ClaireBell

Overview

Bell, a recent university graduate who has a terminally ill father, is falsely accused of drug possession, leading her to be thrown into jail. She learns that the prison is filled with bribery, rule-breaking, and incompetent (and illegal) leaders. Cliques have been formed, and she does something (unintentionally, of course) that offends a gang member.

Alone with only a singular friend who is equally afraid of the consequences, she finds herself seeking help from Claire, a murder convict.

Thoughts

This is another one where you can tell they have a relatively good budget to work with. The set, costumes, and cinematography outshine a lot of the other releases in 2025, and the story is well-paced without too much filler.

It is still a romance at the forefront, but the writers did a great job fleshing out the other inmates. They did their job too well with an elderly in-mate who has dementia, played by the wonderfully talented Usha Seamkhum. ^[1] In addition to the plot's focus on the broken prison system, whether that's through the unfair and harsh treatment by the guards or the corrupt prison leader, they also did a good job in humanizing the inmates introduced as antagonists at the start of the show.

Not safe to watch with your parents, though, with some scenes getting fairly explicit.

Favorite Moments

• The elderly inmate's relationship with Claire was well done. The romance aside, I think this was the strongest relationship, and it was so sweet to see Claire, who, although she is feared by most due to her murder conviction, is also ostracized, find a guardian and mother figure in the other. They bond through their love for planting roses.
• I thought the first scene where Bell was running away from her assailants (incumbent) and meeting Claire in the canteen was adorable. All it took was one glare from Claire to the others, and Bell was safe.