What I'm Watching: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black: Season 3, Episode 5 “Fake It Till You Fake It Some More” (B+)

Every episode this season seems to have an underlying theme, be it mother's day or bed bugs, and this episode was all about the allure of the mysterious new work posting and the idea of dreaming big to truly get somewhere. Some were quick to shoot down any type of aspiration given the fact that most of these women are in prison for life or nearly as long, but we got to see the unfettered optimism of one of the show's sauciest players, Flaca, who is usually just complaining or making a joke but here gets a bit more depth. Her back story was one that went from innocent to tragic in seconds as she was arrested for a drug-related death and then sentenced to an extended stay in prison. The fact that getting this new work detail meant so much and that it was selected completely randomly was an enormous blow, particularly to Caputo, who actually does care about the inmates and the fact that they shouldn't have expectations made up and fabricated when there is really no meaning behind them. Alex is definitely going off the deep end, too paranoid to productively exist and alienating her one ally, Piper, by not trusting her to be able to calm her own. Red was flirting off the charts with Healy, which didn't seem like her, but it appears she wasn't actually interested in romance, just a bit of favorable treatment, which, somewhat surprisingly, he didn't go for. Daya warming to Pornstache's mother because that's her only option is worrisome, and there's no way that ends well. I enjoyed seeing Soso bond with Norma, a perfect silent fit for her relentless chatterbox, and I found her poorly-received explanation of applying to be an RA and the wrong meaning of stoned pretty amusing. The best words of wisdom came from Crazy Eyes: “It's good to have something to believe in – once you know Santa Claus isn't real, it's all downhill from there.”