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| Left to right: Keisha Zollar, Danielle Brooks, and Uzo Aduba |
Welcome to the new recap series on the second season of the Jenji Kohan Netflix hit Orange is the New Black. Over the next few Saturdays, we will be looking through the episodes and highlighting the events that make this comedy/drama a stand-out in general TV. Does the series have what it takes to make another phenomenal season of TV, and can the tales of Piper Chapman and her inmates satisfy expansion? Stay tuned and make sure to follow along at your own pace.
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| Left to right: Laverne Cox and Kate Mulgrew |
After Joe Caputo's (Nick Sandow) plan to treat everyone to a performance on Valentine's Day backfires, he begins to crackdown with his staff. Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) begins to not trust Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore) and decides to have Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba) do her business. Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) has a run in with an inmate who is mentally unstable in self-damaging ways before she is released on compassion. Poussey (Samira Wiley) talks to Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) about her relationship problems and finds some solace. Red's (Kate Mulgrew) operation is coming along as she sells goods from her new location. Piper is helping to get the launch of the prison newspaper. Dayana Diaz (Dascha Polanco) is also having good smuggled in by her baby's father. Things work out between Vee and Cindy. Red begins to make her presence known. Susan Fisher (Lauren Lapkus) discovers of an inmate's pregnancy.
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| Adrienne C. Moore |
MVP:
Cindy Hayes (Adrienne C. Moore)
Some weeks it is particularly hard to figure out who the MVP is. There are so many stories going simultaneously that are full rich moments. If it wasn't for the jail setting, then these would just seem like disjointed moments. However, I must give a shout out to Cindy, who finally gets the flashback treatment and gets to have some emotional depth. She is just as comedic as Crazy Eyes or Taystee (Danielle Brooks), but she has felt third wheel. By getting cut from Vee's leash, she is able to become more vulnerable and unique in ways that are interesting and reflect her true intentions as a character. If nothing else, the black characters on this series has developed into one of the more fascinating groups on this series.
Flashback
Cindy looks back on her life as she deals with work, family, and old friends. For starters, she is a T.S.A. agent at the airport whose sassy and irresponsible behavior makes her a particularly unique employee. When she goes home, she deals with her daughter and her own reluctant mother, who doesn't care about Cindy's desire to be carefree. She ends up hanging out with an old friend who just got out of jail, leaving her daughter in the car. This sends Cindy's mother into a defensive anger and takes away her daughter.
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| Samira Wiley |
Overall Thoughts
Another very solid episode with each character getting their own progression. While there are an infinite amount of likable characters, it does get hard to enjoy some moments on their own, as they vary in length and plot significance. Even then, it is great to see each character getting their own moment. This week it is given to Cindy, who isn't necessarily the most memorable of them all. We get some progression on other fronts, and there is a tragic character suffering from mental illness. It's funny, sad, and overall another really good episode that reflects an overall consistent season.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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