In the previous episode of Orange Is the New Black, Piper was branded by Maria and her gang. “Friends in Low Places” sees Chapman get a new brand and Judy has her picture taken kissing Cindy. Nichols puts the make on her old girlfriend while stealing from Red to finance her reawakened drug habit.
Caputo is upset that his education initiative has been turned into “Cool Hand Luke” and Linda pulls a gun on Sophia Burset’s wife. She turns up at Caputo’s house demanding to know how Sophia (Laverne Cox) is doing. MCC is stonewalling the woman and using their private status to withhold information. Somewhat bizarrely Mrs. Burset is accompanied by her boyfriend.
At the start of “Friends in Low Places” Judy King is still terrified of being attacked for her 1980s racist videos. A corrections officer even has to watch over the celebrity prisoner in the showers.
Standout Moment of the Episode:
Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (played by two-time Emmy winning actress Uzo Aduba) steals the entire episode. As King returns to her cell with the CO escort, Suzanne swans by with a long white sock on her left hand and arm. Using the sock as a puppet she sings a song from King’s ’80s “racist” video. A truly hysterical moment that shows all too well why Uzo won two Emmy’s for this show.
King later speaks to her biggest fan, Poussey and asks why her fellow inmates want to hurt her. She learns that the “attack” was actually a “paparazzi” moment. Judy decides to help the enterprising Cindy, Taystee and Alison. She grabs Cindy and gives her a big kiss. Cindy is nonplussed at the action and muses that her mother will see her kiss a white woman.
The former employees of Whispers are called out to the yard for “vocational training” which turns into a behind the walls chain gang. The woman are very impressed with the construction foreman instructor (what a mouthful) who asks if anyone has experience.
Standout Moment of the Episode Part Two:
Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) makes a reference to the iconic film “All About Eve” to Doggett (Taryn Manning) and the younger inmate goes off on a riff about Adam and Eve. The expression on Boo’s face is priceless.
Back to the new construction site: No one has prior experience. Then the instructor reveals he needs an an apprentice is needed all the women, sans Piper, volunteer. The backhoe (digger) breaks down and all the women are handed shovels and hardhats.
Maritza (Diane Guerrero) is almost caught with contraband and later tries to quit. Maria refuses to let Ramos go.
After failing to reconnect with her old girlfriend Nicky puts the make on Alex who also turns her down. She does agree to partake in some recreational drugs with Nichols.
Piper is in agony and her brand is bleeding. Later she joins Alex and Nicky in the cornfield and shares a crack pipe with them. Chapman and Vause then reveal each other’s secrets. Alex admits to killing her assassin, who is buried under the corn, and Piper shows them swastika burned onto her forearm.
Later Red helps Chapman out, taking her into the kitchen and changing the swastika to a windows logo.
Honorable Mention:
Nicky Nichols was all wide-eyed in the corn patch. The eyeliner around her peepers helped emphasis her wild facial expression. She looked quite mad throughout the big revelatory crack scene.
Lorna (Yael Stone)is convinced her husband is cheating on her, after her conversation with Nicky earlier. She asks her sister to check on him. Nichols stops by the salon to buy drugs and Aleida (Elizabeth Rodriguez) is annoyed that Maria is selling drugs in the salon.
At Caputo’s house Linda proves that she knows nothing about cooking and that she has no problem pulling a gun on someone. After she threatens Mrs. Burset with the weapon, Linda and Joe presumably have sex.
This episode of Orange Is the New Black has a lot of humor. It also built up future plots by showing that Red (Kate Mulgrew) knows Nicky is stealing from her.
Despite the amusing highlights in this episode, the end of “Friends in Low Places” was quite emotional. Donuts apologies to Doggett and it is a moving moment . As Piper is held down, this time voluntarily, Red adapts the swastika. Chapman tearfully says “I’m so sorry” twice.
Cue viewers reaching for tissue boxes in unison.
With less attention spent on procedures the show was able to spend more time on the inmates. It served to bring us that bit closer to these prisoners and their lives. Well done OITNB.
Orange Is the New Black is streaming on Netflix. Binge it, or parcel out the episodes sparingly, but however you do it, watch this show.
CAST:
- Taylor Schilling – Piper Chapman
- Natasha Lyonne – Nicky Nichols
- Nick Sandow – Joe Caputo
- Samira Wiley – Poussey Washington
- Jessica Pimentel – Maria Ruiz
- Lori Petty – Lolly Whitehill
- Danielle Brooks – Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
- Michael Harney – Sam Healy
- Matt Peters – Joel Luscheck
- Laura Prepon – Alex Vause
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