I recently finished the first (and currently only) season of Orange is the New Black. First off, oh my goodness. How good is that show? So good. I am now very, very determined to read the actual memoir (which, if Piper Kerman’s TEDx Talk is any indication, it’s likely phenomenal).
I watched the show with Neil (and toward the end with Liz) and a topic that kept coming up was how much I disliked Larry. Neil couldn’t understand why I felt such loathing. He even said Larry was one of the characters he identified most with (which considering that he is one of the only male characters on the show that is not a correctional office makes sense). This opinion of dislike isn’t unique to me. Liz also hates Larry. IMDB forum girls don’t like him. Professional television critics find Larry unlikable.
This is my problem with Larry: he personifies ignorance. He is so privileged that he does not even realize he is being an insensitive jerk. What Piper is going through is something he cannot possibly understand, but that’s not what I dislike about him. Rather, it’s that instead of putting in the effort of understanding, he gets too caught up in what he’s going through and how her incarceration is making his life difficult. Larry is less compassionate and more exploitative. How on earth can you make money off your girlfriend’s misery? Granted, I understand why he feels this way. Piper lied to him and got them into this mess, but I still feel like he could handle the situation better. Maybe the fact that he can’t be better makes him more realistic.
But the biggest issue with Larry is that his problems seem so insignificant in comparison to all the amazing and compelling stories of the women inside the prison and Piper’s personal story. I’d rather hear about Taystee, Miss Claudette, Red, Nichols, and the rest of the inmates. Larry’s world is so far from the one we inhabit for the majority of the episode.
Larry or no, the show was very good (and the finale was CRAZY). I can’t wait to see what else they’ll have in store. Also, side note, I am Team Cal. Piper’s brother is an amazeballs minor character.
Until next time.
xx
alittlejstillz 