'This is, like, next level crazy,' says one of Litchfield's inmates a few episodes into the second season of Netflix's hugely popular prison drama. She speaks the truth. Orange is the New Black pushes the boundaries even further this time round. Whilst still outrageously funny and well-written, it is unafraid to bare its claws, probing deeper into prison's seedy power plays and the fractured instability of life behind bars. Season one's mysterious chicken has been replaced by an army of cockroaches.
And I mean that literally. One of the best things about this show is the weirdness of its comedy. The aforementioned insects make a great cameo in the opening episode, which takes the creative risk of almost completely isolating Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) from the rest of the cohort. After several weeks in solitary confinement — following a brutal altercation with Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) — Piper finds herself transferred to Chicago to give evidence alongside her former girlfriend, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). The tortuous dynamic between these two women made the first season crackle with chemistry and it remains a constant pressure point for Piper in the second, although Prepon's greatly reduced role renders Vause a notable absence at Litchfield. Not giving away any spoilers, the manner of her exit is characteristically Machiavellian.
The sidelining of the central relationship opens up the stage for the rest of the cast. This show is blessed with an extraordinary and diverse collection of characters, and creator Jenji Kohan uses each episode to paint an intimate single history. Brief, wonderfully drawn portraits emerge of drug trafficking, domestic violence, and childhood mental illness. Uzo Aduba is once again outstanding as 'Crazy Eyes,' and Yael Stone gives the performance of the season as Lorna Morello, whose heartbreaking backstory unravels our previous conceptions of her impossibly nasal, consummately cheerful character.
There are new faces too, crucially in the form of Vee (Lorraine Toussaint), who goes back a long way with both Red (Kate Mulgrew) and Taystee (Danielle Brooks). The vicious fight for social capital between Vee and Red sets the tone for this season, which entrenches the aggressive racial groupings and internal hierarchies that inevitably form in this kind of highly managed, claustrophobic space. Friendships and romances are put under considerable strain as tensions bleed between these unhappy quarters. Other narrative arcs include Daya's (Dascha Polanco) illicit affair with prison guard John Bennet (Matt McGorry), and Larry's (Jason Biggs) continual battle for self-preservation in the outside world.
I am possibly not alone in thinking that the sheer volume of characters makes this show, at times, frustrating to watch. Frequently, we spend an hour delving into a single inmate's psychology only to have her swiftly put at a distance for several episodes. Some characters are simply more interesting than others and I would have been happy to lose Cindy's backstory, or the absurdly irritating Soso, if Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) could have had more screen time. Her biting, incisive humour forms a particularly apt foil for Piper's self-deception.
The panoramic scope of this season is, then, both its greatest strength and its single weakness. Piper might not be the most popular character but I think she's a great anchor for the show's narrative, and Schilling's performance is never less than inspired. Her scenes with Alex, and one particular conversation with Larry and Polly, showcase her ability to move seamlessly between states of comic disbelief, blinkered narcissism, and genuine devastation. The final episodes seem to hint at a full-circle structure, with Prepon's return confirmed for Season three, and Piper's role in this arc has been gleefully established. Orange is the New Black remains utterly compelling, unsettlingly compulsive viewing, and the sheer depth of its fictional world ensures that every episode is rich in dramatic quality and, at times, tragic insight.
