S03.E07: Tongue-Tied

[Tara Ariano]

Norma's healing powers draw more believers. Piper creates a new business venture. Caputo breaks in the new hires.

[elzin]

If Norma and Chang joined forces, they'd rule Litchfield like queens

[Mya Stone]

Young Norma? Super hottie.

Black Cindy immersing herself in Jewish culture gave me the biggest laugh of the season so far. "Seinfeld? OOH! Woody. Allen."

[Chaos Theory]

Norma gets a back story.    On one hand Norma is magic on the other hand she killed a dude.   But hey Norma runs a cult now so all is good with the world.

 

A kinky sex fantasy set in space.  Can I read it?  

 

Do you hear yourself sometimes?  Like when you speak?  

[rozen]

That dude took like 8 wives, wth? How do you even have time to live out your harem banging fantasies with that many on rotation? They didn't even have viagra then. I feel like they've made Piper super oblivious this season, like she's more of a bit character now.

[ShortyMac]

Norma's back story was very interesting. I'm glad to know why she's mute. Having a stutter must be awful.

[Fairlily26]

Norma's back story was very interesting. I'm glad to know why she's mute. Having a stutter must be awful.

IT IS. And sometimes all the speech therapy in the world means nothing if you have a trigger....

[Helena Dax]

I'm such a Quantum Leap fan that when I saw guru Mack I recognized him as Tom Beckett.

 

Poor Norma. She deserved a lot of good things and she got that guy. And she would have been happy to follow him until the bitter end if he hadn't broken up with her. I don't know what to think about her new religious cult, though. I guess I'm okay with it if it makes them happy; she doesn't seem to be the kind of person who takes advantage of others,

 

The new guard is hilarious. 

[AmandaPanda]

Chang and Norma's backstories back to back? This might be my favorite stretch of the season. I love finding out about all these different characters I never thought much about before. Norma's backstory was so sad. I totally understand why she pushed Mack off the cliff at the end. 

 

Piper's new business plan is disgusting, but also kind of brilliant. 

 

I really hope Gloria and Sophia aren't going to fight now. I want them to help each other. Plus, I think Michael's mom could be a good role model for Benny. 

 

My heart broke for Red when she saw those pre-packaged meals being delivered. Though, honestly, I'm amazed they hadn't been doing them all along.

 

I loved Suzanne's crazy erotica. I wouldn't actually ever read it, but seeing the reactions to it were awesome.

 

Totally not surprised by the shoddy training the guards went through. If the regulations aren't strict, then I know a lot of places that would pass off "on-the-job training" as orientation. Training people is too expensive for a lot of companies, unfortunately. I imagine the pepper spray incident will just be the first of many. Also, I think I've seen that exact sexual harassment video before.

[laschifosavita]

I never thought that a show could get me to be totally in favor of a cult.  I'd join.

 

I hate seeing Gloria and Sophia fighting, but Benny is a little shit.

 

Suzanne's erotica, Black Cindy trying to learn Jewish culture, and Piper's panties are all really funny subplots.  I'm glad they're kicking in now, because these last two episodes were really sad.

[DrSpaceman]

I love Mike Bribiglia on here. I know his character is kind of sneaky and despicable, but I think he is doing a great job on here.

Loved the backstory here with the ending, though I could see it coming, of the Cult guy being abandoned until he had only one person left.

My problem with Piper's plan is, I don't know how much longer she is supposed to be in prison, but it seems like a big risk to try this and somehow finding a way not to be caught when at the beginning of the series, she didn't have much time to serve in comparison to everyone else. In other words, why not wait until she is OUT of prison and then find a way to do this, possibly even legally? If she does it now and is caught, its more time in jail.

Its not a bad plan and could actually work. It seems she could easily just wait until she is out to do it though, much less risky.

[Guest]

I also feel like it's out of character for Piper to risk a new sentence for a couple bucks.  

 

And like I've seen sexual harassment training videos just like that.

 

I wondered how realistic it was to have all these murderers in a minimum security federal prison so I googled up this table.

 

http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

 

Drug offenses are almost more than all other types combined.  I kind of wish the show would convey that message but I guess it's more dramatic to show victimized women killing the asshole men who hurt them.  

[Sesquipedalia]

As Norma and her "husband" were standing there on that cliff, I thought, "She's going to push him!" Then I I thought, "No, there are already way too many murderers in that minimum security prison. The show wouldn't repeat itself like that."

 

The husband mentioned that he was wanted by police, so Norma could very well be in prison for something cult-related, but if so she's the fourth (?) inmate who is a murderer in for a lesser crime.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Sesquipedalia

[Lnmop]

My problem with Piper's plan is, I don't know how much longer she is supposed to be in prison, but it seems like a big risk to try this and somehow finding a way not to be caught when at the beginning of the series, she didn't have much time to serve in comparison to everyone else. In other words, why not wait until she is OUT of prison and then find a way to do this, possibly even legally? If she does it now and is caught, its more time in jail.

Its not a bad plan and could actually work. It seems she could easily just wait until she is out to do it though, much less risky.

But then she wouldn't have the hook of the panties having been worn by FELONS!

[DoubleUTeeEff]

That is a great link Winston9-DT3.  That graph is quite stark.  I was surprised at how high Immigration was as well.  And unfortunately not surprised at how low Banking, Insurance and Embezzlement was.

 

I will say that while a lot of the women are murderers, I don't think any of them were charged with murder.  There was Claudette who murdered the man who beat(/raped?) one of her employees but I think she got in trouble for hiring illegal immigrants.  Chang murdered/maimed the man who rejected her but she might actually have been charged with importing/selling illegal goods.  I don't think we saw either way.  Then there is Norma who murdered her husband but it doesn't look like anyone was around to see that. Unless she turned herself in, she might have committed some other crime.  My memory may be faulty too so there's that.

Edited June 16, 2015 by DoubleUTeeEff

[Sophronisba]

My guess is that Norma is probably in prison for whatever the cult leader was in trouble for -- income tax evasion, maybe, or something like that. It just seems like it would be too hard to prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt.

[DrSpaceman]

I also feel like it's out of character for Piper to risk a new sentence for a couple bucks.  

 

And like I've seen sexual harassment training videos just like that.

 

I wondered how realistic it was to have all these murderers in a minimum security federal prison so I googled up this table.

 

http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

 

Drug offenses are almost more than all other types combined.  I kind of wish the show would convey that message but I guess it's more dramatic to show victimized women killing the asshole men who hurt them.  

 

 

Yes the show is vague on what the women are actually in for even with their backstories being told. 

 

You are correct about drug offenses though, I think they make up the reason for 50% of all prison sentences, which is pretty consistent with the numbers in the chart you linked.  Drug offenses are one of the main reasons for prison overcrowding and why our country's incarceration rate is the highest in the civilized world. 

[Puffaroo]

My heart broke for Red when she saw those pre-packaged meals being delivered. Though, honestly, I'm amazed they hadn't been doing them all along.

 

All I could think was, "That's not beef Wellington!"  ;)

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

My heart broke for Red when she saw those pre-packaged meals being delivered. Though, honestly, I'm amazed they hadn't been doing them all along.

MCC is no doubt buying them from a corporate cousin super-cheap whilst charging the state full price. And the level of food being provided is barely above low-end pet food.

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning questions at the midpoint of Season 3.

Read the story

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Poor Norma. I can see why she she fell in love with that weirdo cult guy. He gave her permission to be mute and made her think that he could understand her heart well enough not to need words. For someone with a stutter, that must have seemed like the most amazing thing. Too bad he was just a run of the mill narcissistic cult leader who wanted to bone all the chicks in his cult.

 

I loved that everyone hated Crazy Eyes' erotic story but Poussey loved it.

 

One good thing that's coming out of the Panty Sweatshop is that we are seeing some interaction between people who normally wouldn't speak to each other (unless it was to occasionally insult each other). Many of the jobs are segregated by crew (the meth heads in the laundry room, Gloria and her girls in the kitchen, etc) so randomly throwing a bunch of them into the sewing room has given them the opportunity to sit around and chat. I don't think that, say, Flaca and Piper will become BFFs, but it's nice to see some moments between characters who normally wouldn't have a scene together have some non-confrontational conversations.

 

Piper really can't read a room though. I was rolling my eyes when Piper had to mention that she majored in communications and whatever else in college, so I totally wanted to high five Stella for smacking her down about that. But that whole conversation Piper had about how she didn't grow up in a mansion but she had four bathrooms and a housekeeper made me think dude, this is why people here don't like you. It's not just that they hate her for being a rich skinny blonde bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else. It's also that she tries to act like she's not privileged. Maybe a house with four and a half bathrooms isn't a mansion, but for someone who has multiple brothers and sisters living with her mom's boyfriend in a tiny apartment, even two bathrooms seems like a luxury. The look on Daya's face said it all.

[JakeyJokes]

 

Piper really can't read a room though. I was rolling my eyes when Piper had to mention that she majored in communications and whatever else in college, so I totally wanted to high five Stella for smacking her down about that. But that whole conversation Piper had about how she didn't grow up in a mansion but she had four bathrooms and a housekeeper made me think dude, this is why people here don't like you. It's not just that they hate her for being a rich skinny blonde bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else. It's also that she tries to act like she's not privileged. Maybe a house with four and a half bathrooms isn't a mansion, but for someone who has multiple brothers and sisters living with her mom's boyfriend in a tiny apartment, even two bathrooms seems like a luxury. The look on Daya's face said it all.

 

First of all, I'm so dense that I didn't realize until later that the only reason Daya (who, to my knowledge, has never even spoken to Piper) was grilling Piper was because she wanted to know if a privileged background made her happy or not. On that note, I *did* kind of understand Piper's anger and resentment there as well (and I say that growing up in a house with three bathrooms in a middle-class home and neighborhood). It reminded me of Joan Didion's "Blue Nights"  (one of my favorite books ever, I must say) when she memorably rants at people suggesting that her troubled daughter didn't have a hard life because of the wealth she grew up in. 

 

 

“Privilege" is something else.

"Privilege" is a judgment.

"Privilege" is an opinion.

"Privilege" is an accusation.”

 

 

And I'm not disputing that Daya would be wrong to switch childhoods with Piper in a heartbeat. I just found it interesting.

 

Annie Golden broke my heart this episode. What an amazing actress.

[bluedevilblue]

The older women are more likely to be in for violent crimes or non-drug crimes because the violent crimes, other than very serious drug offenses, generally carry longer prison sentences and after so much good behavior, the women can be moved to lower security prisons (generally when they have less then 10 years to serve).  It would be really weird for a younger inmate to have a violent crime as the reason for being there given that it's minimum security. 

 

Having said that, I think we only know a couple are in for killing someone - 1) Norma, maybe, although maybe for something related to her husband; and 2) Yoga Jones, but that was also a drug crime since she killed the kid while protecting her crop of weed (which makes sense given that murder generally is not a federal crime). Miss Claudette killed that guy, but I thought the show heavily implied she was in prison for human trafficking.  Am I missing anyone?

[questionfear]

The older women are more likely to be in for violent crimes or non-drug crimes because the violent crimes, other than very serious drug offenses, generally carry longer prison sentences and after so much good behavior, the women can be moved to lower security prisons (generally when they have less then 10 years to serve).  It would be really weird for a younger inmate to have a violent crime as the reason for being there given that it's minimum security. 

 

Having said that, I think we only know a couple are in for killing someone - 1) Norma, maybe, although maybe for something related to her husband; and 2) Yoga Jones, but that was also a drug crime since she killed the kid while protecting her crop of weed (which makes sense given that murder generally is not a federal crime). Miss Claudette killed that guy, but I thought the show heavily implied she was in prison for human trafficking.  Am I missing anyone?

Pennsatuckey is in for killing the abortion nurse. But I think her lawyers argued that down to something religion-based, which might be how she ended up at a minimum security place instead. 

[CleoCaesar]

This was literally the first time I've seen Daya have some kind of hint of a personality. It's like the actress/character was drugged this whole time. But she finally had some kind of spark in her speech in her conversation with Piper. Maybe the Bennett storyline was as boring for her to act out as it was for us to watch. It's like watching a coma patient come to life bit by bit.

Still not really sure what the point of Aussie girl is.

Very weird that Norma would have gotten charged with murder for that. They were alone in the woods with no witnesses. "He lost his balance and fell, officer." He had no bruising on his face to suggest a fight before his fall. It's unlikely that he would have had some domestic abuse record with Norma (since she never would have spoken up about it) to establish a motive. Maybe she did get caught for his crimes, although that too seems like a stretch.

[lion10]

So Nora's leading a cult, huh?  Is killing the cult leader what got her in prison?  How did that hold up?  

[Sesquipedalia]

The older women are more likely to be in for violent crimes or non-drug crimes because the violent crimes, other than very serious drug offenses, generally carry longer prison sentences and after so much good behavior, the women can be moved to lower security prisons (generally when they have less then 10 years to serve).  It would be really weird for a younger inmate to have a violent crime as the reason for being there given that it's minimum security. 

 

Having said that, I think we only know a couple are in for killing someone - 1) Norma, maybe, although maybe for something related to her husband; and 2) Yoga Jones, but that was also a drug crime since she killed the kid while protecting her crop of weed (which makes sense given that murder generally is not a federal crime). Miss Claudette killed that guy, but I thought the show heavily implied she was in prison for human trafficking.  Am I missing anyone?

 

In addition to the older women and Rosa, Miss Claudette, Chang, Norma, and Vee, and maybe Pennsatucky, are all straight-up murderers, but I don't think any of them are in prison for that. I know criminals often get arrested for lesser crimes (a la Al Capone), but the percentage of cold-blooded killers still seems a little high to me.

 

Yoga Jones would probably have pleaded guilty to manslaughter because it was an accidental shooting. 

 

 

Pennsatuckey is in for killing the abortion nurse. But I think her lawyers argued that down to something religion-based, which might be how she ended up at a minimum security place instead. 

 

I don't believe we know for sure if the nurse died. Maybe Tucky was only tried for attempted murder.

 

Still not really sure what the point of Aussie girl is.

 

Me neither. Based on the previews of this season, I expected this character to make a big splash, but so far *yawn.*

 

So Nora's leading a cult, huh?  Is killing the cult leader what got her in prison?  How did that hold up?  

 

Given the lack of evidence for the murder and the fact that she ended up in minimum security, Norma is probably in prison for complicity in some crime she was involved in via her cult husband. He mentioned being wanted by police and was probably up to all sorts of illegal activity. After his death, those activities may have come to light, and as his wife, Norma could have been implicated in all of it. That's my guess, anyway.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Sesquipedalia

[ganesh]

For cults, isn't it typically tax evasion? I could see her getting away with pushing the husband. She could "say" they were arguing and it got heated and he slipped. There's literally no one around. I guess she actually believes she has powers. I thought it was an act. 

 

I feel bad for Red a little bit, but she's not running a restaurant either. I'm surprised that they didn't think of that sooner. 

 

Piper's plan is awesome. I hope it works. Something I do like about LP is when Alex laughs it seems like a genuine laugh. 

[EuropeanGirl]

I love the relationship between Taystee and Suzanne. I've grown very fond of Suzanne and find her character very uplifting and moving. She is my favorite after Lorna :)

[Guest]

The black girls have always been my favorite characters.  I wish they'd give Poussey something besides mopey lately.  I miss Taystee and Cindy's 'white woman' impressions.  I was about to give up on this show in season 1 then Suzanne showed up and got me interested in her.  

[Sweets McGee]

I really enjoyed this episode, and I couldn't stop laughing at everything with Piper and the panty plan. It's just so ridiculous but hilarious.

[Lovecat]

All I could think was, "That's not beef Wellington!"  ;)

I actually said that out loud. Even the fools in Hell's Kitchen make a better facsimile of Beef Wellington.

[DangerousMinds]

Were Norma and cult guy even legally married?

[ParkersBunny]

Just a guess, but if Norma killed the husband in a National Park, I bet it's a federal crime.