OZ questions
 

I've been watching this season of Oz, and I must say it's an excellent show.

A few questions... is Emerald City the cellblock for the "model" prisoners, or what?

How realistic is Oz? I cant say I've ever spent any time in a maximum security prison :)

What's up with all that paranormal stuff with Clutier (sp?)

Brian

OZ is the greatest show! Be sure to get yourself the Season 1 DVDs
when they come out....

Emerald City is an experimental unit. By no means is it for model prisoners
(the cellblock has housed some of the sickest individuals ever to be sent
to OZ). But seeing how the guards can see into anyone's pods, the
prisoners have to be on better behavior or else they'll be punished.

Since I've never gone to jail, I really can't answer the realism question.
I can only assume that it is semi-realistic, but the stories like magic
aging pills are very over the top.

I have no idea what they did with JC, but it is supposed to represent
his similiarity to Jesus Christ. I have a gut feeling when we next see
him, he'll look like nothing happened. Things like this would never have
happened in Season 1 or 2.

Jack Epstein
[email protected]

WORD I'm not really digging the whole supernatural stuff either; it takes from the shows "realism"

Yeah, the supernatural-ness this year threw me for a loop. And Ribidau picking the Lotto numbers was sorta supernatural, too. i keep hoping that this thing with the Reverend C. will be explained reasonably.

In answer to the question of Oz's reality, I always felt that the show is about as realistic as, say, early NYPD Blue and Homicide. That is - pretty darn accurate portrayals of the horrors of life in prison, but much more eventful and dramatic than they would be in the real world. I am certain that nearly EVERYTHING that has happened on Oz has happened in real prisons, but it is HIGHLY unlikely that they would all happen in the same cellblock of the same prison within the course of a few years. Also, frankly, it's sort of unbelievable that there isn't more turnover. I would think that a dozen or so people would be admitted into jail daily, and several more would be released or transferred.

I just wish they would bring their average WPE (weiners-per-episode) down.

Oz is a maximum security prison. I don't think you'd have a high turnaround in a real maximum security prison. These guys are all 10 to lifers or so. Oz has been pretty good in adding new prisoners on a regular basis. There was one today, a couple last week, one the week before. It does seem like the only guys that leave Oz are dead, but in a maximum security prison, releases probably aren't that common.

I'd agree that Oz is semi-realistic. I doubt there are this many fights in a real prison and there certainly aren't this many deaths.

Ok, thanks for the replies. Is this the 5th season? Any idea if they'll start replaying the older episodes again (like they're doing with The Sopranos now)?

Honestly there really isnt that much male member shown, at least in the shows I've see (all this season, nothing else). Hell, the last episode of Six Feet Under that was shown had a longer shot of aussie guys thing than I ever saw in Oz.

Oh well, I guess they gotta be fair to the female and gay viewership, or something ;)

Brian

I think the show is great. I hope they explain the Cloutier paranormal stuff a little better, really the past 2 episodes didn't talk about him that much.

I hope that somebody finds Officer Brass and orders him to give the money to Ribidau. That was cold to do it to him.

This season is pretty good so far!

I totally agree about the Cloutier storyline and wish they would reduce the supernatural stuff, but (I'm putting this in spoilers for those in the thread who are new to the show):



I think Oz always sneaks at least one "out there" kind of thread into the plot and they have just been getting increasingly "out there" in the past two seasons. I've never believed Oz is very realistic except that the level of brutality and desperation that exists inside prison walls can be shown much more effectively than on the networks.

Does Morales still owe him a favor?