Reviving this thread to see if anyone else has finished watching Season 4 and wants to talk about it.
Still working my way through season 3, but I have never really cared about spoilers, so go for it!
Just a few q’s here – did we ever find out Boo’s back story, and do we know who is the father of Daya’s baby? (Did she have it by the end of season 4 and where did it go to be raised?) I accidentally skipped around in Season 3, so I"m “seeing” Mary Steenburgen talk to them about wanting the baby. But I have no self-control to wait till I get to any actual episodes 
Also, the episodes I’m watching (and admittedly, not pulling full attention to as I’m multitasking and decluttering) - I’m seeing a lot of back story of Bennett being in the armed services, but I’m not quite seeing the meaning of all of it (unlike other back stories, where I go – ah, that’s why this person is the way they are now). Do we get to a point where Bennett’s armed services background becomes meaningful?
And finally, am I ever going to like Soso? Because so far, she’s nothing but annoying.
I think Taryn Manning (Pennsatucky) is a fabulous actress, and I did wind up watching the episode where you get more of her backstory and the one guard rapes her. It was difficult to watch – I have never seen someone’s eyes go deader than that moment. It was really powerful acting, IMO.
You will see what happens to Daya’s baby. It will be important for season four.
I can’t remember that the war experience was so changing for Bennett, but It has been awhile since I watched.
Soso stays pretty annoying. She gets a little more sympathetic in season four as we see more of her.
Season four was full of character development. (Being careful with spoilers for now.) The arc of the season seemed like it went from being darkly comic to just dark. Highlights for me were Blanca’s, Lolly’s, and Healy’s stories. Oh, and the nun!
It’s pretty dark this season. I’m not saying that’s inappropriate for the subject matter, but dark mixed in with implausible isn’t a winning combination for me. I’m only halfway through season 4, but am finding it a show to watch when I have nothing else, not binge-worthy.
@Pizzagirl , Bennett was the father of Daya’s baby.
If other people haven’t gotten to the end of S4 I’m not going to talk about it, because it is just devastating. I found the whole season superb. I watched it in a series of minibinges. I may have to watch it again. I think the season gathers steam as it goes on.
I don’t have any recollection of Boo’s backstory.
Definitely, the character of Pennsatucky changed from a vicious ignoramus to a sympathetic one in Season 3. In the process she went from a bit of a caricature to a real person, I think, and that continues in S4.
The revelation of Suzanne’s “crime”–given her personal limitations, it is hard to call it one, even though it is tragic–is wrenching.
That is what I had thought – that Bennett was the father of Daya’s baby – so why is Pornstache (and his mother, the Mary Steenburgen character) involved?
They tricked Pornstache into having sex with Daya when she realized she was pregnant–not that he needed persuasion!–so that she could name him as the father of the baby and her relationship with Bennett would not be discovered. Pornstache would then be fired and/or prosecuted and they would be rid of him, killing two birds with one stone. Pornstache’s mother believes the baby is his, and offers to adopt/raise it.
I just read that Orange has been renewed for three more seasons…the beginning of season 5 should be interesting, to say the least.
One notable thing in the last couple of seasons has been the indictment of the for-profit prison industry.
@Consolation, additionally though perhaps less directly, the entire legal system is shown, especially via the back stories, to be misguided and/or corrupt.
I binge-watched season four over 4 days.i think it was a really, really strong season. The last three episodes were crazy and heart-breaking.
Certainly the fact that Poussey is in federal prison for trespassing and owning less than half an ounce of pot…insane. Some of the others, not so much.
Bumping the thread - I have gotten through both seasons 3 and 4 and am happy to discuss. Without spoiling – I did know what was going to happen at the end of season 4, but it was still quite powerful - she was one of the characters I liked the most.
If I had to get rid of two characters, it would be Nicky (Natasha Lyonne). OK, you’re a heroin addict and you like lesbian sex. Got it. Yawn. I don’t find her much interesting past that. And Alex Vause. The eyebrows distract me, and I just don’t find her attraction to Piper all that interesting. I love how Piper has been developed, however – it would have been so easy for them to have kept her “wide-eyed white yuppie woman” and they really have uncovered who she really is. And I just again don’t care for all the sex scenes between her and Piper. It’s not that I’m offended or a prude - it’s just boring.
I really have enjoyed seeing the backstories - especially Norma (the one who is silent, and finding out why she’s silent), Lolly, Suzanne (we knew part of her backstory earlier, but not why she was in jail), Healey, and Caputo. I always really enjoy Red, Pennsatucky and after not liking Boo, I like what they’ve done with her character, esp how protective she is to Pennsatucky.
Others?
I wasn’t wild about this season. I think they’re running out of credible stories to tell–heaven only knows what the plotting will be over the next three years–and are really stretching to fill the hours. The show is filled with wonderful actors, but I don’t think they were well served by many of the scripts this season.
I found the whole Judy King thing to be really boring and pointless, and the new guards were cartoonish in their villainy. The scenes of Piper and Alex were very repetitious, while the body buried in the garden stuff was absurd. For me, the show has been best when I’m convinced I’m seeing a fairly realistic portrayal of life in a minimum security facility, even if leavened with some humor and silliness. After all, Piper Kerman was writing of her actual experiences in her book. I’m thinking maybe the show had a natural ending point that should have occurred a while back with Piper being released and going back to a normal life haunted by her memories and knowing that “normal” is not an option for most of her former companions, even after they get to their own release dates.
Interesting. Re Judy King - I would have been much more interested if they had focused on the Martha Stewart angle (the contrast between her gracious living and her current surroundings) rather than the Paula Deen rip-off, and I found the “romance” between her and Cindy silly.
I did like the body buried in the garden, though I’m not sure about the backstory of the woman who helped them (the older woman, very hardened looking, not sure of her name right now).
I liked when we only had focus on 2 guards - Pornstache and Bennett. I’m not as interested in learning about lots of male guard backstories. I’d like to focus on the women.
One character whose backstory really fascinated me was Leanne (the Amish one) and I’d love to hear more about that. Like Pennsatucky, that’s a glimpse into a world that we really know nothing about from the outside. I really like when they have “clever” backstories, versus the yawner-yet-another-person-caught-up-in-a-drug-deal.
I feel like with the prison overcrowding, they introduced a lot of new characters at once. If we’re going to have skinheads, then let’s have some backstory - not to excuse it, but to provide some context as to why they are the way they are now. The girl who was romantically involved with Suzanne/ Crazy Eyes – they were in the forest together – she’s a cipher to me. I don’t know her name and she doesn’t stand out for me right now.
Oh, and OITNB can still get rid of Soso at any time as far as I’m concerned. Suzanne does irritating in a compelling fashion. Soso doesn’t.
I finished season 4 a couple days ago. I thought it was a good season (better than #3, not as good as the amazing season 2). The last 4 episodes I had to watch right on top of each other - I got sucked in & could not turn it off.
The scenes with Piper and the Latina group were so disturbing & powerful, though I think she bounced back from a life-altering trauma way too quickly. I love Poussey - always a ray of sunshine & that’s all I’ll say for now. I read that Danielle Brooks (Taystee) had to do her really heart-wrenching emotional scene with Poussey, then go do “The Color Purple” on Broadway that night. Wow what a day - I hope she had the next day off!
I found the Judy King storyline amusing, if not particularly realistic. I think I’m most interested right now in Caputo & his internal fights between right & wrong.