Orange Is the New Black season 3: news and episode reviews

For the last several days, several of Vox’s writers have been discussing the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into this final installment, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire conversation to date.

Todd VanDerWerff, culture editor: To conclude our discussion of Orange Is the New Black’s third season, I want to shift the topic to how I think the season will ultimately function in the series’ complete run. In short, I think we’ll look back on it as a kind of perfect breather between the frantic first two seasons and what looks to be a harder turn in the seasons to come.

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into the latest round, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date.

David Roberts, climate change writer: I find myself in the odd position of disagreeing with lots of what my colleagues have said about the third season of Orange Is the New Black. It is my favorite season so far — and the things I like best about it are precisely the things other people are identifying as flaws, namely its slow pace and lack of overarching plot.

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into the latest round, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date.

Lauren Katz, social media editor: After Litchfield Penitentiary goes private in Orange Is the New Black season three, the food at the prison gets much, much worse. But it’s not long before the inmates, spurred on by Lori Petty’s Lolly, find a way to avoid it: ask for a kosher meal.

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into the latest round, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date.

Jen Trolio, deputy culture editor: Alex, I must respectfully disagree with your assertion that Sophia and Gloria are the most compelling characters of Orange Is the New Black’s third season — in my mind, that distinction belongs to two other folks who’ve been a major force as of late, Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett (Taryn Manning) and Joe Caputo (Nick Sandow). The former meth-head and the errant warden of Litchfield have come so, so far since we first met them in season one, and they’re two of the best examples of how much this series excels at changing our perceptions of people we thought we knew.

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into the latest round, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date.

Alex Abad-Santos, culture writer: After season three’s slow start, I had been waiting for Orange Is the New Black to reach into my soul and make me care about where its story is headed. There’s been plenty to not like lately — Piper (Taylor Schilling) and Alex (Laura Prepon) are exhausting, Red (Kate Mulgrew) has become a caricature, and Nicky (Natasha Lyonne), a character with one of the show’s more powerful and compelling arcs, was sent away. But one storyline in particular has encouraged me to keep watching: the motherly rivalry between Sophia (Laverne Cox) and Gloria (Selenis Leyva).

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into the latest round, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date.

Todd VanDerWerff, culture editor: I generally agree that Netflix has no idea what to do in the midseason portions of its various shows’ runs — it’s a problem that bedeviled even poor Grace and Frankie, which I think is an issue because the middle of a story is the hardest portion to keep going, and Netflix offers its creators a lot of autonomy. Network notes are often terrible, but if the network giving the notes knows what it’s doing, it can sharpen up a motivationless muddle right quick. For instance, I don’t like everything on FX, but I always understand the intention behind its creative decisions. I can’t really say that for Netflix.

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before you dig into the latest round, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date.

Dylan Matthews: I’m having a bit of trouble finishing Orange Is the New Black season three — and not just because of its dubious social science citations. It’s not, as Alex (Abad-Santos, not Vause) argued, that the characters feel like they’re growing more clichéd. I think that critique loses its bite as the season progresses. The problem is that Netflix shows, in general, have no idea what to do with the middle of their seasons.

Orange Is the New Black is confined to one location — indeed, to one building — for the bulk of its running time. But it always feels like the biggest show on television, like the stories contained within the walls of Litchfield Penitentiary encompass the whole of humanity, the whole of the world.

It’s an endlessly empathetic show, where each and every character matters in ways that few other TV series would dare attempt. From the lowliest new inmate to the most powerful people at the prison, creator Jenji Kohan makes sure Orange has room for everybody in its view of the world.

For the next several days, several of Vox’s writers will discuss the third season of Orange Is the New Black. Before we begin, check out our review of the full season, as well the archive of our entire discussion to date. Joining culture editor Todd VanDerWerff will be culture writer Alex Abad-Santos, deputy culture editor Jen Trolio, and more.

Spoilers follow for the entirety of season three.