- Actors: Taylor Schilling, Laura Prepon, Kate Mulgrew, Michael Harney, Nick Sandow
- Directors: Andrew McCarthy, Constantine Makris, Erin Feeley, Tricia Brock, Uta Briesewitz
- Disc Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 3
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: LIONSGATE
- Release Date: May 9, 2017
- Run Time: 778 minutes
Even the best
televisions shows need to find ways to reinvent themselves after the first few
seasons, otherwise it begins to feel repetitive and formulaic. Despite
primarily being a comedy based series, “Orange
is the New Black” made some boldly dramatic moves in season four, not afraid to
change the dynamic of the show and even the cast. This was also the season that
the prison series decided to enter the discussion of current events and social
issues, specifically relevant to the minorities making up a majority of the
inmates.
The basic
premise follows upper class Piper (Taylor Schilling) as she deals with the
jarring lifestyle change that comes when she is incarcerated for her past drug
smuggling with a former lesbian partner and girlfriend, Alex (Laura Prepon).
This instigates a series of soap-opera type twists and turns in the narrative,
along with all of the expected prison drama, from shower shenanigans to fears
of being shanked. All of the elements of the series have been seen elsewhere,
but it is series creator Jenji Kohan’s unique sense of humor, paired with a
penchant for cliffhanger endings, which give this series a distinct stylistic
stamp. “Orange
is the New Black” may have been originally based on the memoirs of Piper
Kerman, but has evolved into more of an ensemble series just as much concerned
with the other characters in the prison. This ensemble includes an assortment
of villains, victims and a combination of both, though this season pulls back
on prisoners being the antagonists, instead allowing a group of ruthless new
guards to fill those roles.
The off-putting selfish nature of the
main protagonist becomes somewhat of a larger problem in this season, which is
why the increased distastefulness of other villains is important. Piper’s true
desires and intentions rarely seem known even to her, though her actions are
always predictably made out of self preservation alone. Beyond that, she
becomes arrogant in the ability to create a side business from inside prison
and is decreasingly sympathetic for the first half of this season. Instead, the
show begins to sympathize with Alex, whose selfish actions were previously seen
as the reason that Piper was in prison in the first place. Alex was also the
focus of the season three finale and cliffhanger, forced to protect herself against
a hired hit-man disguised as a guard, though season four focuses on the guilt she
feels in the aftermath of that problem’s resolution.
While Piper is blissfully selfish in
her aspirations to be a prison mogul and Alex is suffering with her guilt, the
rest of the prison is dealing with massive budget cuts, overcrowding, and the
administrative changes that ultimately result in a culture war meant to mirror
current events in America.
Without spoiling a huge dramatic twist, the ruthlessness of the guards
eventually leads to an event that takes on a social issue head-on, and in a way
that thoughtfully considers each side. There is no doubt that these themes will
continue in the fifth season (premiering on Netflix June 9th), as
the series once again ends on a massive cliffhanger, this time involving
everyone in the prison.
All thirteen episodes from season
four are included in this Blu-ray package, along with a Digital HD copy. There
are also commentary tracks on episodes, a featurette with a tour of the “Orange is the New Black”
prison set, and a gag reel to lighten things up slightly. I am somewhat
surprised that there are not more featurettes dealing with the social issues
this season has chosen to focus on, even though the cast and crew discuss it
within the commentaries.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
Special Features: 7/10
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