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[Amory]

Man I binged on this show yesterday. Probably watched 2 episodes friday and then the other 11 yesterday.

Some thoughts:

Spoiler

What a great ending. Seeing Vee get her ass run over was awesome and I'm glad they didn't go out with as big a cliffhanger as last season.

Piper is basically the worst. She's got like 8 months left on her sentence, she's settled in and has made some friends, but she still pulls Alex back in because she can't deal. Really an unlikeable character.

It was stupid to put Larry and the best friend together. It's a completely ridiculous twist and now the two of them are tough to like as well.

I think Healy is one of the most interesting characters on the show. The transitions from him being an ignorant whackjob to a sympathetic dude who has a ton of shit to deal with is really compelling. I wish his mail order wife was nicer to him

Enough with Pennsatucky. She had an important role in season 1 and it seemed like they tried to keep her as a main character in season 2 but she had no real story associated with her. Should've just "had her sent to another prison" after the fight or something.

Problem with Netflix's model is that the gaps between seasons are crazy long if you watch a show in its entirety the first week it's out. Gonna be a tough wait.

 

[kirblar]

A few characters seemed to be getting way too much time spent on them despite not really doing much of anything all season. Felt like the show only really needs 1-2 more seasons to wrap things up in a nice way.

 

[Bladenic]

A few characters seemed to be getting way too much time spent on them despite not really doing much of anything all season. Felt like the show only really needs 1-2 more seasons to wrap things up in a nice way.

Hopefully they end it after Season 3/4, if Weeds is anything to go by Kohan can only do 3 good seasons before things start going downhill.

 

[Tucah]

Episode 12:

Spoiler

That ending They better not kill off Red, fuck Vee.

I told a friend I'd wait to watch the finale later tonight but it's going to be awfully hard.

 

[Kreed]

Done!

Overall? A bit lackluster. Not as bad as House of Cards season 2, but a bit dull none the less.

Here we go... (spoilers galore)

Spoiler

Overall it felt like a season without any real consequences. It never went anywhere, but instead ran in a big circle by conclusion. Plus we're given so many questionable circumstances:

Morello visits the man she stalks and isn't caught, she's only yelled at. End of story. Really?

By mid-season, the issue with Healy's turning a blind eye to attempted murder is ignored and he's back to good guy status (yet still a closet chauvinist). No one attends his therapy and he's grumpy again. Awww

Aleida says she wants her baby to have a father buuuut wants the CO babies' daddy to turn himself in and go to jail? And she calls him a bitch for not doing so, yet is ok with her pals bribing him? Que?

We follow Jason Biggs, who sleeps with Piper's bff. But the audience long since forgotten about Biggs after season one's betrayal, so he's nothing more than useless weight. Why is he there?

Pornstache returns, but only for 2 episodes before being thrown back out after he's used as a scape-goat.

Vee and Red have like less than 10 underlings a piece and this is suppose to be a credible turf war? Why didn't Red just kill Vee? Why didn't Vee just kill Red?

We're supposed to feel bad for endangered Vause, even after that S2E1 betrayal? Chapman still has a hard-on for her? "I love you, but I hate you." Ugh.

Figueroa is obviously the big bad, yet I'm supposed to care her marriage sucks? Who cares? Though the BJ was pretty great. And how is it that no one questions her outrageous spending in the first place?

Finally, after the convenient storm of lame conclusions washed over all... we're left with an episode putting everything back to status quo, right down to Vee's exit. Oh, and Caputo is a good guy this season and is somehow in charge. Ooookaaaaay.

As a positive, it's cool Piper got some balls by the end and she had very little involvement with Vee. Nice to see the facility still functions without her. The flashbacks were decent as well.

Not as good as season 1.

These were my feelings as well (not the House of Cards Season 2 part, I actually enjoyed that more).

Spoilers for the whole season below:

Spoiler

I didn't like the "status quo" handling of the entire season, especially Vee and Red who should have faced the most consequences for their actions. Red should have been killed by Vee for not killing Vee when she had the chance and Vee shouldn't have gotten such a stupid death just to wrap everything up nicely/could have been left alive for season 3.

Pornstache could have been left out for all his return did. He had little to NO impact at all other than just getting his character to make an appearance. I also agree about Morello. It would have been nice to have her face some real consequences.

I disagree on Jason Biggs/I actually enjoyed his storyline. I was just annoyed that once again Alex is headed back to prison with Piper which was how season 1 ended anyway. Healy also was "ok" I thought, just Piper's forgiveness of him was weak/I would have liked to have seen more of a conclusion on his issues.

Daya and Penntucky were easily the worst characters this season. Penntucky being just "there" and more annoying than Soso was supposed to be vs her major involvement last season, and Daya not adding anything at all to the season other than trying to get John Bennett to throw his life away (without doing anything for herself character wise). Aleida follows the same fate since she is just a side character for Daya.

It also sucks that Sophia took a major back seat/couldn't be involved in Vee's storyline. Yoga also took a back seat/could have been more involved (particularly her story with Watson), but I think Soso was a decent addition and I liked Poussey, Cindy, and Ingalls' backstories.

Overall I just think the season should/could have had more consequences for the character's decisions. Caputo was pretty much the only character who gained anything/did anything to affect the show (getting rid of Susan, Fig, and Pornstache again and being put in charge of the prison under the warden we haven't seen yet).

And I wish Piper had stayed in Chicago a little longer in the different prison environment. At least for more than one episode.

 

[ganon]

Just finished it. Some ups and downs with Daya being the most unlikeable with boring storyline, but damn I love that finale.

Spoiler

Vee getting hit by Rosa is the best part of the whole season! One thing I don't get is why we need that Larry and Polly storyline, they are so unimportant and pointless.

 

[Dram]

Yeah I'm hoping that's the

Spoiler

last we'll see of them, but I'm sure they'll be back next season, not doing anything and taking up time that could be used on other characters. Just like what Pentucky did this season.

 

[Amory]

What I thought was weird was

Spoiler

Piper didn't really have a point in the show other than dealing with largely irrelevant characters like Polly, Larry, and Alex. She's never really involved in any of the main story lines of season 2, and what she is involved in isn't interesting.

Ok so she got sent to another prison in Chicago, something's definitely gonna go down. Nope. Actually she clearly commits perjury but no one really seems to care much.

Ok, so she got furlough. Cool, something crazy should probably happen to her when she's out for those 2 days. Nope! Basically nothing happens.

Oh shit now she's on a list for a permanent transfer to Virginia. Oh now she isn't.

Her character got more interesting because she's a "lone wolf" now, but they didn't do anything with it.

 

[Zero315]

Alright, just finished episode 11 and

Spoiler

the Larry and what's her name "romance" is really fucking gross. I already didn't like Larry by the end of the first season and now I just completely fucking hate him.

I'm actually finding Piper not as annoying as last season. Probably because there's a lot less focus on her.

Tasty is so fucking blind, as are the other girls. They're afraid of V for no fucking reason. The only power she has comes from them.

 

[shadowkat]

Vee is a fantastic villain. Her actress is amazing in the role.

Nobody deserves hatred more than Daya. She's like Piper...but without any of the white upper-class privilege to explain it.

Daya has been horrid this season.

 

[Weapxn]

Finished it this morning. A very "okay" season, if not "meh." Y'all are summing up my feelings better than I did while talking to a friend earlier.

Hopefully this ends after next season. Or maybe season four. I can't see it lasting longer than that though and still be enjoyable.

 

[slightconfuse]

End of episode 8

Yesssssssssss

 

[Amory]

I don't really get the Daya hate. She wasn't all that interesting this season but she didn't do anything really worthy of dislike. She's just kind of boring. Which can be said for a lot of characters.

Also I forgot about Brook. Brook sucks.

 

[criesofthepast]

Rosa really became one of the best characters this season. I don't remember her having much part in season one but I like how much we got to see of her this season. Her flashback episode was really cool too.

S2 finale spoiler:

Spoiler

Even though it was a bit cheesy how they transitioned old Rosa to young Rosa in the escape scene at the end, I was a bit emotional at seeing that. So glad she got to go out like a G and not die in prison. I'm guessing we won't really see her next season other than maybe a mention of her passing somehow.

 

[Dereck]

Spoiler

Can someone please explain to me the roach thing, they're using roaches to transport cigarettes? And is that white stuff glue?

 

[Linius]

Soso really doesn't play any role of significance eh, except for being annoying.

 

[Amory]

Spoiler

Can someone please explain to me the roach thing, they're using roaches to transport cigarettes? And is that white stuff glue?

I wouldn't worry too much about it...

 

[FiggyCal]

I don't really get the Daya hate. She wasn't all that interesting this season but she didn't do anything really worthy of dislike. She's just kind of boring. Which can be said for a lot of characters.

Also I forgot about Brook. Brook sucks.

I'm not entirely done with the season yet, but:

Spoiler

Daya is being really inconsiderate about how her relationship with the guard is affecting him. Firstly, without even letting him in on the plan, she had sex with Pornstache in an attempt to get him thrown in prison. Then when the plan didn't work as she had hoped, she starts feeling remorse and suddenly Bennet is the bad guy for not wanting to get slapped with a felony. She even okayed the idea of him turning himself in, saying it's what guys in her neighborhood would do. How small minded could she be? What good will come from Bennet turning himself in?

When he smuggles spinach for her because she had a thing for folic acid, she complains about not getting the pills she was asking for. Not even once considering that his job is in jeopardy from just doing that much already.

When he smuggles goodies for her friends who were extorting him (threatening his job and freedom), he was the bad guy for punishing them.

Her whole character this season has not been making sense and where as before it was kind of cute. In this season, she's just being selfish. John is trying so hard to meet her demands, but she is testing him hard.

 

[Karsticles]

I feel like some folks are complaining about weird stuff.

Spoiler

Pornstash's return is not pointless. He "learns" that the baby is his. This is setting up some kind of conflict between him and Bennet in a later season over the ownership of the child

I don't get why not liking a character is a negative of the show. Piper isn't likeable anymore...and? Why assume we are supposed to feel bad for characters? Just because bad things happen to a character, that does not mean we are "supposed" to feel sympathy. Figueroa is not portrayed sympathetically, anyway. You don't portray sympathy by making her give a blowjob and then get fucked over by two different men in her life while they smile.

Yes, Piper is petty for pulling Alex back. So what? It's a great evolution of her character to stop being a combination of moral highgrounds and Alex's plaything. Who knows what Piper's real motivation is.

Daya is an annoying character, but I think that's intended. Is she supposed to be some ideal girlfriend who works with Bennet? She's a convict who is pregnant. Bennet screwed up; he won't get to have a happy life, because Daya is not a good person.

Why does Morello need to be caught by cops for her escape to be interesting? Wasn't discovering her character enough? Everyone finding out that she's a mental case and a fraud? That was far more interesting to me.

Larry continually serves as Piper's only connection to the outside world. How could he not stay in the season, anyway, when they needed to close out their relationship? Maybe he won't be back in season 3, but I thought his presence was clear and purposeful here.

Heely isn't nice, and he isn't an ass. He's a shmuck. The dude just wants women to like him, and he has a lot of hate because it's not reciprocated in life. He tries to do nice things sometimes, and lashes out other times. Letting Pennsatucky attack Piper was him trying to "teach Piper a lesson". Heely thinks that bad influences keep women from him, like feminism. He thought Piper was a "good girl" he could connect with, but that was just an ideal he created of her. Hence he lashed out, but then he moved on in search of another woman to idealize. Now she's just another inmate there to him.

The show is primarily about the psychology and social relations between the characters. This season did a lot to further that. I don't think we need dramatic events to move the show forward.

Personally, I find Piper's character very interesting. The biggest event in the entire show hasn't been mentioned on this page: Piper enjoys her prison home now. She is past feeling remorseful, she judges others on the outside, she misses her friends, etc. This is a huge change in her life perspective, and I found the changes to be small, subtle, and enjoyable. The Chicago flight sets the stage both for her newfound understanding of enjoying her prison life and deciding to go on the attack against Alex.

I found the season less enjoyable than season 1, but a lot of the criticisms are confusing to me. My only real complaint was that many characters had their law breaking habits revealed, but it wasn't always unveiled exactly how they got caught. I find that to be important, to see the actual arrest event.

Soso really doesn't play any role of significance eh, except for being annoying.

She's for contrast against Piper.

 

[Diprosalic]

The german parts are cringe worthy, i had to skip them.

 

[kirblar]

The psychology/untreated mental health issues of a number of the inmates is definitely a major theme this season. (Full season spoilers)

Spoiler

Suzanne's left twisting in the wind by her adoptive parents who refuse to actually dael with the reality of her condition.
The elderly inmate's abandoned by the prison because she's too difficult to deal with.
Morello finally breaks through her delusion after being confronted with it in a way she can't deny.
V is ultimately revealed to be a straight-up psychopath, where every interaction she has with another person in there is a put-upon manipulation.
You really start to see how some were stuck in there due to poverty/circumstance leaving them with no good options, some were in there due to a lack of treatment, and others were likely to wind up in trouble no matter what anyone did.

 

[Kyou]

Finale stuff:

Spoiler

I see a couple people saying Piper is pulling Alex back in for selfish reasons like she can't deal with her being out, but isn't she pulling her back in to protect her from Kovac who is probably like five minutes away from murdering her?

 

[shadowkat]

I'm not entirely done with the season yet, but:

Spoiler

Daya is being really inconsiderate about how her relationship with the guard is affecting him. Firstly, without even letting him in on the plan, she had sex with Pornstache in an attempt to get him thrown in prison. Then when the plan didn't work as she had hoped, she starts feeling remorse and suddenly Bennet is the bad guy for not wanting to get slapped with a felony. She even okayed the idea of him turning himself in, saying it's what guys in her neighborhood would do. How small minded could she be? What good will come from Bennet turning himself in?

When he smuggles spinach for her because she had a thing for folic acid, she complains about not getting the pills she was asking for. Not even once considering that his job is in jeopardy from just doing that much already.

When he smuggles goodies for her friends who were extorting him (threatening his job and freedom), he was the bad guy for punishing them.

Her whole character this season has not been making sense and where as before it was kind of cute. In this season, she's just being selfish. John is trying so hard to meet her demands, but she is testing him hard.

Yes, these are my issues with Daya this season.

 

[Sean]

I was pretty disappointed with this season. In the end it felt like not much really happened, and none of the characters had great arcs.

Spoiler

Piper was mostly useless with no involvement in the main plot and the Larry/Polly stuff was also unnecessary. They didn't do anything interesting with the Pennsatucky/Piper feud either - Taryn Manning was promoted to a series regular for seemingly no reason at all. That storyline sucked and her character had even less screen time than the first season.

Sophia who was one of the best characters last season had barely any screen time this year. Nicky could've used some more lines as well. Daya was super annoying (that spinach scene, ugh) and dragged down Bennett with her - I was sympathetic towards them in the first season but now I just don't care about this couple at all. I liked what they were going for with the new character Soso (filling in the Piper S1 role) but she quickly became annoying and unlikable too.

The cute rookie prison guard Susan being fired like that was extremely weak. Pornstache taking over her job might've made up for that, but he was only there for an episode and had a weak exit also. The writers just sort of dropped the ball on the prison staff characters this season.

My biggest complaint is with the Vee storyline, it was the main focus of the season and I simply didn't enjoy watching it. The actress playing her did a solid job but the writing side was extremely predictable. I don't like how the turf war split up the cast - the greatness of the first season was seeing this super diverse group of people interacting with each other and the 'war' storyline meant they had to cut back on that. There was less funny moments and it just wasn't as enjoyable to watch.

I still enjoyed it overall, but the magic and charm of the first season wasn't there. I hope the writers get things back on track in Season 3.

 

[encephalon]

Ep. 8

I didn't really have much of a problem with Piper's character until this whole

Spoiler

furlough

business. Really?

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I think I liked this season better than last. As far as specifics

Spoiler

Piper's story was rather boring this season, and the Daya/GuardICan'tRemember relationship was especially stupid, with both members behaving really dumb. But the overall plot of the conflict between Vee and Red was very fun to watch, and I really enjoyed the arc for the Miss Rosa, with cancer and accepting death and all that. Very fun season.

 

[Zero315]

I'm not entirely done with the season yet, but:

Spoiler

Daya is being really inconsiderate about how her relationship with the guard is affecting him. Firstly, without even letting him in on the plan, she had sex with Pornstache in an attempt to get him thrown in prison. Then when the plan didn't work as she had hoped, she starts feeling remorse and suddenly Bennet is the bad guy for not wanting to get slapped with a felony. She even okayed the idea of him turning himself in, saying it's what guys in her neighborhood would do. How small minded could she be? What good will come from Bennet turning himself in?

When he smuggles spinach for her because she had a thing for folic acid, she complains about not getting the pills she was asking for. Not even once considering that his job is in jeopardy from just doing that much already.

When he smuggles goodies for her friends who were extorting him (threatening his job and freedom), he was the bad guy for punishing them.

Her whole character this season has not been making sense and where as before it was kind of cute. In this season, she's just being selfish. John is trying so hard to meet her demands, but she is testing him hard.

All of this.

Spoiler

I could not fucking stand Daya at all this season.

Just finished, I agree it wasn't as good as the first season, but it was still pretty damn good.

Season spoilers:

Spoiler

The ending with Rosa running down Vee was fucking brilliant.

I wish Nikki had more of a storyline though, she's one of my favorite characters.

Everything about Crazy Eyes story this season made me really sad, especially at the end with her crying into the Uno cards. She just wants someone to accept her and try to understand her.

Kinda the same with Morello, disturbing yet sad. Watching her break out of her delusion was heartbreaking.

Vee was a great villain. The actress played the hell outta that role. But I kinda feel like her storyline took too much away from the other girls, and actively regressed some of their characters, especially Watson.

Larry and Polly... God that was fucking disgusting. What made them think it would be a good idea to sit across from her and ask for her blessing? Everything Piper said to them was true. Hell, at least Piper had the decency to fuck someone Larry didn't know.

I wish we would've gotten more Gloria and Red scheming. Honestly I wish we would've gotten more Gloria.

Oh and as to the people saying Piper isn't "likeable" anymore... she was never fucking likeable, that's kinda the point of her character. I do think they went a long way with her this season though, as she's more accepting of the fact that she's not better than anyone in there.

Edit: Oh, right. Fuck Alex.

 

[Storm Chamber]

"This America. You can segregate the bathrooms, but the market be free."

I love Hayes. I really do

 

[SteveWinwood]

Episode 3

Spoiler

I'm gonna fall for this Asian gal aren't I. She's adorbs.

 

[Mr Cola]

Just watched episode 6 and

Spoiler

Is everyone turning Lesbian?

 

[charsace]

Caputo is

Spoiler

the GOAT corrections officer. Beer Can wins in the end.

 

[Diablos]

Wow, so, I just binged on this all weekend! It's already over!

The final scene could not have been more perfect. I actually started clapping and laughing which is hilarious as I never do that kind of thing. I was so happy to see

Spoiler

Vee get hit, that woman was PURE EVIL.

The icing on the cake being that

Spoiler

Rosa did it as one of the last acts of her life. The morph back to her young self was a... warming way to end the season.

Really amazing how much

Spoiler

Pennsatucky changed

. I was expecting more of a

Spoiler

fued between her and Piper but so much for that

.

Piper

Spoiler

seemed to hog less of the spotlight this time around, and that makes sense. If Alex is coming back for S3 then there will be a lot of scenes involving them like S1. Plus, OITNB kind of fuels itself off these characters collectively, that is what makes it so great.

Spoiler

Larry and Polly getting together isn't all that surprising; they both have significant others who haven't been faithful/ran off when they were needed the most.

All the characters on this show are so good... even the ones you hate. Quite a dynamic cast.

Spoiler

Everything about Crazy Eyes story this season made me really sad, especially at the end with her crying into the Uno cards. She just wants someone to accept her and try to understand her.

She can't even

Spoiler

accept herself because she doesn't know who she is half the time...

Overall I'd say that while not quite as good a S1 (which I already figured would be hard to top, rarely does a new show just come right out of the gate so good), it still came close enough. S3 has the potential to be just as good as S1. Still one of my favorite shows.

I was pretty disappointed with this season. In the end it felt like not much really happened, and none of the characters had great arcs.

* stuff *

I still enjoyed it overall, but the magic and charm of the first season wasn't there. I hope the writers get things back on track in Season 3.

I do agree with you... to an extent.

Spoiler

Vee and her little war definitely sucked up a LOT of screen time; 2-3 eps too many, I would argue. Of course, Red is awesome and she played a big role in that too. The whole fued was kind of about setting the tone for what the status quo should be. The guards/Caputo 'lost the plot' so to speak because Fig increasingly stopped caring about her job and let the prison go to shit; it rubbed off on all of the guards. I thought the writers made that pretty clear -- the prison and how it is managed was just turning into a complete disaster. It was building prior to S2 even. It created a lot of stress and tension which also rubbed off on the inmates. Don't forget about Bennett having the burden of not only framing someone but knowingly being the father of an inmate's future child on his mind... yeah, that'll fuck you up a bit. Caputo is going to turn things around but likely has a repressed ego that will rear its ugly head now that Fig won't have her thumb on him. Bennett's actions are going to come back to bite him; Diaz is already starting to lose respect, and even though Bennett came clean it might be too little too late.

Also... it isn't so much that characters regressed, as we did learn more about them as they continue to evolve. But more things could have happened that will now be saved for next season.

Nicky is a kid (well, now an adult) with rich parents who could never figure out what to do with her life. An anxious lifestyle can lead to an addictive one and that is basically what she is -- a junkie who could never quite settle on a direction to head in throughout her life. She is a compassionate and simple character who got lost in what seems like a neverending conquest to kill her addiction (did you see how she gazed at the heroin on the floor during her last scene? There is a lot to be said for that). She just cares deeply about her people. There's not much more to her than that, and I am pretty sure it is intentional.

Crazy Eyes is extremely impressionable and is far too eager to show loyalty to people she doesn't even understand. Her 'regression' was more of a demonstration of the kind of person she really is beyond stalking Piper for over half a season -- which was funny, but would have got really old if they kept having her do that.

As for Susan, she honestly wasn't good at her job but yes, Caputo firing her was spiteful no doubt. Still, she was too nice... leaving an inmate in a car unsupervised for three hours.. being unable to toughen up around inmates... she sympathized with them even, feeling like she's not much different than them, etc. as she has little direction in her own life but wasn't dumb enough to make a big enough mistake to land herself in prison. So yeah, she just isn't made for that gig. She knew it too when she talked to Nicky. She has nothing else to do with her life presently and that's the only reason why she was there.

I was surprised to see so little of Mendez, he was a hilarious character but if you think about it his demise was in the works. He was set up to fail upon his return from things set in motion last season, even. Not to mention he kind of terrorized the inmates which struck a lot of unnecessary fear into them, which would have made a Vee-esque plot harder to execute. I think the writers were going for something a little more rough around the edges for this season, while also digging deeper into some of the woes that dragged a lot of the inmates into prison in the first place. As previously mentioned, a lot of it has to do with mental health and how fucked the prison system is in general.

Soso was a funny character. Perhaps they jokingly gave her that last name with the intention of making her story just that... So-so. Haha. Honestly though, she's a young girl who still not only is unable to accept but also cannot fully understand the way the world works yet; it's like she didn't even come to terms with what prison can really be until one of her final scenes in the bathroom.

Also, I did not feel bad for Fig at all. When Caputo walked away for the last time she knew she fucked that prison up big time. Her game face immediately turned into a genuine face of sorrow, guilt, regret.

The blowjob scene was a bit awkward but funny nonetheless.

Piper had less of a story, and that is fine. Clearly they are setting things up; this is a transitional thing for her. I don't think the writers did a bad job whatsoever in how they handled her story. She's coming to terms with who she is (prison has changed her, she made this clear to guests at the funeral/wedding even) while two of the most important people in her life basically walked away from her and Alex got out of jail. It was a fucked situation anyway, Piper got herself in too deep (no pun intended) with Alex in S1/lying for Alex at the beginning of S2 for Larry and his parents to continue to respect her. But Larry and Polly clearly are flawed enough on their own; Piper was pretty eloquent about that in the last ep.

 

[gdt]

This show will make you sympathize with everyone. Even Figueroa. Everyone has a side to their story I guess.

All the way up to 7 now. Season has been great.

 

[Karsticles]

Also, regarding So-so:

Spoiler

I imagine that she is being set up to become something more in a later season. Her final scene is talking about how the prison has changed her. She looks bitter, she swears, etc. It will actually be interesting to see what happens to her later.

 

[Liferebooted]

So many hot girls in this prison.. They should do a prison calender.

 

[charsace]

Daya is

Spoiler

a straight up dumb ass. That is all.

 

[FiggyCal]

Season finale:

Spoiler

I guess those candles do work after all. That was fucking brilliant in every way.

Great season. I liked it a bit better than the first.

 

[New002]

Finale stuff:

Spoiler

I see a couple people saying Piper is pulling Alex back in for selfish reasons like she can't deal with her being out, but isn't she pulling her back in to protect her from Kovac who is probably like five minutes away from murdering her?

My GF and I were chatting about this today.

Spoiler

l think this is a decision that Piper would tell herself she is making out of regard for Alex's safety, while truly being motivated by selfish reasons. I don't think it's a revenge thing because Alex is out either. I think it's because Piper has lost just about everyone close to her and she simply can't let Alex go. I could totally be wrong but that's my interpretation based on the Piper character.

 

[Storm Chamber]

Just finished.

Pretty disappointed overall because it really didn't pick up until episode 10.

 

[FiggyCal]

My GF and I were chatting about this today.

Spoiler

l think this is a decision that Piper would tell herself she is making out of regard for Alex's safety, while truly being motivated by selfish reasons. I don't think it's a revenge thing because Alex is out either. I think it's because Piper has lost just about everyone close to her and she simply can't let Alex go. I could totally be wrong but that's my interpretation based on the Piper character.

Spoiler

Assuming Alex legally bought that handgun in accordance with New York City's tough firearms laws: this might've been the best thing to happen to her. It would have been much worse if the feds found her bailing out of her probation. It's not just another selfish Piper moment, because this one kind of makes sense. But I'm guessing she was hiding the gun because she didn't have the paperwork -- so idk. :/ It's looking like Alex screwed her over in an attempt to do the right thing.

 

[Amory]

I'm not entirely done with the season yet, but:

Spoiler

Daya is being really inconsiderate about how her relationship with the guard is affecting him. Firstly, without even letting him in on the plan, she had sex with Pornstache in an attempt to get him thrown in prison. Then when the plan didn't work as she had hoped, she starts feeling remorse and suddenly Bennet is the bad guy for not wanting to get slapped with a felony. She even okayed the idea of him turning himself in, saying it's what guys in her neighborhood would do. How small minded could she be? What good will come from Bennet turning himself in?

When he smuggles spinach for her because she had a thing for folic acid, she complains about not getting the pills she was asking for. Not even once considering that his job is in jeopardy from just doing that much already.

When he smuggles goodies for her friends who were extorting him (threatening his job and freedom), he was the bad guy for punishing them.

Her whole character this season has not been making sense and where as before it was kind of cute. In this season, she's just being selfish. John is trying so hard to meet her demands, but she is testing him hard.

I sort of understood where she was coming from, at least in terms of

Spoiler

wanting Bennet to turn himself in. If he ever wants to be a father to the kid eventually he'll have to own up to what happened. She didn't have a dad growing up so it made sense to me that she wants her kid to have it better.

She's definitely also being selfish, especially with not wanting to deal with the consequences re: Mendez that she herself set in motion.

I dunno. I enjoyed the season while I was watching it but there was so much filler and a bunch of good characters ended up not doing shit in retrospect. The Daya/Bennet storyline was one of the more noteworthy casualties.

It already seems like they're running out of ideas for this series. Hopefully I'm wrong and S3 picks up again. Either way I'll enjoy the story, I just hope it doesn't overstay its welcome.

 

[FiggyCal]

I sort of understood where she was coming from, at least in terms of

Spoiler

wanting Bennet to turn himself in. If he ever wants to be a father to the kid eventually he'll have to own up to what happened. She didn't have a dad growing up so it made sense to me that she wants her kid to have it better.

She's definitely also being selfish, especially with not wanting to deal with the consequences re: Mendez that she herself set in motion.

I dunno. I enjoyed the season while I was watching it but there was so much filler and a bunch of good characters ended up not doing shit in retrospect. The Daya/Bennet storyline was one of the more noteworthy casualties.

It already seems like they're running out of ideas for this series. Hopefully I'm wrong and S3 picks up again. Either way I'll enjoy the story, I just hope it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Spoiler

I never thought of it from the viewpoint of her never having a father. I guess it does explain a bit about what she's going through. There's no easy way out of this for sure -- or at least a way out that satisfies everybody. The way I figure it is: no matter who claims to be the father, Bennett or Pornstache, that person will be locked up in prison and they do whatever they do with babies born in prison. I'm no lawyer, but I'm assuming they send the baby to a foster home until the mother gets released. If she wants her baby to have a father -- having Bennett locked up in prison on rape charges is the wrong way to go about it.

 

[riotous]

My wife and I binged it this weekend.

Was REALLY disappointed overall. A lot of it was just awful to both of us; cringe / groan worthy. A big downgrade from Season 1 for us. Which we would both rate as "pretty damn good."

Spoiler

+ Overall liked Piper's story in the Season, but it was not a full season's worth of "Piper's story."
+ Morello's side story was funny, an seemed appropriate in length
+ Some of the material with the prison guards/officials was pretty good.
+ So-So has an amazing body
- A lot of the other side-story stuff was outright crap.. Nazi like German officer ruining Pousay's life was painful.. as were the enjoyable for the nudity but cheesy Skin-a-max like parts
- The "gang" stuff felt really out of place.. really threw the balance of the show off, turning it into some sort of Oz-lite show that it really wasn't for the first season.
- Way too much of Red.. way too much of many of the side-characters in general, they just aren't that good

`

 

[Storm Chamber]

It already seems like they're running out of ideas for this series. Hopefully I'm wrong and S3 picks up again. Either way I'll enjoy the story, I just hope it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I totally agree. Season 3 or 4 (pushing it) should be it.

 

[anaron]

I know impressions are fresh, but what's the general consensus here: better or worse than season 1? Individual opinions are welcome too!

My biggest issues with the first season were the tonally terrible musical choices and the sometimes thuddingly heavy-handed approach to "issues," both of which sometimes lead to corny schmaltz. But for the most part I thought the show was damn funny and had a wonderful, sensitive way of approaching its varied cast of characters, so that's what I'm really looking towards in the second season whenever I get a chance to catch it.

The musical cues are definitely toned down. Silence is left to do its thing but there still are a few scenes that are annoyingly instructional in the use of music.


Even though this season is a little more uneven and possibly...not as fulfilling, It explores some very interesting and dark storylines that aren't normally explored and overall was mostly really satisfying in a way that was different than the first season.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

My wife and I binged it this weekend.

Spoiler

- The "gang" stuff felt really out of place.. really threw the balance of the show off, turning it into some sort of Oz-lite show that it really wasn't for the first season.

`

I really kind of disagree with this point.

Spoiler

Vee is an old-school jailbird and turned the jail into a segregated gangland. That was another point to her villainy of sorts. She banded around a bunch of younger black girls, and tried to pit them versus the Latins at first, until she got a chance to eliminate them as competitors in the trade game.

I love how Red made the most of

Spoiler

being kicked out the kitchen. She is truly the contraband queen. It really goes to show how much she was liked by everyone including the C/Os. She just tends to be unliked by the 'villains' of each season. Pornstache in season 1 and Vee season 2. I can see how people could have different opinions about her storyline but it yielded some of my favorite scenes, and really hammered home the Vee hatred for me.

"Maybe I should just kill the bitch" and the old woman shanking the lady who looked like Vee were some of the highlights of the season for me.

I love Pousseys character

Spoiler

but her backstory was a bit awful. I'm not even sure if that's the thing that really landed her in jail or not. I hope that future episode has more meat in it. I definitely agree with you

I also like Red's character. She talks tough as nails but she is not. She's too soft. Too motherly. Too focused on family for jail. It was gut wrenching seeing her get hurt and get threatened this season.

All in all, I really liked this season. There are a few things I think I could see happening in Season 3:

Spoiler

Pennsatucky and Soso friendship
Alex landing back in the can
Vee somehow not being dead
Cavuto completely failing to turn things around, making things worse possibly.
Crazy Eyes and Morello
Sophia and the Latinas getting more airtime outside of Daya next season. Something has to be brewing, and the actresses behind them (Especially Sophia and Flaca) are really growing in the public eye.

Also, listening again to the background talking in the finale, I think they were hinting towards some things in the future as well.

 

[The One and Done™]

Really enjoyed this season. Good stuff. I really hope it doesn't go downhill like Weeds did

 

[kirblar]

Poussey landed in jail

Spoiler

selling weed. She mentions it offhand to Taystee, in a way that suggested it might have been sort of boring.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

Poussey landed in jail

Spoiler

selling weed. She mentions it offhand to Taystee, in a way that suggested it might have been sort of boring.

Ah well

Spoiler

If that Germany storyline is the meat of her backstory I hope they at least write in something interesting regarding the way she got involved in the drug game when they shipped her to America.

 

[encephalon]

And there went my self control.

Ep. 12

Spoiler

7:30 left and I'm anticipating Vee killing Red. I have to agree, the introduction of Vee's character has been one of the best parts of Season 2, if not the best. But fuck, ... Red. : (