Netflix's Orange Is the New Black - Episode 2.10 "Little Mustachioed Sh*t"
The guards get tougher in a bid to turn up prison contraband. A big, lingering secret is finally revealed.
Orange Is the New Black is basically at the point where there's really nothing too interesting left to reveal about the Piper-Alex relationship. This episode showcases the beginning days of them being together - and even then it's pretty obvious how bad a person Alex truly is. Piper is just willing to go along with Alex even though she cheated on her girlfriend with Piper. Shouldn't that tell you something important about that person's morals. What makes Piper think that Alex wouldn't do the same kind of backstabbing to her? But hey, she's pretty and made her experience sex like she's never experienced it before.All of these flashbacks are to parallel the Piper storyline of the episode where she learns that it was Polly who Larry slept with. I was more than fine with Piper not knowing or caring who it was. This story feels like the natural and easy way of filling out an episode's plot - which ultimately makes this hour feel like a letdown because of it. All of the other inmates were giving Piper crap for getting furlough and yet none of them would have something to say to her once she gets back in? That just seems odd to me. The only inmate Piper interacts with is Red and Piper just lies to her about her request to visit her family's restaurant. She says it's a booming success which makes Red very proud. After her adventures in the previous episode, I wouldn't expect Piper to just blatantly lie about the store being for lease.
Additionally, Piper seems to be the new person of focus for Fig. Unlike the rest of the administration, she recognizes them in the comic strip and demands that the newsletter cease to exist. Moreover, Fig runs into the reporter which forces him to reveal Piper as his source on the inside. That's poised to be dangerous for Piper later on. She waits to make change in this place and teaming up with him seems like the best way of getting that to happen. But it has also put a target on her back - something that she never wanted to happen but would have no matter what.
The hour ends with one of the major problems being walked out of the building and in handcuffs. Mendez is abusive to this environment. The other guards are competent and can buckle down when the situation calls for it. I love that they assume the smell means the items were smuggled in through the rectum - instead of through Red's greenhouse. But Mendez really is a criminal. And yet, he's going down for something that's not even technically true. It is a step to fixing the prison system - as Fig is proud to state to the press. But at what cost? So much else is wrong that just by eliminating Mendez everything is not suddenly all okay - although it is very satisfying watching Caputo be the one to fire and arrest him.
Some more thoughts:
- "Little Mustachioed Sh*t" was written by Sian Heder and directed by Jennifer Getzinger.
- Red wonders if people can change - if Vee can change. Instinct would tell her that Vee is trying to take over her business just like the last time. Vee seems more sincere now. But the show seems to fall on the side of "people don't change." Nicky will always struggle with drugs despite what happened to Tricia and Vee will always want control of the prison system and the smuggling routes.
- The Yoga Jones-Janae friendship has had almost no screentime at all this season and yet Jones passionate speech to Soso about Janae's struggles was still very moving.
- Healy starts a support group for the prison - but he and Pennsatucky are the only ones who show up. I'm just really loving this arc of Healy learning how to help the inmates again.
- Christopher visited Morelo in prison to try and get everyone else to see just how crazy she is. She is a stalker but that doesn't mean she shouldn't get someone's shoulder to cry on in the end.
- It is so satisfying watching Sophia get a visit from her son for the very first time. It's not a huge scene in the episode with not a ton of dialogue but it's still vastly moving.
- Vee has gotten into the heads of her fellow black inmates and forced them to embrace their inner bad girls in order to survive on top. It's devastating to watch as they beat up Poussey simply for questioning Vee's leadership and ulterior motives. They are under her spell. It's much more tragic to see how that has changed Suzanne. She pounds on Poussey and pours water all over Rosa's food. It's mean but she's only doing it for her new mother figure - who she has to look at to determine whether or not to stop.
- It's really surprising how little I've actually missed Alex this season.
