Orange Is The New Black: Final Season

[JirinPanthosa]

Episode 7, thoughts on Caputo’s situation:

Spoiler

Not sure how I feel about this. It’s a more nuanced discussion of MeToo than you usually see. As the omnipotent audience we know exactly what went down. She was fired because she complained about the fairness of the shot quotas. But, he did kind of creep over her a lot and hide poorly that he liked her. He was inappropriate but not as guilty as she perceived, but I can’t fault her seeing it that way either, from her experience for how guys attracted to her treat her.

Also, I thought Piper was demoted to recurring this year but she’s in every episode still making me want to slap her.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The biggest problem with the Caputo situation:

Spoiler: Only through episode 7 but commenting on how many times Fischer appears

Without giving away how it may or may not be resolved, the biggest problem with the way the show explores the issue with Caputo is that we only see Fischer once and the entire scenario is seen from only Caputo's perspective. While I like how they deal with it to a degree from his side, it's problematic that we only ever see Fischer the one time.

Also, I thought Piper was demoted to recurring this year but she’s in every episode still making me want to slap her.

I never heard that claim. The show concludes much in the way it started: Focused on Piper's journey. Thankfully, she's still only one part of it, but she's clearly the lead story (or at least the co-lead with Taystee).

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I mean, I thought the writers considered her the weakest character because her story was the least interesting. They stopped using her as the audience perspective character when they made her a crazy panty smuggler who takes stupid risks us privileged white folks wouldn’t take. I thought the purpose of taking her out of prison was to focus on the more interesting characters.

And she’s still doing it, and again getting more and more chances we know nobody else in the cast would ever be given.

Spoiler

Christ, people are being falsely convinced and deported and she can’t follow parole rules! She happens to have the nicest parole officer in the world who also can’t believe how ****ing stupid she is.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, like I said in my review, her story is full of white privilege. Bleah. The only good thing to come out of the whole thing is Alicia Witt and a certain someone's cameo.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

How long does parole last anyway? Is it just the term of your jail sentence?

I was hoping Piper would learn the lesson her real life namesake did that her story wasn’t the important one and maybe actually write the memoir she talked about in season 6. Unlike Piper Kerman, Piper Chapman didn’t learn a thing.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Considering the wonkiness of the show's timeline, it's whatever the show wants it to be.

(I don't know how far you are but it does answer that question)

And yeah, Piper Chapman learned nothing. She's just as privileged as she was when she went in. Perhaps not as spoiled, but still privileged.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Ten episodes in now. This season is still just beating the crap out of every character.

I googled “boiled parsley”, and saw it’s used in some cultures for blood sugar control.

So I fully expect that woman to die of diabetes by the end of the season. This season is more brutal than the kind of film that wins the Sight and Sound polls.

Yeah, gotta love the show’s timeline. How only two years pass in the show, but it’s always the year it is airing in.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The boiled parsley thing was weird but the reason behind it becomes clear later on.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Ooohhhhh...the internet articles also said not to take it during pregnancy because it could cause miscarriage. That must be her intent.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I finished the season.

I'm glad after all the horrible things that happened in the season they left on a semi-positive note.

Spoiler

Gloria and Blanca getting their freedom. Soso dating a Nazi. Piper moving to Ohio and getting a job a Starbucks to wait for Alex, Alex reuniting with the lost half of the white cast. Taystee choosing life and becoming a real activist from within prison. Cindy and Suzanne growing up. Nicky becoming the Prison Mother. Flaca fighting the good fight.

Although a few real gut punches, the paralegal woman likely dying in the desert trying to get back to her kids. The Diaz saga ending by the mother murdering her daughter out in the open to protect her other daughters. Doggit, of course. And the second worst guard split across every season becoming Warden. (Behind Humps, he is worse than Mendez). Lorna's complete breakdown.

My only complaint is that I don't get why at the end when they were revisiting all the lost characters, we didn't get just one scene of Bursett and Ingels having a nice conversation.

 

[Finn]

I'd liked to see Poussey again...

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I'd liked to see Poussey again...

We did, in Taystee’s flashback to her time out in season 1.

 

[Finn]

Spoiler: Spoiler

Yeah but I'd like to have seen her waving good bye in the end like the others. I believe we saw Doggett as well so why not?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Yeah but I'd like to have seen her waving good bye in the end like the others. I believe we saw Doggett as well so why not?

Careful about spoilers, I'm trying to spoilermark anything that isn't vague or non-revealing of major story events.

We did get that with Poussey though, we just got it back in season 4. That whole episode of getting lost and getting swept up in a bunch of fun stuff.

Hey, did we get any shots of Piper with short sleeves in the season? I'm just surprised nobody asked about her 'Window' and it didn't seem to be visible in any shot. It seems like a missed comical opportunity when Zelda asks her what her tattoo means and she has to clumsily explain how she accidentally started a white power gang.

 

[Finn]

How is that spoilers????

 

[JirinPanthosa]

How is that spoilers????

Spoiler

You mentioned that Doggit died.

 

[Finn]

I didn't

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I didn't

Spoiler

You said "I believe we saw Doggett so why not?" in response to a conversation about why we hadn't heard from Poussey. Anyone who had seen up to season 6 would connect the dots and realize what you meant.

 

[Finn]

Eh...perhaps

I'll fix it when we get home

 

[Finn]

Done