Orange You Glad That "Orange" Is Back?

They say that puns are the lowest form of humor (but I just couldn't resist using that headline). Luckily, "Orange Is The New Black" knows better, and by striving for higher-brow dramedy, the show finally came into its own this year. "Orange" was one of the first original series produced by Netflix, and it's still among the platform's best offerings. The show is a far cry from early descriptions of it as a funnier, female-driven "Oz" (HBO's acclaimed, gritty prison drama). Now in its third season, "Orange" has matured nicely thanks to significant growth in its characters and its storytelling.

Seasons one and two were largely focused on new inmate Piper (Taylor Schilling), a privileged city girl who takes the fall for some drug-related indiscretions from her younger, wilder days. Schilling's capable acting hits every note that a person in such a setting would encounter, but it doesn't change the fact that Piper as a character is just plain unlikable. We empathize with her situation, but we never really sympathize with her as a person because she is beyond difficult to relate with and to read. No one knows this better than her ex-girlfriend Alex (Laura Prepon), a fellow inmate who introduced Piper to the drug-dealing world and may or may not be involved in how she ended up behind bars.

Their story provides the main thrust of the early episodes as Piper tries to navigate a new world of people and interactions that are completely unknown to her. Much of the show's comedy at this point was derived from awkward cringe humor, where you only laugh to break the nervous tension, because the misadventures of Piper and her friends and enemies in such a desolate place make you so uncomfortable. Artistically, "Orange" did have its share of initial struggles. The acting was always stellar and on-point, but the first season found it particularly hard (less so in the second season) to find the right tone for such a complicated premise and sprawling cast.

These other inmates are part of the most compelling cast on television; nearly every character is a woman, and they are incredibly diverse in their ethnicity and sexuality. This is one ensemble whose portrayals pass the infamous Bechdel test for visual media with flying colors! The series has a powerful hook in its tagline: "Every sentence has a story." Each episode delves into the past of an inmate, showing her life before prison and what got her to this point. More often than not, these flashbacks parallel what's happening in the present, as we (along with Piper and the others) attempt to understand more about these women. The show isn't shy about tackling heavy issues -- racism, sexism, violence, poverty -- but it always does so without judgment or derision, transcending stereotypes and forcing us to see these characters as people who just happen to be prisoners rather than the other way around.

This season was by far the fastest, the funniest, and the most formidable yet. "Orange" episodes tend to run close to 60 minutes each, given the amount of ground they cover, but the pacing was finely tuned to keep things moving without them feeling like such full hours. With Piper (thankfully) out of the foreground and the dynamics of the other characters fully formed, the writers clearly have a handle on how to strike a balance that serves both the farcical elements and the central humanity of the series. The sense of humor has also been uniquely elevated. Now that all the "prison-is-weird" jokes are out of their system, the inmates can allow more of their quirky personalities and untapped intelligence to shine through, rather than their sensitive exteriors and gruff behaviors. Hearing the inmates dissect everything from politics to popular culture -- notably one amusing diatribe trashing pop stars The Black Eyed Peas -- earns genuine laughter as opposed to the more reserved chuckles of the earlier seasons.

Seasoned small-screen vets like Kate Mulgrew (Red) and Lea DeLaria (Big Boo) carry their gravitas without chewing the scenery, and Laverne Cox (Sophia) deservedly gets a fair share of the show's press for her groundbreaking performance. The rest of the main cast is superb across the board, but it's nice to see a show that is equally powered by so many new, promising faces in the supporting roles. Even more impressive is the fluidity of the characters' functions in the story. Rather than confining everyone to the same archetypal box as when Piper arrived, the so-called villains can be surprising sources of wisdom, the people we were set up to despise can become endearing, and the characters with the least amount of screen time can be the most affecting. Like Norma, the mute inmate, who speaks volumes about what's going on without ever opening her mouth. It's one of many hallmarks that show just how far "Orange" has come, as well as the artistry that lies ahead if it stays the course.

Many of the inmates spent the better part of this season in search of something -- faith, love, money, power, family, the list goes on -- to make sense of their bleak, mundane surroundings. The concept of miracles and finding meaning were recurring themes in many of the characters' storylines. "Orange Is The New Black" itself is the miracle, giving meaning to human experiences that are rarely explored so bravely on television, streaming or otherwise.