Plot: Vee (Lorriane Toussaint)’s violence and manipulation brings the prisoners closer together. Piper (Taylor Schilling) helps Caputo (Nick Sandow) expose Figueroa (Alysia Reiner)’s embezzlement practices to the warden. After discovering Rosa (Barbara Rosenblatt) has three weeks to live, Morello (Yael Stone) helps her die on her own volition.
When I look back on Season 2 of Orange is the New Black years from now, the one thing I will remember is the way it ended. Sure, there were some pretty incredible moments, but the last scene in the finale just takes the cake.
I mean, from the moment Morello turned to Rosa and told her to die in her own way to her hitting Vee with the prison van on her way out to freedom, I was waving my arms in the air cheering like I was at a World Cup match. Even better was the fact that Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” was playing in the background. I wasn’t expecting anything like that at all. It was the perfect way to end such a fantastic season.
In addition to Rosa’s big escape, I also really loved how Vee was ousted off. In my mid-season review, I wrote that Vee was the character I loved to hate, but that quickly transitioned to the character I really hate two episodes later. Her behavior was so bad that I found myself in the fetal position wailing after episodes 9 and 10 and lost sleep over a few nightmares this past week. I’m basically living proof that Toussaint did an incredible job of playing an evil, horrible human being. It will be interesting to see whether or not a familiar or new face replaces her as the antagonist in Season 3. Maybe she’s not dead and she will actually return? Who knows.
My feelings regarding Vee aside, I think if I had to choose one aspect of the season I didn’t like was the romantic relationships. There was not one couple, old or new, that made me excited this time around. In season 1, Daya (Dascha Polanco) and Bennett (Matt McGorrey), were my escape from the prison drama, but now there’s more tension between them. I understand that Daya’s pregnancy and the return of Pornstache (Pablo Schreiber) were difficult situations, but I still wish there was more passion. Part of me is hoping that Mendez won’t be such a distraction next season, but it’s obvious he won’t bow out quietly.
Speaking of romance, there’s been larger development in the oh so infamous Piper-Larry-Alex love triangle since the season 2 premiere. Larry (Jason Biggs) revealed to Piper that he slept with “someone she knew,” which inevitably caused them to officially break up. This “someone she knew” was Polly (Maria Dizzia), Piper’s best friend. After it was disclosed to both Piper and Pete (Nick Stevenson), the two began dating and “fell in love.”
This was really frustrating for me. Polly and Larry have no chemistry together at all and you could feel it when you were watching them on screen. It’s obvious that their relationship, in addition to Piper ratting out Alex (Laura Prepon) at the end, set us up for a Litchfield reconciliation for Alex and Piper next season. This is disappointing to think about. I’m kind of sick of Alex manipulating Piper over and over again. Plus, as much as I love Prepon, the next season can do just as well without her. We barely saw her this time around and the quality of the episodes didn’t change.
What keeps me hooked to Orange is the New Black is the impeccably acted characters and the many intertwining plot lines. Although Season 3 is very much up in the air right now, I’m excited to see how the show will play out. I’m already counting down the days, because let’s face it, what else do I have until next summer?
Related Articles:
TV Recap: Orange is the New Black, Midseason (Lauren Stern)
Review: Orange is the New Black, Season 2 – Part 1 (Lauren Stern)
Review: Orange is the New Black, Season 1 (Matt Haviland)
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As the Managing Editor, Lauren Stern is responsible for curating Pop-Break.com’s content. This includes managing the editorial staff, coordinating the content calendar, and assigning publishing dates and deadlines. She graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Journalism and Philosophy. She spends her free time searching for the best gluten-free food in the Tri-State area, playing with her dogs, and reading an insane amount of books. She tweets constantly about pop culture and social issues and hopes you follow her musings @laurenpstern.
