TV Recap: Orange is the New Black - "Hugs Can Be Deceiving"

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.


Left to right: Taylor Schilling and Taryn Manning
Plot

It's the return of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) to the prison and everyone is surprised to see her. Meanwhile, Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba) wants to play a Pictionary-esque game with fellow inmates, but is reduced to watching the clock to keep the competition even. Piper gets a new roommate named Soso (Kimiko Glenn) who is almost too nice about everything. Outside the prison, Larry (Jason Biggs) wants to infiltrate the prison to write a story with assistance from a prison guard. There's also a looming presence named Vee Parker (Lorraine Toussaint) who seems to be taking charge of situations, including interference with Red's (Kate Mulgrew) new life as a pariah. Piper is shocked to learn that the recently fixed-up Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) isn't going to get her into trouble because reports had it that the Christmas fight was a fair match. It is later discovered that Crazy Eyes did it in fleet of frustration. As the episode ends, Vee decides to befriend the team of Pictionary players, giving Crazy Eyes a chance to finally play.

MVP:
Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren (Uzo Aduba)

When Crazy Eyes was given a prominent subplot in the first season, she at best seemed like a comedic folly. Even if she was as grounded as her racial counterparts, she seemed to be a background character with no real issues. Of course, the manic persona is brilliantly explored in this episode and it results in a fantastic look at racial inequality in childhood and how it influences behavior later on. The whole episode is essentially about Crazy Eyes trying to become accepted by her peers instead of being reduced to a timer. With help from Vee, she finally gets that gratification. Also, her mental breakdown at the Christmas show is an ingenious way of tying together season one's cliffhanger with Crazy Eyes' personal issues. If nothing else, it is exciting to see her finally get her cake and eat it too.

Flashback

Spanning from the time she was five years old, the story of Crazy Eyes begins in the waiting room as her white sister is born. From there, it goes on to explore her inability to cope with suburban life as she is the sole black child at a white girl birthday party. With parents yelling and the consistent feeling of being an outcast, she carries it through her entire life. As she becomes older and is pushed to sing a song at her graduation, she begins to feel pressured into situations that leave her stress. In the final stretch of the flashback, it ties into modern Orange is the New Black lore with the revelation that due to a few taunts, her otherwise great night at the Christmas show was ruined and caused her to lash out at Piper, who has yet to forgive her.

Left to right: Yael Stone and Kimiko Glenn
Overall Thoughts

The episode gets extra points for perfectly managing to bring a conclusive element to the cliffhanger from season one. When it ended, there were many questions, including that of Piper's inevitable demise. By season two's premiere, we're wondering if she was transferred to another facility. All of our answers come here in ways that reflect a certain growth in writing for the series, which continues to mix personal back stories with excellent co-habitation in the plots. The past two episodes have been exceptionally strong as well and with this week, we get a wonderful, full circle story for Crazy Eyes. Along with the introduction of Soso and "Angry Piper," we are looking into an interesting, hostile rest of the season and one that makes weekly recaps a little painful sometimes. The show remains just as addictive and sweet with performances that are superb to a lot of network counterparts. Crazy Eyes in particular has evolved from lunatic sidekick to a fully fleshed out and interesting character. So what if this structure was done a lot in season one (most effectively with Sophia's (Laverne Cox) flashback), it is giving us something that TV has desperately lacked. Maybe Piper isn't the most interesting character, but I adore how the community continues to grow without losing focus. It's funny, profound, and revolutionary down to its closing credits song all about "Crazy Eyes."


Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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