After months of teasers, trailers, and bloodstained images, Orange Is The New Black has finally returned to Netflix. Creator Jenji Kohan has rolled out the second season of her prison dramedy, with 13 new episodes joining the 13 that made the show’s first season into one of Netflix’s biggest hits.
After the first season ended on a cliffhanger, the first episode of season two marches protagonist Piper Chapman off to an unfamiliar location, away from the colorful characters who populate the Litchfield Women’s Prison. Pulling the viewer out of familiar territory is a risky gambit for a season debut, though as a review in Slate explains, Netfix’s binge-friendly format allowed Kohan to pull it off. “Orange’s delivery method—instead of waiting a week, just click—turns the premiere into a kind of winking provocation,” explains author Willa Paskin. “Just try not to watch the next one.”
Other reviews claim that season two also dims Piper’s spotlight in favor of a greater focus on her fellow inmates. This, according to Kohan, was the plan all along. She previously termed her main character a “gateway drug,” and that description becomes more apt as the series moves along and delves into the lives of its ensemble cast.
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In addition to the new season, Netflix also created a small treat for its viewers by creating an Orange Is The New Black version of Arrested Development’s ukulele-fueled opening sequence.
The 13 episodes of season two can be viewed via Netflix. Be careful, though; if too many people watch Orange Is The New Black at once, Netflix might be forced into more one-sided deals with ISPs.
