Orange is the New Black

I watched the first three episodes of the series on Netflix tonight. Thursdays are usually tough for me health-wise. My injection medication is on Friday nights and tends to run its course by Thursday mornings, so a night of television seemed just about right.

I absolutely love the creator, Jenji Kohan, who also created, "Weeds." The cast is really great too. It is not verbatim to the book, but many of the characters and the best lines seem to be in it. It is always interesting to see how Hollywood dramatizes reality. Kohan is known to over sex the characters and that is certainly true for this series - men and women alike. The drama is good and I found myself caring quickly for many of the female inmates, especially as their true back stories were revealed. I liked that part a lot, because it showed a side of the inmates that we wouldn't easily see. Many women in the facility made a mistake, found themselves desperate, were manipulated by someone else, or have mental illness. Something tells me that may be the truth for many people I will meet in Carswell as well. 

Do I think the series is worth watching? Yes. Do I think it's realistic? Slightly, at best. Will I watch the whole series? Definitely. Do I recommend the series or book more? The book for reality, the series for entertainment - a lot of laughter. Although I have to admit, tears ran down my face during the first 15 minutes of the pilot, but not after that!