What I’m Watching: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black: Season 3, Episode 4 “Finger in the Dyke” (B+)

It’s always fun to try to figure out who is being featured in the flashbacks in a given episode, and who better than Big Boo to have her story told at a juncture such as this? Seeing her anger and her hatred for mother was certainly informative, and it was clear that she has too much resentment against trying to play straight to get through her reverend scam without bursting out at the hate he was spewing. I love that she has managed to dvelop an actual friendship with Pennsatucky, complete with humorous references to Pennsatucky’s misconceptions about her new teeth and many things about her life. Piper triumphantly declaring to her parents that she has a girlfriend was an important moment, followed of course by a crude remark that earned her a hurtful slap from her mother, and the best part was that she and Alex actually seem to be happy at the moment. Healy hitting on Red is making her incredibly uncomfortable, and that’s not the kind of attention that the grieving mother needs right now. Caputo’s sham tour somehow managed to go well despite obstacles at every turn, and it looks like he managed to save Litchfield against all odds. Realizing that Taystee was just as upset as she was about V being gone was a therapeutic moment for Crazy Eyes, but then she had to go and get attached to Taystee in a way that she definitely didn’t want. I thought V was the most vicious character on this show, but hearing Gloria threaten her son suggests that may not be the case.