Netflix Binges: Orange is the New Black season 7 review

The final season of Orange Is the New Black was a special Netflix binge due to the immigration storyline between Blanca and a new special character.

The Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black went for its final ride recently with the final season premiering at the end of July.

The final season had a strong storylines involving many past inmates and a new strong detainee. The detainees all had heartbreaking situations and were trying to overcome their pending fate.

The immigration storyline was something that made season 7 a Netflix binge-watching experience like no other. Blanca Flores (Laura Gomez) was the focus of that storyline, along with the strong-spirited Karla Cordova (Karina Arroyave).

Karla, a new character, made an immediate connection with Blanca. Karla and Blanca share similarities when it comes to standing up to injustice. It’s rare for a new characters to make such a strong connection, especially in a final season, but Karla’s story alongside Blanca shined season 7.

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At first, Karla had a strong dislike towards Blanca and wasn’t fond of Blanca’s antics. She even blamed Blanca for the situation they were in. Blanca proved herself to be trustworthy, eventually, and they watched each other’s backs.

The challenges faced by the prisoners of max and the detainees of the detention center was all orchestrated by Linda Ferguson (Beth Dover). She piled it on the inmates between Litchfield Max and the detention center without breaking a sweat.

Linda solidified herself as the best villain in the show’s history, to me. Villains today typically have likable traits that fans enjoy. Linda showed herself to be a major exception. She made Tamika Ward’s (Susan Heyward) job difficult in Litchfield Max while also turning to Natalie Figueroa (Alysia Reiner) in the detention center to make highly unethical decisions that Fig couldn’t handle anymore.

By the end of the Netflix binge for Orange Is the New Black season 7, everything changed, yet everything stayed the same. The fate of Karla was nothing short of heartbreaking and left the new character in an impossible position once more. While Blanca finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel after 7 seasons of struggle and pain.

There was a mix of happy, tragic, and bittersweet with the rest of the inmates, and it would take days to go through them all individually. With the audience knowing there will not be another season, the adventure of the Netflix binge came to an end, but it was an unusual binge unlike any other with every episode.

The inmates and detainees both had their fates shown for the most part. The major problem when ending Orange Is the New Black is the new direction it took and the sudden urge to follow Karla’s journey.

Watching Orange is the New Black season 7 was like watching TV shows on a school night as a kid. You’re watching, and suddenly, your parents say, “it’s time for bed, turn the television off now.” Then, you try to bargain for a few more minutes. This is how I felt watching the final season Orange Is the New Black. I just wanted a few more minutes with each character.

Orange Is the New Black followed the same format of corrupt guards, drugs, and rivalries during their individual prison sentences, but the final season left us begging for more after the binge was over, even though most major storylines came to an end (except for two).

There were so many endings between all our favorite inmates, now it feels like there should be at least one more season. The focus on any loose ends or undetermined fates is something that is desired. As the end credits were going and they took their final bow, reality finally kicked in that this is it.

While it was the end, it felt like the beginning of something new.

Relive Orange Is the New Black with all 7 seasons on Netflix anytime to hang on to the memories created.