The economy with which Orange Is the New Black arrived at the first stage of Piper’s comeuppance is indicative of how well-oiled this storytelling machine has become. In just a few episodes, we’ve seen Piper aghast the white pride attitudes of her new cohorts (Brandy, Sanky, and Skinhead Helen), but now, even though she doesn’t agree with them, she’s willing to use them as protection. It’s smart – and more importantly it’s ruthless. It’s genuinely tough to watch her kick Hapakuka to the curb, telling her “wolves exist, which I am helpless to defend you against.” Piper’s ass gets bit hard in “It Sounded Nicer in My Head,” and while she’s never been one of OITNB‘s most likable characters, it allows for some tense, riveting filmmaking.
But there’s a nice balancing act going on here: Piper doesn’t really hate Maria, and feels remorse that Maria got more time on her sentence because of Piper’s actions. But Piper’s remorse doesn’t save her from Maria’s retaliation, which takes Orange on a detour into Oz territory. Piper’s arm gets branded, and although we don’t see the finished design, it certainly looks like a swastika. It’s impressively brutal, and nigh-impossible to look away from. Taylor Schilling commits nicely, and she and the show refuse to let Piper off the hook. She screams and cries throughout the entire process.
So let’s uh, shift gears for a second – Nichols is back! The reunion is legitimately sweet, especially the hug she shares with Red. “Some things are worth the shot,” Red says, while a guard writes her up in the background. That, and the welcome back party that the inmates throw for her (Piper: “Do the guards know about this?” Doggett: “Why, you gonna narc us out?”) is the sunniest this episode gets. And I know this is something I harp on in all of my OITNB reviews, but I’m unfailingly impressed at the show’s balance of tone. If any other show had the scenes I described above, in the same episode, it would likely give the viewer whiplash. Orange Is the New Black not only manages the feat, but it does so with aplomb.
And let’s not forget the real heart of the episode, which is Lolly Whitehill. The revelation last season that she wasn’t a hitman but was just paranoid and delusional was good for a shock-laugh, but “It Sounded Nicer in My Head” does a wonderful job of humanizing the woman behind the conspiracy theories and off-kilter delivery.
Whitehill’s flashback might be the best one of the season so far, and Christina Brucato does such a good job as the young Whitehill that at first I thought it was just Lori Petty in a wig. Brucato, a relative unknown who’s had parts in The Intern and Welcome To the Dollhouse (which Healy saw on a date in “Doctor Psycho”) not only nails Petty’s mannerisms and delivery, but gets to the heart of the character despite limited screentime. And Brucato’s performance (and casting) is so goddamn good that it makes it even more hilarious that when it came time for Maria’s flashback, OITNB just put Jessica Pimentel in a long wig and a schoolgirl outfit.
The saddest thing about Whitehill’s past is that she genuinely wasn’t hurting anyone. Sure, it’s a little cheesy the first time you hear the voices in her head, but it gets unsettling really quickly. Petty, when she steps back into the role, does her best work so far on the show. It’s absolutely devastating to hear her confess, “I’ve seen a lot of dragons, Mr. Healy.” It’s enough to make you root for Healy to actually help her.
There was other stuff going on, all of it just fine (like Judy King’s racist puppet, who exclaims things like “He took your pie, he ate your pie, then I ate him, cause I loves watermelon!”). To say that it doesn’t have the impact of Whitehill or Pipers’ stories isn’t a strike against the show – with an episode this good, it’s hard to think of many complains.
A Few Thoughts
- Linda’s idea of being romantic: “I almost drove over to surprise you last night, but I was too tired to make the commute.”
- Caputo’s good intentions are not going to work out. He wants to reduce recidivism, but MCC needs people to go to prison in order to turn a profit. Even Linda characterizes his education initiative as a “means of control.”
- Aleida is slowly becoming likable, which I honestly didn’t think was possible.
- I loved this exchange between Nichols and Muccio: “You’re really married?” “Yeah, you thought I was lying?” “Yeah!”
- Also, a correction of my review of “Piece of Sh*t”: it’s been pointed out to me, correctly, that Nichols relapsed because she supplied Sophia with the magazine that Sophia used to hurt herself. Not because of Luschek. This explanation makes a lot more sense.
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