S03.E03: Empathy Is A Boner Killer

[Tara Ariano]

Nicky's stash situation gets complicated. Alex and Crazy Eyes try a new drama class. Red assists Healy with a personal matter. 

 

[Janet Snakehole]

That last five minutes or so were very hard to watch.

[Mya Stone]

That last five minutes or so were very hard to watch.

Yup. She's my absolute favorite. It broke my heart a little bit.

[elzin]

This one was a big giant bummer. Excellent, but sad.  I wonder if she'll come back. It's more realistic if she doesn't, like Miss Claudette, but she's such a vital part of the show it would be weird without her.

[sev]

Loved the books' funeral.

 

Alex and Piper's improvisation at the "grocery shop" was a good dialogue, I just found the drama class plot a bit forced.

 

I hope Nicky is not gone for good.

 

Next!

Edited June 12, 2015 by sev

[JAYJAY1979]

I wish Alex would have gone away instead.. no.need for piper/Alex..drags the show down...actually pipers purpose had been realized and its time for her to go.

Last five minutes was so sad...down worst enemy is putting it lightly

[The Mighty Peanut]

I realize Nicky is guilty, but she was kind of right...you can't just point at someone and say "well she uses drugs, so...down the hill". SHU, yes, but then there would be an investigation and she could plead her case. Even if/when she tests positive for heroin it doesn't prove she's involved in a conspiracy. Alex was an international drug dealer, Piper a drug mule, and they didn't get sent to max. Probably half the people in there are there because of drugs one way or another.

Edited June 12, 2015 by The Mighty Peanut

[Sesquipedalia]

I realize Nicky is guilty, but she was kind of right...you can't just point at someone and say "well she uses drugs, so...down the hill".

Yes, they had zero evidence that she had done anything. I don't know how the system works, but it doesn't seem realistic for someone to be transferred to maximum security with absolutely no due process.

 

I got the sense that what the show was trying to portray was that Kaputo just wanted to make the problem go away. It was obvious that Luscheck was probably guilty, but instead of dealing with the trouble of conducting an investigation, it was easier just to pin it on the junkie. But would it really be that easy?

 

Despite my nagging sense that it probably couldn't happen like that, the last few minutes of the ep were truly heart wrenching. The backstory scenes did a good job of showing how truly despicable yet pitiable Nikki was and is.

[Morbs]

Did she ever actually do the heroin?  I thought they were taking her to Seg to drug test her so they would let her return if she was negative.

[AmandaPanda]

This episode was totally heartbreaking. I love Nicky and I so hope she gets to come back, but I also think it would be far more believable if she didn't. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if she got sent to max over something like that. When Red was pleading with Nicky at the end to have come to her, I was definitely tearing up.

 

I'm very intrigued to see what happens if the prison does get sold. The privatization of prisons is so commonplace now.

 

I hope we get some answer as to where Bennet went. 

 

I loved the funeral for the books. It completely fit in with Poussey and Taystee's personalities.

 

I really hope Piper and Alex get storylines outside of their star-crossed romance, because I could not be less interested in them.

[Madding crowd]

I still find Piper to be haughty and a bitch. Alex is pretty much the same. I also have a problem with the actress who plays Daya. She always is walking around in a funk and looks like she is stoned all the time. No real emotion from her at all. I can't tell if she really cares about Bennett, cares about the baby, or anything at all. And I find it hard to believe Bennett would be in love with a woman with zero personality. 

 

I hope we find out more about what is going on with Bennet.

[kieyra]

Daya has a lot of reasons to be walking around in a funk.

[Sesquipedalia]

I agree. i think that's on purpose.

 

Did she ever actually do the heroin?  I thought they were taking her to Seg to drug test her so they would let her return if she was negative.

 

 

I couldn't figure out whether Nikki had done the heroin. I thought she just kept a little bit as "my precious," but her being sent to max would make a lot more sense if she had tested positive for drugs. Was that ever made clear?

[Lillybee]

I loved Red sticking up for whatever his name is over his mail-order bride. It was a thing of beauty.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

I loved Red sticking up for whatever his name is over his mail-order bride. It was a thing of beauty.

Agreed. Healy's mail-order wife expected perfection and was pouting because he wasn't it.

 

So if Red is Nicky's "mother," who was that Marko woman in the flashbacks? Nicky's stepmom? Or did Red just think of herself as Nicky's mom?

 

Finally, it looks like Bennett's gone for good. And good riddance.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[rho]

So if Red is Nicky's "mother," who was that Marko woman in the flashbacks? Nicky's stepmom? Or did Red just think of as Nicky's mom?

Red's more like her 'prison mother.' In S1 they gave a little back story. She basically weened Nicky off heroin and took her under her wing like a surrogate daughter.

[Helena Dax]

Chlamydia dell'arte, heh.

 

Healy is so pathetic... But I loved when Red took his side in his argument with his mail bride. It's totally true that he's been trying. It doesn't mean  his wife has to stay married to him,  but I guess  they had a deal and she should  have tried, at least. 

 

Watching last episode I was going to say that I liked Luschek. I'm glad I didn't do it. I mean, what the hell? And who put that heroine bag there? He  had no reasons to keep some heroine and I don't know why Nicky would hide it there. Anyway, I'm going to miss her a lot.

 

Pre-Litchfield Nicky was a piece of work. Her conversation with her junkie friends was a  bit on the nose, but funny. 

 

Loved the memorial for the  books. 

 

What's going on with Bennet? Not that I care, but I want to know if he's  gone for good and that plot is over.

 

Thank God the "Fifty shades of Orange" is over too. It didn't work for me, they looked silly.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Helena Dax

[KatWay]

 

Watching last episode I was going to say that I liked Luschek. I'm glad I didn't do it. I mean, what the hell? And who put that heroine bag there? He  had no reasons to keep some heroine and I don't know why Nicky would hide it there. Anyway, I'm going to miss her a lot.

It was definitely Nicky. When they said they'd search his desk, he clearly thought he had nothing to hide and Nicky looked scared as hell. She hid it there. Luschek is a pathetic creep, but at the same time, I don't think he's a monster for ratting out Nicky. She lied to him and said she hadn't kept anything and instead put it under his desk. He could have gotten in serious trouble so he told the truth. Not that he shouldn't be fired, mind you, but she did betray his trust.

[Chaos Theory]

Wow Nicky's episode was intense and probably the best episode I have seen in a long while. I like that her mother wasn't the villain we were lead to believe and everything that has happened to Nicky is the steady progression of her addiction and addictive personality. Heart breaking episode for one of my favorite characters.

The Piper and Alex confrontation scene was really well done also.

<----Edited because "the" and "to" don't mean the same thing.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[The Mighty Peanut]

Did she ever actually do the heroin? I thought they were taking her to Seg to drug test her so they would let her return if she was negative.

My impression was that they were driving her directly to max. I thought she was high -- in her free world scenes she seemed to have a manner of speaking that was a teeny bit off in a lot of ways. A little bit faster than usual, a hint of a slur, and very smooth (like how she was talking about getting clean while reaching for her mom's wallet). It was very well done IMO. Like a person practiced in sounding sober when they're not.

And I know this is nitpicky of me and promise I'm going to write "OITNB is a fictional show" 100 times in my journal, but I've watched ten billion episodes of MSNBC's Lockup and the process is: person is suspected of doing drugs, they are put in seg, there is a drug test and an investigation, a quasi-trial wherein evidence is presented, and then a determination is made. I don't know if Nicky had a reputation for taking drugs in prison but IRL one dirty urine test usually would not mean someone's whole security level is changed. They'd probably just get sent to seg.

Edited June 13, 2015 by The Mighty Peanut

[yellowjacket]

Natasha Lyonne is a fabulous actress, I have loved her for years, ever since her teenage movies.  Her performance in this episode was masterful and I cried at the end - the look of fear, desperation, and sadness on NIcky's face was too much.

 

Natasha spent the middle of the aughts as a heroin addict.  There were stories all the time in the tabloids about her sleeping on streets, missing court dates, long hospital stays...it was terrible.  She talked about it on Rosie a few years ago.  She has a lot to draw on as an actress that she probably wishes never happened.

 

It was nice to see Patricia Kalember, even though the writing for her character was pretty trite.

[Chaos Theory]

I liked this episode because it was spot on about Nicky. Yes she is funny and snarky and smart but she isn't a good person. Like a lot of drug addicts She screws up because she is a screw up. I also really like the fact that her mother wasn't portrayed as the source of everything wrong in Nicky's life, she might have been an ineffective mother but she loved her daughter and she tried to save her until she couldn't anymore.

And o don't think Nicky was put in Max for doing drugs but for having them. Having drugs in prison is more then enough especially the large quantities that she was supposed to have.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Guest]

Nicky may or may not have done the heroin, but I think she put the drugs there on purpose. She knew the guard would sell her out (or had an agreement with him) and decided that the best rehab woud be max security. Her mother did say that the only person who was a match for Nicky was Nicky herself. She's taking herself on, just like her mum said. 

[ShortyMac]

Just rip my heart out, why don't you?????? Nicky! :(

 

I hope she's not gone for good!

[charming]

Natasha knocked it out of the park. The struggle is real for addicts. Even accepting you have a problem doesn't mean that you will break free from it.

Who knew a funeral for books could be so funny?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Loved the book funeral but I was disappointed that there was no mention of the Harry Potter books.

Edited June 14, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Mrs OldManBalls]

Loved the books' funeral.

It was a great scene. I liked that other prisoners attended and it wasn't just Tastee and Poussey. 

 

I loved Red sticking up for whatever his name is over his mail-order bride. It was a thing of beauty.

That was fantastic! It obviously got Red into Healey's good books. 

 

 

I have zero pity for Nicky. She did it to herself. She's toxic. 

[ihartcoffee]

I wonder if the herione was placed there by someone, or if it fell out when they were messing with it.  The show may address that at some point.  I still don't understand how she could automatically get the blame.  I love the actress and her back story was very interesting.  The last 5 min about made me cry, again, thanks show!!

 

So I guess Bennett ran off after that interaction with Dya's extended family?  They are pretty scummy.  Poor kids.  How old is Dya, and that was her crib????  

 

Liked the scene with Healy, Red and his mail order wife.  Loved when she said he cat-fished and Healy and Red looked confused.  

 

For some reason I love me some Caputo.  Can't figure out why, but I do.  He tries so hard, and gives such sage advice. 

[Saje]

He does try hard, I'm very fond of Beer Can. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

A lot of people keep spelling heroin as heroine or variations thereof.  Amusing.

 

This was the first episode of the three of this season that I found interesting and compelling.

 

I agreed with that assessment of the Daya actor being incredibly emotionless and non-compelling.  Sorry but I don't buy the explanation that it's on purpose.  She does nothing for me at all.  Contrast this to Matt McGorry who does a million things with one facial expression.  I completely understand him being on two hit shows.

 

This show kind of ruins Caputo with the Beer Can thing.  It's all I can think about when I look at the actor.  It's like Bobby Cannavale.  I can not NOT think of funky spunk when I look at him.  The imagery just sticks with me.

 

The people who don't feel empathy for Nicky -- that's exactly me and Lorna.  I never feel an ounce of anything when it comes to that character.  It's my personal feelings towards stalking and delusion I guess.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[baky]

It was hard to see Nicky go. Highly hope she's coming back soon because she's hands down one of the best characters :'( 
Loved the dynamic between Healy and Red, they really care about each other. 

The book's funeral LOL Taystee and Poussey always make me laugh lol

Alex and Piper, that "acting" scene is one of their best scenes so far. But they're probably going to screw everything because...They're alex and Piper :S

Edited June 14, 2015 by baky

[MarysWetBar]

He does try hard, I'm very fond of Beer Can.

Ditto. Beer Can's the shizzle.

[Jane61]

Does anyone know the significance of the chicken in the background at the 45 minute mark when Caputo tells the guards the camp is closing? You can even hear it clucking. We all know about the legendary feral chicken. What does this mean?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The people who don't feel empathy for Nicky -- that's exactly me and Lorna.  I never feel an ounce of anything when it comes to that character.  It's my personal feelings towards stalking and delusion I guess.

I have moments where I've liked Lorna as comic relief (and she did seem genuinely nice to Piper on her first day) but yeah, the delusion and stalking were super creepy. But I did feel for Lorna when she saw Nicky being taken away because that was genuine emotion about losing her friend (as opposed to the imagined loss of her non-fiancé).

[Primetimer]

Some of Litchfield’s most valuable background players speak their last.

Read the story

[woodscommaelle]

Ditto. Beer Can's the shizzle.

Can someone remind me what 'beer can' has to do with Caputo?

[MarysWetBar]

I would love to respond to this one..haha

I believe it refers to the circumference of his male genitalia, which Fig knows due to that icky B.J scene from last season.

There- wasn't that nice and discreet?

[woodscommaelle]

I would love to respond to this one..haha

I believe it refers to the circumference of his male genitalia, which Fig knows due to that icky B.J scene from last season.

There- wasn't that nice and discreet?

Thank you! 

[Lovecat]

I would love to respond to this one..haha

I believe it refers to the circumference of his male genitalia, which Fig knows due to that icky B.J scene from last season.

There- wasn't that nice and discreet?

I couldn't remember, either, until he referred to her as "Fang."  Then the lightbulb went on!

[DrSpaceman]

Felt horrible for Nicky. Not just because of her being sent to max, but her story in general. Not the first to mention it I know, but regardless of how it all went down here on the show, she has a serious personal drug problem, is max security prison really the best way we as a society deal with that?

I would assume she was transferred until the extra charges against her while she was in prison is worked out, see if she can be charged with something more than what she was initially in for, but will just have to wait and see how it plays out.

Caputo is at least trying to make the place better

[yourstruly]

I read people complaining on the AV Club about the "obvious" green screen behind Taystee and Poussey during the book funeral. I totally didn't notice so I went back to watch and...yeah, it's a green screen. It's not *obvious* though (to me).

[toomuchtv]

I think it was definitely Nicky who left the drugs in (under?) The desk. The guard mentioned gum too and she was chewing gum while they were bagging up the heroin. I don't know if she took any, I thought it was just maybe her safety blanket of drugs, just knowing it was there in case she ever needed it, she had a hard time getting rid of them all together. Stupid move to leave it there though!

[DrivingSideways]

I forgot about the beer can thing too.  Go, Caputo!

 

As a child of the 90s, I was a huge Natasha Lyonne fan from Day One.  I really did not think she would survive the 2000's. In fact, wasn't she in the hospital half dead at some point?  So glad she's back in fine form, hope she's not gone from the show forever!

[nomodrama]

I may be alone in this but I thought the whole drama class scene was terrible. I was rolling my eyes so hard at Alex and Piper...of course they would use their acting out a scene to take care of their personal problems. It was so cliched. And frustrating as hell with these two, one confession of "I missed you," and its suddenly ok that Piper screwed Alex into being back in jail. And I know that Alex did it to Piper first, but that is exactly my point. The initial offense would have been a complete deal breaker for me (prison loneliness or not) but to have the same bs occuring over and over again is grating. And worse still is this whole, I hate you-i forgive you -i love you, until one of them does something stupid -I hate you again endless spiral that they subject us to. I can't stand either one of them. 

 

I also can't stand those annoying junkies in the laundry room. I think everyone else I can take except for these four.

Edited June 16, 2015 by nomodrama

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that Healy was being Debbie Downer when he told Birdie (or is it Bertie?) not to bother connecting with the inmates because he tried that once and it didn't work, then before he could even get all of his whining out, people started coming in, high fiving her and being friendly. HA! Healy has never considered that the reason his efforts didn't work was because he totally sucks.

[mansonlamps]

There's a lot of terrible green screening in the season.

I must be completely oblivious because I never notice this kind of stuff. On the positive side, it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the show.

Thanks for the reminder of "beer can," I couldn't quite remember where the nickname came from.

[nodorothyparker]

The drama class scene almost made Piper and Alex's, well, drama seem interesting.  Almost.

 

Nicky broke my heart here even though you could see the train coming from a mile away.  She's a junkie and junkies are always their own worst enemies.  I'll miss Natasha Lyonne if we don't see her again anytime soon and I'm as curious about how due process works in her particular situation as anyone, but I'll find it plausible if she doesn't come back.  The laundry room methheads were a much needed source of comic relief in this one.

[possibilities]

When has the prison ever used due process to make disciplinary choices? It seems to me that they operate on the principle that the staff does whatever they want, based mostly on impulse. It would be interesting to see them actually have a hearing or follow a rule book or require evidence to be held to more than a hearsay standard, but if it happens, I think it might be the first time we've seen it.

[Fredward]

I detest Healy. He is so damn slimy. Perfect, perfect example of a kid with mommy issues going on to have some seriously fucking warped ideas (verging on/passinh into the misogynistic) of women.

 

Gonna miss Nicky, hope she's back at some point.

 

The dialogue and characterization in this show is incredibly sexy. The characters are rich and nuanced and often contradictory but in a way that feels inherently human and not like inconsistent writing. It's pretty amazing.

[ganesh]

I'm interested in the prison selling plot. I'm miffed that Nicki is gone because I just love NL. So I hope she comes back. She is her own worse enemy though.

 

"Beer can" got a good laugh from me. I like that Fig just owns it. 

 

I wasn't particularly interested in the Piper/Alex 'grocery scene' because it seemed so cheesily set up. I'm a little over Alex being mad at Piper, which is seems she's over now too. I mean, you did sell her out to get out of jail. Then she got back at you. It seems even to me.