In the next instalment of the 'Late to the Show' series, Luke Addison looks at HBO's Oz....
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“In Emerald City we have rules, a lot more rules than anywhere else in Oz. Your cell is your home, keep it clean, spotless. You are to exercise regularly, attend classes, go to drug and alcohol counselling, work in one of the prison factories. You are to follow the routine. We tell you when to sleep, when to eat, when to piss... There is no yelling, no fighting, no fucking.”
Oz is a prison series, that’s obvious, but unlike the better known series Prison Break, it portrays prison life in a dark, often hilarious and occasionally humiliating fashion, making the viewer care about the characters and their outcomes, regardless of the fact they’re hardened criminals of various natures. Set in the experimental cell block Emerald City - conceived and ran by Tim McManus - the prisoners are given more freedom than in the ordinary cell blocks. They’re allowed to wear their own clothes, move about freely throughout the area and watch television, although on the other side of the fence there’s also the strict routine they have to follow, the work-details, alcohol ban and the like as well as the prying eyes of the guards looking into their glass fortresses.
The main focus of the series is on the different gangs within the prison walls, namely the Muslims, the Latinos, the Sicilians – old school Italian Mafia – and of course the obligatory Neo-Nazis. Throughout the series these four are clashing in one way or the other, with someone usually biting the dust within an episode or two, thus creating more problems and tensions between the groups.
Another focus of the series is the drug use within the prison, and it’s clear from the off that even though Emerald City is supposedly a place of strict rules and supervision – even with the lax approach towards the inmates – that it’s not difficult for the newest inmate to get their hands on a steady stream of various drugs. The running of the drug business throughout Oz is often a catalyst for bigger things to occur between the gangs, often with people on both sides being disciplined, raped or killed, sometimes all three.
Usually popping up once or twice a series, the morally bankrupt Governor Devlin will arrive with some sort of news that will impact the prisoners, for example the banning of conjugal visits and smoking, or the implementation of the death penalty, something which becomes a major plot point throughout the series run. This brings another side to the show, highlighting the outside influences of the prisoner’s incarceration, as well as their total lack of control for their own rights and privileges, plus it gives you yet another politician – albeit a fake one – to hate.
The series doesn’t have a main character(s), but some of the prisoners do feature more than others, primarily, Verne Schillinger, Tobias Beecher, Kareem Said, Augustus Hill and Ryan O’Reilly. These five are often involved in the series events in one manner or another, with the first two seemingly warring with one another for the entire series, Kareem being a pacifistic Muslim that refuses to use violence unless in the most extreme of situations, Augustus Hill being the narrator of the show, bringing a theatre-like aspect to the series, his ramblings usually having some pertinence to the scenes that follow or the episode as a whole, and O’Reilly being the puppeteer of the lot, with his dabblings always ensuring more drama will follow.
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Being the first drama series created by HBO, it pioneered the explicit, aggressive and violent aspects that HBO is now known for in the likes of Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. It’s not for the weak hearted, with prisoners being graphically killed, male nudity, rape and homosexuality all over the place, and racial comments commonplace throughout, but if prison series are your thing, look no further.
The further through the series you go, the more you’ll see a theme of redemption. Whilst none of the characters are innocent – the creator of the series ensured this was the case – some of the inmates begin to see the error of their ways and strive to become better people, both for a chance of parole and as a way to repent for their crimes , although in some cases this itself gets them into more trouble and danger.
With this in mind, you’ll often find yourself wanting the prisoners to succeed, be it with an escape attempt or an ‘airholing’, even when pitted against some of the less likeable guards. Some of the guards are as bad as the criminals themselves, Brass and Howell come to mind, as well as a few others. That’s not to say there aren’t any morally good authority figures within the walls of Oz, McManus and Murphy being two of the more upstanding figures that whilst strict and firm with the prisoners, are also fair and helpful when needed.
Some series are accused of lasting too long or finishing too early, but in the case of Oz it’s arguably just the right length, with each of the storylines being resolved in a resolute and satisfying manner, and the hour and a half long finale tying up the loose ends as a whole. For a show with so many different perspectives and characters to take care of, this is quite the undertaking and achievement, something other shows – looking at you Lost– could have learned from.
Considering it started sixteen years ago it doesn’t show its age. Whether it’s down to the characters, immersive environment, fantastic acting or the sublime writing – bar a few strange and stupid storylines, the aging pill being the worst – I’m not sure, but whilst watching it wasn’t hard to imagine that the series was created more recently, which lends more credence to the series quality.
It may be a massive undertaking to some, but the fifty four hours spent watching the series has been some of the most enjoyable of my own television experience in recent times, so much so that I shall be watching it over again soon, so with that in mind, I’d suggest you take the time to watch an episode or two and see if you yourself will get hooked as I did, but prepare for an emotional rollercoaster filled with anger, disgust and even sorrow as the series unfolds.
Luke Addison is an aspiring film journalist with a passion for all things television and film. Follow him on Twitter @Novo_Slev.
“In Emerald City we have rules, a lot more rules than anywhere else in Oz. Your cell is your home, keep it clean, spotless. You are to exercise regularly, attend classes, go to drug and alcohol counselling, work in one of the prison factories. You are to follow the routine. We tell you when to sleep, when to eat, when to piss... There is no yelling, no fighting, no fucking.”Oz is a prison series, that’s obvious, but unlike the better known series Prison Break, it portrays prison life in a dark, often hilarious and occasionally humiliating fashion, making the viewer care about the characters and their outcomes, regardless of the fact they’re hardened criminals of various natures. Set in the experimental cell block Emerald City - conceived and ran by Tim McManus - the prisoners are given more freedom than in the ordinary cell blocks. They’re allowed to wear their own clothes, move about freely throughout the area and watch television, although on the other side of the fence there’s also the strict routine they have to follow, the work-details, alcohol ban and the like as well as the prying eyes of the guards looking into their glass fortresses.
The main focus of the series is on the different gangs within the prison walls, namely the Muslims, the Latinos, the Sicilians – old school Italian Mafia – and of course the obligatory Neo-Nazis. Throughout the series these four are clashing in one way or the other, with someone usually biting the dust within an episode or two, thus creating more problems and tensions between the groups.
Another focus of the series is the drug use within the prison, and it’s clear from the off that even though Emerald City is supposedly a place of strict rules and supervision – even with the lax approach towards the inmates – that it’s not difficult for the newest inmate to get their hands on a steady stream of various drugs. The running of the drug business throughout Oz is often a catalyst for bigger things to occur between the gangs, often with people on both sides being disciplined, raped or killed, sometimes all three.
Usually popping up once or twice a series, the morally bankrupt Governor Devlin will arrive with some sort of news that will impact the prisoners, for example the banning of conjugal visits and smoking, or the implementation of the death penalty, something which becomes a major plot point throughout the series run. This brings another side to the show, highlighting the outside influences of the prisoner’s incarceration, as well as their total lack of control for their own rights and privileges, plus it gives you yet another politician – albeit a fake one – to hate.
The series doesn’t have a main character(s), but some of the prisoners do feature more than others, primarily, Verne Schillinger, Tobias Beecher, Kareem Said, Augustus Hill and Ryan O’Reilly. These five are often involved in the series events in one manner or another, with the first two seemingly warring with one another for the entire series, Kareem being a pacifistic Muslim that refuses to use violence unless in the most extreme of situations, Augustus Hill being the narrator of the show, bringing a theatre-like aspect to the series, his ramblings usually having some pertinence to the scenes that follow or the episode as a whole, and O’Reilly being the puppeteer of the lot, with his dabblings always ensuring more drama will follow.
Being the first drama series created by HBO, it pioneered the explicit, aggressive and violent aspects that HBO is now known for in the likes of Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. It’s not for the weak hearted, with prisoners being graphically killed, male nudity, rape and homosexuality all over the place, and racial comments commonplace throughout, but if prison series are your thing, look no further.The further through the series you go, the more you’ll see a theme of redemption. Whilst none of the characters are innocent – the creator of the series ensured this was the case – some of the inmates begin to see the error of their ways and strive to become better people, both for a chance of parole and as a way to repent for their crimes , although in some cases this itself gets them into more trouble and danger.
With this in mind, you’ll often find yourself wanting the prisoners to succeed, be it with an escape attempt or an ‘airholing’, even when pitted against some of the less likeable guards. Some of the guards are as bad as the criminals themselves, Brass and Howell come to mind, as well as a few others. That’s not to say there aren’t any morally good authority figures within the walls of Oz, McManus and Murphy being two of the more upstanding figures that whilst strict and firm with the prisoners, are also fair and helpful when needed.
Some series are accused of lasting too long or finishing too early, but in the case of Oz it’s arguably just the right length, with each of the storylines being resolved in a resolute and satisfying manner, and the hour and a half long finale tying up the loose ends as a whole. For a show with so many different perspectives and characters to take care of, this is quite the undertaking and achievement, something other shows – looking at you Lost– could have learned from.
Considering it started sixteen years ago it doesn’t show its age. Whether it’s down to the characters, immersive environment, fantastic acting or the sublime writing – bar a few strange and stupid storylines, the aging pill being the worst – I’m not sure, but whilst watching it wasn’t hard to imagine that the series was created more recently, which lends more credence to the series quality.
It may be a massive undertaking to some, but the fifty four hours spent watching the series has been some of the most enjoyable of my own television experience in recent times, so much so that I shall be watching it over again soon, so with that in mind, I’d suggest you take the time to watch an episode or two and see if you yourself will get hooked as I did, but prepare for an emotional rollercoaster filled with anger, disgust and even sorrow as the series unfolds.
Luke Addison is an aspiring film journalist with a passion for all things television and film. Follow him on Twitter @Novo_Slev.