Orange is the New Black... or is it?

Time for a brief show review. So after seeing some light advertising on +Netflix and my wife coming home saying we needed to check it out, I gave Orange is the New Black a look. After seeing some great originals on +Netflix I was looking forward to seeing what they had in store for me this time.

Lights, camera, and what is this? It took me a couple attempts to get through the first episode. The first half of it is horrible. It's easily confused with skinamax. There's virtually no story, and lots of sex going on. We're not talking artistic in a Sparticus kind of way either. It's just a raw, in your face, amateur film. I got about 15 minutes in the first time before I had to turn it off. I was disappointed. But wait, I'm not done yet.

So the first part of episode one was garbage. The next day I was thinking to myself, maybe I didn't give it the chance it deserved. So I went back and turned it back on. After a second time, the first part of episode one is garbage. But once you get past that, it does start to get better. So after the first episode I'm thinking maybe. But I just don't know. So I watched the second episode. It continued the trend of slowly getting better. And it had that little something that started to draw you in. Not so much a connection with any character, but the story line itself.

Before I knew it, I had watched all of its episodes. As a whole, the show is just okay. But individually the episodes are good. Each episode focuses on specific people, in specific settings. So they take a life of their own. And while they're nothing spectacular, they have just enough to keep you coming back for more. The last few episodes, however, that's you're meat and potatoes of the show. A lot happens, and it's fast. Those few episodes are what the entire season should have been. While not as intense, or insane as OZ was a decade or so ago, it grabs you. And every so often you catch yourself going, "Holy cow!" There are a few easily predictable scenes. Fortunately these are little things that don't take away from the show.

The actors are good for the most part. They take characters that are just meh, and really make them into something you're interested about. While there are a couple that are pretty stale. For instance, Kate Mulgrew really lets you see her chops, in a persona (and accent) that's light years away from her Star Trek days. In contrast though, Laura Prepon just isn't impressive at all. Every time you start to think she might do something with her character, you're left with nothing. She may very well have left her best work on "That 70's Show," because you certainly don't see it here.

So in all, it's an alright show. If you're a fan of police, crime, and prison dramas, this is really nothing more that a season filler for another show, or an in betweener for those brief periods between season. It will pull you in for a few minutes. But after that, it leaves you with little. Personally, I'd recommend Lilyhammer, or House of Cards before this. Keep em coming +Netflix, I'll keep watching. But this is just my opinion.