S04.E05: We'll Always Have Baltimore

[Cranberry]

TBA

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Company policy leads to a shortage of critical supplies and an eventful trip to a prison convention. Piscatella starts a new anti-gang initiative.

[RCharter]

So....Piper collected a group of all white inmate for "community cares" and didn't think that a white pride gang was even a remote possibility?  I realize that Piper thinks she is a great manipulator of everyone, but come on.

[leighdear]

They are definitely portraying Piper as having a lot of really stupid moments this season.  She never before came off as so clueless, even in earlier seasons. 

[Lady Calypso]

Wow, did what Pennsatucky say to Coates the last episode actually sink in? 

A Maritza flashback! I really liked learning more about her and how she was actually a good con artist.

Piper is really insufferable now, isn't she? I did like her scene with Piscatella, and it led to the hilariously dropped revelation. But yeah, how does she not think that not only getting the guards to be searching the Latinas, but creating a community carers group with the white inmates would be a good idea? Speaking of the guards, all the new guards are kind of gross. Although the one guard who spoke Spanish at the end surprised me. 

Suzanne and Morello teaming up was hilarious.

I like how Caputo is finally finding himself a woman that he likes. But I don't know if I like Linda. I don't know if I'm supposed to like Linda, in all honesty. 

[Maximum Taco]

Wow Piper is DUMB this season. Doesn't even realize that she's forming a white power group.

Did love her Hawaiian muscle slowly backing out of the room. She's done with this. 

[Mya Stone]

Of COURSE Linda would idolize Prince Freaking Humperdink. 

[Cherpumple]

That corrections conference was horrifying, and I get the feeling the Linda is way worse than Fig.  For all her terribleness, Fig at least had a better idea about what really goes on in prison and took seriously her responsibility to keep the women safe and clean, even if it was out of political/financial motivations. Linda, on the other hand, just seems like a vapid self-centred sycophant who doesn't even seem to realize that she is talking about the lives of real women. Open your eyes, Caputo! I did love the return of Danny, the half-wit turned firebrand, and hope he continues to be a thorn in the side of his father's horrible company.

[thelonerafter]

I guess I'm usually more sympathetic to Piper because for me she's probably the character I'd match up to the most if I had to go to prison. Her attitude in the first few episodes with her "gansta with an a" did annoy me a lot, but I can see how she would not predict a community carers group turning into a white pride rally. I mean I'm assuming her neighborhood probably had an HOA that established a neighborhood watch, so how would this be any different than another neighborhood watch group (other than the fact they're in prison)? I don't think she was only aiming for white members, otherwise why bother making little posters and putting them in a public place like the port-a-potty's? I think that one woman who'd been beat up in the stairwell thought of it as a white pride thing and when she asked if she could get the word out only relayed it to like minded people. I also think that Piper's targeting of the Dominican group is more about her "business" and continuing to think of herself as a "gansta" who could take on others than anything else.

I've always liked Maritza, I like the idea of finding a way to continue to express yourself through makeup or fashion while you're in there, it's one of the reasons Sophia is one of my favorites as well. I really liked getting to see more of her past. 

The conference was freaky! It's honestly so weird to think about the private prison industry. I mean as they brought up on the panel, yes they did commit crimes, but isn't Litchfield low security? Like their crimes weren't typically violent? (we've seen so many backstories over the past few seasons I've forgotten most of them). I mean they at least deserve basic hygiene like pads!

I also really like SoSo in the library because I do the exact same thing when I try to teach someone else, especially in math! Sometimes it's hard to take a second, slow down, and realize that it really is hard for them and they truly aren't getting it. I know I've definitely solved problems for friends doing homework when I was supposed to be actually helping them understand.

Edited June 18, 2016 by thelonerafter
autocorrect

[Chairperson Meow]

Maritza has my favorite back story by far.   And I, too, would visit her at Litchfield just for makeup tips lol.  

[RCharter]

2 hours ago, thelonerafter said:

I guess I'm usually more sympathetic to Piper because for me she's probably the character I'd match up to the most if I had to go to prison. Her attitude in the first few episodes with her "gansta with an a" did annoy me a lot, but I can see how she would not predict a community carers group turning into a white pride rally. I mean I'm assuming her neighborhood probably had an HOA that established a neighborhood watch, so how would this be any different than another neighborhood watch group (other than the fact they're in prison)? I don't think she was only aiming for white members, otherwise why bother making little posters and putting them in a public place like the port-a-potty's? I think that one woman who'd been beat up in the stairwell thought of it as a white pride thing and when she asked if she could get the word out only relayed it to like minded people. I also think that Piper's targeting of the Dominican group is more about her "business" and continuing to think of herself as a "gansta" who could take on others than anything else.

I've always liked Maritza, I like the idea of finding a way to continue to express yourself through makeup or fashion while you're in there, it's one of the reasons Sophia is one of my favorites as well. I really liked getting to see more of her past. 

The conference was freaky! It's honestly so weird to think about the private prison industry. I mean as they brought up on the panel, yes they did commit crimes, but isn't Litchfield low security? Like their crimes weren't typically violent? (we've seen so many backstories over the past few seasons I've forgotten most of them). I mean they at least deserve basic hygiene like pads!

I also really like SoSo in the library because I do the exact same thing when I try to teach someone else, especially in math! Sometimes it's hard to take a second, slow down, and realize that it really is hard for them and they truly aren't getting it. I know I've definitely solved problems for friends doing homework when I was supposed to be actually helping them understand.

But she didn't approach anyone of any other race.  I get that she wouldn't want to approach the Dominicans, but to only reach out to white people?  And I don't even know that she really tried to reach out to Red and her group of more reasonable people.  Especially when Skinhead Helen and her friend show up.  How did you not see that turning white pride real quick?

I enjoyed Maritza's flashback.

So....I know a few people with the "daisy cup" and it does seem like a good way to handle the problem with pad/tampons

[ciprus]

5 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

That corrections conference was horrifying, and I get the feeling the Linda is way worse than Fig.  For all her terribleness, Fig at least had a better idea about what really goes on in prison and took seriously her responsibility to keep the women safe and clean, even if it was out of political/financial motivations. Linda, on the other hand, just seems like a vapid self-centred sycophant who doesn't even seem to realize that she is talking about the lives of real women. Open your eyes, Caputo! I did love the return of Danny, the half-wit turned firebrand, and hope he continues to be a thorn in the side of his father's horrible company.

Yes to Linda being worse than Fig!

I think they're doing a good job showing how twisted it is with a prison that's run for profit. It shouldn't be allowed. It wasn't all that when it was federally run but now it's a clusterfuck.

[snowwhyte]

I really enjoyed the scene where Piscatelli revealed he was gay and wouldn't fall for Piper's cutesy schtick. It's just a shame he fell for the rest of her manipulations. I'm still unsure about Piscatelli. I feel like he could be the only competent guard in the place but he is too much in the maximum security mindset and he does have a scary vibe to him. 

[EvilApplesauce]

Maritza's backstory for the win! And the way she handled that panty carrier situation by playing him off as the gardener was great!

It might be too soon to tell, but I'm worried that the show is trying to tell too many stories all at once. Piper needs something to do as the main character, but this "community cares" stuff? Bruh. Alex and Lolly were really interesting together, so I hope that they don't disappear. I also hope Pennsatucky gets a resolution. Natasha Lyonne is featured in the credits, but so far we've only seen a glimpse of her. Why is somebody pooping in the showers? Didn't we already have a character hiding a cell phone in season 1? Do Soso and Poussey just make out all day and do nothing else? Will Daya fall by the wayside once Aleida's out?

[AmandaPanda]

9 hours ago, RCharter said:

So....I know a few people with the "daisy cup" and it does seem like a good way to handle the problem with pad/tampons

I feel like it could, but I would also wonder about cleanliness. When I'm able to wash my own, it's one thing. But if I have to trust someone else to wash it, I don't know that I would be comfortable with that. Plus, that would be the worst job ever. Also, I wouldn't want to use a daisy cup that someone else had used and I don't know how they would ensure that.

Piper might actually be the stupidest person on the show. And I think she's getting stupider. 

Love that Piscatelli is gay and "will never find [Piper] adorable."

Linda is a bit horrifying. I don't know how we're supposed to feel about her yet, but I find her truly repulsive.

I don't know how I never realized that Maritza is Lina from Jane the Virgin.

[RCharter]

21 minutes ago, AmandaPanda said:

I feel like it could, but I would also wonder about cleanliness. When I'm able to wash my own, it's one thing. But if I have to trust someone else to wash it, I don't know that I would be comfortable with that. Plus, that would be the worst job ever. Also, I wouldn't want to use a daisy cup that someone else had used and I don't know how they would ensure that.

Piper might actually be the stupidest person on the show. And I think she's getting stupider. 

Love that Piscatelli is gay and "will never find [Piper] adorable."

Linda is a bit horrifying. I don't know how we're supposed to feel about her yet, but I find her truly repulsive.

I don't know how I never realized that Maritza is Lina from Jane the Virgin.

I would think the women would wash their own, right?  Or I guess maybe you could try to get some sort of sterilization thingee for them, but I don't care how sterilized a daisy cup is, I don't want the daisy cup someone else used inside of me.

[AllyB]

On 6/17/2016 at 11:55 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Although the one guard who spoke Spanish at the end surprised me. 

I was glad someone understood. The Hispanic characters treating Spanish as some special secret code is a bit irritating. Sure the majority of the white and black people in the prison won't understand but Spanish is a very popular language to study in America and the odds are some people will know at least roughly what you are saying. In fact, we already had Piper in the preceding episode pointing out to Blanca that she understood pretty much all of what she said about her as she has a reasonable ability to speak and understand Spanish.

[Maysie]

I don't really care what the writers are going for with Linda; I hate her. She and Caputo deserve each other. That conference was horrendous. But Danny's return was excellent.

I don't know how I feel about Piscatelli, but I was pleasantly surprised when he put Piper in her place.

And I don't know what to think about Piper's group. Was she frightened or impressed with what it turned into? It seems to me that if she was really offended/bothered by the turn of events, she could have simply walked out when they started chanting "white lives matter." I couldn't get a read on how she felt about it. I don't think she intended to establish a white power group and someone who is self-aware enough to actually be aware of others might have seen how the group and its intent could have been misconstrued. However, I think this season is underscoring Piper's self-delusion that's been fed by her white privilege. She thinks she's all bad-ass and gangsta, but we know she's basically a wannabe. I am starting to believe that Piper goes through life in some sort of state of self-delusion/denial about just about everything.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Maritza was adorable and hilarious.  I love the actor so much more now.  Every line out of her mouth was gold!

I know women like this too... she's real.  (She's also beautiful!)

[Clanstarling]

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 3:44 AM, AllyB said:

I was glad someone understood. The Hispanic characters treating Spanish as some special secret code is a bit irritating. Sure the majority of the white and black people in the prison won't understand but Spanish is a very popular language to study in America and the odds are some people will know at least roughly what you are saying. In fact, we already had Piper in the preceding episode pointing out to Blanca that she understood pretty much all of what she said about her as she has a reasonable ability to speak and understand Spanish.

Agreed. Though I think it's partially "code" and partially the language you speak under stress and for comfort - based my own bi-lingual experiences with my mother. I had to check myself when I got a new job in a company where a large percentage of the employees came from the same country- couldn't use my favorite curse word anymore.

But that guard, for what its worth, scares me more than Piscatella (who is definitely scary). There's just something way more threatening about him to me. Gave me goosebumps.

[knaankos]

I have to say. Worst episode of the series for me. Too much gross out crap with the bathrooms and a Stupid side plot with Morello and Suzanne. I guess crazy eyes must be in every single episode or something.

Piper is an unwatchable character now. Every face she makes just infuriates me. And I did not buy her appalled look at the white lives matter chant after she had just racially profiled the Hispanic girls to the guards (for her business yes but she didn't care it was still racially charged)

what the hell was Caputo doing? Throwing a cop to the ground? What kind of contrived BS was that?

How do Soso and Poussey have all that time to just lay around all day? There coupling is not doing it for me. So surfacey and fake. I don't predict good things for them moving forward. 

Yeah I get that these guards are all scumbags but geez can they ever talk about anything that isn't grossly sexual? 

Alex, Lolly and Red disappear after a critical plot point happened last episode. I guess none of those characters have the "must play a big role in every episode" quota that Suzanne has. 

Oh someone else is sneaking a phone in? How new and important to the plot.

awul stuff all around 

[Princess Sparkle]

On 6/17/2016 at 7:22 PM, Maximum Taco said:

Wow Piper is DUMB this season. Doesn't even realize that she's forming a white power group.

Did love her Hawaiian muscle slowly backing out of the room. She's done with this. 

Her bunkmate backing out of the room gave me the hardest laugh.  I know I'm probably on my own island in thinking this, but clueless Piper never fails to crack me up, and her thinking she's some kind of badass manipulator when no one else thinks that makes me laugh.  I didn't see it coming, but her realization that she created a white power group had me howling.

I liked Maritza's backstory, but I did find myself wondering why she didn't just complete the test drive and then just carry out the con at another car dealership.  I did like seeing that she's a pretty quick thinker, even if it is a bit short-sighted not to think that one of the guards might speak Spanish.  And my goodness, not that I didn't realize it before, but she is absolutely stunning.  I can only dream of having cheekbones like that.  

[Primetimer]

Let's reflect on that moment where our girl Taystee realized that one bad search can lead to a lot of weird porn.

View the full article

[possibilities]

RE the menstrual cups, I figure they'd issue each woman 1 of her own, like they issue newcomers a toothbrush.
And she'd wash it herself.

[Ceindreadh]

5 minutes ago, possibilities said:

RE the menstrual cups, I figure they'd issue each woman 1 of her own, like they issue newcomers a toothbrush.
And she'd wash it herself.

That's what I figured as well.  Until of course somebody comes up with a way to weaponise them or use them for illicit purposes and then they'd probably ban them and only issue them as needed and make the inmates return them when finished.  (I may be getting somewhat cynical about private run prisons)

[knaankos]

I am also not much of a fan of this 'race war' crap. I don't think being too accurate to real life is anything creative or relevant. House of Cards did this in their last season. Way way too close to real life. Race relations in America seem to be going down the tubes and for some reason we are all regressing. I do not need my fictional televisions shows to make race issues prevalent and do nothing to help in anyway. 

[Scarlett45]

We can say a lot of things about prisons in the country, but I have to say the lack of maxi pads in a women's prison disgust me. A maxi pad isn't a "discretionary item" it's a basic hygiene item, denying prisoners those items is akin to denying them a chance to bathe with soap or use a toilet that flushes. 

I know this happens but it's a moment of "reality" in this satire I suppose. 

Edited June 22, 2016 by Scarlett45

[hkit]

Tastee googling "Red" was my single favorite part of the entire season. I cannot tell you how hard I laughed at this. 

[mccartygirl]

On 6/18/2016 at 1:46 PM, snowwhyte said:

I really enjoyed the scene where Piscatelli revealed he was gay and wouldn't fall for Piper's cutesy schtick. It's just a shame he fell for the rest of her manipulations. I'm still unsure about Piscatelli. I feel like he could be the only competent guard in the place but he is too much in the maximum security mindset and he does have a scary vibe to him. 

I loved when he told her he would never be into her. She is even more annoying this season. Can't stand her at all!

[EuropeanGirl]

Best moments for me in this episode:

-Maritza (I hope I spelled it right): I'm Yessica, it's Jessica, but, like, more ethnic.

-Piscatelli telling Piper that she's not adorable.

I also loved seeing Maritza's story. She, Lorna and Suzanne are my favorites!! She turned out to be smarter than we and the others in prison thought. It's gonna be interesting what's gonna come out of the whole movement idea that Piper initialized.

Edited June 25, 2016 by EuropeanGirl

[RCharter]

On 6/22/2016 at 6:19 AM, hkit said:

Tastee googling "Red" was my single favorite part of the entire season. I cannot tell you how hard I laughed at this. 

that.....was...hilarious.

It was so cute that she honestly thought that Red would come up instead of the color.  And it made a point about how out of touch these women are in terms of modern technology...which of course, makes it even harder to find a job on the outside.

[Iseut]

Taystee Googling Red was awesome, but I loved even more the cat dressed as George Washington that came up when she Googled Poussey Washington. Pussy Washington! Hee hee...I wonder if that was already online (would not be surprised) or if the production team had to Photoshop it.

I also just love that she was Googling Poussey...theirs is my favorite relationship on the show and I miss their scenes together. I like Poussey and Soso together, too, but I hope we get some more Poussey/Taystee (and Amanda/McKenzie!) before the season ends. 

I can never quite muster up the Piper hate that so many have. I think Taylor Schilling does a great job and I enjoy a lot of her scenes, even if she makes stupid choices (isn't she in there for making stupid choices in the first place?). Her weak smile when Piscatella told her he'd never find her adorable was hilarious. I also think the white power thing is interesting...she was so horrified when she first entered the prison and saw the clear-cut racial divides. She became a part of that divided culture for survival, and now by "breaking bad" into her panty business, she's fully immersed in the racism and prison culture to the point where she's inciting it at its worst. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 6/18/2016 at 7:10 AM, thelonerafter said:

I also really like SoSo in the library because I do the exact same thing when I try to teach someone else, especially in math! Sometimes it's hard to take a second, slow down, and realize that it really is hard for them and they truly aren't getting it. I know I've definitely solved problems for friends doing homework when I was supposed to be actually helping them understand.

When I was in middle school, it frustrated me so much that my dad (who was an engineer) just expected me to understand algebra. Whenever he tried to help me with my math homework, he would get really annoyed with me that I wasn't just doing everything correctly but he was terrible at trying to explain to me what I was doing wrong or how to do it correctly. It wasn't until I took calculus and was trying to explain something from algebra that I realized once you get past basics, you forget about the mechanics of it and you take that knowledge for granted. I really had to make an effort to remember how to break down the steps and not just start doing the problem and then saying, "There's the answer! See?"

On 6/18/2016 at 9:19 AM, RCharter said:

So....I know a few people with the "daisy cup" and it does seem like a good way to handle the problem with pad/tampons

I use a version of the daisy cup they showed and it's awesome! Not only would it be more economical for the prison in the long run, but it works so much better than tampons or pads (no leaking, can wear them for up to 12 hour, etc). You just rinse it out and re-insert it. You can also boil it in hot water to sterilize it in between cycles.

On 6/18/2016 at 4:36 AM, Cherpumple said:

That corrections conference was horrifying, and I get the feeling the Linda is way worse than Fig.  For all her terribleness, Fig at least had a better idea about what really goes on in prison and took seriously her responsibility to keep the women safe and clean, even if it was out of political/financial motivations. Linda, on the other hand, just seems like a vapid self-centred sycophant who doesn't even seem to realize that she is talking about the lives of real women. Open your eyes, Caputo! I did love the return of Danny, the half-wit turned firebrand, and hope he continues to be a thorn in the side of his father's horrible company.

ITA that Linda is worse than Fig. The biggest difference for me is that Fig knew exactly what she was doing when she made decisions about the prison. She understood the impact those decisions had on the prisoners. And for all her faults, she really did want to keep the inmates as safe as possible. Linda, on the other hand, is a total company stooge. All she sees is the bottom line and she is willing to cut corners in order for the company to make a profit, regardless of how that will affect the inmates. She totally doesn't see the value in anything but the company's budget. Caputo's plan would not only help keep the inmates' time occupied (and therefore make them less likely to riot about the overcrowding) but would also help them when they eventually leave Litchfield. As gross as he can be, his program truly had the best interests of the inmates in mind. Linda turned that into a program where they could get free labor out of them. I mean, learning vocational skills is good in theory, but how many construction companies are going to hire female felons whose construction experiences is on par with "dug some holes"?

[nodorothyparker]

The prison conference was all kinds of distasteful and disturbing.  Out of all the characters this show has introduced over four seasons that includes murderers, thieves, and drug dealers, Linda ranks up there among the worst.  People aren't people to her, just numbers, and I find myself doubting she even knows what half the stuff she's saying really means.  It's a lot of corporate speak with euphemistic language thrown in.  It's also highly disturbing that she never seems to blink or have any actual expressions.

I loved Tayside learning the ins and outs of Google.  There's something darkly funny about Piper inadvertently starting a white power group.  She really is that clueless.

Edited July 4, 2016 by nodorothyparker

[ganesh]

On 6/17/2016 at 4:16 PM, RCharter said:

So....Piper collected a group of all white inmate for "community cares" and didn't think that a white pride gang was even a remote possibility?  I realize that Piper thinks she is a great manipulator of everyone, but come on.

I loved it. This is the kind of humor I really enjoy from the show. 

On 6/18/2016 at 9:06 AM, Chairperson Meow said:

Maritza has my favorite back story by far.  

I liked it because she was a con artist. No bad circumstances, nothing like that. She liked ripping people off.