Jackson Ball reviews the tenth episode of Orange Is the New Black Season 2 …
As we continue to build to Season 2’s climax, we are presented with one of the most well-rounded episodes to date. Episode 10, like so many others, deals with a more complex side of love; more specifically the crazy, vengeful side… Hell hath no fury indeed…
Warning! Spoilers Ahead – You have been warned!
After spending a good chunk of this season in background, it’s nice to have Piper (Taylor Schilling) back at centre-stage. Even in her less crucial role, Schilling has excelled in her performance in season 2, building a tough-cookie shell to Piper’s gooey, vulnerable centre. Here, we explore her long and complicated relationship with Alex (Laura Prepon) via series of flashbacks. Fans among you will remember similar flashbacks throughout season 1, however this time around we get to glimpse the previously unseen beginnings of their relationship.
In an interesting twist, it turns out that in her pre-arrest days, Piper was actually ‘the other woman’. Hers and Alex’s blossoming love overlapped with the latter’s previous relationship, which led to some bitter (and pretty childish) acts of retaliation.
In what is arguably OITNB’s most cyclical of episodes, Piper’s flashbacks mirror her present-day love-triangle with Larry (Jason Biggs) and Polly (Maria Dizzia). It’s been obvious for some time now that Piper and Larry’s relationship is beyond-saving, what with her cheating on him with Alex and him doing likewise with Polly, but it’s nice to see them both getting to unleash a little (childish) vengeance. Moving forward though, I’m curious as to what is going to become of Larry and Polly. It seems as though all ties between them and Piper have been officially severed, so it’ll interesting to see if that really is the case.
The jealousy and spite seems to have spread to the rest of the inmates and prison staff too. Bennett’s (Matt McGory) frustration finally gets the better of him, forcing him to throw ‘Pornstache’ Mendez (Pablo Shreiber) under the metaphorical bus by claiming that Daya’s (Dascha Polanco) unborn child is his. This results in Mendez’s immediate arrest, but in true Pornstache-style he goes out in a blaze of glory, declaring his love at the top of his lungs and asking Daya to ‘wait for him’.
Elsewhere, Poussey (Samira Wiley) is finally pushed to breaking point by the conniving Vee (Lorraine Toussaint). Vee has taken everything from Poussey: her friends, her ‘family’ and even BFF Tastee (Danielle Brookes). Finally, Poussey confronts the creepy-as-hell matriarch, but gets a savage beating in return. Brutal stuff…
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Originally published June 27, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
