The night began with me getting my mugshot taken. Actually, perhaps I should give more context… To welcome the return of Netflix Original Orange is The New Black, The Edge were kindly invited to the London premier of its third season. I’d never been to a press screening before, let alone a prison themed one, and so by being first sent into a classic line-up I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
As we got into the event I found it to be less of an interrogation and more socialisation: a horror we can all relate to. There were orange jump-suited servers walking round with a small selection of drinks and food (“Would you like some of Red’s chicken kiev?” “Poussey’s Hooch?” “Smuggled Edible lipstick perhaps?”), while critics and PR Guys chitchatted. On the side-lines there were makeup chairs, provided by Benefit, that would doll you up or more accurately mess you up to look like your favourite characters. While I was tempted I decided not to, for fear of being too intimidating after the event.
Unfortunately there weren’t any of the stars of the show present, except for an introduction video from the cast. However, throughout the evening I noticed one man in particular with a clipboard full of interview forms, whisking away some of the more important critics into a hidden backroom. Later on when we managed to talk to some of these guests the PR people arrived once again, whisking them away, introducing them to the other similarly important guests.
We will be posting full reviews of Orange is the New Black on this site in future, and so I’ll leave it to a few brief words, but the episodes were extremely good and further evident of the continual improvement of the series. The characters come so naturally that they seem to write themselves, something that has come into greater focus throughout the show as its moved away from being Piper-centric. A well-received move that is clear they are developing further. While there was a greater reliance on flashbacks than usual, in order to provide contextual character development, they never felt too over used and were some of the sweeter, and funniest moments in the episodes.
By the end of the night had probably swiped enough Netflix branded coasters to earn myself a true prison sentence, and shared one of the most entertaining shows on television with a room full of fans. As for series three, if you haven’t watched Orange is the New Black before you should and if you have then you’re in for more of what you already love.
Orange is the New Black season 3 is now available to stream on Netflix.
1 Comment
This makes me weep but glad you had an amazing time Jack!