Other seasons of OITNB have started slowly, but this one's a banger from the outset and we're delighted and relieved that the drama shows no signs of letting up.
In the latest season of the series, Litchfield Penitentiary welcomes about a 100 new inmates who make the prison a crowded place, but that is all they do. And this wasted opportunity is season four's undoing.
Hilarious, scintillating, and - in the unfortunate context of our reality - ultimately vital, Orange proves its long-term potential in season 4 through one universally captivating story after another.
This intimacy gives OINTB the cushion to treat provocative issues-rape, racism, prison violence, excessive force-in ways that are not just nuanced for scripted television, but nuanced full stop.
Unless there's a massive, miraculous overhaul, I'll likely not be watching season 5. That's not a knock on the actors, as we're all aware of how wildly talented they are (Samira Wiley, you're my forever favorite), it's one on the writers.
