What I’m Watching: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black: Season 2, Episode 8 “Appropriately Sized Pots” (B+)

Talk about a range of emotions in this episode. There were firings, hirings, deaths, and plenty more. As we learned the sad news about her surgery not being approved, it was a real treat to watch Rosa’s story unfold, as she robbed banks and kept seeing the men in her life die. It was truly enjoyable to watch her work with her young friend at chemo to pull off one last great heist and get to remember what money smelled like. That was a surprising and enthralling back story, and it’s nice for such a background character to be given such an exciting and dramatized pre-prison life. Figueroa, as usual, was extremely harsh in her skewering of guard performance at the prison, but Caputo’s crackdown was cruel, especially for poor Fischer. Her parting scene with Nicky was sweet, followed up by Luschek’s marvelously supportive “lame.” It’s a relief that Red was able to relocate her product before Caputo came around pouring out flower pots, and she seems to be making the right moves to keep her alliance with Gloria while Vee tries to step in to seduce her. Piper’s furlough being granted really was more of a punishment than anything else, especially considering how much flak she got for it and the unfortunate news that her grandmother passed away before she got out. Soso’s situation has turned from something comic into something far more unsettling, and let’s hope she goes back to being perky and talkative soon. There’s much more to be concerned about given Figueroa’s latest hire – the return of the one, the only, and the truly despicable Pornstache.