3. "There's always hope tomorrow will be taco night." - Orange Is The New Black
Jenji Kohan's prison dramedy was a welcome return to form after the mess that was the final season(s) of her Showtime series Weeds. The quasi-based on a true story series was another victory for Netflix. And while the central story of the show is interesting, the true strength of OITNB is the quality of the secondary characters. They have great names too: Taystee, Crazy Eyes, Pennsatucky, Big Boo, Yoga, and Nicky Nichols all provided ample comedic and dramatic support to the show's first season. This line comes from Nicky, played by the perpetually wisecracking Natasha Lyonne, and while it is witty and droll, it also hints at the monotony and challenges that prison life poses. Much like how suburbia was portrayed as a sad place with funny people in it in Weeds; prison as a setting serves to underscore the banality of existence for these women and the systematized oppression that most of the characters have faced as a result of their low socioeconomic status, gender, and sexuality. But hey, at least tomorrow night has the potential to be taco night.
Bryan Hickman is a WhatCulture contributor residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bryan's passions include film, television, basketball, and writing about himself in the third person.
