Netflix Catch-Up: Orange is the New Black

Orange is the New Black: Season 7, Episode 5 “Minority Deport” (B+)

This episode’s clever title was sadly not an indicator of a more upbeat tone. While Blanca did manage to somewhat comically copy the methods of the detainee who was called to the judge before her (played by Karina Arroyave, who was in season one of “24” almost two decades ago), her success wasn’t matched by Maritza, who for the first time in a long time decided not to be selfish and ended up getting promptly flown out of the United States without a chance to talk to the free immigration lawyer. That final scene was haunting, with everyone else on the plane fading away before she did, and the implication that many people like them do indeed disappear in real life is deeply disturbing. Very little is looking up for anyone else, with only Taystee scoring a major victory by being hired as Tamika’s new assistant. While she is absolutely a great fit for the job, her move was motivated by both revenge on her former friend and a desire to end her own life, and learning that Cindy is scheduled for early release isn’t going to help on either of those fronts. Red is in bad shape, and Gloria and Nicky may not be able to help her get better given the meager tools they have to work with at the moment. Piper and Cal’s misadventures were highly irresponsible, and Piper is very privileged to have received only irritating consequences and not to be sent back to jail. Aleida likely won’t be so lucky, and seeing how much she tried to stop her daughters from going down the same path she did only makes this latest incident all the more powerful.