That's true. I never really liked Morello a ton because too much casual racism, but how kind she was to Rosa and how she knew that what she needed was to die on her own terms really brought her back to Earth.

I love Nicky's role as color commentary and Morello had one hell of a reveal in her, but I agree. I'm rewatching S1, and I forgot how much time is wasted on Piper getting huffy every time Alex walks through the cafeteria for like half the season.

Caputo is somehow the most justly principled person working at that prison who could give a shit about anybody's well being, and yet he throws it all away the instant his dick gets involved. Pretty much every stupid, terrible thing he did this year was either to impress Fisher or to punish her for liking Luchek more…

That final scene really really resonates with me, and it's hard to explain why. It's not perfectly of a piece with the main story about loyalty and family, and it focuses on a character who had only a handful of lines last year.

Red is such a boss. Especially when she throws in that patented half understanding, half condescending Janeway Sideye.

I really liked that line (and was glad to see Yoga Jones the few times she popped up this year). It's true, humility is a virtue. But it's not more virtuous than being on the side of human decency.

Favorite Episode: The whole season is stronger than any individual hour, but the 4th is probably the objective best.

Ahh that leave Litchfield idea is giving me "Nancy Botwin burns down Agrestic" flashbacks

Vee absolutely manipulates people, thinks she's above them, and doesn't care what happens to them as a result of her dangerous lifestyle, but I wouldn't call her a true sociopath. I think she picks up weak people as lackeys because she's at her core, a coward.

Kind of a reversal of how we see prisoners/criminals dramatized in most procedural type crime fiction.

Well, judging from that flashback she doesn't seem like the type to tiptoe around sensitive issues. This is the woman who prioritized "folding laundry" over "baby not eating cigarettes."

In Piper Kerman's AMA, someone asked her about what her husband thought of his character, and she said something along the lines of "He understands what fiction is and is a good sport about Fictional Larry." Real Larry really is a saint!

I appreciate the idea of having people on the outside to contrast with life in the prison. It's the same reason why making the CO's characters works.

I've been waiting for the shoe to drop with Morello's character ever since she spewed so much fucking racism in season one, so I felt more horrified/justified… but I was also relieved because my favorites are all safe and sympathetic and not terrifying stalkers LOLOLOL

Yep, that's what I loved about that episode. By erasing all differences, you ignore things that should stick out to you. But they ignored the need for black role models, they ignored that while her social development is erratic that she's clearly too old to be her sister's playmate, and they even ignored that, hello,…

And yet at the same time, she's clearly struggling there. Her parents mean well, but their "colorblindness" has lead to some actual blindness. They just refuse to see the very real problems that she has—or just can't understand why they happened despite her "lucky" upbringing. Because if they should have helped her…

I said "ooh, burn" to my computer and then immediately felt stupid

I don't think there's a show that matches my actual life experiences less (I am black and a lady, but a very straight and narrow law-abider) and yet has more emotional resonance for me.

The bench is so deep in this cast. I look as forward to O'Neill/Wanda scenes this season as I did to Taystee/Poussey scenes last season.

I've been happy to see that the other characters have been referring to her as "Suzanne" or "Warren" more often this season. Netflix needs to take a page from their own show