When was the last time you saw a good prison drama on television, a series so hard-hitting that you forget it’s fiction? Prison Break would probably be the first recall, but then again, it has a fascinating storyline. It also helped that most characters were played by gorgeous men playing bad boys with rock-hard abs in a way that got you tingling.
Fast forward to present day, we have Netflix’s Orange is the New Black (OITNB or Orange) – Jenji Kohan’s powerful all-women ensemble cast that’s all set for round five. If you haven’t watched the last season of OITNB, be prepared for spoilers. The last episode of Season 4 left Litchfield Penitentiary with impending riots. We lost Poussey Washington (played by a brilliant Samira Wiley), a fan favourite, who was accidentally suffocated to death by Baxter Bayley (Alan Aisenberg), a correctional officer. It ended with Dayanara ‘Daya’ Diaz (Dascha Polanco) aiming a gun at another officer Thomas Humphrey (Michael Torpey), while her fellow inmates egged her on to pull the trigger. Phew… what a finale!
Naturally, when the first teaser for Season 5 was released in February, it had enough intrigue to keep social media buzzing with probable storylines, and had fans gasping for more.We can certainly expect Poussey’s death to be the central theme of Season 5 (starting June 9). One of the most fascinating parts of it is the timeline of the show – all 13 episodes of Season 5 take place over just THREE days!
Of course, the actors are tight-lipped about their individual story lines (obviously), but a few were more than happy to speak with Indulge about doing this show, their aspirations as actors, and the issues addressed in Orange.
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Finger on the trigger
Selenis Leyva, who plays Daya’s mother Gloria Mendoza, admits that each season was an emotional rollercoaster. “Our reactions to several ‘surprise moments’ in the episodes are mostly organic. We don’t know what to expect in the next episode. We get a script that describes the next 10-12 days, but that’s it,” she explains.
Did they not know about Poussey’s death? “Oh, we knew, but much later. A cast member dying is the toughest thing for me… for all of us. We are a family, and have learned to lean on each other.”
Dascha nods in agreement, and adds, “There’s a lot of trust between us… I know my cast members have got my back. That’s important when you’re doing a show like this, which addresses real issues that women prisoners face. It’s emotionally exhausting.”
And she would know it. Her character Daya gives birth to a baby girl in prison, and is forced to give her up for adoption. Dascha reveals she wasn’t prepared for that. “She gives up that child and has no control to change that decision. That scene was tough,” she explains. Daya could not reveal the identity of the father because corrections officers are not allowed to fraternise with inmates. They can be jailed for rape even if the sex was consensual. The stress of losing her child, and everything that Humphrey put her through, are reasons why Daya wants to shoot him.
We knew better, but still couldn’t resist asking: does she pull the trigger? Dascha grins and says, “She may… or she might pull back, because she wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity of being with her child. But she is also going through postpartum depression — she is fragile and very sensitive.”
Minority report
It’s one of the reasons why Dascha took time to understand her character. “We couldn’t be more different. My personality is the opposite of hers. I empathise with Daya.That’s what the show has taught me – empathy and understanding. It highlights stories of struggle and survival – abuse, violence, sexuality and everything gender-related. These are relatable across geography,” she avers.
Dascha has a point. OITNB takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes reality into your face. It compels you to question principles that help you identify right and wrong. Characters in the show define and redefine the meaning of strength, courage, loyalty, integrity, trust, relationships, friendships and basically life. And just when you believe you’ve figured them out, the script-writers hit you with a curve ball. The proverbial bat never stops swinging, and you’re left with even fewer answers.
The show is also one of the few that takes featuring diversity seriously. “You get to see so many different cultures and communities on Orange. There’s nothing like that on TV!” says Adrienne C Moore, who plays ‘Black’ Cindy Hayes (Black because there’s another Cindy who is white). “This show caters to people from a different race, age, size, gender, and sexuality. It defies conventions when it addresses politics and disability but at the same time, makes every character relatable to the audience.”
But Selenis disagrees and has another take on it. “We have a transgender (Laverne Cox playing Sophia Burset, the prison hairstylist), and a couple of Latinas, but they do not represent the entire community,” she points out. “The Emmys, Oscars, Golden Globes, etc., are still black or white, no Latino. I have a job now, but I am still auditioning for roles. There aren’t enough opportunities for minorities; so we have to start writing, producing and directing strong, powerful characters.”
A brave goal to aim for… and it wouldn’t be wrong to assume a lot of that courage comes from playing these characters on the show. Has it made them fearless? Can they identify with their characters? “Yeah, I think we’re getting there,” says Adrienne with a smile. “We all came with a certain fear, uncertainty and confusion. We didn’t know such powerful stories of women existed until Orange. Yes, the show does affect your life – it changes you and your bond with your family and loved ones. You cannot escape that influence, and neither can anyone playing these characters.”
Voyeur the world
That’s another thing about Orange; it’s also very voyeuristic. It’s not every day that we get to put a human face to a prisoner, and try to see life from his/her perspective. And why should we? It’s more convenient to incarcerate them, throw away the key and move on with righteous ignorance. Nobody wants to relate to a criminal but when you isolate prisoners from society, you’re breeding more hatred.
With hatred comes ignorance (and vice-versa). Ignorance leads to distrust and discrimination, which eventually gives space for crime to thrive. Whether audiences ponder on such socio-economic concerns
is debatable, but people across borders, class, race and cultures seem to love this show. Why?
“Because the story lines of each of these characters impact people; there’s truth in those stories,” shares Natasha Lyonne, who plays Nicky Nichols – a recovering drug addict who relapsed in Season 4. “Orange humanises the prison industrial complex, and shows different sides to inmates that prevent you from looking at them like a statistic. There’s no clear good and evil. All characters, just like it is in real life, have grey shades. After all, not a lot of things can change you more than a prison sentence. It also highlights the fact that human behaviours have history, and you cannot ignore them if you want to solve the problem.”
That’s why Danielle Brooks identifies with her character, the effervescent Harry Potter-loving ‘Taystee’ Jefferson, in more ways than one. “Taystee and I are a lot alike. Her love for family and sisterhood is absolute. I know what it is to love like that, and she has taught me to be okay with that,” claims Danielle. “But you will see a different side to Taystee this season. She is going for blood. She has nothing to lose; she lost everything that she cared deeply about. It’s time to fight.”
Only skin deep
Redefining beauty standards is something that Orange attempts to do as well, a reason why most characters on the show wear bare-minimum make-up. Some like Danielle go without it completely. “I don’t wear make-up on this show. It’s liberating to not be bothered about glamour or wonder about my size or skin colour. It allows me to be myself, and through that, I hope it helps other girls to be comfortable in their own skin and body.”
For a show that prides itself on showcasing the reality of living in a prison, its makers seem to have a wry sense of humour. Orange was picked up for several Emmys in 2014 in the comedy category. In its defence, the show does address tough situations with dry wit, but does not turn them into a parody. The
fact that these women find something to laugh about inside a penitentiary makes it that much more painful, and the underlying sadness, that much more palpable. Humour does make good drama, however, and Orange has both in spades. Let’s not forget that Orange is still a terrifyingly real, uncomfortable and gripping drama.
On Netflix, starting June 9.Lakshmy Venkiteswaran was in New York City to meet the OITNB cast by
invitation from Netflix USA.