Orange is the New Black – Season Two – Review by Frances Winston

Spoiler Free Review

This acclaimed show has truly proved to be ahead of it’s time as orange really was the new black on catwalks for the S/S season with shades from coral to terracotta to tangerine all brightening up summer wardrobes. Whether designers were inspired by the title of this series which is based on the real life memoirs of Piper Kerman is unknown but there is no denying that it has struck a chord. To say that there was excitement about the Season Two launch is an understatement as people were literally counting down to midnight on June 6th when all thirteen episodes went live on Netflix. And before Season Two even went live Season Three had already been commissioned, so looks like the show is going to run far longer than Kerman’s original 15 month sentence.

The fact that all the episodes go live at the same time means that you can binge watch the entire season in one sitting however for those who haven’t we won’t post spoilers. Suffice to say that after episode one you will never complain about flying Ryanair again! Both double maxi pads and Yoda feature and there are some new faces and we learn a lot more about old ones.

One of the things that really works in this show are the flashback sequences where we get to know more about the inmates backgrounds. It ensures that the prison sequences don’t get too claustrophobic and it really helps round out the characters. This season they are as much of a staple as ever and used to great effect.

Once again there are some brilliant performances and it is wonderful to see a predominately female cast on screens. Kate Mulgrew as “Red” is still standout in season two and if I was to change one thing about this show it would be that she would get more screen time.

With twists and turns galore season two won’t disappoint and is sure to draw in even more viewers to the show. Watch it sooner rather than later if you want to avoid spoilers though as just hours after it’s release they are already dribbling onto social media.

Orange Is the New Black Season’s One and Two are available to stream now on Netflix.