S01.E07: Pod Drama

[Tara Ariano]

Jeff is attacked by an inmate, putting the program at risk; Zac and Isaiah get moved to D-Pod; Barbara feels betrayed by her bunkies; Tami's wife makes a surprise visit; and Robert learns he's going back to general population.

[Astra]

OMG there's no loyalty in jaiiilll, I'm sooo depressed. Says the lady who thought the prisoners ate too good when she went in. Jeff was too lightweight for the program (but I'm not one to judge)

The men's pod shake-up was probably because Zac was doing so well it was boring. Show feels faker than fake to me though. I'm mostly in to see a Robert beat-down if it happens.

[Lion18]

Robert is faking some kind of illness so he doesn't have to go back in the pod. I don't blame Jeff for leaving. In the previews they say Zac is going to get in trouble for having drugs. Fake fake fake!

I believe about 30% of this show is real.

Barbra goes running back to Tami after her wife just happens to tell her to keep the peace with her. BA Ha!

Why are these inmates not being watched? Oh their cameras aren't good they said.

I have a crush on Zac and I don't know what's going to happen to Isaiah

[TeapotWakeen]

This was actually a good episode, and I didn't realize why until almost the end -- NO ROBERT! 

 

I just can't with Barbra's quick flip from her BFF is gone and she's so sad, to OMG they're stealing her commissary!  I mean, a) I'm assuming that's part of why inmates leave their stuff, because who needs Ramen noodles in the outside world when you have other choices, b) are the inmates who get the leftovers just supposed to throw it away? make a shrine from it? c) I'm assuming the inmates aren't selling something they want, just to turn around and re-buy what they sold.

 

Jeff's shuffle-step-run after he got hit made me laugh out loud. Wrong of me, I know, but it was so awkward and so clumsy. Clearly he's never taken any self-defense classes. Dude needs to stick to a retail environment or get a desk job. No way will he ever work in corrections.

[rainsmom]

I just can't with Barbra's quick flip from her BFF is gone and she's so sad, to OMG they're stealing her commissary!  I mean, a) I'm assuming that's part of why inmates leave their stuff, because who needs Ramen noodles in the outside world when you have other choices, b) are the inmates who get the leftovers just supposed to throw it away? make a shrine from it? c) I'm assuming the inmates aren't selling something they want, just to turn around and re-buy what they sold.

WORD.

 

Barbra, honey, Sam knew they would sell her stuff. She left it for them. This is how jails work. This is her parting gift to them -- you would do the same, if you stopped and thought about it. Geez, what a stupid thing to get upset about.

 

I feel sorry for Zac and Isaiah. Zac had just gotten a room, and Isaiah had just made a friend. Sucks for them. I'm kind of bummed Robert is going to 3C, since it's the easier pod. Of course it really does look like he's going to try to fake his way out. What a L-O-S-E-R!

[Irritable]

Is it really necessary to have so much filler, so many fake-outs and all the repetitive scenes?  I realize they only have so much footage to work with, but I personally would be very happy to see more of the day-to-day operations inside the pods and the rest of the jail.  Is there a lights out?  A wake up time? How do they keep track of time and days? When and why do officers come into the pods every day? (I'm still shocked there isn't always an officer on duty in every pod at all times)  I wouldn't mind watching commissary orders get delivered once.  More interviews with inmates not in the program would be interesting to me - I'm sure they are "paid" to participate with the documentary team with commissary credit anyway, so show us a little more of what everyone else does, besides skulk about and scowl toward the far side of the room. 

 

Speaking of seeing more of the real inmates, I am absolutely dying to know exactly what happened to cause NO SPORKS! to be added in such large letters to the list of things one of the men in solitary wasn't allowed to have.  Also, the interview with the maniac who attacked Jeff was absolutely bone chilling.  The way he slipped in that weird comment about Jeff trying to rape his son while he was denying anything about a scuffle was one of the most raw, real and terrifying peeks into madness that I've ever seen.

 

If they would like to interview me, I certainly have some valuable feedback about how disorganized the jail and this program seem to be. Zac is there specifically to learn how drugs get in, and what kind...so for the first 30 days they put him in the pod NOT known for drug problems.  And because it's important not to draw suspicion, when they are finally going to move him to the pod where drug problems exist they move him with Isaiah of all people, who is ALSO IN THE PROGRAM?!?   Someone please help me understand how this makes any sense at all.  Isaiah is not going to collect any more intel in Pod D than he did in Pod C, because Isaiah decided to just ride this this thing out by sitting on his mat for 2 months.  They could have left him where he was, I see no point in relocating him to a block more crowded than the first one, just to somehow maintain the integrity of Zac's cover or the program.  Zac should have always been in Block D, Robert should have always been in Block C.  Or, once Robert went to Solitary, that would have been a good time to transfer Zac to Block D - 30 more days in the place where he can actually get the information he is there to get might have been helpful.

 

Once again, I think I would have been most like Jeff in this program.  "Well, I just got punched in the face by a lunatic.  I'm ready to leave now.  Now, please.  Right now.  My face hurts.  Ow.  I got hit, you guys.  Open the door and let my ass out of here.  Why is everyone just standing there?  I GOT PUNCHED."

 

So much for Tami breaking the fastest...Barbara didn't even make it a full 24 hours without snapping after her "best friend" left.  What exactly did she want the other women to do with the stuff that was left behind?  Make a shrine? [edited to add:  Ha! TeapotWakeen said the same thing first as I was typing this!]  Donate it to charity?  It took an entire month for Barbara to realize with shock and horror that some of the inmates might be a little unsentimental, cold and unfeeling about food.  Welcome to the harsh realities of jail life, Barbara...those hard bitches will eat your snacks when you leave!   I wish Tami wouldn't have welcomed her back so quickly.  I know she wants a friend, but Barbara is so clearly using her that it felt icky to watch Tami be nice to her now.  And I even backed Barbara when she first said she didn't want to get involved in Tami's confrontation with Boston, but the fact that she snubbed her completely from then on, only to deign Tami worthy to speak to again when she felt alone is kind of shitty. 

 

I appreciated not seeing Robert much this week.  Next week it looks like Maryum flips out because one of the inmates has Ebola! It's an outbreak, y'all!  Or maybe one woman is having an allergic reaction to something that has caused her to break out into an itchy rash and hives.  It's either that, or Ebola, FOR SURE.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Irritable

[Brooklynista]

DiAundre's fight looked fake as hell to me. Was there even another inmate in the cell? We just saw him swinging wildly at nothing.

Has Barbra ever worked in an office before? When folks retire from my job, the first thing we do is raid their office. They don't need those post-its anymore and somebody has been coveting that stapler forever. It's done with no malice towards the retiree. We just want your shit.

I think Barbra was just put off by her husband's distance in his phone calls. Perhaps she thinks he's cheating and she wants to go home to get back to monitoring him.

And is Tami that short? Or is her wife that tall?

[Quilt Fairy]

DiAundre was definitely fighting someone. There was a person on the receiving end of those blows. You thought it looked fake, but I thought it looked terrifying.

 

And is Tami that short? Or is her wife that tall?

They really look like an odd couple don't they? It's such a huge height discrepancy.  Either Tami's a hobbit or her wife is a former WNBA player. Maybe both.

 

ITA that Robert is faking it next week. He wants out but he's too cool to actually say it.

 

ETA: D-pod looks a lot more dangerous and crowded than it did when Robert was in there. The dynamics of these pods change quickly, don't they?

Edited April 15, 2016 by Quilt Fairy

[Irritable]

And is Tami that short? Or is her wife that tall?

 

 

I think both are true, and it gave their reunion hugs an awkward mother-and-child visual for me. 

[placate]

I'm mostly in to see a Robert beat-down if it happens.

 

 

Robert is faking some kind of illness so he doesn't have to go back in the pod.

I think Lion18 is right but now I'm sad because I thought Robert would be put in a pod and sent back to solitary for getting in a fight with someone. 

 

Did they even pay attention to Maryum this episode? She's not the most compelling but I like seeing her teach the other inmate. I'd take 60 minutes of her teaching geometry over any minute with Robert.

 

Tami's wife is a saint. I think she's the most pleasant person that has been on this show. I would've slapped Tami and tell her she isn't a special snowflake.

 

Jeff seems happy to be out. Can't say that I blame him. I wouldn't want to be locked up with a non-medicated schizophrenic that thought I was going to rape his son. I wonder if he still wants to be a corrections officers.

[farmgal4]

This was actually a good episode, and I didn't realize why until almost the end -- NO ROBERT!

I just can't with Barbra's quick flip from her BFF is gone and she's so sad, to OMG they're stealing her commissary! I mean, a) I'm assuming that's part of why inmates leave their stuff, because who needs Ramen noodles in the outside world when you have other choices, b) are the inmates who get the leftovers just supposed to throw it away? make a shrine from it? c) I'm assuming the inmates aren't selling something they want, just to turn around and re-buy what they sold.

Jeff's shuffle-step-run after he got hit made me laugh out loud. Wrong of me, I know, but it was so awkward and so clumsy. Clearly he's never taken any self-defense classes. Dude needs to stick to a retail environment or get a desk job. No way will he ever work in corrections.

Jeff actually DID take some sort of self-defense class. They showed it happening in the first (?) episode. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I dreamed it. I LOL too when he came out of that bunk after being hit. His moves looked similar to mine when a spider lands on me. Edited April 15, 2016 by farmgal4

[Quilt Fairy]

You're not dreaming, I remember it, too. He flubbed his way through some kind of karate throw. Not the most coordinated fella.

[Maharincess]

Wow, Jeff can not fight at all. I've never seen a grown man act like that during a fight. He looked like a scared little kid.

He needs to grow much bigger balls if he wants to be a prison guard.

[ZoloftBlob]

Actually I am kind of pissed how Jeff is being treated.

 

Jeff volunteered and committed no crime.

 

Jeff got bullied and shit on by inmates.

 

Jeff was physically struck by an inmate.

 

Everyone at the jail insists theres NO EVIDENCE of an assault despite the footage.

 

Sheriff Idiot says despite there being a protocol to remove participants in danger, that Jeff can't be removed unless he goes to Adseg

 WHen Jeff goes to Adseg, he's regaled as a silly white boy bitch.

 

Well, fuck me, Sheriff Idiot - if jail is so fucking easy that Jeff's a fucking loser, then maybe man up and put your fucking fresh faced recruits with no jail time into your jail as spies instead of "innocent civilians" that you fucking SHIT ON IN PUBLIC.

 

Seriously, as fucking dumbass as this "project" is - what did Jeff as a human being do to deserve this?

[slasherboy]

Actually I am kind of pissed how Jeff is being treated.

 

Jeff volunteered and committed no crime.

 

Jeff got bullied and shit on by inmates.

 

Jeff was physically struck by an inmate.

 

Everyone at the jail insists theres NO EVIDENCE of an assault despite the footage.

 

Sheriff Idiot says despite there being a protocol to remove participants in danger, that Jeff can't be removed unless he goes to Adseg

 WHen Jeff goes to Adseg, he's regaled as a silly white boy bitch.

 

Well, fuck me, Sheriff Idiot - if jail is so fucking easy that Jeff's a fucking loser, then maybe man up and put your fucking fresh faced recruits with no jail time into your jail as spies instead of "innocent civilians" that you fucking SHIT ON IN PUBLIC.

 

Seriously, as fucking dumbass as this "project" is - what did Jeff as a human being do to deserve this?

 

He said "yes" when asked if he wanted to be on the show.

[ZoloftBlob]

Oh I get you - but I'm not so lost to the phenomena of reality tv  that I think the producers spelled out in detail to Jeff that they were gonna fuck him in the edit as the crybaby bitch boy.

[TeapotWakeen]

ZoloftBob, in the words of one of the MTV RealWorld greats: "They can't use what you don't give them."  Look, I get that he is being edited to show how scared he was, and it's only PART of his experience while in there. But it's 2016, no one who aspires to reality TV is unaware of this phenomenon. Some bank on it, some think it won't happen to them -- but it's the nature of the beast. ("You knew I was a scorpion when you picked me up.")

 

As a 6-foot tall woman, I kept watching Tami against other people she passed to try to gauge her height, and my totally unscientific poll guessed her at 5'2" and her wife at 6'1"   It's a tall woman thing, y'all.... we slyly check shoulder heights of other tall people or potential dating partners.

 

I do remember now that they had self defense in training. I forgot about that! Shows me Jeff was never serious about being in corrections. If that's all he has ever taken, he has only just given lip service to being a guard. When they switched Zak and Isaiah, they also switched other inmates as well so it wouldn't be totally obvious what they were doing. I wonder why they switch people around? C pod was relatively empty compared to 6+ guys on the floor in D pod.

 

Can someone tell me about prices in the commissary? I know that inmate calls are a major, major financial ripoff (or were, but I think now they can use calling cards?). How do the prices of the commissary compare to, say, a convenience store? If ramen noodles are 50 cents at the local minimart (compared to 35 cents at Aldi), how much are they at the commissary?

[ZoloftBlob]

TeapotWakeen - I think I am more offended at how Sheriff Idiot was acting over Jeff leaving, and to a lesser extent Robert's implosion than Jeff's actual depiction because frankly, I'd fucking ask to leave to if the known unmedicated schizophrenic was randomly punching me. If nothing else, the complete lack of concern and willingness to throw Jeff under the bus for the cameras is a huge problem because Sheriff Idiot's public takeaway here was "He's a crybaby bitch inconveniently being a coward so I had to deal with his drama" and not "my personal spy who has committed no crime was physically assaulted by an inmate and literally no one stepped in and no one seems concerned in the slightest that the inmate continues to be unmedicated". 

 

This jail is sloppy as fuck.

[Whimsy]

Though, I'm really curious as to why D-pod is so "full" and C-pod is not. Is D-pod just smaller and that's why everything looks so cramped? 

 

I think it's this because I think I remember Zac saying that it was more crowded even though there were the same number of people..

 

It just seems to me that they should pay a little more attention to dynamics of the pods and shift people around more frequently to keep the most peace, etc.  But, it's easy to say that from my couch.

 

And sorry to even say this because I totally associate with Jeff as I would be ill-prepared to go into that situation and would be shitting my pants every minute- but someone who says they want to be a corrections officer needs to be able to handle himself better.  He was whining about how much his face and head hurt when there was absolutely no visible mark on him at all. People don't mess with Zac because he has muscles and looks like he can handle himself.  Not saying that what Jeff got was warranted at all.  Ricky is totally unhinged and was hearing voices.  He is very frightening. 

[ZoloftBlob]

It just seems to me that they should pay a little more attention to dynamics of the pods and shift people around more frequently to keep the most peace, etc.  But, it's easy to say that from my couch.

 

That would involve having actual guards and supervision. Something I have noticed, in comparision to say Lockup, is that we rarely see guards in the pod. And considering the overcrowding, there's probably not much leeway. Point - as an inmate, I'd be ticked if I was in a cell and got shifted to a different pod to sleep on the floor.

[VioletNevermind]

Did they even pay attention to Maryum this episode? She's not the most compelling but I like seeing her teach the other inmate.

 

Oh, I must beg to differ.  Maryum is Muhammad Ali's daughter.  Did you know that?  ;-) 

Edited April 15, 2016 by SuzyLee

[Lion18]

My 23 hour stay in jail was in the psych ward because I take anti anxiety meds. I wasn't too scared maybe because I have a degree in emotional disorders as a teacher. However, Ricky would definitely scare me!

One inmate danced as a ballerina all day, one was screaming because she said she needed help to get dressed and the most physically and mentally challenged inmate was kept in her cell because I was told that she was attacking other inmates

We had a guard and a nurse at all times There were guards to walk us to court, take us up to jail , take us outside for 45 minutes and in the court.

I wasn't in mainstream so I don't know the ratio of inmates to guards. The advantage to the psych ward was there are only 10 inmates. There was breakfast at 4 AM, lunch time with the trays and two times we were told to go in our cells and were locked in. It seemed more organized than this jail

It was a horrible experience either way

Edited April 15, 2016 by Lion18

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning questions about the latest jailhouse dramz.

Read the story

[LAgator77]

Is it really necessary to have so much filler, so many fake-outs and all the repetitive scenes?

And this is why I so rarely ever watch "reality TV." After 60 days of footage you're telling me you don't have enough material to not repeat the same sound bites 2 to 3 times per episode? Zac is the only reason I'm still watching this show. 

 

Jeff needs to find a nice job in a cubicle somewhere where he will mostly interact with middle-aged ladies. Wandering around the jail, he kinda looked like a fat baby who had outgrown his onesie. He is way too soft to be in jail or in any job where he has to deal with criminals. 

[Neurochick]

TeapotWakeen - I think I am more offended at how Sheriff Idiot was acting over Jeff leaving, and to a lesser extent Robert's implosion than Jeff's actual depiction because frankly, I'd fucking ask to leave to if the known unmedicated schizophrenic was randomly punching me. If nothing else, the complete lack of concern and willingness to throw Jeff under the bus for the cameras is a huge problem because Sheriff Idiot's public takeaway here was "He's a crybaby bitch inconveniently being a coward so I had to deal with his drama" and not "my personal spy who has committed no crime was physically assaulted by an inmate and literally no one stepped in and no one seems concerned in the slightest that the inmate continues to be unmedicated". 

 

This jail is sloppy as fuck.

 

The thing about reality TV is that when you sign up for a show, you never know the part you will play, i.e. how they will edit you.  The problem with Jeff was that he didn't read the pod correctly.  Jeff seems to be the type of person who thinks if people smile at you, it means they like you. 

[ZoloftBlob]

The problem with Jeff was that he didn't read the pod correctly.  Jeff seems to be the type of person who thinks if people smile at you, it means they like you.

 

Oh I totally think Jeff was tagged as "weak as fuck" the second he walked in, but from a get along aspect? Was he really so out of sorts? No one seemed to actively dislike him at all, except the schizophrenic off his meds who assaulted him for no reason after the pod boss tried to talk some sense into him.

 

Is jeff's behavior really that much weaker and friendless than Isaiah who cried to his mommy to come take him home, and who basically has ducked and covered and ain't said boo to *anyone*? I am utterly certain if someone walked up to Isiah or Zac, and punched them while calling them a child rapist, that these two would bail as well if the only response was "Yeah well"

 

If there was really a concern about Robert being too unstable to go back to the pod, then how is Sheriff Idiot not on the liability hook for his whole "Well, Robert is a nut job but the project is SO important I can't just wash my hands of this and not put this nutjob back in"?

 

I have so many questions about the legality of this show....

[Mom2twoNonna2-3]

When inmates leave jail their "friends" always want/take what the inmate doesn't take with them. You can't take your commissary out with you so your "friends" want it, as well as anything else you want to leave behind. I had money in my account at all times so I had thermal shirts and anything else I could find to keep warm. When I left I wanted none of it. My husband and I did not want any reminders of the experience in our home. I left socks, thermals, writing materials, etc. What my friends did with them I don't know and I don't care. It was theirs to do with as they chose. I can say that inmates do "sell" stuff for many reasons. I bought hand drawn cards from an inmate for my family since I was in over my daughter's birthday, my anniversary, valentine's day, Easter and mother's day. You can buy some cards from commissary, but I liked the hand drawn cards on lined paper better. I bought everything with commissary. We didn't have the kind of ordering system that this one does. We ordered on a scan tron sheet. We didn't have video chats or email. Our visitations were via video, but, they had to be scheduled at the beginning of the week and our family had to come to the visitation center to have the "video visit." None from another state. 

 

I noticed the height difference when Joelle and Tami were saying their goodbyes. I considered that it might be Joelle standing up on the curb, but, now I see it's not. If you check out the beginning scene of the show with all 7 participants in black out in front of the bars you'll see Tami on the far right of the screen and she is short.

 

I would have wanted to leave if I were Jeff, too.  I hope it's a fake out with Zac. I could have been someone else sneaking the drugs into his bunk when the shakedown was called. Although the guards are usually vigilent at watching what you do when they call it.  No toilet flushing or anything else. They will also write you up for crazy things. Too many salt packets, tylenol etc. One of my roommates used to hide salt in a douche box. They usually caught her and since it was "common" area of the cell they would question us all. No way would I go down for that crap Usually she fessed up.

[Neurochick]

The problem with Jeff was he started out purchasing things for other inmates, then he gave someone his lunch tray.  Now, that may be nice in other places, but in prison, that makes you look weak.

 

I have so many questions about the legality of this show....

 

We are such a litigious society.  But the thing is, no one forced anybody to be on this show.  No way would I go on a TV show set in a prison, if I can think like that, all by myself, I'm sure others can too.

[kassa]

 

Why are these inmates not being watched? Oh their cameras aren't good they said.

I 

The other very real possibility is that the people charged with watching the live feed don't give a damn. I think Sheriff Bright Idea just handed a lot of current/former inmates who have claimed to have been assaulted a court case, because here we have one on film that he admits wasn't caught by guards.

 

I just can't with Barbra's quick flip from her BFF is gone and she's so sad, to OMG they're stealing her commissary!   

I wonder if the girl who went was really Barbra's guardian angel, and only her alpha status kept the other girls connected in any way to Barbra.  And once she was gone, Barbra knew she was going to be on the outs.  It would then make sense to purposely create an issue where SHE was the one backing away from them, for Reasons.

 

DiAundre's fight looked fake as hell to me. Was there even another inmate in the cell? We just saw him swinging wildly at nothing.

 

I don't think it was fake, but it certainly looked lame.  DiAundre's a great big oaf, and I'm sure his fists land like hams, but he fights like a 5 year old (arms straight out slapping from the side).  I'd rather take one swipe from him and hit the ground than be pummeled by some of the much smaller, leaner, obviously-know-how-to-throw-a-punch people in there.

 

I am utterly certain if someone walked up to Isiah or Zac, and punched them while calling them a child rapist, that these two would bail as well if the only response was "Yeah well"

 

 

I think Zac addressed this early on -- if somebody comes for him, he's fighting back, even if that means getting actual charges on himself (which, face it, would never be filed because of the giant can of liability worms).  I have no reason to doubt he'd put up a decent fight if attacked.  Plus, he's naturally an alpha, and other men respect him.  While Isaiah isn't an alpha, he made a reference to being from the streets.  Obviously he's a gentle guy and all of this is hard for him, but from back home he probably knows a lot of people like the ones he's running into here (his brother among them?) and is able to straddle a line as a guy who doesn't get messed with even though he's weak because he knows how to show respect to the people who demand that sort of thing, while keeping his head down.    As opposed to Robert and Jeff, who absolutely have no idea who the most dangerous people in the room are, and have giant blinking targets on their back.  

Sorry my quoting's all messed up.  Not sure how to fix that.

Edited April 15, 2016 by kassa

[ZoloftBlob]

No, the legalities I wonder about are mostly on behalf of the prisoners. The prisoners *are* forced to be there. If Robert blows a gasket and assaults someone - since Robert is not actually an inmate and is in jail as a reality show participant and is openly being assessed and acknowledged as a wack job and Sheriff Idiot shoves him into the pod because "well, why the fuck not? I mean, THE PROJECT!" - isn't that Sheriff Idiot exposing an inmate who can't get out to a dangerous situation that the inmate can't escape from?

[grumpypanda]

Where the hell are all the guards and what happened with a spork? Seriously, if the sheriff wants to fix his jail he needs to start by hiring more guards and training them to watch the inmates.

Where are the guards when all of these fights go down? The inmates have practically no supervision. It seems like trading food causes a lot of problems in the jail so why aren't inmates required to sit down at the table while they eat with a guard watching them. This would cut down on at least some of the fighting. I did three weeks in a juvenile detection center when I was a teenager and this is how it was done where I was at.

Anyway, I'm actually glad Jeff left early. I didn't enjoy watching him get used and humiliated each week.

Edited April 15, 2016 by grumpypanda

[ZoloftBlob]

Anyway, I'm actually glad Jeff left early. I didn't enjoy watching him get used and humiliated each week.

 

Yeah. It was starting to feel gross, watching some guy get crapped on while all the authority figures applaud and insist its for science!

[OJ-Simpson]

I felt sorry for Jeff. Im glad he left. That prison is clearly mismanaged to have a long running fight like that and for no one to ever respond is disgusting. That dirtbag inmate Ricky is such a scumbag. It's hard to have much sympathy for that thug.

I think the show is really important that the show is highlighting that throwing random criminals in together makes degenerates worse and bigger criminals. What a disaster. Makes me dislike politicians that support that morons like the Sheriff Joe idiot that seems to enjoy incarcerating people. Making criminals bigger criminals will make society more dangerous not safer.

[jennylauren123]

It's so strange how these pods are just filled with men, walking aimlessly and listlessly around. I mean, I don't blame them. What are they supposed to do? But I would be so nervous. There's no way you can keep track of everyone with all of that movement. They are definitely overcrowded, and the state of those blue mattresses is shameful. 

 

The way the men lied so easy breezy when questioned about the fight was scary to me. I understand not snitching, but they were so good at lying. Roby is one of scariest of all. I was creeped out when he stood over Jeff an episode or so ago and just started pressing buttons on Jeff's commissary order. Now there's is a man who is used to having his own way. 

 

Anyone catch Barbra saying that the F-pod, without her departed bestie, is now the "Devil's Den"? That was so odd. 

Edited April 16, 2016 by jennylauren123

[LoveMyVike]

Omg! There were too many posts to quote, I am dying over here. You guys brought up every point I was baffled by last night, and then some. I can't decide if if like the show or am just hate watching at this point...

[Toaster Strudel]

I couldn't believe that Barbra used the "get out" towel signal just to whine to the crew about her roomies splitting the Ramen like the world was ending.

[stephtoney1974]

This was actually a good episode, and I didn't realize why until almost the end -- NO ROBERT! 

 

I just can't with Barbra's quick flip from her BFF is gone and she's so sad, to OMG they're stealing her commissary!  I mean, a) I'm assuming that's part of why inmates leave their stuff, because who needs Ramen noodles in the outside world when you have other choices, b) are the inmates who get the leftovers just supposed to throw it away? make a shrine from it? c) I'm assuming the inmates aren't selling something they want, just to turn around and re-buy what they sold.

 

Jeff's shuffle-step-run after he got hit made me laugh out loud. Wrong of me, I know, but it was so awkward and so clumsy. Clearly he's never taken any self-defense classes. Dude needs to stick to a retail environment or get a desk job. No way will he ever work in corrections.

Bwahahaha.....yes I also LOL when Jeff got attacked. I know I know I'm on a fast freefall to Hell but I wanted to kick his butt myself.

[farmgal4]

TeapotWakeen - I think I am more offended at how Sheriff Idiot was acting over Jeff leaving, and to a lesser extent Robert's implosion than Jeff's actual depiction because frankly, I'd fucking ask to leave to if the known unmedicated schizophrenic was randomly punching me. If nothing else, the complete lack of concern and willingness to throw Jeff under the bus for the cameras is a huge problem because Sheriff Idiot's public takeaway here was "He's a crybaby bitch inconveniently being a coward so I had to deal with his drama" and not "my personal spy who has committed no crime was physically assaulted by an inmate and literally no one stepped in and no one seems concerned in the slightest that the inmate continues to be unmedicated".

This jail is sloppy as fuck.

Preach, ZoloftBob. I agree with every word.

ETA: Forgive me, ZoloftBLOB. Lol

Edited April 16, 2016 by farmgal4

[whoknowswho]

Preach, ZoloftBob. I agree with every word.

See what I started? Zoloftblob, you will be forever called ZoloftBOB.

Lol, I'm so sorry...

[farmgal4]

Omg! There were too many posts to quote, I am dying over here. You guys brought up every point I was baffled by last night, and then some. I can't decide if if like the show or am just hate watching at this point...

In response to your last sentence, I'm starting to feel the same way. I'm undecided if I'm going to watch Season 2, but I'm thinking probably not.

[ZoloftBlob]

Hee! I should discreetly change my user ID and then get all "no... its ZoloftBob.... whats wrong with you?"

[Brooklynista]

Barbra's meltdown over Sam leaving was just silly. It's as if sh lacks any real honesty about who she is. She can braid hair and swap ramen noodles all she wants with these women, when this is over so are they.

If 2 months after this experiment is over and Sam calls to say "Hey girl! I'm out of rehab in in your town. Let's get the kids together for a play date" Barbra would go radio silent so fast her own husband wouldn't be able to find her.

Don't get me wrong, and have buddies at work that I keykey with all day that I would never associate with after 5pm but Sam was just silly. And to run back to drama queen Tami? I'd rather she bucked up and served her remaining time solo, buy clearly that's not who she is. Just as Tami needs to be told her childhood was the worst of anybody's in the penal system, Barbra needs to hear she's the girliest and most prettiest in the sorority.

[Neurochick]

No, the legalities I wonder about are mostly on behalf of the prisoners. The prisoners *are* forced to be there. If Robert blows a gasket and assaults someone - since Robert is not actually an inmate and is in jail as a reality show participant and is openly being assessed and acknowledged as a wack job and Sheriff Idiot shoves him into the pod because "well, why the fuck not? I mean, THE PROJECT!" - isn't that Sheriff Idiot exposing an inmate who can't get out to a dangerous situation that the inmate can't escape from?

 

That is a really good question.  There was a reality show on years ago about a class of recruits trying to join the LAPD.  I remember hearing that if a student didn't wish their face to be shown on TV, they had to resign from that class and join another one.  So I wonder what rights do the inmates have?  

 

i remember seeing an episode of Beyond Scared Straight where a correction officer made a young man read the 13th Amendment, where it says, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction," which he took to mean, "if you're in jail, you're technically a slave."  

 

Now I wonder if the participants had to sign something stating that they weren't allowed to fight the inmates.  

Edited April 16, 2016 by Neurochick

[ZoloftBlob]

I admit, my heart isn't bleeding that much for the inmates but I am growing to despise Sheriff Idiot, so I will question his competency in thinking Robert is mentally disturbed, caring to the point of having him assessed, but not throwing him out of "the program" because a mentally disturbed civilian with no criminal record is still perfectly safe. Since Sheriff Idiot is on record stating he screened these people, shouldn't he be on the hook if Robert flips?

 

And what if Zac is found with drugs? Robert was put in solitary because he covered a camera, because Sheriff Idiot HAS TO treat him like an inmate. Well, fuck then, Zac better get some charges and no crybabying about the project since Sheriff Idiot HAS TO treat him like an inmate and that means no winking at rules that involve actual crimes....

 

Now, of course THAT won't happen because "Zac is our documented spy" but where's the line? What if Tami slugs someone in her bitter quest to demand respect? Frankly she's coming off pretty unhinged and was screened by Sheriff Idiot so if she loses it and pops an inmate in the face, what liability does Sheriff Idiot have for putting a crazy hothead civilian in the pod?

[rainsmom]

Now I wonder if the participants had to sign something stating that they weren't allowed to fight the inmates.  

I bet it wasn't that specific. I expect, though -- and we see some of it on camera -- that it was drilled into them that if they committed a crime in there, they would be liable for the charges. Assault is against the law. Self defense is not... but they'd better hope a camera catches it.

[TattleTeeny]

Jeff's shuffle-step-run after he got hit made me laugh out loud. Wrong of me, I know, but it was so awkward and so clumsy. Clearly he's never taken any self-defense classes. Dude needs to stick to a retail environment or get a desk job. No way will he ever work in corrections.

 

I laughed too, but then I attributed it to him not being able to see (in addition to his already awkward oafishness).

Edited April 16, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[SheTalksShit]

OMG there's no loyalty in jaiiilll, I'm sooo depressed. Says the lady who thought the prisoners ate too good when she went in. Jeff was too lightweight for the program (but I'm not one to judge)

The men's pod shake-up was probably because Zac was doing so well it was boring. Show feels faker than fake to me though. I'm mostly in to see a Robert beat-down if it happens.

No, it was specifically said that they did so because they couldn't put Robert back in D-Pod, so they decided to move Isiah and Zac there, instead, so they could get feedback on the drug use there. Robert will be starting over in C-pod. It was also specifically said that they couldn't have Robert and Zac in the same pod because they know each other from training. It was also specifically said that they periodically move inmates from time to time, which i believe because if you notice, none of the inmates seemed particularly surprised that 2 inmates were being moved, they weren't like, "WTF? this never happens." 

The timelines are really screwy on this show. First, they say Robert has served his 30 days in segregation and will be going back to general population. Then we find out Jeff lasted a week before giving up and wanting out. Then we constantly see new and old inmates in F-Pod, like Jennifer seems to have been released before Boston showed up, but then some scenes show her still there and Boston not there and vice-versa.

 

I guess it's possible Jeff came into the jail a few weeks after Robert had already been there, but the way Tami picked up on Barbra makes it seem like the participants were spaced out by a couple days, not weeks. They could have told us when each participant entered the jail relative to the others, like Zac, day 26, Isaiah, day 20, and that could have cleared up these problems. Were Zac and Jeff even in C-Pod at the same time? I'll have to go back and watch the episode. 

They were in at the same time. 

[Quilt Fairy]

It seems as if the fake prisoners are in the same dilemma as any undercover cop: you're supposed to act badass and all while never technically breaking the law. Like acting as if of course you do drugs or have killed people without ever actually having done either. 

 

I thought it was interesting that shortly after arriving in D-pod someone asks Zac if he did drugs, and at first he says "No" but then he quickly changes it to "Well, yeah, I do, but I don't wanna catch another case in here". I wonder if that's what leads to them hiding drugs in his bunk.

Edited April 16, 2016 by Quilt Fairy

[Maharincess]

See what I started? Zoloftblob, you will be forever called ZoloftBOB.

Lol, I'm so sorry...

Ive always thought it was Bob too.

[SheTalksShit]

I felt sorry for Jeff. Im glad he left. That prison is clearly mismanaged to have a long running fight like that and for no one to ever respond is disgusting. That dirtbag inmate Ricky is such a scumbag. It's hard to have much sympathy for that thug.

I think the show is really important that the show is highlighting that throwing random criminals in together makes degenerates worse and bigger criminals. What a disaster. Makes me dislike politicians that support that morons like the Sheriff Joe idiot that seems to enjoy incarcerating people. Making criminals bigger criminals will make society more dangerous not safer.

ummm Ricky is not your average "scumbag" or "thug," in case you didn't notice. He's clearly a paranoid schizophrenic who has no idea wtf is going on in reality. He needs to start taking his medication again.