S05.E10: The Reverse Midas Touch

[Cranberry]

Taystee tries to keep the negotiations on track. Angie comes up with an idea for fixing Leanne's finger. Piscatella's past is revealed.

[Armchair Critic]

Looks like the wig budget was low for that thing on Piscatella's head in the flashback.

[Lady Calypso]

Oh, hey Charlie Barnett! An actor I'm more familiar with! I guess, nearing the end of Piscatella's arc (I hope because what else can they really do with his character?), we got his backstory to see why he became the psycho that he is. Too bad I just didn't seem to care. It did make me wonder why Charlie was kicked off of Chicago Fire a few years ago.

Piscatella is damn scary. The way he scalped Red in front of everyone was just one of the many terrifying things about him. 

The Suzanne bathroom scene was almost a three minute scene. I had to fast forward after the first minute because I didn't get why it was important. I'm not really into Suzanne's storyline. I'm kind of tired of her crazy talk; hopefully she gets the proper help once all of this is over.

Seriously, though, why is the show insistent that we get a lengthy meth heads scene every episode? They're the worst.

I'm glad Taystee's trying to take charge and I like how she's done her research, but I think she's overestimating how much power she has and will have in the future. She's handling the situation without violence, but I'm not so sure I enjoy watching her boss around her superiors. It'll make her think that she can do it with everyone. Luckily I like her and her arc, so I'm not annoyed with it yet. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

Well, it's official. I do not enjoy watching the guards OR the prisoners humiliated and tortured.

Great, another kink in the negotiations if it comes out that Humps is dead.

[ThatsDarling]

Posted in wrong thread! My apologies. 

Edited June 11, 2017 by ThatsDarling
Posted in wrong thread! Sorry, I'm dumb.

[Helena Dax]

Piscatella must die. I mean, no one knows he's inside the prison, which means Red can kill him and bury his body and nobody will know what happened to him. Please. 

I love how Caputo is trying to fight for the inmates this time. 

Is Hump really dead, though? Suzanne, Watson and Black Cindy might be mistaken. 

Leanne and Angie are so dumb that I'm surprised they're still alive. I can see them thinking that drinking bleach can be fun, and things like that. 

[ShortyMac]

O.M.F.G.

Those scenes with Piscatella and the gals in the closet were so hard to watch. Fuck that guy.

Thank God that Frieda and the others were in the bunker.

[DianeDobbler]

I think Suzanne's scene was three minutes long because it's Uzo Aduba and this show falls into those kinds of traps. "She's our great actress, we need to fit a showcase in here. Also we didn't have a ton of story for her, so we'll fill it out here a bit."

Felt the same way about Doggett / Donuts and Pennsatucky. They totally betrayed themselves with that storyline. Apparently the actors really objected, even some in the show thought maybe the show runner should pull the plug on making him the rapist. I don't know WHY, because I don't find the actor that remarkable, but .... But they didn't pull the plug, and instead tried to make it complex. It ain't.

[kieyra]

Getting almost too dark for me. I had to fast forward through a lot of the episode. Piscatella burning the male inmate alive in the shower was getting close to my personal limit, so it's good the bunker girls caught him now.

I posted in earlier threads that I liked the riot setup, but it's too much now. Some of it is getting too stupid (the meth heads), and the rest is getting too disturbing/depressing.

Shallow note: Nicky looks great when she's not wearing her eyeliner like I did when I was 13.

Edited June 14, 2017 by kieyra

[tivofanatic]

Were you singing along to the Big Red theme song?  Were you shocked you still knew all the words?  

 

That was some good acting by that inmate in the shower.  Flailing like that is practically stunt work.

 

Last episode was the 70's horror homage.  This one was pure 90's Silence of the Lambs, and directed by Laura Prepon.  Good job.  

[woodscommaelle]

I am blown away by this season.

Piscatella was frightening.  He played that role way too well for my comfort level.  I literally thought he was chopping parts of Red's skull off with each cut and she was going to die.  Some amazing acting in this episode overall.  Kudos to Suzanne.  Thought she rocked it.

I heart Joe Caputo.  I find him seriously sexy!

Ouija (I think that's her name) and her fascination and love of 24 hour non-stop news made me giggle.

Edited June 16, 2017 by woodscommaelle

[ExplainItAgain]

I am SO OVER Suzanne. I hate everything to do with her storyline. Too much of her and the meth heads.

Thank god the bunker crew got hip to what was going on. You go Frieda.

I did not need that Leanne scene.

[tivofanatic]

I was curious if a real life inmate had been scalded to death in the shower.  It really happened. An inmate, Darren Rainey, was locked in a scalding shower for two hours and died.  The guards were not charged. Only the warden was fired.

[Kel Varnsen]

I don't think Piscatella has thought his "your word against mine" plan all the way through. How exactly would officials believe his story what with Red's hair brutally chopped off, using the knife that was part of his tactical gear? Even if he restrained all of the using reasonable force, not sure how he could explain that.

I did like how Frieda's crew got him. Especially since she mentioned earlier in the episode how her bunker was booby trapped.

Speaking of people getting their comeuppance, they better have some awesome payoff for Angie and Leanne, since they have been as annoying as shit all season.

[April Bloodgate]

Yes, Angie and Leanne are the worst. If they, plus the Nazis, get this much screen time next season, I'll probably give up on the show. 

[Armchair Critic]

I read an interview with the actor who plans Piscatella and he said they cut out the part that when he reached down and touched his hurt boyfriend's wrist that the tattoo smeared. So the prisoner was faking him out that was a real tattoo. So I guess that added to him being cynical.

[PsychoDrone]

The meth heads are so incompetent that it seems ridiculous no one overpowered them before.  Too many opportunities to take the gun from them.  I would have liked to have seen the gun run out of bullets and then the meth heads getting their asses kicked.

[Clanstarling]

On 6/10/2017 at 9:20 AM, Lady Calypso said:

Oh, hey Charlie Barnett! An actor I'm more familiar with! I guess, nearing the end of Piscatella's arc (I hope because what else can they really do with his character?), we got his backstory to see why he became the psycho that he is. Too bad I just didn't seem to care.

It seemed to me that though he was sort of sweet, there was already a psycho inside of him. He went from zero to 60 (60 being murder) in the blink of an eye. And not just a heat of the moment rage kill. 

On 6/17/2017 at 5:29 PM, Armchair Critic said:

I read an interview with the actor who plans Piscatella and he said they cut out the part that when he reached down and touched his hurt boyfriend's wrist that the tattoo smeared. So the prisoner was faking him out that was a real tattoo. So I guess that added to him being cynical.

That's a pretty important detail for them to cut - considering Suzanne's scenes could have been cut to half, since we already know she's crazy, and Meth 1 and Meth 2 could have been trimmed down a bit (preferably eliminated entirely). I've seen details like that cut from British shows to shorten for rebroadcast on PBS, but undermining your own story is pretty strange.

Glad Frieda knocked him out (poisoned him?) with that dart. But I hope we don't see another round of torture with him on the other end of it. I do not want or enjoy seeing torture. Whether it's the guards doing it or receiving it. 

Edited June 20, 2017 by Clanstarling

[Nordly Beaumont]

8 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

That's a pretty important detail for them to cut - considering Suzanne's scenes could have been cut to half, since we already know she's crazy, and Meth 1 and Meth 2 could have been trimmed down a bit (preferably eliminated entirely). I've seen details like that cut from British shows to shorten for rebroadcast on PBS, but undermining your own story is pretty strange

And it's a Netflix show, so it doesn't have to fit in commercials or stick to a strict time. Makes me wonder what the reason could have been for cutting it since time shouldn't have been an issue.

[ExplainItAgain]

Yeah, I am flabbergasted they cut that scene. How long could it possibly have taken to just show him grabbing the wrist and smearing the tattoo? It's not overly involved. I wonder why they did it.

[Guest]

On 6/9/2017 at 10:54 PM, Armchair Critic said:

Looks like the wig budget was low for that thing on Piscatella's head in the flashback.

Also Red's scalped head didn't look so realistic, either.

On 6/17/2017 at 5:29 PM, Armchair Critic said:

I read an interview with the actor who plans Piscatella and he said they cut out the part that when he reached down and touched his hurt boyfriend's wrist that the tattoo smeared. So the prisoner was faking him out that was a real tattoo. So I guess that added to him being cynical.

That would've been a better story.  I assume they cut it because they thought viewers would prefer the twoo wuv version of events.  Not me. 

[MakeMeLaugh]

Peter Mills!

I thought Red's "scalping" was rather undramatic and not that humiliating.

[WatchrTina]

On 6/12/2017 at 7:23 PM, ShortyMac said:

Those scenes with Piscatella and the gals in the closet were so hard to watch.

Aaaand we also learned that Piscatella was "in the closet", which is some interesting (if heavy-handed) symmetry.  

I'm binging my way through the season and I actually found the first 6-7 eps to be terrific.  But then it bogged down.  I can't suspend disbelief enough to believe the inmates would set up a coffeeshop and a flea market.  I can't accept that, having done that, they would unwind everything in one burst of pointless rage.  I can't accept that in all these years no one entered the pool-house and found the survivalist's stash (or that the evil, for-profit prison management company would have not turned that into additional dorms.) And I really can't accept that Piscatella (who was getting NO respect from the SWAT team) could somehow steal their gear and break into the prison solo with no one noticing.

Poor "Apu" is now stuck in the porto-potty.  That guy was being decent -- continuing to take care of his patients during a riot.  I really do hate the meth-heads (though it would be interesting to see a scene between the short one and her Amish mother who is just outside the prison.)

I'm getting thoroughly grossed-out by the increasingly disgusting make-up depicting whats-her-name's facial wounds.  I'm ready for this season to be over.

Edited June 24, 2017 by WatchrTina

[ChromaKelly]

On 6/20/2017 at 9:40 AM, ExplainItAgain said:

Yeah, I am flabbergasted they cut that scene. How long could it possibly have taken to just show him grabbing the wrist and smearing the tattoo? It's not overly involved. I wonder why they did it.

Me too. Especially since I was wondering if the inmate was sincere or if he was using Piscatella.

[knaankos]

I found the editing in this episode to be strange. It was really weird to have a super intense scene with Piscatella and Red being intercut with Leanne's 1st orgasm. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, knaankos said:

with Leanne's 1st orgasm. 

Which is the scene that SHOULD've been cut completely.  If they had forced a female guard to give a hand job to a male inmate, it wouldn't be played for laughs because it's clearly sexual assault, but reverse it and it's supposed to be funny?  

Not to mention how many women are going to experience their first orgasm from manual stimulation alone, standing up, in front of their friend.

[Clanstarling]

18 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Which is the scene that SHOULD've been cut completely.  If they had forced a female guard to give a hand job to a male inmate, it wouldn't be played for laughs because it's clearly sexual assault, but reverse it and it's supposed to be funny?  

Not to mention how many women are going to experience their first orgasm from manual stimulation alone, standing up, in front of their friend.

Unless that's her kink. Just kidding, I totally agree with you.

[Mindthinkr]

On 6/15/2017 at 4:21 AM, tivofanatic said:

Were you singing along to the Big Red theme song?  Were you shocked you still knew all the words?  

 

That was some good acting by that inmate in the shower.  Flailing like that is practically stunt work.

 

Last episode was the 70's horror homage.  This one was pure 90's Silence of the Lambs, and directed by Laura Prepon.  Good job.  

Agreed Big Clap to Laura Prepon for directing a haunting episode. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My biggest takeaway from this episode was THANK GOD Piscatella has finally been stopped. He is an unrepentant psycho who feels totally justified in the way he has abused the prisoners. FUCK HIM. I don't care if he fell in love. Kidnapping these women and forcing them to watch him assault Red was beyond the pale (as his most of his behavior since he showed up at Litchfield).

Loved that Blanca's original plan for Piscatella was to set Home Alone traps and then Frieda & co. ended up taking him down with Home Alone-esque booby traps.

Leanne and Angie are too dumb to live. Watching them come up with stupid ideas like a finger transplant makes me lament the educational system and the general ignorance we see in far too many people today (even if not everyone is quite as extreme in these two).

That poor nurse has just been trying to treat his patients during a riot and he gets kidnapped and locked in a portapottie for his troubles (after as many racial insults as the meth heads can come up with for someone who's brown).

I'm glad that Caputo is admitting how terrible the conditions are and trying to negotiate something better for the prisoners. Even if he ends up getting fired and there are no changes made (neither of which I hope happens), I think it is important for Taystee, Watson, and the others to know that he isn't the one trying to fuck them over. The fact that he admitted the "life skills" and "education" program was slave labor in front of them (and to the giraffe) was important for all of them. It also makes me hope that Ferguson makes it out of the riot alive so she can convince MCC to make some changes.

[Mulan]

Red and Blanca found a prisoner's name tag in Piscatella's desk and the name of the inmate he killed in his file. It was Wes Driscoll. But that was the name of his lover, not the man he actually killed? 

Did I misunderstood something?

[Kel Varnsen]

15 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Leanne and Angie are too dumb to live. Watching them come up with stupid ideas like a finger transplant makes me lament the educational system and the general ignorance we see in far too many people today (even if not everyone is quite as extreme in these two).

At least Leanne's has a bit of an excuse as Amish only go to school up until grade 8. 

[Misstify]

Too much torture in this episode for me.  

I didn't want or need a Piscatella backstory, and the story didn't improve his character any (maybe it wasn't supposed to).  He started out his career by having a sexual relationship with an inmate.  I actually appreciate that the show never clarified the inmate's feelings about the relationship and left me wondering.  Wes Driscoll didn't seem too keen on being called "chocolate" as a term of endearment, and I actually though he might be playing dumb a bit when he gave Piscatella crossword answers and hastily added, "I had to look it up."   Most likely, he was just in the relationship because you do what you have to do to get by (and get chocolates, cigarettes, and a guard being somewhat nice to you).  Seeing the (alleged) smeared tattoo scene wouldn't have changed that impression for me.  But I like that the show left the interpretation up to us.

Since this season already had a very prominent gun, the proverbial Chekov's gun became Frieda's blowdart, and I did love that. 

[wonderchica05]

Did Piscatella break Alex's arm?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, wonderchica05 said:

Did Piscatella break Alex's arm?

Yes.

[DrSparkles]

I may be the cheese that smells alone, but I love Uzo's performance. She kills it & breaks my damn ❤️.

[Clanstarling]

6 minutes ago, DrSparkles said:

I may be the cheese that smells alone, but I love Uzo's performance. She kills it & breaks my damn ❤️.

Nah, you don't stand alone. I stand with you.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Clanstarling

[mj2000]

I loved seeing Piscatella get his! That's one nut that needed locked away years ago.

Why oh why couldn't have Leanne and Angie suffered the same fate?

[Paloma]

Question: Where did we see the DP tattoo before? As soon as they had the scene in this episode where the prisoner showed Piscatella his wrist tattoo, I remembered that one or more of the women in prison had seen it (either the same tattoo on Piscatella or a photo of a wrist with the tattoo)  and commented on it, but for the life of me I can't remember when that happened and who saw it. If it was on Piscatella's wrist, why would he have put it there (since the tattoo was the initials of his name, not the prisoner)? 

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Paloma said:

Question: Where did we see the DP tattoo before? As soon as they had the scene in this episode where the prisoner showed Piscatella his wrist tattoo, I remembered that one or more of the women in prison had seen it (either the same tattoo on Piscatella or a photo of a wrist with the tattoo)  and commented on it, but for the life of me I can't remember when that happened and who saw it. If it was on Piscatella's wrist, why would he have put it there (since the tattoo was the initials of his name, not the prisoner)? 

Red saw it on Piscatella's wrist when he appeared at the blockaded door (I think that was before the "big boys" arrived to handle the riot).

[Paloma]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

5 hours ago, Paloma said:

Question: Where did we see the DP tattoo before? As soon as they had the scene in this episode where the prisoner showed Piscatella his wrist tattoo, I remembered that one or more of the women in prison had seen it (either the same tattoo on Piscatella or a photo of a wrist with the tattoo)  and commented on it, but for the life of me I can't remember when that happened and who saw it. If it was on Piscatella's wrist, why would he have put it there (since the tattoo was the initials of his name, not the prisoner)? 

Red saw it on Piscatella's wrist when he appeared at the blockaded door (I think that was before the "big boys" arrived to handle the riot).

Thanks, Clanstarling. But that raises the question, did he have that tattoo in the flashback when he was having the relationship with the prisoner? Maybe the prisoner got that tattoo to match Piscatella (as a sign of "love"), but if Piscatella did not have the tattoo back then, why would he have gotten it at some point in the future? To remind himself of what happened back then? It's especially confusing because of the scene that was cut, which showed that the prisoner's tattoo smeared (i.e., was not permanent so did not mean what he said it meant).

I guess it's ridiculous to obsess over the meaning of the tattoo and when he got it--I keep trying to make sense of things in this series that really don't make sense.

[Cattie]

On 13/7/2017 at 5:12 PM, Paloma said:

Thanks, Clanstarling. But that raises the question, did he have that tattoo in the flashback when he was having the relationship with the prisoner? Maybe the prisoner got that tattoo to match Piscatella (as a sign of "love"), but if Piscatella did not have the tattoo back then, why would he have gotten it at some point in the future? To remind himself of what happened back then? It's especially confusing because of the scene that was cut, which showed that the prisoner's tattoo smeared (i.e., was not permanent so did not mean what he said it meant).

I guess it's ridiculous to obsess over the meaning of the tattoo and when he got it--I keep trying to make sense of things in this series that really don't make sense.

Piscatella's tattoo is WD, the initials of Wes Driscoll, his lover. And he got the tattoo shortly after Wes showed him his. In this episode, right before he finds the other guys raping him, we get a glimpse of the new tattoo on his wrist while he's carrying the folded crossword puzzle with the cigarettes inside.

[Paloma]

12 minutes ago, Cattie said:

Piscatella's tattoo is WD, the initials of Wes Driscoll, his lover. And he got the tattoo shortly after Wes showed him his. In this episode, right before he finds the other guys raping him, we get a glimpse of the new tattoo on his wrist while he's carrying the folded crossword puzzle with the cigarettes inside.

Thanks, Cattie.  I guess I need to go back and look at the scene where Red sees the tattoo on his wrist at the door, because I thought it said DP. It  seems strange that he would keep the initials of his lover after he realized the guy was using him (which the viewers wouldn't know except for the actor talking about the cut scene), but maybe it was to remind him not to trust anyone.

[ganesh]

I'm actually really enjoying Taystee, Caputo, and Fig negotiating. I like that Taystee actually is putting in work and having credible arguments that Caputo is backing up. 

I can only take so much Suzanne, but I get that she's underscoring how everything is unraveling. 

[BTBAM310]

On 6/9/2017 at 10:54 PM, Armchair Critic said:

Looks like the wig budget was low for that thing on Piscatella's head in the flashback.

Lol - I thought "why does he look older in the flashback than present day?" Must have been the 70s style toupee they had him wearing

Edited August 21, 2017 by BTBAM310

[Hanahope]

I like that they are showing good arguments for better conditions for the prisoners.  Taystee did her homework on the nutrition.  Its things like that, bottom line on the budget, better food means less healthcare costs, that may help conditions improve even once everyone finds out Humps is in serious condition.

Yeah, the finger transplant story, and all of its tangents was awful.

I too am getting a little tired of Suzanne.  I know the actress is the one that gets all the aclaim, for some reason, but I'm pretty done with it.