Archive

“Orange is the New Black” recap (4.10): How to Be an Ally

Aleida is finally being released, but it seems that no one on the guard side of things remembered. Watching her walk down the hall with her daughter and Gloria is bittersweet. CO McCollough proves that tact isn’t a job requirement with her tale of another former inmates midnight release, but we already knew that looking at her coworkers. One can only hope she doesn’t return to Litchfield and that maybe her nail salon dreams actually come true.

We return to the cafeteria and Blanca is still standing up on that table over a puddle of her own urine, nodding off to sleep, very determined this one. Piscatella’s reign of compensating terror continues as he encourages CO Stratman that he did the right thing, and he is the law down in the trenches. Her Dominican compatriots encourage her to stick it out for the long haul, akin to Jesus and his own death sentence. Unfortunately, that leads us to the neo-Nazi table and their debates on the religious figures heritage. It shifts to ridicule as one of them flings oatmeal at Blanca, not to be upstaged she takes the food as an offering and eats it.

Strong like an ox, that one.

Piper feels guilty for rounding the troops against the Dominicans. However, Alex reminds her that those were the very people to scar her forever. She likens the prison to a social experiment; Alex wants her to mind her own business, but the reality is that it affects all of the prisoners. Piscatella shows more of his humanity by threatening prisoners who offer Blanca food with more physical punishments. This show is looking more and more like the actual prison system within this country.

Outside of Litchfield Aleida is being picked up before she can leave a CO hands her a picture drawn by Daya. She tries to keep up her hard exterior, but we all know she’s touched. Being picked up from prison by your children’s fathers other baby momma has to make for an awkward ride.

They told me that Uber’s have snacks.

Sister Ingalls continues her search for Sophia down in SHU and with a very timid voice behind a huge red door, it seems she has found her. The likelihood of them reuniting in their situation is slim to none, but the potential joy that Sophia has knowing that someone who cares is aware of her location is enough for me.

Red offers to help Nicky with the withdrawal process and is swiftly denied. Nicky assures her that this isn’t her first time quitting drugs, and she’s got this. Having quit seven times is only a reminder that not a single one of those times stuck. Hopefully for her sake, this time, it actually works.

Daya and Ruiz reminisce on difficult parents and their forms of rebellion against them. Prison is certain to be a different ball game without the security of her mother around. Ruiz offers her space in her crew and a comfy chair in the salon. Gloria lurks on the other side of the kitchen, knowing that this new set of friends will be nothing but trouble for her.

My dad made me recite the alphabet backward: English and Spanish.

Aleida is thrust into the noise of freedom, something she hasn’t had a taste of for a while. She vows to get her kids back from foster care by any means. Margarita shares all of the stories she’s heard about prison only to get a wake-up call from Aleida about the realities. Apparently, she didn’t know that their kids share the same father, and this awkward breakfast gets even worse.

Nicky’s method of cleaning out her system is a farce; she strolls into the hair salon only to be rejected. Word has been spread to stop selling her drugs. Down in laundry, we find out its Red that’s blackballed her on the prison drug ring. She accosts Angie and threatens to poison her food if she even thinks of selling Nicky drugs. You can feel the fear as she folds and claims to have retired from the heroin poop game after being discovered as the shower pooperthough she did try to finagle a favor out of Red before the death stare put her in her place.

Call me “Poopy Monster”

Sister Ingalls employs the thread system of the SHU to deliver a message to Sophia. Similar to the roach cigarette delivery of episodes past, it’s a lot harder than it looks. After several attempts, her message travels down to Sophia’s cell, and hope is on the horizon.

Caputo is reading up on the shadiness of MCC when he’s interrupted by his real life duties. Taystee wants to watch The Wiz in attempts to flavor up the movie selections. She assures him that watching it will boost morale for the downtrodden inmates. He warns of the backlash that may occur and tells her she’s got full responsibility of another inmate disagrees.

Maritza is permanently scarred from her encounter with CO Humps. CO’s Stratman and McCollough commiserate on his oddities. They settle on letting him be due to the tough nature of their line of work. No “tough day” at work justifies you making someone swallow a live rat.

Suzanne discovers Lolli’s time machine down in laundry yet she doubts it power as her writing uses wormholes instead. Morello obviously would return to the consummation of her marriage, complete with all the sticky details, which triggers her infidelity anxiety. We discover that Kukudio’s obsession went a little further than trying to recreate Suzanne’s fiction in real time. Despite the increasingly weird actions of her former lover, Suzanne sort of regrets not going through with the physical aspect of their relationship. Morello assures her that she’s got plenty of time for closet lovemaking.

This thing doesn’t even have a Flux Capacitor

Aleida sheds the dumpy clothes at her first taste of freedom in favor of a more form-fitting dress. She’s upset that Margarita would ever think to cheat on Cesar and is reminded that he never gave her the same respect. They argue on the things one should do for love, including taking the rap for a crime. Margarita counters with her own needs and the needs of her daughter coming first, something Cesar definitely did not take into account when he continued his lifestyle. Aleida isn’t hearing any of it and storms out of the store.

Judy King and Taystee being the only fans of The Wiz at this table isn’t believable at all. Eleven million people watched when NBC did a live version on television. It’s a little strange that they wrote it this way seeing as Uzo was in the live action production.

Don’t disrespect Diana Ross-“The Wiz” is a classic.

Sister Ingalls is a real trooper for all of her efforts to help Sophia’s cause. Watching that phone fall between her legs is a reminder that every sneeze is dangerous when you have a vagina.

Hitlers children are naturally upset about Taystee having picked the selection for movie night. They’re also upset that the Dominicans used their numbers to stake a claim on the television. Digori suggests they throw a white pride film festival, which would just be a regular film festival despite the omnipresent Morgan Freeman.

The concern for Nicky grows as Piper apologizes for enabling her in the corn patch. Nicky pushes it aside and says they should both be more worried about Alex’s murder confession also that Piper’s guilt trip won’t be making a stop at her station.

Red brings CO Dixon fresh scallion and ginger for his lunch, and he suggests that the greatest diet plan is being addicted to Food Network cooking competitions; he may have a point there. She hints at the drug trade going through Litchfield and sacrifices her own personal space in order to give him the details. Old women do attract gossip; it’s what makes them go gray. Dyed roots aside, Red has started a storm for many of Litchfield’s residents that won’t end any time soon.

Sorry I forgot the cilantro

Suzanne unnervingly paces back and forth outside of Kukudio’s bunk before propositioning her for the no pants dance. For a second there’s a hint of reconciliation, which may or may not be a good thing, only movie night will tell. Outside Suzanne gives Lolli tips on how to better equip her time machine for wormhole travel. A friendship between the two of them would be interesting, theories on inter-dimensional travel would abound.

Piper attempts to use her white privilege to sway Piscatella’s mind about the extreme punishments being dished out in their minimum-security holding. Check off another point for Piper using her power for good. Appealing to the moral complex of someone who apparently doesn’t have one will never work.

Caputo makes a rare appearance in SHU to discuss the wild tactics of Sister Ingalls and her mission to save Sophia. Her efforts, no matter how much of a reach they were, should be applauded. It sparks the heart of Caputo, and he uses the contraband phone to snap a photo of Burset. He could’ve just used his own internet-capable phone, but he’s trying.

Do you feel that breeze?

Daya makes her way to the salon and battles with the prospect of friendship versus being stuck in a drug front. She settles for companionship and a chance to paint designs on nails. Let’s hope that it doesn’t come back to bite her later.

On the outside, Aleida has made her way to the Bronx. She comes to pick up some money she left with her cousin only to find an apartment full of obsolete VCRs. Real life got in the way, and now the money is gone. Her cousin offers a place to stay and the way her first day out is going; she’d be stupid not to take her up on it.

RIP Betamax, am I right?

The daughters of the confederacy talk territory strategy on the grounds, they want a water fountain and a nice spot in the yard. Pennsatucky is faced with her former self and friends and what it looks like to those on the outside. Remember when she asked for an all whites bathroom all those seasons ago? Our girl has had some serious growth.

Despite everyone being on the Nicky sobriety train she’s still on the hunt for a good high. Luschek accidentally reveals that it was his doing in her return from maximum security. Nicky reminds him that if she had never been thrown in max in the first place, her three-year sobriety streak would never have been broken. He forces her to admit the whole thing was her fault in exchange for a fix; it’s not nearly as strong as she’d like as he only had a joint on him. Contrary to his mildly kind yet very destructive gesture, Nicky is still not a passenger on the Lischeck train.

Trash weed is better than poop heroin.

True friendship is knowing your friend’s cycle, especially when they sync up with your own. Flaca comforts Maritza after she divulges the horrors that Humps put her through in the CO’s house. This dude is seriously messed up in the head.

Watson and Taystee are the only two enjoying The Wiz, more so Taystee with the way she’s chewing down on that popcorn. Abdullah defends the choice when Sankey calls Tovah a darkie. Pennsatucky continues her forgiveness tour by chatting up CO Coates in the back. Red looks for Nicky while Suzanne and Kukudio share a knowing look across the room. Nicky strolls in with the stench of marijuana, and Red is pissed.

The big rendezvous in the closet is upon us. Kukudio rubs at the underside of Suzanne’s arm to calm her down then thrusts her hand into Suzanne’s pants. Like the fangirl she is, Kukudio asks her to audibly describe the feeling; the response is mostly mindless rambling. Just as she inches closer and closer to climax, Kukudio snatches her hand back. She abandons her like she felt abandoned that day in the woods. This is truly a cruel punishment for Suzanne’s logic.

We can totally stay friends even though you broke my heart into a million pieces.

Sankey is on a warpath to rile up Black girls at movie night. Soso speaks up against her claims that Dorothy’s original character was from Kansas and reminds her that no one playing any character was from there. In turn, she is called a horrible name that invokes all of the rage my tiny body can muster. Judy King lurks in the doorway while Taystee attempts to quell the noise with minimal help from Gerber Baby Bayley. When given the opportunity to show solidarity with her new found friends, she chickens out, how not to be an ally 101. CO Coates solution to the brewing madness is to stop movie night entirely. This is going to come to a head, and it won’t be a pretty sight for any of them.

Gloria pulls Daya aside to warn her about the dangers of her new friends. Daya assures her that she won’t get involved, but Gloria reminds her of the guilt by association clause that traps so many. She’s right to want friends around her age, but her quest for peers might be a slippery slope.

Tell me the difference between a haircut and a trim.

It seems that Aleida has swallowed her pride and come to Margarita for shelter. They may have their differences in what loyalty means, but Aleida still quiets her baby when she cries. After pulling out the picture Daya drew for her, it seems that the reality of freedom has finally hit.

Caputo meets up with Danny Pearson to show him the photo he snapped on the contraband phone. Not to be picky, but a Clorox wipe on the outside might’ve prevented this shirt wrap thing he’s got going on. Finally, some justice might come for Sophia, and the corrupt nature of MCC will be revealed for all.

I know she’s evil-that’s my type.

Nearly forgotten that Blanca was still standing on the table with all that’s happened. She’s so strong for holding out this long. Piper disobeys the rules and passes her a granola bar. Her act of solidarity earns her the right to prove it as she’s forced to stand on the table as well. Neither CO Dixon nor Piper expected this reaction. Piscatella ignores it in favor of the bigger problem at hand out in the yard; the sacred garden is to be bulldozed in favor of a sewer line under the ground. They break ground just in time for Red and Frieda to walk or and see them start digging and one of the bags of limbs is pulled up.

I’m more than willing to provide tips on how you can be an ally given the recent events in America if you tweet me @uhitsveronica if that’s too touchy of a subject we can discuss knitting patterns.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button