Nicky's stash situation gets complicated. Alex and Suzanne try a new drama class. Red assists Healy with a personal matter.
There's a constant tragedy in Nicky's life because of her drug addiction. It's a sickness that she welcomes at every opportunity. Her self-destructive tendencies have overwhelmed her so many times in life. As she says frankly to her partner in crime Luschek, she is "a bloodhound for oblivion." There's an immediate sadness hearing Nicky speaking in such a way about herself. Throughout her life, she has been able to connect with people and get them to believe that she genuinely wants to get clean. And yet, every single time she has proven to be disingenuous and just used those opportunities to go get more drugs. That's her life as an addict. She is aware of how destructive the drugs can be to her. She almost died because of them. She was sent to prison because of them. She lost the trust and respect of most of her prison family because of them. And now, she is being sent down the hill to the Maximum Security facility just because she needed to keep one bag of heroin for herself.For her entire life, Nicky hasn't been able to get the specific help that she's needed. That stands in contrast to some other key moments of the episode. Healy is able to have more clarity over the state of his marriage because of Red translating and standing up for him. Piper and Alex are allowed to take the hate out of their relationship because of the improv class the new counselor, Berdie, sets up. Those experiences don't instantly fix their problems. But they do allow them to acknowledge their underlying issues in a way that presents as genuine realization and forward momentum. Nicky has said that she will quit using so many times. Everyone wants to believe her because they want her to beat this destructive addiction. And yet, she continues to prove that that trust was completely misplaced.
There is a bit of redundancy in the episode's flashbacks. They show the life Nicky was living right before she was sentenced to Litchfield. They showcase just how careless and reckless Nicky is - all in the pursuit of her precious drugs. She steals a taxi in order to go get drugs but crashes it immediately because she doesn't know how to drive. She takes money from her mother in order to buy more drugs instead of using it to bail her friends out of jail. She breaks into a house to steal priceless books in order to feed her addiction. That's what led her to Litchfield. The flashbacks show this constant, self-destructive pattern in her life. Upon hearing her sentence, she doesn't want to believe that her mother did the best that she could do for her.
In the present, Nicky is adamant across the hour that she, herself, is the one to blame for her addiction. That is an earned moment. But it doesn't take away from the tragedy of her journey in this episode. The flashbacks highlight all of her past stumbles in life. But they weren't completely necessary in order to make that final reveal - Luschek pining the drugs on her and thus sending her to Max - work. That concluding moment is painfully wonderful because Natasha Lyonne sells the hell out of her incredibly dark situation being of her own making. There's powerful symmetry in Pennsatucky being the one driving her down the hill after their earlier conversation about the desire to get early release. Those character interactions are what make the episode's ending so tragic. Even though Red and Morelo don't interact with Nicky at all, it's still highly emotional when they plead to talk with her as she is being walked out of the building. The show has spent three seasons building up those relationships and dynamics. The flashbacks highlight the tragedy of Nicky's past life and how she doesn't wish the pain of her existence on anyone. And yet, she did form those genuine bonds with people at Litchfield. Red was giving her the exact type of help she needed. But she still fell back in love with her addiction. Perhaps Nicky's journey is always destined to be tragic. Or maybe a stint at Max will finally make a difference in her life. It's presented as the worst it can get. It's the end of the journey for her tragic life. But will it also be the end for the character? That remains to be seen.
Right now, there seems to be a discussion of how the system works and whether or not the people sentenced to Litchfield will always be marked for such darkness. There is a lot of hope in the mundane interactions amongst the regular inmates. Norma is offering spiritual guidance that is continuing to manifest in interesting ways. Angie and Leanne view Nicky's drugs falling from the light fixture as Angie's wish coming true. That gives more power to Norma as a character who seems to be making magical and happy things happen. It's that outlook that so many of the inmates need. It's optimistic in a way that will shine even stronger the more depressing the system becomes in Litchfield. The bed bugs have taken out all the mattresses and the books. The facility may actually be closing down - unless Caputo can change that. The inmates have bonded like a family. But that hasn't stopped the personal devastations from occurring in their lives. They can plan weddings and hope for the day to come when they are released. But they are still confined to the prison walls in a system that's supporting worsening conditions.
Falling down the rabbit hole of the system is what led to so many of these women landing in Litchfield. This prison isn't the worst that the system can offer. They can still fall further and land in Max. Or they can be released only to realize they no longer know how to live on the outside. Taystee got released but had to return to the comfort of the Litchfield lifestyle. Alex has making something out of her life. And then, Piper selfishly got her to return to the prison. As Maria Ruiz accurately points out, the inmates bond like a family and say they will be there for each other on the outside. But that world is completely different from the one in the prison. They can hope that happiness is waiting for them just outside those walls. But it's even more likely that their lives will continue to go downward because of the systemic problems with the system. Those are the issues facing all of these women. The show may focus the majority of its time on the shared experiences of these women during this specific time together. With Larry gone, there's no immediate link to the world outside the prison walls. Caputo and the various guards do have lives but their stories largely revolve around the stability and demands of their jobs at the prison. It should be interesting if the season goes for the ambition of showing the lives of the inmates as they deal with the system - whether that manifests in Nicky's life at Max or some of the early releases effecting some of the regular characters. That could be a strong narrative thrust for the season. Each of these characters have lives. They've made mistakes. That's what led to their incarcerations. Some are well-equipped to handle the error of their ways. Their time in prison allows for moments of self-realization that may be able to keep them from making the same mistakes in the future. While others - like Nicky - are destined to keep on their tragic paths being unable to break out of their cycles no matter how desperately they want to.
Some more thoughts:
- "Empathy Is a Boner Killer" was written by Nick Jones and directed by Michael Trim.
- The greatness and hilarity of the funeral for books scene was horribly undercut by the horrendous green screen work. Who in their right mind thought that was okay to put on the screen?
- The Berdie-Healy rivalry is looking to be a great focus for the season as she is able to connect with the inmates so easily while he struggles tremendously when he tries treating them like friends. At least he still has Red sticking up for him.
- Piper, Morello, Yoga Jones and Sister Ingalls talking about evolution happening in order to give better blowjobs was slightly weird and random. But it also took on more relevancy when Caputo had to use Fig in order to find a way to save the prison - given their sexual history.
- Nicky tells Soso that she is only nice to her friends and not the women she sleeps with. And yet, she still frequently lies to her friends in order to feed her addiction.
- But now, Piper and Alex can't even have hate sex because their improv exercise forced them to get all of their emotions and issues out in the open. That dynamic promised to be a welcome change. Now, I'm worried they'll return to the way they were back in Season 1.
