Image Source: Decider
Episode Synopsis:
Aleida struggles to find work on the outside. Backed into a corner, Nicky pleads her case to Red. Taystee reaches out to Caputo for help.
Yet again, I’m slowly realizing that this may be my least favorite season yet of Orange is the New Black. This episode was all over the place, and since it seemed like this was supposed to be Nicky’s pivotal episode, it didn’t seem like she was featured a whole lot.
Alex is back- Thankfully, Alex finally returned and reunited with Piper, so now we don’t have to hear Piper ask everyone where Alex is and if she died. I gotta say, they do warm my heart when they are together, but I’m worried for them with Madison hanging around. We all know that she’s up to no good.
Gif Source:itspiperchapman (Tumblr)
The guards- Luschek, Blake and McCollough also returned, and are now working at Max and I don’t know what to think about this. I kind of liked that we got introduced to new guards, but seeing some old faces at Max, is a little weird. We’re just adding on to the storylines. The only thing that intrigued me, is that Luschek and Nicky saw each other, and that might play into future episodes. They always did favors for each other, so they might go back to their old ways.
Nicky- I really wanted more to Nicky’s storyline in this episode. Like I said above, I thought she wasn’t featured a whole lot in this, and this was her episode. We got flashbacks to her as a kid, during her bat mitzvah, but we got information that we kind of knew already from Nicky’s other storylines. She doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents. I thought we could have gotten some better flashbacks to further her storyline. I thought the only part of her storyline that was pivotal, was her argument with Red about having to testify. Nicky was definitely being stretched thin, because she had two choices. Either drop Red’s name in her statement about being involved in Piscatella’s death, or spend 70+ years in prison. Her and Red have been through a lot together, so ratting Red out, would be the hardest thing for her to do.
Aleida & Daya- Even though Aleida left prison, and the writers want us to see how she’s coping in the real world, her storyline is somewhat boring to me. It was more interesting last season, with her facing off against Judy King on TV, and finding out about the riot, but this time around, it’s the same old thing. She can’t find a job because she has a criminal record. And I don’t know how her storyline is going to progress with Daya, because Daya already told her that she’s going to be spending life in prison. There’s not much that she can do at this point. And poor Daya is getting worse and worse. She’s basically rotting in prison at this point. Now, she’s revealed that Daddy has been giving her oxy, so it’s just a downward spiral from this point. I do wish that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for her though.
Tiffany, Coates & Dixon- This storyline was also blah for me. The gang finally found a location to hang out at, but of course Tiffany had to have a disguise, so she wouldn’t get caught. Thankfully, Dixon has gotten over Tiffany tagging along, since she’s still a criminal, and I liked the exchange between him and Coates, because we found out that they both don’t know what Tiffany was imprisoned for. I’m sure they’d freak out if they did find out. Also, I gotta say; I was proud of Dixon at the end of the episode. He stood up to that guy who called Coates and Tiffany faggots, and he stood up for his “friends.”
Taystee- Well, I am feeling so bad for Taystee. She definitely endured a shocker, when her attorney told her that there was evidence against her for killing Piscatella, and that totally sucks. That came as a surprise to me, but on the other hand, I can see how that could have happened. Even though she was trying to get justice for most of the riot, towards the end, she did get pretty violent with Piscatella. It was great to see that she was able to see Caputo, but I don’t know how much he can do to make things better for her case. I do love their friendship though.
