S02.E01: Thirsty Bird

[David T. Cole]

Piper's world is turned upside down when she's forced to confront the consequences of her actions and face new challenges.

[CofCinci]

Okay, we didn't see any of the regulars except for Piper and Alex but it was a solid opener.

I was shocked by Alex telling the truth on trial right after Piper took her direction and lied about the head drug dealer (can't remember his name). It's just a TV show but I felt Piper's pain and rage.

"Fred Savage The Third"

[MMLEsq]

Watched this episode this morning while getting ready for work.  Some initial thoughts:

 

*  I find it hard to believe that no one would have told Piper where she was going or why she was going there. 

*  I wonder if that's all we'll see of Lori Petty or if she'll end up in Litchfield somehow.  (I try to avoid spoilers, so I have no idea about any of the casting for the show.)

*  It was obvious to me that Alex was going to testify**, so the "surprise" ending when Piper finds out wasn't really a surprise.  **Obvious not because of anything Alex said, but just because it seemed like the kind of thing that would happen on this show.

*  I was surprised that Larry's dad would fly out to Chicago to represent Piper.  This is not related to her own case, so it's not like he is somehow obligated (ethically or otherwise) to represent her in connection with testifying against someone else.

*  My first thought was "Con Air" when I saw the inmate who had tried to smuggle a razor in her mouth coming on the plane with the mask on her face.

*  I liked:  the male inmate calling Piper "First Class," the whole cockroach thing (yeah, it was silly, but...) and Piper being relieved that she had given her underwear to a hit man and not a rapist.

 

What did everyone else think?

Edited June 6, 2014 by MMLEsq

[HeySandyStrange]

Not a bad openner, if a little slow at the beginning there.  Piper still doesn't know when to shut up and keep her head down, no surprise there.  I really did feel for her in the end when Alex effectively screwed her over, though.  Otherwise, I missed all my regular girls.  Can't wait to see them in the next episodes.

[bravelittletoaster]

lol, of course Piper's a fucking Gemini.  What else would she be?

The Con Air part of the book and Piper's general confusion, fear and unease at being transferred to Chicago was one of my favorite parts of the book, so I was really happy when I found out they were filming this last winter.  It did not disappoint.

 

*  I was surprised that Larry's dad would fly out to Chicago to represent Piper.  This is not related to her own case, so it's not like he is somehow obligated (ethically or otherwise) to represent her in connection with testifying against someone else.

This is her case, though.  She was arrested for playing a part in this very ring.  So yeah, Larry's dad's representation of her covers this, too, but I was still kind of surprised he hadn't already said "fuck it" after her Pennsatucky beatdown.  A lawyer can fire his client, after all.  I like their awkward, tense dynamic though.  Hard to imagine how she will ever get back with Larry after this.  Her testimony really would seem to be the nail in the coffin of that relationship.  And I'm here for the fucked up push/pull with Alex, anyhow, so.

 

I kind of missed Litchfield, but I know it's coming, so whatever.  For me personally I like the ensemble but I'm here for Piper's story, so I'm glad after all the "trojan horse" crap in the press this premiere made clear she's still the fulcrum on which this stuff teeters.  I want them to get their due, too, but at the end of the day she's the one who opened this door and I'm unapologetically looking at it all from her POV.  I can't imagine any other character pulling off a bottle episode like that one.   

[LadyNebula]

Wow, Lori Petty looks rough.  I wouldn't have recognized her if not for her voice.  That said, I hope we see more of her!  I loved how Piper seems to cause chaos no matter where she is - she barely knows this woman, the other is a stranger, and they're fighting over her.  Maybe she should stay in the SHU for everyone else's protection.

[Rhondinella]

I'm only a few minutes in to this ep at the moment but . . . . is that Ellen Degeneres doing a cameo as Lolly, the con on the plane?  Sure looks like her, and she's well-known as a big fan of the show.  But I can't find any confirmation anywhere.  Just someone who looks a lot like her?

 

Edited:  Ok, I finally found it. It's not her.  It's an actress named Lori Petty.  With dark hair she doesn't look much like Degeneres, but with that blonde short cut she's a dead ringer for her.

[Lovecat]

It's an actress named Lori Petty.

Best known in most circles as Kit, the younger of the sisters (the pitcher) in A League of Their Own. And damn, Rhondinella, if you don't know that movie, then I don't even want to know you ;)

I may know who she is, but crap, I didn't even recognize her!

[Mya Stone]

I'm only a few minutes in to this ep at the moment but . . . . is that Ellen Degeneres doing a cameo as Lolly, the con on the plane?  Sure looks like her, and she's well-known as a big fan of the show.  But I can't find any confirmation anywhere.  Just someone who looks a lot like her?

 

Edited:  Ok, I finally found it. It's not her.  It's an actress named Lori Petty.  With dark hair she doesn't look much like Degeneres, but with that blonde short cut she's a dead ringer for her.

 

How dare you! Have you never seen Tank Girl? 

(I kid, dear @Rhondinella - never watch Tank Girl. Ever.) 

[Iseut]

And Point Break! Girl teaches Keanu Reeves to surf! 

 

Ok, I'll come back after I've actually watched the episode. :)

[MMLEsq]

Best known in most circles as Kit, the younger of the sisters (the pitcher) in A League of Their Own. And damn, Rhondinella, if you don't know that movie, then I don't even want to know you ;)

I may know who she is, but crap, I didn't even recognize her!

She also played a surfer (and was Keanu Reeve's love interest) in "Point Break."

 

This is her case, though.  She was arrested for playing a part in this very ring.  So yeah, Larry's dad's representation of her covers this, too, but I was still kind of surprised he hadn't already said "fuck it" after her Pennsatucky beatdown.  A lawyer can fire his client, after all.  I like their awkward, tense dynamic though.  Hard to imagine how she will ever get back with Larry after this.  Her testimony really would seem to be the nail in the coffin of that relationship.  And I'm here for the fucked up push/pull with Alex, anyhow, so.  

Not to get all lawyer-y (but, I can't help it...hence the "Esq" in my screen name), but this isn't her case.  She's just being called as a witness in someone else's trial.  She doesn't even need legal representation for this.  Unless there's more to this that they didn't show (or that I don't remember), such as she got a reduced sentence for agreeing to testify against this guy and now she's changed her mind...

 

I like to read Entertainment Weekly's recap of my favorite shows and they have their recap on their website for this first episode.  From it, I learned this, something that I didn't notice in the credits****:  This episode, like season one's "Lesbian Request Denied," was directed by Jodie Foster. Notice any formal similarities between them?

 

****  Complete aside:  I don't really care for the opening credits.  I was hoping they'd change them for the second season, but no such luck.

[CodeNameDuchess]

This episode is a really solid start to season 2.  Prepon's limited role this season makes sense now that she's free.  It's a shame Vause sold Piper out yet again.  Draaama!

 

Random thoughts:  I love the dynamic with Piper and her mom.  Tank Girl looks terrible but I hope to see more of her character.  The prison astrologer is hilarious and creepy.  Still grossed out over the cigarette roaches.  Piper's explanation of artwork was awesome.

 

Pretty sure i'll binge-watch the rest of the episodes this weekend.

Edited June 6, 2014 by CodeNameDuchess

[Dusty]

Did Piper ever admit to meeting Kubra last season?  I find it incredibly unrealistic that the prosecutor or investigator didn't talk to her before making her testify.  I  can't believe that they would just bring people in to testify if they don't know for a fact that they're going to help them.  Or at the very least what they're going to say.  That would be stupid.  What is that saying for lawyers? Don't ask a question you don't know the answer to.  I mean they didn't even tell her that she was going to be called to testify.  Does that even happen?  Just because you're in the SHU does that mean you don't get to know about getting a supoena?

 

I'm not shocked the whole Alex freedom thing happened.  It was pretty much impossible not to hear about the whole "Laura Prepon OITNB" kerfuffle so when this is the storyline you just know that she's going to get out.  I wish we knew how much time that Alex had.  I guess they didn't want to paint themselves into a corner last season by explicitly stating it.  For some reason I thought that they were together longer than a year.

 

I had to laugh at the Gemini thing.  I find it interesting the reactions people have to astrological signs (even though this one was extra crazy).  When people "find out" that I'm a Gemini (OH NOS!) I get a few reactions.  I actually had to read into it because I had no idea what the hell people were talking.  I would just get a solemn "Oh", and/or stories about people they've dated or known that I guess makes them believe in that whole thing.  Apparently we leave an impression on folks.  I found the licking face thing a lot more disgusting than the cellie poop master.

[bravelittletoaster]

Did Piper ever admit to meeting Kubra last season?  I find it incredibly unrealistic that the prosecutor or investigator didn't talk to her before making her testify.  I  can't believe that they would just bring people in to testify if they don't know for a fact that they're going to help them.  Or at the very least what they're going to say.  That would be stupid.  What is that saying for lawyers? Don't ask a question you don't know the answer to.  I mean they didn't even tell her that she was going to be called to testify.  Does that even happen?  Just because you're in the SHU does that mean you don't get to know about getting a supoena?

The prosecutors met with her, we just didn't see that scene.  It happened between her first meeting with Larry's dad and her bringing the cockroach into the cell with her.  She even said one of the prosecutors helped her catch it.  Presumably she implied at that time that she would be cooperative in court and then bailed when she got in there.

 

I'm not sure Alex's about-face actually hurts Piper unless Alex explicitly testified that Piper knew Kubra.  In the book, iirc, Piper said that "Nora" actually downplayed Piper's involvement and testified that she was kind of just her gf and along for the ride.  So if Alex did the same thing, Piper's testimony that she didn't pay attention to the drug business won't necessarily hurt her, I wouldn't think.  But it depends on how pissed the prosecutors are, I guess.  If Alex testified and her testimony puts Kubra away, then Piper's safe from him and still possibly safe from further prosecution.  I'm not sure she screwed her as badly as Piper thinks she did, but we'll see.

 

Not to get all lawyer-y (but, I can't help it...hence the "Esq" in my screen name), but this isn't her case.  She's just being called as a witness in someone else's trial.  She doesn't even need legal representation for this.  Unless there's more to this that they didn't show (or that I don't remember), such as she got a reduced sentence for agreeing to testify against this guy and now she's changed her mind...

I'm not a lawyer, but part of her agreement with the Feds in getting a reduced sentence was cooperating with the prosecution, so doesn't that kind of render this part of her case too?  At least that's how it was irl.

Edited June 6, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[Mya Stone]

Yeah, I think it's more that Alex cut a deal with the prosecution in return for her freedom, and she reaped the benefits of telling the truth on the stand, ultimately abandoning Piper in prison like Piper abandoned Alex after her mom died.

[MMLEsq]

I'm not a lawyer, but part of her agreement with the Feds in getting a reduced sentence was cooperating with the prosecution, so doesn't that kind of render this part of her case too?  At least that's how it was irl.

I could see why she might want to talk to an attorney about her testimony, but witnesses aren't usually represented by counsel.  They're certainly not required to be.  It's not a "if you can't afford an attorney, one will be provided to you" situation like it would be if you were a defendant.  I guess my point was that Larry's father wasn't required to continue representing her, so -- considering his obvious feelings about her -- I'm surprised he chose to do so.  

 

Now I can't remember....I'll have to go back and rewatch.  Did she call Larry and leave the message that she needed an attorney when she thought she had been brought there because of her fight with Pennsatucky (spelling?), or was it after she already knew that she was there only to appear as a witness?

 

I don't believe in astrology, but I am (or so I've been told by people who apparently know about this stuff) "on the cusp between Taurus and Gemini" (which basically means, as far as I can tell, that my birthday is the dividing date between the two signs and 1/2 of astrologists would probably put my birthday into the Taurus category and the other half would make me a Gemini).  People have all sorts of opinions about that -- most people say that I seem more like a Taurus.

 

FInally, it was interesting seeing the scenes of the younger Piper and how her views on following the rules and lying were shaped by her family and her upbringing.     

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Alex talks about what the episode had to teach us about truth-telling.

[millennium]

A few chuckles.   Mostly meh.    It's amazing how easily one can deflect potentially hostile prison confrontations with poker-faced sarcasm and snappy one-liners.

 

Really didn't like the little Piper flashbacks.  

 

Running the gauntlet of the new cellmates felt so last season.   The cockroach bit was overplayed.

 

Sorry to hear Alex will be absent for much of this season.   I think I felt as excited as Piper when she glimpsed her from across the yard.   Alex is a far more interesting character.

 

It was nice to hear Larry's father refer to him as "a half-wit."  Honesty is always appreciated.

[bravelittletoaster]

Now I can't remember....I'll have to go back and rewatch. Did she call Larry and leave the message that she needed an attorney when she thought she had been brought there because of her fight with Pennsatucky (spelling?), or was it after she already knew that she was there only to appear as a witness?

Oh, yes. That was it. When she called and left the message for Larry she still thought her transfer was because she killed Pennsatucky.

[Happy to be here]

Wow that was intense but still kinda funny in the sad/funny way this show sometimes is.

 

I liked that Piper was a "good girl" at one point in her life.  The littlePiper flashbacks were well done.

 

Now I see how they are going to have Alex absent for much of the season and NOT have Piper be lovelorn over her.  She's going to be PISSED which give Larry a chance gain some ground; not that I like him or anything. 

 

I liked the male inmate and Piper's reaction to finding out he was a hitman.  "Oh good I thought he was a rapist."

 

Hi Lori Petty.   Bye Lori Petty.  

[Helena Dax]

Wow, Alex is the worst. 

 

It's so weird to see little girls like past!Piper and her friend talking about popularity on those terms... And I was surprised when present!Piper was taken to Chicago with no explanation. How can that be legal? (Not sure if it's legal in my country).

 

I'm glad to have the show back although I missed the Litchfield gang.

[MizStaken]

I knew that was Lori Petty, recognize her voice anywhere. ( she read the first 2 Stephanie plum novels and I have always loved her version) .

Kind of a slow opener. Alex is really a c-word and I wouldn't blame Piper for killing her with her bare hands.

I didn't like the delay in finding out what went down with Pennsatucky, but I guess that's the point.

Edited June 7, 2014 by MizStaken

[random chance]

I didn't read the book and I was unspoiled so that played out for me pretty much how it did for Piper - except I enjoyed the ride. 
 

Best known in most circles as Kit, the younger of the sisters (the pitcher) in A League of Their Own.

 

And Noss on Star Trek Voyager "Gravity." I recognized the voice before the face.
 

****  Complete aside:  I don't really care for the opening credits.  I was hoping they'd change them for the second season, but no such luck.

I hate the opening credits.  I don't want to think about trapped animals while I'm getting ready to people in prison, it's just too much sadness.

[Brn2bwild]

I don't buy that Piper and Alex would have traveled on separate buses/planes.  That would require wasting precious resources.  Weren't they chained together in the book?

 

It also bugs that anyone connected to Larry gets to be morally superior to Piper.  

Edited June 7, 2014 by Brn2bwild

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My main takeaway from the episode is that little Piper was just as annoying and clueless as adult Piper.

[Premislaus]

I don't buy that Piper and Alex would have traveled on separate buses/planes.  That would require wasting precious resources.  Weren't they chained together in the book?

They could have brought her earlier?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yes, in the book Piper and Alex (and Alex's sister) were all brought in together for the trial. IIRC that was the first time that Piper saw Alex (they weren't in prison together as they were on the show).

[GrapeEarth]

I really missed this show! I didn't realize it until watching the opener, but it's nice to have it back, now to just figure out if I should binge watch or drag it out some.

 

It was somewhat of a slow episode, but I liked the background on Piper and to be honest I wasn't really sure where the show was going with this transfer. I don't really read spoilers, but the Laura Prepon news was all over the place so I knew she might not be around, though I thought I had read where she would be in most of the episodes and I think it's been downgraded to just four now, but I could be wrong. I was actually surprised that Alex told the truth and that she got out, though it makes sense given the reduced episode time. I look forward to how this all plays out.

 

I know it's totally childish, but I was laughing at the lady on the toilet singing while she did her business. It was gross yet funny when I realized what exactly she was doing that made her feel like a natural woman.

[Sakura12]

The best part for me is when Piper was relieved the guy was a hitman and not a rapist. Then the other woman thought she was a weirdo. That and Piper telling Alex to get the cockroach. 

 

It was interesting to see Lori Petty. I missed Litchfield.

[junemeatcleaver]

Oh my God, Piper is so boring.

[Veruca Assault]

I'm only a few minutes in to this ep at the moment but . . . . is that Ellen Degeneres doing a cameo as Lolly, the con on the plane?  Sure looks like her, and she's well-known as a big fan of the show.  But I can't find any confirmation anywhere.  Just someone who looks a lot like her?

 

Edited:  Ok, I finally found it. It's not her.  It's an actress named Lori Petty.  With dark hair she doesn't look much like Degeneres, but with that blonde short cut she's a dead ringer for her.

@Rhondinella , I thought at first it was Ellen Degeneres as well, and I knew Lori Petty was in the episode. (I've not seen Tank Girl and remember nothing except Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayzee about Point Break)

[JayInChicago]

I actually really liked this episode. I find Piper often to be an annoying shit (which I guess we're supposed to think?), but I liked seeing her outside of the Litchfield fishbowl.  I'm not sure the flashbacks were necessary, but I felt the scenes with Larry's father were really key in trying to figure out her motivation. 

Also I fucking *love* evil Alex. I don't even know why. That smirk.

Also I love that Chicago got a little representation, and i loved that Andrew Bird "Pulaski at Night" song.

[gwlisa]

Piper is boring so I can't wait to get back to Litchfield.

Also, I'm a criminal prosecutor and had a snitch completely backtrack at trial after our trial prep, about six months ago. As we say in the biz, Piper "pissed backwards on the stand." It sucks. Another reason I think Piper stinks. Did she do that IRL? I made it only halfway through the book and couldn't take her anymore.

[Riful]

I feel like I missed something vital in regards of the whole Alex/Piper mess.

 

First Alex tells Piper she has to lie, because there is no way Kubra was going to end up in jail and he is the vengeful type.

 

Before either of them testifies, Piper tells Alex that she won't lie, which means for Alex to not lie on the stand, she has to tell the truth as well.

 

Piper does lie, but I think there is no way Alex can know that ahead since last thing she knew was that Piper was going to tell the truth and Alex was sitting right outside during Piper's testimony. So I am assuming Alex was being brought in straight afterwards.I am confused about this part, because Alex obviously cut a deal of some sort. I just don't see where they could had happened in regards of the time line. Unless she did it way back? But then again Alex went in there thinking then that Piper would tell the truth, which makes this screw over seem less deliberate. Did I miss something here? Or perhaps it is something that gets clarified later on?

 

[Brn2bwild]

Unless Piper provided sworn testimony in the past that contradicted what she said on the stand, I don't see how she could get punished for her testimony.  She said "I don't recall," which is a clever way of dodging the neat I did/I didn't answer.  She can always "recall" more details later, especially in exchange for a more favorable sentence.

[bravelittletoaster]

No, she didn't do that in the book.  

 

I think there's something more complicated going on than Alex simply and deliberately fucking her over, if only because in the first season they continually played with our expectations as to what motivated people.  We spent the first half of last season thinking Alex was the dark force who led Piper astray, only to get a more complete picture as the season progressed and we realized Piper was not really the face she presented to the world in the first half of the season.  So given that seems to be the show's MO, I feel like we're going to revisit this later and have the details colored in more.  

 

I also just think if Alex were fucking her over she would have flat out told her while Piper was in orange gripping steel bars and Alex was walking out the door in street clothes.  It's not like Alex not to flat out say what's on her mind.  So if this were, for instance, her long-game revenge on Piper for walking out on her when her mother died, I feel like she would have taken that moment to say so.

[gwlisa]

I haven't seen more but think Alex's reaction to seeing Piper after the testimony was odd. The last she heard from Piper is that Piper was going to tell the truth. You'd think she wouldn't be apologetic because in her mind Piper had convinced her to do the right thing.

[woodscommaelle]

I thought the girl next to her on the plane was Yoga Jones.

Not sure why but I cannot stand the opening credits song.  I mute it til the show starts.  It reminds me of the opening song from The L Word....which I guess I couldn't stand either.

Edited June 8, 2014 by woodscommaelle

[hypnotoad]

 

Not sure why but I cannot stand the opening credits song.  I mute it til the show starts.

 

I'm right there with you. I was really hoping the song would change this year.

 

For some reason I always think of this song by Gilda Radner when I hear it:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKxjBsO-Bvk

[bluebonnet]

I feel the same about the opening credits.  The song was great the first time I heard it and then quickly lost it's luster.  I often feel that way about most lengthy opening credits.  The only time I don't mind it so much is when the opening credits are there to provide useful info for the viewer, like GoT's map that helps us visualize all of the places we'll be seeing in that ep or reminds us of the names of new places.  The other annoying thing is that the EP's are very aware that people will be consuming this show in a different way than normal.  Marathon watches are typical with this show since it's all released at once.  That means we are forced to listen to this song 13 times in a very short amount of time or else ff.  The artistic nature of the opening credits loses all it's value when it's so overdone.  I could deal with it being done for the first and last episode of a season and then lose it altogether for the other episodes.  But seriously, 1 min, 20 secs every single time makes me insane.  

[RandomX]

I fanwanked that Piper's backtracked testimony made Alex's testimony crucial to the prosecution, so they cut her a last-minutr deal.

[SaabStory]

Do we know if Alex was made aware of Piper's testimony before she testified? I agree with the poster above that the back and forth and then the discussion in the bus led me to believe that there was no clear plan between the two before the testimony.  I'm not ready to hate on Alex based just on this episode.  Plus there needs to be alot of grey because I want these kids to work it out. :) 

[bravelittletoaster]

It definitely seemed to me like interpretation was open to a sort of O. Henry story situation where Alex changes her plan to accommodate what she thinks Piper's going to do and vice versa.

Edited June 8, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[ganesh]

 

I fanwanked that Piper's backtracked testimony made Alex's testimony crucial to the prosecution, so they cut her a last-minutr deal.

I don't know that it needs to be fanwanked. This seems like a sensible interpretation to me. 

 

This is a take-off on the classic "prisoner's dilemma" example in game theory. 

[Lovecat]

That means we are forced to listen to this song 13 times in a very short amount of time or else ff. The artistic nature of the opening credits loses all it's value when it's so overdone.

When I watch episodes back-to-back, Netflix skips the credits, and just starts the next episode at the opening scene. When I'm stopping for a while, I make sure the next episode has already started, even by a few seconds. That way, when I come back I pick up where I left off, vs starting a new episode at the credits. I'm watching on an iPad, but I also think it works that way when I'm watching on my teevee through the Blu-Ray player.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

How did Lori Petty go from being Geena Davis' younger sister (in A League of Their Own) to looking like Geena Davis' mom?

 

OK, show, we get it. People in prison are weird, quirky and mildly psychotic. You don't need to demonstrate it again with a whole new set of inmates we'll never see again.

 

How would Alex (in a metropolitan detention center in Chicago) know what happened to Pennsatucky and what her current status is?

 

And ITA to everyone who says that somebody would have told Piper where she was going and why.

[bravelittletoaster]

How would Alex (in a metropolitan detention center in Chicago) know what happened to Pennsatucky and what her current status is?

Because she's mostly been at Litchfield while Piper was in SHU until she was recently transferred, presumably.  She told her there were daily 'tucky progress reports in the laundry room.

Edited June 8, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[ihartcoffee]

I'm only a few minutes in to this ep at the moment but . . . . is that Ellen Degeneres doing a cameo as Lolly, the con on the plane?  Sure looks like her, and she's well-known as a big fan of the show.  But I can't find any confirmation anywhere.  Just someone who looks a lot like her?

 

Edited:  Ok, I finally found it. It's not her.  It's an actress named Lori Petty.  With dark hair she doesn't look much like Degeneres, but with that blonde short cut she's a dead ringer for her.

  

I thought it was Ellen too at first! It wasn't until she spoke some that I placed her. The fight scene in the yard was funny, she does have an odd voice.

Best known in most circles as Kit, the younger of the sisters (the pitcher) in A League of Their Own. And damn, Rhondinella, if you don't know that movie, then I don't even want to know you ;)

I may know who she is, but crap, I didn't even recognize her!

I love that movie!

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

Because she's mostly been at Litchfield while Piper was in SHU until she was recently transferred, presumably.  She told her there were daily 'tucky progress reports in the laundry room.

 

Ahhh. Didn't catch that she meant the Litchfield laundry room. Chalk it up to me watching the premiere after an 11-hour workday.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[ElectricBoogaloo]

How did Lori Petty go from being Geena Davis' younger sister (in A League of Their Own) to looking like Geena Davis' mom?

To be fair, 20+ years can do that, especially when we are talking about the difference between being in your late 20s and 50. It's nice to see she hasn't botoxed the crap out of her face, unlike some other females her age!