Welcome back behind the bars of Litchfield, where we are introduced to the new regime of assistant warden Joe Caputo.
Prison activities include a Mother’s Day celebration, a space erotica penned by Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren and a business venture in the panty sniffing ?industry.
Overall, prison is a friendlier place with Yvonne “Vee” Parker deposed and Caputo at the helm — and that’s part of the problem in season three of the Netflix original series “Orange is the New Black.”
The plot slows without an antagonist to whip up fear, drama and loathing, elements which are lacking in the third season.
The show takes a narrative emphasis with new back stories from Big Boo, Pennsatucky and Alex Vause, along with those of supporting characters Flaca, Norma and Leanne.
If you don’t recognize some of those names, you’re not alone.
The character development in this season grows wider but not much deeper, leaving me longing for more exposition on the chief characters.
Each episode introduces a handful of new and enticing plot lines, but they rarely continue past two or three of the show’s signature fades from orange to black.
Piper, once our protagonist, has become just another inmate in the Litchfield community, a road the show started on in season two.
And I can’t blame creator Jenji Kohan for taking it. The cast of “Orange is the New Black” is one of the best in television, and Kohan is utilizing her greatest resource.
Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba exudes eccentric charm. Kate Mulgrew commands every room into which she walks. And did Tyra Banks invent smizing, or did Annie Golden?
But what we do see of Piper is telling. The remains of her former life — in other words, Larry and Polly — are left out of season three altogether.
Piper has fully accepted and embraced her time in prison and develops a callous new persona to back it up.
In a way, it’s refreshing.
Kohan doesn’t exploit celebrity, action or gore to sell her show. She is confident in its original premise, piquant script and thought-provoking commentary to carry it through.
“Orange is the New Black” isn’t always compelling, but it is real. It addresses salient issues in the prison system and the culture which leads women into its snare.
And just when you think you should start taking all your advice from women behind bars, the characters show their fallibility, proving there is no definitive right and wrong but a wide and fascinating chasm of moral ambiguity lying between.
Of course, these cerebral moments are balanced by the delightfully unconventional humor of a cast — and crew — who clearly have fun riffing off popular culture, an element at its best in this latest installment.
Ultimately, the third season does a satisfactory job of delivering what fans love best.
And it ends with a splash — figuratively and literally — to keep fans hooked for season four, which began shooting Monday.
Praise Norma.
Tori Ziege
