OITNB Season 4 discussion ***WITH SPOILERS***

[honeysucklejasmine]

A discussion thread for those of us with no self control at all, who have finished OITNB S4.

What was your favourite moment from the series?

What are you most looking forward to from season 5?

Chapman with the nazi thing burned onto her, that's insane, thing is I remember Healy being a douche last season and now he seems to be mostly caring (am on ep 9) got some comedy but it's kinda dark

Didn't piper only get a year in prison though? Why is she still in there?

I can't remember exactly I thought it got extended if not, the TL is completely screwed as someone had a baby In one season, so 3 seasons over 2 months would be insane considering

The hitman guard was employed when they were hiring anything with a pulse, using a fake social security number. He was murdered on the day a bunch of guards walked off the job. Nobody really got to know him as he was only there a couple of weeks and in all the chaos it was probably barely noticed that someone else had walked off the job when the shit hit the fan.

While Psych may be ineffective and terrible, Lolly did "deserve" it... She basically did kill that guard, brutally, then started talking about going swimming like it was nothing.

Piper kicked the fuck out of Pensatucky at the end of season 1 remember? That got her sentence extended.

Oh yes! Thanks

Barely a couple of months passed this whole season.

At the end of season 3 Margarita and Cesar's baby was 6 months old. When she collects Alaida the baby is still a non walking babe in arms maybe 8 months.

Or maybe less. Alaida got told of early release in the first couple of episodes that she was getting out in two weeks but it took the whole series.

The dead guy in the garden well his hand wasnt even decomposed badly when taken out of the ground.

Piper did not get her sentence extended: remember the scene in caputos office. They spent time in seg for beating each other up and hugged it out there to end the matter.

This series just crammed alot into a few weeks.

Piper's sentence was extended for perjury in Kubra's trial.

It's the height or end of summer when they run into the lake and autumn when they're outside eating breakfast and mourning Washington.

BTW:
I'm pretty sure that Poussey says her father is a major in the army. Caputo addresses him as General.

I hope Mr Washington kicks up a massive stink!

yes there were flashbacks in earlier series with Poussey living in Germany on an army base with her family - she had a German girlfriend.

OITNB is so great at showing just how fucked up the US prison system is and also general legal system.

Poussey was the one to die and she was one of the people imprisoned for doing fuck all. The suits mentioned she was doing time for low level possession - I imagine at some point after her "perfect day/evening" she got busted with the weed she was selling to go travel. She should never have been in prison. But she was sent down (perhaps racially motivated sentencing) and then put in the care of under qualified, untrained, abusive angry people, many of them rapists and thugs themselves. They are the ones in charge.

And the ex-soldiers, having participated in absolute horrific crimes while under the employ of the US Govt, just sent back out in society and employed by private prison corps.

It's a bitter cycle of misery and hate.

I'm just rewatching with my husband. Just saw the scene where Nicky gets drugs at the salon and pays for it with Reds mirror.

It got me wondering... Without cash currency in the prison how does it make any money for the drug dealers outside?

I know Vee insisted on stamps for that very reason in Season 2. Cindy got it slot of trouble was swapping and it was only cigarettes at the time.

there are lots of ways detailed here:
www.alternet.org/drugs/how-run-drug-dealing-network-prison

I have really enjoyed this season. I love that the show focuses on women and gives all of them an equal platform.

I don't like the guards. I wish some of them are more intelligent and not so unscrupulous. I feel like they're either evil or stupid, nothing in between.

Strumpet they seem to exchange drugs for sexual favours.

Re the guards - it's a high stress, quite skilled, trained job to be a good/effective prison guard.

But they are recruiting unskilled uneducated people and not training them. The (more) skilled experienced guards all walked/were fired because they wanted to reduce their benefits etc. So then the ex-army people are brought in who are very violent and have a whole range of issues that get projected onto the inmates who become more and more dehumanised..

I thought S4 particularly was very good at documenting this complete downward spiral of moral, safety, treatment of prisoners etc. Starting with the loss of experienced staff end of S3, recruitment of completely unskilled untrained people and ending in the death of an innocent, and a potential riot.

Poor Healy has checked himself in somewhere for a mental health break. What happened to the black women counselor - she wasn't in S4?

Re Caputo, being lead by his dick is his biggest weakness. Even he is slowly realizing he is shagging the devil.

She was suspended whilst they investigated Suzanne's book, I think. At least, she didn't come back after the suspension.

When caputo suspended the crooked guard I was all "yesssss!!" Until piscatella told him not to. I like caputo and think he really wants the best for the prison but can be so weak

yes massive power play between Caputo & Piscatella - Caputo is another one who is meant to be "in charge" but is ultimately undermined and unsupported by both his employers AND employees. Horrible place to be.

I think he does have good intentions (however that works with his constant use of people in his care as wank fodder) and really wants to put in education etc, but indeed he is also very weak.

Fast forwarded through thread for place marking- haven't read a single post!

OMG I'm such a dick - For some reason all this time I thought that Lolly was played by Ellen DeGeneres - nice little side line for her I thought.

But its Lori Petty (I'm so sorry Lori).

Thought is was an amazing season. I was devastated at poor Poussey's death. Her alcohol struggles and eagerness to avoid conflict made her a sympathetic and believable character. I really felt for her.

OMG I'm such a dick - For some reason all this time I thought that Lolly was played by Ellen DeGeneres blush - nice little side line for her I thought.

I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't her!

I really can't stand Nicky, was very disappointed to see her back! Did she not say she was clean for 3 years? How does that fit in with the timeline?

Well I guess it includes the time is minimum security too. Although she was in possession of drugs in minimum, i don't think she actually took any, did she?

Poussays death was awful and you could see it coming with every breath.

I think I found this season so hard because I hated the way the new guards dehumanized the inmates after 3 seasons of learning all about them all and making them people, showing us what a community they were.

Still I guess they're all united again now. Not sure what the ending means for the next series.