Orange Is the New Black: Season Two

The bad girls are back in creator Jenji Kohan's critically-acclaimed and popular Netflix women-in-prison series based on the bestselling memoir by Piper Kerman. Picking up where the first season ended—with semi-delicate, mostly rational, convicted drug mule Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) channeling her inner Mike Tyson into the face of white trash Christian fundamentalist Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning)—season two serves up another bracing run with the ladies of Litchfield Prison (along with assorted male guards and administrators). Although Chapman (based on Kerman) is the ostensible focal point, Orange's narrative (which includes compelling individual character backstories in each episode) has quickly widened to embrace the whole dysfunctional ensemble. Here, Piper continues her on-again, off-again lesbian relationship with Alex (Laura Prepon); banished-from-the-kitchen Russian cook Red (Kate Mulgrew) discovers a new avenue for bringing in contraband; and Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) and Big Boo (self-proclaimed “big fat dyke” comic Lea DeLaria) engage in a friendly poontang-scoring contest, among other story threads. The major interwoven plotline this season follows a war between two inmate populations—the black community (led by Vee, a convincingly menacing Lorraine Touissaint) and the Latino clique (headed up by Gloria, played by Selenis Levya)—that will not only shake up the prison, but also profoundly affect some key characters. Compiling all 13 episodes from 2014 (directed by, among others, Jodie Foster, Allison Anders, and Andrew McCarthy), extras include episode commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. One of the best shows currently airing (garnering multiple Emmy wins and Golden Globe nominations), this is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)