Orange is the New Black Season 4 Episode 9 Review: Turn Table Turn
Elizabeth Harlow
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Somehow I don't think eau de oyster is what Thoreau had in mind when he preached civil disobedience.
But sometimes you've got to make do with what you've got. Blanca certainly made it work on Orange is the New Black Season 4 Episode 9. But while she's busy sticking it to the man, the man is busy terrorizing inmates.
It was so strange watching Bianca Blanca's flashbacks because of how markedly different she was. Her method of rebellion (in the past and in the present) was extreme, but the desire to just say eff it is something we all have, and just usually don't act on.
I'm still curious about what landed her in Litchfield. There's some thought that it's elder abuse, but for all her terrorizing mean old Millie, she was still taking care of her the next day. She may have put the witch in her place, but she wasn't letting her piss herself or anything.
Her rebellion with Millie mirrored her rebellion with Stratman – you can't tell Blanca what to do. It's hard to tell if her actions are truly "civil disobedience" as she claims, or just a satisfying personal act of rebellion. The stop-and-frisks being enacted are horribly racist, and the guards are definitely abusing them, but she seemed to enjoy pissing him off more than really avoiding them.
Stratman: This isn't B.O. You've doused yourself in something evil. Is this some kind of game?
Blanca: Jenga is a game. This is civil disobedience.
While Blanca received one of the "creative" punishments, it was pretty funny watching Sister Ingalls try so hard to get sent down to SHU with no success. Of course, she didn't know that max was full or that she picked the worst possible guards to try and piss off.
You have to admire her tenacity though, and Gloria's willingness to help her out. Having Sofia's story play out through these two and Crystal has been frustrating, but that's kind of the point. If we knew exactly what was happening to her, we wouldn't relate as well to their sense of urgency about the situation.
Alex: We could both probably use, like, a week where we don't do something pathetic and/or morally incriminating.
Piper: Where your first thought in the morning isn't, "I have defiled myself in the eyes of God and man."
Piper might not have made any reparations, but at least she's stopped getting worse. Maybe she's finally hit rock bottom and is ready to rise from her own ashes.
Whatever the case, having her back in the family, and on good terms with Alex, is far preferable to solo Chapman. It's hard to feel sorry for her when she's in a hole of her own making, and there's no outlet for her funnier side, which is what makes her likable.
Digori: That's how they get you. With words. They put ideas in the words that make you start thinking.
Skinhead Helen: I never thought about it that way.
Digori: Yeah. Well, then, all of a sudden you're like, "What if other people are having these experiences that are different than mine, but still totally legit? And what if I'm supposed to think about that before I start judging their lives?"
One of my favorite scenes was out on the construction site. The conversation between Digori and Skinhead Helen was completely surreal, completely meta, and completely perfect. The fact that is segued so seamlessly into the showdown between Pennsatucky and Big Boo only elevated it further.
I was disheartened by Big Boo's response to Doggett. While I'm not on board with her resuming a relationship with Coates, Pennsatucky needed a friend, not judgment. Dealing with sexual assault trauma, especially trauma inflicted by a person you know, is a personal journey. 'Tucky needs to do 'Tucky, and not worry about what other people have to say.
Pennsatucky: What if he's just like a regular person who made a mistake? Right? I mean, come on, we both know I'm not innocent.
Big Boo: Yeah, but you never -- Okay, you did...shoot a human being with a hunting rifle. But she had it coming.
Pennsatucky: No, she didn't.
While Pennsatucky had a major epiphany about the human condition, and two white pride girls got meta about the importance of acknowledging other people's perspectives, we were also shown the exception that proves the rule with CO Humphrey.
The scene with the baby mouse was hard to watch for so many reasons, only one of which was his psychotic behavior. There was also the dread as Martiza walked in, when you just knew that having a cute inmate drive one-on-one with any of these CO's to their homes was asking for an assault to happen.
And then the mouse itself -- not only did the idea of eating a living thing make me choke, but I happen to think that baby mice are cute in their ugliness. And I felt as helpless as Maritza when he put that gun to her head, knowing that there's nothing to be done about the situation.
I mean, sure, it's a little Abu Ghraib-y, but...sure.
Dixon
How long until Caputo finds out just how bad things have gotten under his watch? Is Black Cindy going to end up getting that race war she was begging for? Will Nicky get clean? We'll just have to keep watching to find out!
Remember to watch Orange is the New Black online before you drop your thoughts in the comments section! TV Fanatic Amanda Steinmetz will be back tomorrow with her review of Orange is the New Black Season 4 Episode 10; don't forget to check it out!
Elizabeth Harlow was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the organization in October 2018.
