Welcome to the recap series on the third season of the Jenji Kohan Netflix hit Orange is the New Black. Over the next few weekends (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) 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.
With Litchfield's rumor of closing becoming more rampant, things start to heat up. Poussey (Samira Wiley) holds a funeral for the books that they had to burn. Meanwhile Piper (Taylor Schilling) and Alex (Laura Prepon) have to work out their personal problems in a theater class. Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) discovers that her drugs were stolen by some meth heads. As that rumor spreads, she gets accused of smuggling drugs and gets transferred. Joe Caputo (Nick Sandow) is becoming more aware of Litchfield's condition and gets offers from an old acquaintance for a new job. Red (Kate Mulgrew) helps Sam Healy (Michael Harney) with a mail order bride that doesn't like him.
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| Natasha Lyonne |
Flashback
Nicky gets this week's treatment. Along with her drugged up friends, she gets into a series of problems that includes hijacking and then crashing a taxi. She also shoots up drugs and thinks that she owes it to her friends to bail them out of tight corners. However, things go too far and suddenly she ends up having to go to jail for multiple years without the benefit of her mother bailing her out. Considering that she would also consider herself a screw-up in the rest of the episode, it is a tragic story of how being self-involved will force you to learn things in an unpleasant manner.
MVP:
Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne)
It only seemed like a matter of time until Nicky's drug habit got her into some form of trouble. As a tragic addict, she has been going through the show so far with her own set of problems. Despite this, she lives a happy, jaded life that helps her get through the miserable times. Much like in the flashback, this episode has its own revelation and sends her to an unpleasant place that forces her to face reality more head on. With people stealing her drugs, what's to be made of her? Will she recover? Will we even see her again? If this is the end of Nicky, then it may as well be a very sad and poignant farewell to someone who always made the show such a delight to watch week in and week out.
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| Nick Sandow |
Overall Thoughts
If there has been one downside to the first three episodes of Orange is the New Black, it has been its dedication to the slow burn. While the first episode increasingly seems inconsequential and last week being more of an establishment, it is nice to note that this is one of the episodes this season that feels like it is kicking things into gear. With plenty of humor and focused stories, it manages to tell the story of the decaying Litchfield and advance the story into an interesting direction. With the familiar tragic characters running through the episode, it ends on a strong, emotional beat and proves exactly what this show is best at. One can only hope that now that we've kicked things into gear that we're looking at a strong remaining season.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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