S05.E09: The Tightening

[Cranberry]

Red senses trouble, but the others are convinced she's just paranoid. Taystee and Black Cindy enlist an unlikely ally, and two old friends clash.

[Chairperson Meow]

The one where Blanca does Home Alone, Piscatella does stuff, and negotiations commence.... with Fig!

[Armchair Critic]

I've always rooted for Red, hope she beats Piscatella.

[Lady Calypso]

The idea of Piscatella entering the prison being treated like a horror episode is pretty awesome. I had fun with the horror elements, especially when Boo/Linda were in the hallway and there was a quick shot of Piscatella in the shadows down the hallway. Honestly, this may be my favourite episode of the season. Not that this season has been great thus far, but as a standalone episode, I enjoyed it a lot.

Honestly, if Piscatella murdered the meth heads and the Nazis, I wouldn't be mad. If Red could hold off until then, that would be great. 

Man, Gloria is not having a good day. I feel so bad for her and I felt for her when she got yelled at by Aleida. 

I wasn't a huge fan of the flashbacks, but I always like learning more about Red, and I love that the flashbacks were all in Russian. Most shows would have had them all speaking English and pretend that they were speaking Russian.

I thought Lorna was about to do the right thing with Suzanne....and then she went off the tracks completely. My bad for hoping for a split second that I could like her.

I kind of love that Linda finally broke down without any support and tried to crawl back to Caputo, only for him to swiftly shut her down while with Fig. But of course she's been found out.

[pootlus]

9 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I wasn't a huge fan of the flashbacks, but I always like learning more about Red, and I love that the flashbacks were all in Russian. Most shows would have had them all speaking English and pretend that they were speaking Russian.

I was thinking that last night as I went to bed. It made me have to concentrate on the screen more than I normally would, to read the subtitles, but I liked it.

9 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I thought Lorna was about to do the right thing with Suzanne....and then she went off the tracks completely. My bad for hoping for a split second that I could like her.

Suzanne off her meds is not something to look forward to, and probably will play some part later on in the season.

Overall though, I wasn't a fan of the horror movie trope. I liked the execution, but I hate jump-scare stalker movies so this didn't do anything for me.

I'm cheering for Red though. Hope she opens up a can of whoop-ass on that monster.

[Willowy]

I actually was really scared during the 'horror' parts. It reminded me so much of the original Halloween, and that part where someone was dragged out of site was lifted right from Nightmare on Elm Street. Not a gigantic horror fan, but gotta give props to the classics. I felt it was really effective, and indicative of how things would soon go South for the inmates.

Really like the 'underground' world. Thought it was creative and a welcome upbeat note.

[Helena Dax]

What the writers did in this episode with Piscatella was fun in itself, but I don't think it worked within the main story. I mean, horror movies follow some rules and conventions: if I'm watching one, I know the serial killer will be able to go unnoticed by anyone while he's killing or kidnapping people, even if he's in a building full of people. I also know his timing will be excellent. But OitnB isn't a horror movie so I felt mostly frustrated.

Poor Suzanne... Angie and Leanne haven't got any redeeming quality beyond being funny sometimes. They're really awful human beings.

Linda's awful too and I'm glad the prisoners are onto her. Just sorry for Boo, who was falling in love.

Don't do it, Gloria!

[tivofanatic]

I haven't read the comments yet. I love this show. Black Cindy cracks me up.  The Piscatella stalker thing is dumb, but entertaining.

Oh yeah, how has the male nurse been left alone all this time?  

[DietCokeJunkie]

Flaritza doing the creepy singing at the end of the hallway like the ghost girls in The Shining was hilarious! 

[ExplainItAgain]

I kind of dug the horror movie elements. I'm wondering what Piscatella's plan is. I don't think he can take down the prison one inmate at a time!

But...Red's note was really from Frieda right? Showing the way to the bunker? It looks like the entrance to the bunker where the hostages were. Or did I totally miss something?

Poor Gloria - I feel like she's going to get screwed.

Piper and Alex are so boring.

[Clanstarling]

On 6/10/2017 at 8:25 AM, Lady Calypso said:

The idea of Piscatella entering the prison being treated like a horror episode is pretty awesome. I had fun with the horror elements, especially when Boo/Linda were in the hallway and there was a quick shot of Piscatella in the shadows down the hallway. Honestly, this may be my favourite episode of the season. Not that this season has been great thus far, but as a standalone episode, I enjoyed it a lot.

Honestly, if Piscatella murdered the meth heads and the Nazis, I wouldn't be mad. If Red could hold off until then, that would be great. 

 

I thought Lorna was about to do the right thing with Suzanne....and then she went off the tracks completely. My bad for hoping for a split second that I could like her.

I enjoyed Piscatella's presence too - it added a menace that was, imo, a good counterpoint to the lack of tension the inmates seem to feel about the riot/occupation. I'm interested in finding out why he dragged his little prizes to that room. - and am betting the old ladies in hiding save the day. I mean, Frieda, right?

As for Lorna, I liked the bit where she moved stuff in front of the pregnancy tests - she knows she's not really pregnant, at least deep down. Not giving Suzanne her meds made a kind of crazy sense to me. Lorna is seeing Suzanne as a kind of comrade in craziness. 

On 6/16/2017 at 3:27 PM, ExplainItAgain said:

But...Red's note was really from Frieda right? Showing the way to the bunker? It looks like the entrance to the bunker where the hostages were. Or did I totally miss something?

Yes, Red was off on her amphetamine high so she didn't get the invite. And yes, that is the entrance to the bunker - so I think when shit gets noisy and the elder council hears them, they'll take things in hand. Piscatella may be able to handle one or even two women at a time - but when retribution gets crowd sourced, he will go down. I mean, Frieda alone could probably handle him.

I am done with Meth 1 and Meth 2. They are too damned annoying. Even the Nazis aren't quite as annoying. Though it was interesting to see an Amish woman in the family crowd - so I'm guessing that will come into play at some point. I wonder who the Satanist belongs to.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Clanstarling

[shantown]

6 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Though it was interesting to see an Amish woman in the family crowd - so I'm guessing that will come into play at some point. 

That was Leanne's mom (the blond meth head).

[questionfear]

12 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I enjoyed Piscatella's presence too - it added a menace that was, imo, a good counterpoint to the lack of tension the inmates seem to feel about the riot/occupation. I'm interested in finding out why he dragged his little prizes to that room. - and am betting the old ladies in hiding save the day. I mean, Frieda, right?

As for Lorna, I liked the bit where she moved stuff in front of the pregnancy tests - she knows she's not really pregnant, at least deep down. Not giving Suzanne her meds made a kind of crazy sense to me. Lorna is seeing Suzanne as a kind of comrade in craziness. 

Yes, Red was off on her amphetamine high so she didn't get the invite. And yes, that is the entrance to the bunker - so I think when shit gets noisy and the elder council hears them, they'll take things in hand. Piscatella may be able to handle one or even two women at a time - but when retribution gets crowd sourced, he will go down. I mean, Frieda alone could probably handle him.

I am done with Meth 1 and Meth 2. They are too damned annoying. Even the Nazis aren't quite as annoying. Though it was interesting to see an Amish woman in the family crowd - so I'm guessing that will come into play at some point. I wonder who the Satanist belongs to.

The satanist was Diablo, Blanca's BF, I think. 

[Clanstarling]

One of the things I think could have helped this season is that since all the episodes are supposed to take place within a certain period of time (was it three days?), they could have put titles in to show how much time had passed. Kind of like "Day 1, 5:00 pm," etc. 

They have had a few indicators, like the governor saying he'll address stuff in the morning that first night I think it was, but I need something a little more definitive.  Particularly with some things that are pretty time sensitive - Suzanne's meds, how long Caputo, the stripper guard, and Pennsatucky have been in the port-a-potties, how long they've gone without any real food (not counting candy and cheetos). 

I don't mind the season being the duration of the riot/occupation, but I think some of it lacks tension because it's seems like very little has happened for a long period of time.

[JoBeth70]

16 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

One of the things I think could have helped this season is that since all the episodes are supposed to take place within a certain period of time (was it three days?), they could have put titles in to show how much time had passed. Kind of like "Day 1, 5:00 pm," etc. 

They have had a few indicators, like the governor saying he'll address stuff in the morning that first night I think it was, but I need something a little more definitive.  Particularly with some things that are pretty time sensitive - Suzanne's meds, how long Caputo, the stripper guard, and Pennsatucky have been in the port-a-potties, how long they've gone without any real food (not counting candy and cheetos). 

The lack from a time-stamp is disorienting to me, too, but it occurs to me that that's a way of helping the viewer identify with the prisoners. Without their daily schedule and meals, they've probably lost track of days, too.

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, JoBeth70 said:

The lack from a time-stamp is disorienting to me, too, but it occurs to me that that's a way of helping the viewer identify with the prisoners. Without their daily schedule and meals, they've probably lost track of days, too.

That's a good point. I still want time stamps, but you may well be right.

[poppy-]

"I was born ready" was an awesome, badass moment.  And of the very few times that I was reminded that Red is also Captain Janeway.

 

Her flashback suitor, the one who got her to the US- is that the guy she was married to when we saw her other / later in life flashback?  I remember her husband being a bit of a softie, no real match for her.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I hated this episode with a passion.  I don't enjoy the type of horror movie the show is mimicking.  The idea of Piscatella being able to sneak through the prison and grab Red's friends without anyone else spotting him was ridiculous.  I know it was not well-populated during this time.  There was still so much disbelief to be suspended I got eyestrain from all of the rolling.  If I rewatch this season, I'll need to skip past this episode. 

I did enjoy the Red flashbacks although she really was obnoxious to her boyfriend and not in her now more mature withering snark way. 

[Guest]

Wasn't anyone else thinking, "Don't worry, Galina/Red, your friend is safe in the US living as Elizabeth Jennings."  Wasn't her Russian friend's name the same name as Keri Russell's character, or similar?  

I didn't really buy Nicky having to help Red through withdrawals after a couple days on speed, and acting like it's remotely like heroin.

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Wasn't anyone else thinking, "Don't worry, Galina/Red, your friend is safe in the US living as Elizabeth Jennings."  Wasn't her Russian friend's name the same name as Keri Russell's character, or similar?  

I didn't follow it to that conclusion (great line of thought), but yes, I noticed that the name was the same.

[knaankos]

I really enjoyed the Red flashbacks. Liked the change of setting and the feeling that it really was in Soviet Russia. 

 

Im concerned about the Suzanne thing. I really really do not want to see another incident where Suzanne flies off the handle and hurts yet another person and then we are supposed to feel sympathy for her. 

[Blinkoshuman]

On 6/12/2017 at 3:15 PM, Helena Dax said:

 Angie and Leanne haven't got any redeeming quality beyond being funny sometimes. They're really awful human beings.

I can't stand them. Their characters are the most unlikable. Even the tiny bit of comic relief they used to provide is tiresome. I haven't watched beyond this episode, so I'm really hoping they get a karma smack down when it's all over.

[ChromaKelly]

I could have done without Aleida coming back. I cannot stand her. I've never bought her as Daya's mother. And, since it's been bugging me for five seasons, I had to go look it up. Elizabeth Rodriguez (Aleida) and Dascha Polanco (Daya) have a two year age difference. 
I'm glad Caputo got out of the shitter. Can they free the stripper guard and Dogget too? I'm having a hard time believing at least the guard and Caputo wouldn't have been passed out from dehydration yet.

I did like the horror elements and I liked that Red is back to herself. I enjoyed the flashbacks and wondered if her friend's name was a nod to The Americans. 
How did Leanne become so stupid? Seeing her Amish mother reminded me of her flashback, and she didn't seem like a complete moron then. 

I've been wondering how some of the prisoners are coping without their meds, both mentally and those who need meds for physical health reasons (diabetes, blood pressure, etc). Lorna has confirmed that she is batshit and Suzanne off her meds is not going to be pretty.

 

[Dobian]

I liked Red's flashback, though young Galina didn't look anything like her.  Her friend actually looked more like Red except for the fact that she was blonde.

[Guest]

On 6/23/2017 at 7:02 AM, ChromaKelly said:

How did Leanne become so stupid? Seeing her Amish mother reminded me of her flashback, and she didn't seem like a complete moron then. 

Meth, I guess.  Though they've never stuck to characterizations.  Remember Suzanne was a sexual predator in season one, and Doggett was a homophobe.  

[wonderchica05]

Lorna and Nicky seemed to be giving meds to those who came for them, so I'd imagine at least some inmates have been getting what they need. Probably those who are more stable/independent than Suzanne, though. Her whole routine has been thrown off, so we can be sure she hasn't gotten any. She's losing it quickly- notice how many times she's called other people "Grace"? I'm very nervous about this one.

Caputo saying Linda was newly released from psych was LOLZ. What was she thinking, outing herself like that? He still wasn't in any position to help her even if he wanted to. She didn't seem to know Fig, who probably would've let Linda stay in prison regardless.

This was definitely the show's "Halloween episode", in the storied tradition of holiday themed TV shows. I enjoyed it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Poor Suzanne. She needs help and meds. Instead she's getting the Spanish crew tying her to a bed, the meth heads fucking with her, and Lorna pretending to be a doctor and withholding her medication.

I enjoyed the Red flashbacks and learning more about how she got here (here meaning who she is now, not just getting to America).

Aleida is the worst mother. Yes, I know there are mothers out there who beat the crap out of their kids, but what makes Aleida so horrible (aside from her completely wrong headed attitude about everything) is that she really thinks she's helping Daya with all of her shitty advice. I'm glad Daya has finally realized that she shouldn't listen to a thing Aleida says because she's always wrong.

[Slovenly Muse]

On 2017-06-22 at 8:13 PM, Blinkoshuman said:

On 2017-06-12 at 0:15 PM, Helena Dax said:

Angie and Leanne haven't got any redeeming quality beyond being funny sometimes. They're really awful human beings.

I can't stand them. Their characters are the most unlikable. Even the tiny bit of comic relief they used to provide is tiresome. I haven't watched beyond this episode, so I'm really hoping they get a karma smack down when it's all over.

Me too! Although, they are in prison, so technically, according to society, they ARE getting their karma smackdown! It's easy to forget that many of these characters have been incarcerated simply to make them "not society's problem" anymore. Like Lorna and Suzanne, and the addicts, and the other people who need REAL help but won't receive it because it's not as lucrative for corporate America.

As much as I loathe Angie and Leanne, and even though I completely understand why someone called them "cartoonish" in a previous thread, I actually find them to be very realistic. For every person who has a great idea that could actually make things better for their community, there are two empty-headed, selfish morons standing in the way of positive change. Learning to navigate those morons and implement change DESPITE them is true to life. Pretending they don't exist, and that everyone is always able to be reasonable and kind and mature and community-minded in all settings, THAT would bother me more. Having to watch good work undone by idiots is part of what really grounds the show in reality for me. That said, they are truly loathesome, and I am really looking forward to seeing them get taken down! (Or, knowing this show AND reality, richly rewarded and promoted to positions of power.)

I LOVED the horror gimmick of this episode! I didn't find it frightening at all, but laughed every time Piscatella's silhouette loomed in the background, or that "spooky" breathing sound effect whenever he moved past the camera. He is a self-important sadist with something to prove, and I hope Red hands him his balls.

Also, I loved Linda from Purchasing starting to lose her shit, and Caputo freezing her out (for her own protection, but still) so he could match wits with someone who is actually up to the task. Caputo has always been ineffectual, but I believe he really does care about making Litchfield better, and I hope he's able to help the inmates push for what they want.

The less said about Lorna's "playing doctor" the better. I hope she and Suzanne both get the help they need... but I'm not holding my breath. Even if it does turn out that she is pregnant... the way she is behaving (making banners about it and deliberately not taking a pregnancy test, withholding Suzanne's medication so she can deny the existence of crazy) is so unhealthy and so untethered from reality that a real pregnancy would not vindicate her. There is no way she comes out of this being "right."

I was lukewarm on this season at the start, but I am really looking forward to finding out how it ends!

[Hanahope]

On 6/23/2017 at 10:02 AM, ChromaKelly said:

Elizabeth Rodriguez (Aleida) and Dascha Polanco (Daya) have a two year age difference. 

Really shows how some people look older than their age, and some younger.

Ugh, Suzzane completely off her meds will definitely not work out well.

Really amazing that Piscatella can capture so many people without being seen.  but so many are outside or clustered in just a small number of rooms, gives him a lot of ability to sneak around.