PC. So strange, but that opening title song still drifts in my thoughts frequently. “Little boxes on the hillside…”
If you haven’t seen or heard of Weeds, its basically a white American mother becomes a cannabis queen, a quirky, fun and often violent story. It is as though Saving Grace was Californian. And if you haven’t seen Saving Grace, do you even movie?
But back to Orange Is the New Black, the level of acting in this series surpassed all my expectations. Amazing women, with behaviours and characters can recognise from real people I know and love. The way the storytelling is presented is really unlike anything I had experienced in the previous series. Even though this is almost conclusive in its delivery, I feel anybody could watch this series alone with real intrigue and satisfaction. 13 episodes of magnificence.
Bit by bit you are taken on a journey with each of the characters, in that pleasant way the previous series also delivered. Although this time, you don’t realise the significance of each little bit. You are swept up in the journey and really get hit hard, fast and you will be left with a gaping jaw on several occasions.
Not only will the actual story be a pleasure for you, everything is so relevant today in the global environment of corporate power and political fallout.
For me, a gay disabled political activist, this is a Must Watch season. 5 star review!
