Man, I just happened to check out Orange is the New Black. I'd seen all the positive reviews on Netflix.

But I have a question: why why why why, why, why...do they open things they way they do? I had to turn it off after 8 minutes because the annoyance factor was boiling my blood.

The only thing I liked was the prison ti-tties(sorry, ladies, I did)!

Ok, it begins in prison, presumably her first day. Other than the ti-tties, there was nothing compelling about the scene. I guess that's why they needed them. I mean the prison did not seem that threatening. It was just a place to see hot...well, you know. We get from her VO/quick flash that she's bisexual, she's been with hotties before. So Netflix is swinging for the cheap seats: 'tune in to see hot lesbian prison sex'. An attention grabber, but possibly an indication of a lack of confidence in the story itself.

Then we meet the guys at a cook out, a flash back to the day before she goes to prison. So it's kinda the last supper. Nothing interesting happens, it basically just lets us know that a married, attractive woman who lives in upper middle class suburbia is going the last place expected: prison.

Next is the scene that boiled my blood. We've already seen her t-titties 2 or 3 times in the first 2 minutes, so seeing her in bed with her husband holds little promise to man or lesbian. They're having sex when she breaks it off to go pee. I'm assuming all this is to humanize the characters.

For some reason, they show her husband blow a fart and air it out of the sheets. Huh? Is that supposed to make us laugh? What is this the sixth grade? But it gets worse, oh it does.

We next see the wife sitting on the toilet peeing. And I mean we get long shots from multiple angles, clearly designed to make sure we get it: she's peeing.

Yeah, she's crying, terrified about the next day...but she's peeing too! And the director really really wants us to know that. Got it? Peeeing. Giggity goo.

And in case after a minute of watching her on the toilet crying you didn't quite comprehend the fact that she was also...peeing...NOW we have to show her take a handful of toilet paper.

You figure they can cut the scene there, right? I mean we know what she's gonna do with the TP. But they have to pan back so we can watch her wipe.

Who was directing this, Beavis and Butthead?

If I keep watching do I see zit popping? Booger eating? Tampon insertion?

By now my finger is on the mouse...I'm ready to pull the plug. If they hurry and get to a good scene, I'll stay on the ride a bit longer.

Nope. We go right to her continued sex scene with her husband and some intrusively loud and wet kissing. Does anyone really like the sound of other people kissing? Well, maybe the prison girls, but I digress.

If I was a terrorist, you could get me to spill all my secrets by making me watch 5 more minutes of this crap.

Lest anyone think I am all negative, I have found some half decent shows on netflix, and I will try to post some later.

The frequence of titties/lesbian sex steadily declines after the first few episodes. Not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing.

Yeah the first episode is okay. The flashbacks are REALLY distracting (and awkwardly inserted). But stick with it. The scenes transitions are much more fluid as time goes on.

To be honest, Piper isn't very interesting. But the characters she meets in prison are fantastic. Very intriguing with complicated back stories. And things don't progress the way you would think.

In other words, stick with it. It gets much better once the show starts focusing on the people around Piper.

It's not a perfect show. It can get pretty episodic at times and occasionally goofy or melodramatic. It's taken a few turns that aren't particularly interesting and you might get stuck with a dull subplot for a few episodes (or main plot in the case of the last three or so). I think it's got potential in its second season but a couple seasons down the road could turn into shark jumping ridiculousness.

It's too early to tell, really. First seasons always have their growing pains. I think it's got some really solid characters, it does a great job at establishing prison minutia in terms of psychology, environment, and politics, and is generally really entertaining with a couple of real serious moments in there as well. Worth a look.

This thread seems cool.

I always browse Netflix to see if anything new grabs my attention.

I can't really recommend anything that I watched off there... except for All Good Things, being the most recent.  I know it would be more on the mainstream side with Ryan Gosling and all, but I never heard of it until I saw it on Netflix.  I liked it... very dark and sad movie.  Apparently it's inspired by real life events that took place over a 32-year time span.

Quoted from Grandma Bear Anyway, watch House of Cards.

Great series! Can't wait until the next...

There are a couple of series that are worth watching.

Ripper Street and Copper are two period cop dramas.  'Ripper' takes place in London about six months after the last Jack the Ripper killing.  Each time someone is killed, the local paper reports it as another Jack the Ripper attack.  The police must deal with the hysteria while doing their jobs.

'Copper' takes place in 1860 New York City, in what was formerly known as Five Corners, the deadliest slum in the world.

While these two shows have their similarities, Copper is much grittier and violent.  Both, as I said earlier, are worth watching.


Phil

Quoted from Grandma Bear Anyway, watch House of Cards. It's a Netflix original about dirty going ons in DC. I think you'd like it. It's rated almost 5 stars and Kevin Spacey is GREAT!

What exactly is a Netflix 'original'?? Cause if it's an original concept/story I think Netflix is pushing the envelope just a little bit re 'original' with House of Cards. It's rivetting television and I suppose it could be claimed as 'original' with what they've done with the U.S. version but House of Cards (U.S.) is based on the 1990 U.K. series of the same name adapted from the novel by Michael Dobbs. In the original Francis Urquhart is the 'Chief Whip' of the Conservative Party.

Anyway, I second the 'GREAT' plaudit on this one.  Spacey is clearly the star of the show in this one (isn't he always?!) and this series is well worth watching (by writers) if just for his 'genius' delivery with re to his lines, especially the frequent 'breaking of the fourth wall' - so entertaining.   And, just wanted to add, Robin Wright is no slouch in this either - perfect 'ruthless' characterisations from both of them.

What I'd like to know from anyone who's watching it is this: Is the second season of The Newsroom worth getting? The First season was a bit tiresome with all its soap-box grandstanding but I've heard the second is a big improvement??

Has anyone watched Hemlock Grove?  I've got it in my que, but have yet to watch it.

I watched the first episode. Wasn't bad, but the second episode seemed to turn it more into a teen coming of age story. Might go back to it, might not.

Quoted from LC What exactly is a Netflix 'original'?? Cause if it's an original concept/story I think Netflix is pushing the envelope just a little bit re 'original' with House of Cards.

I didn't know that. But it is produced entirely by NF, not by one of the networks. It never aired on television.

I love that he breaks the fourth wall too.  

Orange Is The New Black is another original Netflix series that worth watching.  It's a dramedy about a yuppie woman who finds herself in jail for something she did ten years earlier.  There, she meets a wide variety of characters as she survives from day-to-day.

Season two will be available next year.


Phil

Quoted from Dreamscale Has anyone watched Hemlock Grove?  I've got it in my que, but have yet to watch it.

I really tried getting into Hemlock Grove, but bailed after the third or fourth episode.  The pace is glacial and the characters just seemed like retreads from standard primetime supernatural soaps.  I don't mind a slower pace as long as the story and characters pull you in(like The Killing), but HG was just bo-ring.

Quoted from Ryan1 I really tried getting into Hemlock Grove, but bailed after the third or fourth episode.  The pace is glacial and the characters just seemed like retreads from standard primetime supernatural soaps.  I don't mind a slower pace as long as the story and characters pull you in(like The Killing), but HG was just bo-ring.

I don't think I finished the second episode.  It was one cliche after another and all of them poorly executed.


Phil

OK...thanks, guys. I had a feeling it was going to suck.  I may give episode 1 a try and see how long I stay in, but I have so many movies in my que.

Appreciate the info.

I bailed on the second episode and so wanted to get into it. It must finish strong because of the positive reviews, but I don't have the patience. HG just drags a storyline I've seen before. There's a monster in the woods and like Lost, you will probably never see him as they dangle that over your head.

James