Man, Orange Is the New Black is really reaching deep into its roster for flashbacks, isn’t it? I guess the writing was on the wall when we saw Chang’s flashback last season, but man, who was clamoring to see more of Maria? For that matter, who remembered Maria’s name before this episode? I sure as hell didn’t.
Now, that’s a lot of bitching to start off a review with. For what it’s worth, I liked “Power Suit.” Maybe not as much as “Work That Body For Me,” but sometimes stories have to take time to develop, and that’s what we’re seeing here.
About that flashback: I have to admit that Jessica Pimentel does fine work in the role of Maria Ruiz, which can be pretty stock at times. She’s more interesting in the flashbacks than she is in Litchfield, and the race-based nature of her former life dovetails nicely with the main plot of “Power Suit,” which concerns the fomenting race war in prison.
The Mexicans and Puerto Ricans don’t like the Dominicans, none of them like the black inmates, and the white ladies seem to exist here just to stir up shit. Yeah, soccer is boring, but do you really want to start a fight over it, ornery new white inmate? Apparently the answer is “yes,” because she and her friend push Blanca down the stairs, which results in her getting her ass kicked by Maria and some of the newbies. (Sorry for not using names, but there’s approximately a hundred new inmates to keep track of and OITNB hasn’t bothered to assign names to many of them.) That’s pretty much the payoff of Maria’s backstory, which is why it all felt so slight to me. OITNB at its best knocks these flashbacks out of the park, but for whatever reason Maria’s didn’t work for me the way others did (like, say, Boo or Pennsatucky).
But “Power Suit” worked in spite of that, because of the strength of individual scenes. Probably my favorite was Boo and Pennsatucky scoping out Maritza, trying to find any evidence that Coates has assaulted her as well. It’s funny, to an extent, but also deeply sad. A lot of that is owed to Taryn Manning’s performance, which has matured nicely over the course of the show’s four seasons.
Where once Pennsatucky was shrill, aggressive, and thoroughly unlikable, now she is one of the beating hearts of Litchfield. There’s real concern in her voice when she asks Maritza “Did you see the ducks? Did you get the ice cream?” Knowing what we do about her past – more evidence of a successful flashback – we know how hard it is for her to put herself out there for an inmate she barely knows. But the scene avoids becoming too maudlin by virtue of Maritza and Flaca’s response, where they assume Pennsatucky’s seizure was real.
Piper, however, is on the verge of a backslide. Her insistence on referring to herself as “a big deal around here” grates the audience as much as it does her fellow inmates, but it doesn’t drown the show. Last season, Orange Is the New Black embraced its identity as an ensemble, and stopped bending over backwards to make Piper likable, which arguably makes her a better character.
Elsewhere in character sabotage, Caputo appears to be drinking the MCC Kool-Aid. Beyond contributing to their plan to hire veterans they seem to despite, he buys an $1,100 suit! But I’ll be the first to say it fits him like a glove. Joe Caputo was poured into that damn suit. Yowza. But Caputo’s transformation rings true, because he really has worked his ass off for Litchfield, and as despicable as MCC may be, it’s hard to argue that he deserves his due.
So even though “Power Suit” stumbled at times, it remained true to the most important part of Orange Is the New Black, and that’s the characters. This won’t be the best episode of the show’s fourth season, but it’s unmistakably a part of it. And that’s still pretty good.
A Few Thoughts
- I wasn’t sure where to put this in the review, but: Kate Mulgrew has fucking flawless delivery. Probably my favorite line of the episode was her lightly telling Piper, “My power is no illusion. I could fucking demolish you.” Beyond that, she’s remarkably adept at physical comedy.
- I’m loving the connection between Poussey and Soso. They are flirting hard and I am HERE for it (that’s how kids talk, I’m told). Am I a stan for them? I’m so confused.
- Cindy isn’t one of my favorite characters, but I love how seriously she takes being Jewish. I’m all in favor of her calling herself Tovah. What an unexpected route for the character.
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