Orange Is The New Black: Season Six

The incarcerated women of "Orange is the New Black - Season Six" are now in a maximum-security prison. They did stage a riot in Season Five, after all, so the writing team studied the Attica riots to echo real-world consequences.

"Litchfield to the Max," the one special feature on the DVD (and a nice-sized one at that), explores how the change of venue affects the creation process, and the characters' evolving stories when they go "down the hill."

The writing team says they had to reluctantly sacrifice some characters to tell deeper stories in this more intense environment, a standout being Taystee and Black Cindy/Tova (the hilarious, brilliant Adrienne C. Moore).

And there's the new set, and the actors talk about how claustrophobic it was to be in small, closed spaces. The artistic team remarks on how closely it resembles real max prisons, where they also shot some scenes, like on a crumbling rooftop recreation area where Piper (Taylor Schilling) becomes obsessed with creating a kickball league.

There are also large wall numbers in each section, notably Blocks C and D, delineating a deep rivalry between the two distinct communities, led by violently estranged sisters Barb and Carol – the present-day versions superbly portrayed by Henny Russell and Mackenzie Phillips. Their lieutenants are lively new characters, including petite, macho Daddy (Vicci Martinez) and petulant asshole Madison (Amanda Fuller).

Being in Max, the creatives had to find inventive ways for inmates to have conversations, since they technically could not be in cells other than their own, in contrast to Litchfield's more open, dorm-like floors.

And the current political zeitgeist appropriately trickles into the scripts, with mentions of "good people on both sides," and appearances by ICE and for-profit prisons. Both real and fictional worlds grapple with "a justice system that undoes humanity rather than rehabilitates it."

Taystee (Danielle Brooks) delivers the most accurate description of the current administration(s): "We're locked in cages. But they're the animals."

"Orange is the New Black Season Six"
Blu-ray
$17.99
http://www.lionsgate.com/tv/orangeisthenewblack/