I confess. I binged the entire second season of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK in two days. Now I’m rewinding and going back to season one to take both seasons all in again. I can’t really wait a year, so I’m introducing my husband to a show I have fallen in love with. I really wish I had savored every episode and spread it out during the course of a few weeks.
As soon as it was over, I went into withdrawal mode. I missed the characters I had become so attached to over the course of two days and dreaded the fact that I’d have to wait a whole year to find out more about their fates. It’s been a few weeks since I finished the show, but I’ve had time to digest all the plot lines.
Here is a list of some of my favorite story lines that appeared in season 2:
1. In the first episode, we watch as Piper is taken to another prison, thinking the reason is because she murdered Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett with a sharp cross. As we watch her struggle to come to terms with a murder she didn’t commit, her former lover enters the picture and ultimate screws her over in a courtroom. I was on the edge of my seat during this episode, and while I missed the rest of the prison mates during this episode, I was fascinated by the new ones, particularly the ones who forced Piper to catch roaches so they could transport things around the prison.
2. Lorna Morello has had me believing she was engaged since the show kicked off last year. We’ve heard tales of her wedding dress, her gorgeous fiancee, Christopher and their future together, even while having sex with Nicky Nichols. Well, this season, we find out that not only are they not ever getting married but that she’s psychotic. Her one interlude with him when he comes to visit is very upsetting, as is her brief break-in to his home. This character developed a lot this season, and it was kind of heartbreaking to watch.
3. The dynamics between Taystee and Vee, as well as between Daya and her mother, shed light on the whole mother/daughter relationship in prison. Vee was a heck of a character. She was vicious and hateful, yet I wanted to like her for Taystee’s sake. The more she got between her and Poussey, I hated her more, and her bizarre past and relationship with Red was harrowing. My last straw was an incest scene with her son, and I was happy Taystee ultimately gave up on her, as did the rest of her crew. As for Daya’s mom, she came around. Last season she treated her daughter like a slut for getting pregnant with prison guard John Bennett, but this season she started to protect her
4. I loved when Piper got out for a “furlough” for a few days to mourn her grandmother. It was interesting to see how she chose to spend it, clearly hoping to reunite with Larry. I was hoping they would get back together, but chances were already looking slim as he seemed to have moved in on her best friend, Polly. Still, I enjoyed seeing Piper relish her few days of freedom and wonder if she would have gotten out in real life?
5. We got to know some of the prison guards better this season. Sam Harney is trying to become more compassionate and known as a helper to the prisoners and Natalie “Fig” Figueroa finally got caught for embezzling the prison’s money. While we watched Fig go down, we also watched her suffer over her cheating husband, and I can still picture her sobbing on the floor of her office in the last episode.
6. I absolutely loved getting to know Rosa. Who would have thought she was a bank robber? As we watched her cope with having cancer in prison, and her relationship unfold with another cancer patient at the hospital, I grew to love her. She owned the last scene in the season finale, and it was perfection.
7. Suzanne, or “Crazy Eyes,” has been one of my favorite characters since the show started, and I liked her evolution this season. Her relationship with Vee meant a lot to her and put her in the center of a group of friends for the first time. When she takes the heat for Vee, I appreciated her sincerity but realized she’s really nuts!
8. The relationship between Poussey and Taystee got really interesting. One wants more than just friendship, the other not so much, but they need each other. They were at war some of the time, and lying in bed together some of the time. I can’t wait to see how it plays out in upcoming seasons. I also loved getting to know Poussey. Her character came to life this season, and her back story was so interesting.
9. Gloria, oh, Gloria. Finding out how she landed in prison was heartbreaking. After the episode that revolved around her and her struggle to care for her family and leave an abusive man, and how it all landed her in prison, I found new respect for her.
10. Loved the flashbacks involving Sister Ingalls (the nun who chained herself to a nuclear test site’s flagpole).
What was your favorite scene, episode or character in season 2?
Disclosure: I’m a member of the Netflix Stream Team and receive complimentary Netflix to faciliate monthly posts but all content is original and unbiased.
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