The Brilliance of HBO's Oz, Showcased in ‘The Pilot’

Oz is the proto-type of modern television.

T.V was always the more tame medium compared to film. Thanks to advertisers, limited networks, and regulations set by the FCC, one could not hear more than a “damn,” view anything more risque than a kiss, (or two lovers wrapped in a bedsheet, if the channel really wanted to push limits), or sit through any extreme forms of violence.

These restrictions began to bend in the 1990s, as the number of cable networks expanded drastically. There was also a shift in the variety of shows one could view; popular television shows ranged from Seinfield to The X-Files; My So-Called Life to The West Wing.

But no show managed to bend - actually, decimated - the previous standard of television, and what was deemed acceptable to view on the small-screen, like Oz. 

Oz was set in the fictional Oswald State Penitentiary. Made with ambitious screenwriting, the show followed the lives of seven prisoners, with additional storylines for secondary prisoners. 

Depicting prison life in America can be a tricky task. Oz took the real-life premise and did what it wanted to do, which was to bluntly show the actual hell that the US prison system is. The show’s gritty tone gave it a sense of realism that was lacking in television at the time. What made this show so groundbreaking and controversial was its explicit nature.

When it came to violence, sex, and profanity, Oz did not shy away. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. However, the inclusion of these vices was never simply for shock value. At most, it was a necessary part of a storyline; at the very least, it was only a fragment of what convicts view on a day-to-day basis. 

The pilot episode aired in 1997; the first hour-long drama by HBO. The entire essence of the show is captured in the very first episode, which immediately distinguishes Oz from the other shows of its time and sets the storylines into motion.

The episode starts off with the viewer’s introduction to Oz; the “name on the street for the Oswald State Penitentiary”. These lines are uttered in a monologue by prisoner Augustus Hill, (played by Harold Perrineau). Armed with biting sarcasm, relatability, philosophical wisdom, Hill serves as the show’s narrator, with his monologues occurring several times throughout each episode to comment on its overall theme. Not only do the creators allow the viewers to see ideas from the perspectives of the inmates, but they also give genuine thought to matters pressing the world and life experiences individuals must face. 

The focus then shifts to the inmates of Oz, specifically the ones serving their time in an experimental unit called ‘Emerald City’ - an obvious play on The Wizard of Oz connection. The seven main prisoners depict some of the gangs of the prison: the Homeboys, the Muslims, the Aryans, the Latinos, the Irish, and Others. The other groups that do not have a main character in their ranks are the Italians, the Christians, the Bikers, and the Gays. The diverse array of lead characters helps bring authentic representation to the different experiences of American prisoners and how their economic and/or racial background may have played a role in their incarceration. 

The variety of characters are also used to point out flaws in the American justice system, with the entire first season focusing on the increasing dehumanization the prisoners face by other inmates, prison authority, and government officials, eventually leading up to an inevitable riot. The show argues, through the characters, that the prison system in the US does not rehabilitate criminals, but actually worsens criminal behavior, mental health, and drug addictions, while doing nothing to ensure that released convicts would avoid more jail time in the future. Both the father and grandfather of Miguel Alvarez, leader of the Latinos, are in the same prison as him. Meanwhile, Tobias Beecher, a Harvard-graduate lawyer who is sentenced for manslaughter with a DUI, turns to hard drugs to cope with being forced to be a ‘prag’ for Aryan Brotherhood leader Vern Schillinger.

But this theme is especially emphasized with the character of Dino Ortolani, a member of the Italians. While each episode of the show usually revolves around all the protagonists, the pilot centers around Dino Ortolani, (played by Jon Seda), a twenty-something inmate serving life for one successful and one attempted mafia hit in Emerald City.

Ortolani, with a permanent tough-guy expression on his face, seems like a mob bad-ass at ease on the outside. However, as the episode goes on, It is apparent that he is slowly cracking underneath due to the low-quality prison life, the constant threat of death, and the fact that he will be stuck in the same situation for his entire life. Ortolani becomes even more paranoid as the man who he tried to kill, Ryan O’Reily, is coincidentally sentenced to Oz, for several counts of manslaughter, reckless driving, DUI. 

Ortolani’s increasing internal tension throughout the episode reflects a common aspect of the human condition: self-sabotage. When people are faced with future goals, personal or professional, one of the possible responses is taking missteps to prevent that goal from happening. This can occur consciously or subconsciously, although it is the latter most of the time. To ordinary people, this can manifest in late submission of work, a missed promotion, a failed relationship. 

For ‘lifers’ like Ortolani, however, self-sabotage leads to the ultimate downfall, death. Those serving life in prison have no other long-term goal other than to survive. However, like Hill remarks in one of his monologues, lifers eventually realize that no matter what they do, “they ain’t going nowhere.” To sabotage the one goal they have, lifers “do what they can” to “help that shit along”. 

That is exactly what Ortolani does in the episode. His defiance against all forms of authority, combined with his frequent outbursts of violence against other inmates, leads to an uncomfortable amount of enemies in an institution that constantly surrounds him with death lingering. Reaching his breaking point, he tells his wife, already separated by a glass window, to pretend (along with their kids) like he is dead, consequently sabotaging his relationships with his family. 

As punishment for assaulting an inmate, Ortolani is sent to work at the AIDS ward of Oz’s hospital. He is told to take care of an inmate named Emilio Sanchez, who is dying due to AIDS. At first, Ortolani is distant, sometimes cruel. But he creates a small friendship as Sanchez speaks candidly about the effects of his disease. Eventually, Sanchez asks Ortolani to help him die. Ortolani was already frustrated with the hospital keeping Sanchez alive, despite not having much regard or care for any other inmate. This bond and Ortolani’s uncharacteristic emotions towards Sanchez is made possible by their shared want of death, to be relieved of the circumstances of which they live in. 

Ortolani’s subconscious desire to die manifests into consciousness when he grants Sanchez his wish. This is when his self-sabotaging efforts start to snowball into each other. Immediately after, he is caught and beaten by prison guards. His failure to cease his violent behavior leads to him being physically restrained in an empty room, also leaving one of the prison doctors, Dr. Nathan, to use her last resort and sedate him. Ortolani is left vulnerable and he dies a brutal death. 

The shock of having a character that seemed so central to the series die, shows how the show was not going to guarantee life for any of its protagonists, since life is not guaranteed for the inmates, or for the audience, for that matter. The show features many concepts that revolve around human nature; death is an inherent part of that.

Oz ended in 2003, after aring six seasons. While Oz is still brought up in terms of influential television of the time, it does not garner nearly as much discussion as other notable shows. Its bleak tone and content helped pave way for other HBO shows like The Sopranos and The Wire. Oz, like in the show, made a name for itself in the legacy of modern television.