Episode 1 "The Routine"

Season 1
Episode 1- The Routine
Original air date July 12,1997

                           

"The only thing a guy like that understands is punishment hard and swift"- Warden Leo Glynn

As the episode starts we are greeted to the intro sequence,and the drum heavy opening theme. A thunderous affair with random interjections of a screeching horn sound,the images accompanying this strange soundtrack are of prison life gone horribly loose and dangerous it is very striking the first time you see it.

According to the DVD commentary the man getting tatted during the opening credits is none other than show creator Tom Fontana himself and here's the kicker. Its a real tattoo. Gutsy move considering he had no idea that Oz would be the hit cultural phenomenon it became,especially with the content of the show restricting it to being shown very late at night by most networks around the world. What do you think?  Read on.

Tobias Beecher wishes he was anywhere but in Oz.

A terrifying first night.

                                           

We open up in the administrative ward of the prison where we meet a Tobias Beecher, a very meek and timid, WASP that looks absolutely terrified to be there,turns out his charge is vehicular manslaughter for running over a young girl during a drunk driving incident. This first episode breaks down day to day life in Oswald, a routine if you will.

Turns out there is an experimental section of the prison one where the inmates get a little more freedom than anywhere else in the maximum security facility.There are strict rules to abide by but inmates that can follow the rules get access to what is in essence a small community within the prison. Inmates have access to cash, run the kitchen area and the educational area with a very hands off approach by the correctional officers.

Emerald City or Em City as the inmates call it is a coveted place to land within Oswald and many inmates from other units apply to move there. It is the brainchild of Tim McManus the units general manager,and all around idealist, liberal out to reform the prisoners in Em City. His ideals stand diametrically opposed to the staunchly conservative CO's who believe his experiment is a waste of time and money and the only thing these prisoners need is harsher punishment and stricter rules.
The way how the show is setup with so many characters and plotlines to follow the writers have certainly set the bar high.                               

Warden Leo Glynn, and Unit Manager Tim McManus

"As of this moment. I run Oz."

Em city is sort of loosely defined by the different racial groups that make up the population, we have the "Homeboys" ,"Wiseguys",and a few others that eventually come into play later in the season but this episode mainly focuses on these two. The Homeboys are mainly black inmates and the Wiseguys are Italians mostly mobsters. More on them later. The episode mainly details Beechers tale,where he discovers quickly that there's no such thing as a free favour in prison. He is hoodwinked into moving in with a despicable racist named Vernon Schillinger who initially offered him help from being bullied by another inmate. The next scene Beecher is seen tied to the bed naked and bound at his wrists and ankles while Vern burns a swastika onto his buttocks,we aint in Kansas anymore folks!

The layout of Em City is an open concept space with clear glassed cell walls instead of bars. There is an upper level as well and a central switchboard control area;everybody sees everybody else no matter what they're doing. We meet a few other interesting characters this episode, a  few standout mentions would be "Poet", who delivers a scathing political commentary on prison life veiled in the context of a spoken word poem. Karim Said, a muslim radical and bestselling author whos case made national headlines and is a bit of a celebrity in Oz. And Dino Ortolani a brash hotheaded young mobster whos quick to act without thinking, this attitude is frowned upon by his older more seasoned peers who are used to controlling the show quietly and  behind the scenes.

The various subplots are sometimes interrupted by these surreal segments where Augustus Hill a wheel bound prisoner is shown speaking to the audience, and breaking the fourth wall as prison life continues behind him unaware. Sometimes he is shown to be enveloped in a small rotating glass prison cell complete with toilet and bunk. A nice touch and has a strange dreamlike quality to it as the Augustus that waxes poetic in these segments seems to be a completely separate entity to the actual prisoner Augustus Hill. And there is never a connection made between the two.

Augustus Hill Inmate/Narrator

Rotating cell in the sky!

A loose plotline forms when Dino Ortolani is sent off to work in the Aids ward as punishment sensitivity training for the brutal beating of a homosexual inmate. An inmate who happens to be the brother of one of the leaders of the Homeboys crew Jefferson Keane. A plot is hatched by the homeboys to kill Dino,assisted by an old street rival of Dino's. One Ryan O'Reilly.
As the wheels of tragedy are set in motion unbeknownst to Dino, his entire personal life is falling apart all around him and now one of his enemies from the streets is in the same prison.
He tries to cope with the stress by befriending a near death aids patient in his care and they share a touching scene while enjoying a couple of contraband cigarettes.

Dino is then asked to help his new friend  kill himself as he doesn't want to live out his days on life support in Oswald. Dino reacts to this decision with a mixture of confusion and anger but eventually relents and agrees to help. After entering the hospital ward after hours and crudely dispatching his friend with his bare hands, Dino is spotted in the act by another inmate who alerted the guards. After suffering a vicious and sustained beating he is sedated and tied to a bed. In this state of vulnerability the Homeboys make their move and eliminate Dino setting off a potential powderkeg with the Italians.

DEAD   Dino Ortolani

Preface

 The original run of Tom Fontana's gritty prison drama ran from July 12, 1997 to February 23, 2003. The show was named Oz and its one of my favorite television dramas of all time. I hold it in high regard, right up there with the Breaking Bad's and Twin Peak's of the world. I remember the show breaking barriers when it first arrived on the scene in terms of what could be shown on television, and certainly during its time there was nothing like it. It paved the way for the standard of censorship that is enjoyed on cable networks today. 

The shocking violence,men raping other men,and full frontal male nudity certainly got people talking and helped differentiate Oz from that other HBO drama making waves at the time, The Sopranos.

The content in Oz was definitely not everybody's cup of tea and critics often talked about the brutal violence when discussing the show. James Caryn from the New York Times wrote "Set almost entirely in the prison, a high-tech horror with glass-walled cells,Oz can also be unpleasant to watch,gruesome and claustrophobic"

And hes right. Much of this can be attributed to the grainy film style,dark environments and sometimes surreal imagery the directors sometimes employed. I found it to be a groundbreaking, brilliantly written piece of television history that everyone should check out!

My goal here with this blog is to do an episode by episode review and discussion of every season of Oz.

                            

                                          SPOILERS WILL BE INCLUDED! 

If you haven't seen Oz by now i recommend you use this blog as a viewing guide of sorts and read the episodic breakdowns after you finish watching. In any case going forward im going to assume you've watched the show. 

Now that ive dispensed with all the perfunctory its on with the show! Ive been meaning to work on this project a very long time and i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i do writing it. And now the heavy steel bars come slamming shut,enjoy your stay in Emerald City.