What I’m Watching: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black: Season 4, Episode 5 “We’ll Always Have Baltimore” (B+)

I’m not sure I’ve properly lauded Brad William Henke as the single best addition to this cast this season, which is saying a lot given how great the first five episodes of this already great show have been. As Piscatella, he is uniformly (pun intended) hilarious, so committed to the seriousness of his job that he can’t help but take himself too seriously. His comment about having two beards to Piper was the best example, telling her to cut out her flirtatious act since, as he so dryly put, he’s “into dudes.” His endorsement of Piper’s community carers initiative made some sense, but in a short time, she’s managed to accidentally create a white supremacist group worse than the enemy she sought to quell that only Gina is smart enough to realize is totally crazy. I love how this show transitions into its flashbacks, telling Maritza’s backstory after she stood up for herself when the guards were sexually harassing her and showing how the surprisingly intelligent but hard to read con woman got her promotion from small-time bar scams to major auto theft. Caputo’s visit to the CorretiCon was quite enlightening, and Danny’s guest appearance was disruptive to say the least. It’s nice to see that Linda wasn’t actually upset about Caputo’s behavior, and they got to have themselves a bit of twisted prison fun to celebrate his chivalry. In entertaining subplots, I’m definitely enjoying Crazy Eyes’ hunt for the shower pooper and Taystee’s use of her free time while Caputo is away. I’m intrigued by the introduction of Alison’s cell phone, and I loved Soso’s failed attempt to explain complicated mathematical equations to a puzzled and disgusted Aleida.