Season 6 of Orange is The New Black is the most important season of the series by far. The directors were put to an extremely high standard, The last season of the show was very different then anything we have seen so far and it did not impress most viewers. Season 5 featured a prison riot that played out in only a 3 day span, at the end of the season it was clear the minimum security prison Litchfield was to be closed and all the characters of the show were going to be sent to different maximum security prisons. Season 6 follows a handful of familiar characters in a completely new more terrifying prison that does not hold the same lighthearted nature as Litchfield. Many characters that were very much main characters and developed for seasons are thrown away forever in this new season as well as many completely new ones being introduced. This is actually done very well on the writers part. They successfully made the show seem realistic by making it clear that there are consequences to the characters actions. In result of the riot the setting and tone of the show has drastically changed from lighthearted to hopeless and regretful. The maximum security prison is much different than the previous Litchfield, the guards and prisoners are much more violent,and the prisoners are no longer aloud to roam around as they please and are now caged up like animals almost 70 percent of the time. The show is still able to work around this by making many different daily events in which the characters can interact which also works very well this season. We are introduced to 2 one-season wonders this time around sisters who are named Carol and Barb. Carol and Barb's character arc and themes are very strong and effective in this season. We follow their story through the entire season and learn in flashbacks how they murdered their little sister which landed them both in the same prison. We then learn about how they are now rivals who have started gang wars in the prison. Carol and Barb who have been imprisoned since they were teenagers are now older women who hate each other so much and want nothing more than to kill the other sister. Carol and Barb's hatred fuels their entire meaning and characters, their hate is a distraction that has built up behind the prison bars for years and at the end of the season it is what ultimately kills both of them.
In my opinion this season was very effective in moving the show into a new direction. I would say the biggest flaw within this season was the flashbacks. The flashbacks in this show serve to tell the backstories of the characters in order to justify their actions and tell us how they got into prison in the first place. In this season the flashbacks were weak with the exception of Carol and Barb's backstory. The rest of the flashbacks in this season don't add much substance to the show and seem more like filler than anything else. The acting in this season is terrific as well as the character arc seen in Taystee. Taystee goes from the comedic relief and outgoing happy character to facing lifetime in jail for false murder charges. The one scene in which Taystee is found guilty for the murder of security guard Piscatella is not only shot very well, the acting is amazing making this one specific scene so impactful and memorable.The season finale successfully tied up the events of this season as well as setting the show up for the final season which will be released this summer. Overall this season was very effective in moving the plot of the show forward, projecting themes about unjust in the court system, created a vast new cast of character while expanding on old ones and setting up what will be the final season of the show. I rate this season a good,good.
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