Orange Is the New Black 4.06

Piece of Shit

Luschek finds a bunch of mail in his in box. A fair amount of it has no name on it but its pretty clear to him who it came from, Nichols. She has been sending him hate letters. They are short and to the point. He tries to brush it off but his conscience is getting the better part of him.

Chapman starts to get nervous about her business operations. Some members of the patrol that Chapman organized know about the Ruiz operation. Chapman thinks she is safe but starts to get worried and after she gets some advice from Boo she takes action. She plants evidence in Ruiz' bunk.

Judy King notices that Luschek smells of alcohol. He comes clean and shares his stash with her. She helps him out with his guilt problem, as best she can. She gives him some advice. He goes to see Nichols. She isn't happy to see him.

Cindy and Taystee figure that if they can get some pictures of Judy King then they can sell them for some money. They just need a cell phone. Abdullah approaches Cindy with an offer but Cindy thinks she wants too much for the use of her cell phone.

Nichols tries to help Burset out, but later she has to clean up Burset's cell which has blood on the walls.

Poussey and Soso are still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship but they encounter a problem. Soso isn't as eager to explore the sexual side of their relationship as Poussey is.

Red gets some pills. She hasn't been able to get a decent night's rest in weeks. She takes one and is out for an extra long period of time.

Judy King does Luschek a favor. She hires a lawyer to help Nichols get out of Max. King wants something in return and threatens to talk about him bringing alcohol into the prison if he doesn't return the favor.

Taystee mediates a negotiation between Cindy and Abdullah. It starts off tense but it isn't long before the two bunk mates are getting along quite well.

Piscatella recommends that Ruiz have 3-5 years added to her sentence for what she's done. She wanted to keep their operation simple but after learning about the added years on her sentence she decides that they should branch out to drugs. She knows it was Chapman who did this to her and intends to pay her back.

Thoughts

There is no back story spotlight in this episode. This episode did not feel very light. There are a few light moments but blink and you'll miss them. The show feels like it is getting darker.

Carlin makes a brief appearance in this episode. I believe this is her last appearance in this series. Nichols gets her first appearance of consequence since early in Season 3.

The only scene outside of the prison or the general area of the prison is one that shows Joe and Linda in bed.

This is a decent episode but it feels like a stepping stone to something bigger or more consequential. It wasn't as satisfying to watch as I hoped it would be. It feels like the show is going back to focusing on Chapman. Not every scene is about her but it feels like her storyline is getting more time and attention than any other.