S07.E13: Here's Where We Get Off

[DoctorAtomic]

On 7/27/2019 at 11:48 AM, HollyG said:

But I think Larry was accurate in his assessment of Piper.

I thought the finale was a little too much Piper, but Larry was spot on and Biggs delivered a great monologue. 

On 7/28/2019 at 8:12 AM, Blue Plastic said:

Nice OTOH to see Suzanne cope surprisingly well with the loss of most of her friends and realize that people will come and go and she can deal with it.

That was a little surprising to me but I think when she was asking whether she deserved to be there earlier in the season laid down that she was gaining self awareness. I think that's fair. 

On 7/28/2019 at 10:41 AM, kieyra said:

Randomly and I could be wrong: due to Piper’s voiceover at the end about clean slates, and something about their body language during the final prison meeting, I kind of took it that Piper was just visiting Alex in prison as a friend. Maybe I misread it, or it was intentionally ambiguous.

I got the same impression. I mean enough people said that the relationship was toxic and even Alex knew it too. I can't see that Alex would take her back. 

I was confused about Fig and Caputo adopting. I thought Fig was actually pregnant and scammed the abortion pill for the women who got raped. Also they totally adopted that girl. 

Heilman well last 6 weeks tops. 

When a show ends, I always ask, was it worth my time? Yes, this was. 

[kieyra]

7 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I was confused about Fig and Caputo adopting. I thought Fig was actually pregnant and scammed the abortion pill for the women who got raped. Also they totally adopted that girl. 

I think they lied about Fig being pregnant. She held up a container of urine to prove it,  but we never saw where it came from.

[preeya]

1 hour ago, kieyra said:

I think they lied about Fig being pregnant. She held up a container of urine to prove it,  but we never saw where it came from.

Perhaps it was the woman's who was really preg that Fig was helping.

[DoctorAtomic]

Oh, Fig did say she was 9 weeks pregnant which was the same as the woman. That's a bit of a stretch but ok. 

I feel bad for Caputo having to have the surgery for nothing. 

[jsm1125]

On 7/28/2019 at 5:40 PM, kieyra said:

Thanks to whoever mentioned (maybe not in this thread) that they did a new version of the opening credits song by Regina Spektor. I like her, but yeah it gets so shrill. Netflix probably had stats on how many people clicked “skip intro”. But anyways, I wouldn’t have stopped to listen to it if it hasn’t been pointed out here.

Edit: can anyone tell me if Red is legitimately mad at Frieda at the end, and if so for what? Or is it her dementia? I couldn’t bear to watch most of her scenes.

Edit2: Here is the real world charitable fund mentioned at the very end. It’s only at $20k so far, so get over there.

https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/pwf/pousseywashingtonfund

Frieda was one of the people who claimed Red was a riot leader in season 6 in order to not get any extra time. 

[DoctorAtomic]

On 7/28/2019 at 1:11 PM, Sakura12 said:

I hope Aleida killed Daya, she was so annoying and wasn't going to change.

I thought it was going to be the other way around, where Daya took Aleida out. Wow were they both reprehensible people. Though, yes, I don't know how she's going to get the other kids out of the game. Her parenting skills consist of "I'm your mother!" and that's it. Maybe killing Daya will get her to turn a corner, but that's it for her for getting out. I was never interested in either of their plots tbh. 

I thought Doggett passing was a little much. She very clearly needed extra time. If she had just just failed I think you get the same result - she had a legit disability where more time would have helped her pass, but she still did really well thanks to T tutoring her. 

I'm more of a fan of 'life goes on' for a series ender (I particularly liked Monk), and I think this was the best fit for this show. 

Edited August 1, 2019 by DoctorAtomic

[Hellohappylife]

For being a final season, I feel like they added too many new characters/stories to fill time. Such as, The mother of 2, the lady pregnant by rape. The Egyptian girl. 

So much time  spent on trying to be relevant on current issues for example,#metoo movement and current immigration issues.  The show has been circling the drain for a few seasons now,did Writers give up? 

Some of the main characters had predictable endings, Doggett passing her GED ( her death shocked me tho) Taystee not killing herself. Cindy going back to her mother/daughter. Daya getting what she deserves. Hopper getting caught.

Was happy to See Poussey and boo and the others again! 

The ending when the cast all said goodbye was my favorite. Especially Selenis Leyva ( Gloria Mendoza) “I’m currently unemployed” 

I love when shows do that, I always wonder what it’s like on set when a show is  ending after so many seasons.  It must be sad.

[foxfreakinmulder]

I actually think my favorite part of this episode was seeing Blanca winning her case and meeting up with her boyfriend. And also Gloria getting out.

I thought the way the season was going no one would have a happy ending. But, it looks like Cindy is on the way of mending fences with her daughter and mother, Taystee has found a purpose and Suzanne will be okay.

I don't know if Aleida killed Dayanara (I hate to say this but I hope so) but you're a bad mother and the one daughter you're so worried about is already hanging out with drug dealers. So, I don't think you saved anyone. Is the now unemployed guard still supporting these kids/teenagers that aren't his and talk to him like shit?

Wow, asshole guard makes Warden. The prisoners don't have a chance now, plus no one to stop him from bringing in drugs he can force prisoners to sell.

I don't know what to think of Piper and Alex's last scene. Was it just a friend visiting a friend or were they happy because they are back together since Piper finally figured out what she wants things are really good between them?

Did I miss something, did Piper move to Ohio? It didn't look like she was working at her dads office anymore and like she had her own place?

I kept thinking when we saw Piper driving and looking distracted she was going to crash and die. I know the real Piper is alive but I thought that was a weird scene. 

Poor Lorna and Red :-(

Fig and Caputo after telling each other why they both wanted a boy totally adopted that little girl :-)

It was nice seeing all the old inmates at the end and the goodbyes.

Now that I've watched OITNB and Stranger Things it's time to cancel my Netflix.

Edited August 1, 2019 by foxfreakinmulder

[DoctorAtomic]

10 minutes ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

Is the now unemployed guard still supporting these kids/teenagers that aren't his and talk to him like shit?

Before she got whacked Daya was saying that by bringing in the sister, she was making a lot of money and would be able to get out from Hopper's place. I don't necessarily see how they're going to suddenly stop selling since they can't stand the guy. 

[Chaos Theory]

I mentioned this on twitter but I will say it here at well.  Even if Piper and Alex were never your favorite characters or pairing it should be recognized that they were a front running long running series long lesbian pairing on a popular widely watched widely released series.  

I never hated Larry or Pipers season 7 love interest whose name escapes me at the moment but I do think the show made the right choice ending Piper and Alex together.  

Edited August 2, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[mj2000]

One scene at the end that really surprised me was Pornstache with the little girl. It's a screwed up world when Pornstache ended up being a better parent than any of the child's biological family.

[ShortyMac]

As far as Daya's fate, I think she'll end up dead because when Aleida hits her throat, you can hear hissing, like her windpipe is broken and is leaking air. 

[kieyra]

On 8/1/2019 at 12:47 PM, Hellohappylife said:

So much time  spent on trying to be relevant on current issues for example,#metoo movement and current immigration issues.  The show has been circling the drain for a few seasons now,did Writers give up? 

This show has been addressing both the issues of sexual assault and the plight of immigrants since season one. The rest of the world caught up, not the other way around. 

Edited August 2, 2019 by kieyra

[RealReality]

On 7/29/2019 at 9:48 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Well that's disturbing. Thanks for looking it up. If Piper makes it I pity her poor clients. I think she'd make an awful attorney.

TBF I think the bar is pretty high for the admission of ex-felons to the bar.  It's generally reserved for people who made some mistakes in their 20s or had crap circumstances and turned their life around.  Someone who committed a relatively recent crime that involved deceit, lying and helping launder drug money would be a hard sell.  Especially given Piper's cushy background.

Maybe she was taking classes to become a paralegal?  Or maybe Ohio really needs attorneys.  Or maybe suspension of disbelief.

[DoctorAtomic]

9 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Maybe she was taking classes to become a paralegal?

That's what I was thinking. She'd be done quicker and likely could get a job without too much trouble. Versus the length of time, money, and the other hurdles mentioned in being a lawyer. 

Paralegal is a totally good job. 

[PeterPirate]

I liked the MeToo twist on Caputo.  It taught him a good lesson that will help him be a better person. 

The ICE stuff was laid down pretty thick, but I didn't think it was excessive.  When it comes to locking people up, this is the issue of our times.  Clitvack, as far as I remember, didn't grope or beat the inmates like the Litchfield guards, nor did he use them to run his own illicit business activities.  

To me it doesn't matter if Aleida killed Daya.  The younger daughter has already chosen the life.  Lather, rinse, repeat.     

[Sentient Meat]

I think the cliffhanger about Daya's fate might be the strongest evidence the show may return in some form in the future.  Whether a revival in a few years or a feature film.

It makes no sense why they wouldn't fill in that gap, if there wasn't going to be some sort of sequel.

[Kel Varnsen]

4 hours ago, Sentient Meat said:

I think the cliffhanger about Daya's fate might be the strongest evidence the show may return in some form in the future.  Whether a revival in a few years or a feature film.

It makes no sense why they wouldn't fill in that gap, if there wasn't going to be some sort of sequel.

I am not sure Daya's fate matters. It seems like a pretty typical Aleida reaction. I mean it is not like killing Daya is going to get the youger daughters away from the drug game. If anything killing their older sister is going to alienate those girls from their mother even more.

[Rabbit Hutch]

For me, Alaida and Daya are cut from the same sociopathic cloth, and the world would be a better place without the both of them. Gonna miss Red, Pennsatucky, Lorna, Nicky, Vause, Lolly, Frieda, Fig, Flaca, and Suzanne. Most of the rest grew kind of stale over the last couple of seasons. It was time for the show to wrap it up.

[Aim123]

I had to rewind it to look again, but they showed Piper in a law class learning about civil procedure--does she end up in law school? Is it possible that she was speaking to Alex as a lawyer? I'm sure she couldn't become one with her felony background, but I was interested as to why they showed her with that Civ Pro book.

Edited to add: oh it looks like you guys already figured this out, I did not see it in the comments previously, sorry about that.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Aim123
Someone already mentioned this

[possibilities]

I didn't think it was ambiguous about Daya dying. I thought she was dead.

I thought Piper chose Alex. I don't think she would move to Ohio just to visit Alex as a friend. I also don't think it's wrong for her to be bored with a bland, bourgeois, easy life. Not everyone wants that. Zelda was pleasant, but there was no challenge, no edge to their relationship. It was like if Piper ate candy all day long-- after the initial rush, she'd feel un-nourished.

I personally liked Zelda. But I'm someone looking for comfort and stability, not excitement and an edge.

I thought the detention facility they showed was actually a lot LESS harsh than the reality. There media reports, including photos, of women crammed like sardines into rooms with no beds at all, sleeping on the floor under foil blankets, reports they don't have access to toothbrushes, hand-washing, or showers, that they are not being given adequate nutrition or access to medical care even in emergencies, and where they definitely don't have access to phones or computers at all.

I didn't understand why Fig, who was the warden, couldn't get the guards to do what she said. It was like they were calling the shots, not her.

I can't remember how Tamika and Taystee knew each other before Tamika got hired. I was shocked when Taystee was calling the warden by her first name, until the end where they talked about having known each other on the outside. But I can't remember HOW they knew each other.

I liked seeing the other characters in Ohio. I missed some of them. This show always had a lot of characters.

The job was too much for anyone, given the lack of institutional support. But Tamika really was negligent in allowing things to get so out of hand before she started supervising her staff more. No one noticed that the chickens were being locked up in tiny cages? No one noticed all that cell phone and drug use? For her to only after multiple crises start reprimanding the staff for not supervising, to me was a real failure on her part. She had the right attitude, and her programs were good. But she was not an effective manager and she didn't deal with the problems with the staff until too late.

She was still the best warden they had, though.

But this didn't look anything like the max we saw in earlier seasons, either. It really did look pretty much exactly like the minimum security facility they came from before the riots. Same yard, in fact!

I liked this season overall, and will miss the show.

[DoctorAtomic]

55 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I didn't understand why Fig, who was the warden, couldn't get the guards to do what she said. It was like they were calling the shots, not her.

If you mean for the ICE facility, Fig wasn't the warden. She was in a largely watered-down position where she does paperwork. The ICE guards wouldn't normally answer to her anyway.

56 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I can't remember how Tamika and Taystee knew each other before Tamika got hired.

I thought they went to school together, but they did have a flashback at a fast food restaurant where they worked. It got robbed one night and T conned the robber into thinking she had expensive sneakers on, so he took those. 

[Absurda]

Quote

Quote

I didn't understand why Fig, who was the warden, couldn't get the guards to do what she said. It was like they were calling the shots, not her.

If you mean for the ICE facility, Fig wasn't the warden. She was in a largely watered-down position where she does paperwork. The ICE guards wouldn't normally answer to her anyway.

My take was the opposite, but with the same result:  Fig was the warden but the ICE guys weren't traditional prison COs.  They were ICE agents so they work for the government, not for Fig.  She didn't really have any authority over them.

I think the show ended well.  Loved the growth for Susanne and the new life for Taystee.  In the end, the Piper/Alex relationship was the one I was least invested in.  I was actually rooting for Blanca and Diablo (yay!!) and Fig and Caputo more than Piper/Alex. 

I interpreted Piper's ending as her moving to Ohio (driving in the car) and starting over (place of her own/job at Starbucks) while she waited for Alex.  Ultimately she chose Alex.

It was good to have a last vision of the old crew and that they all seem to be doing okay by prison standards.

[Corgi-ears]

* eye-hugs all the characters *

(Well, except Daya.)

[questionfear]

On 8/3/2019 at 12:29 PM, RealReality said:

TBF I think the bar is pretty high for the admission of ex-felons to the bar.  It's generally reserved for people who made some mistakes in their 20s or had crap circumstances and turned their life around.  Someone who committed a relatively recent crime that involved deceit, lying and helping launder drug money would be a hard sell.  Especially given Piper's cushy background.

Maybe she was taking classes to become a paralegal?  Or maybe Ohio really needs attorneys.  Or maybe suspension of disbelief.

I guess they could also go the route of Piper getting a legal education and eventually using it for advocacy, not as a practicing attorney...or the writers just didn't care and handwaved away the issues. 

[RealReality]

1 minute ago, questionfear said:

I guess they could also go the route of Piper getting a legal education and eventually using it for advocacy, not as a practicing attorney...or the writers just didn't care and handwaved away the issues. 

I'd guess handwaving.  Which is fine, Piper is by far my least favorite character so I'm okay that they put.more thought into how they ended the story for other characters.  

[PeterPirate]

There is also the possibilty that Piper, being Piper, decided to take law classes without looking into whether it was possible for her to become a lawyer.  Piper not paying attention to the law is what got the whole show going in the first place.

[Stiggs]

On 8/5/2019 at 12:53 AM, Rabbit Hutch said:

For me, Alaida and Daya are cut from the same sociopathic cloth, and the world would be a better place without the both of them. Gonna miss Red, Pennsatucky, Lorna, Nicky, Vause, Lolly, Frieda, Fig, Flaca, and Suzanne. Most of the rest grew kind of stale over the last couple of seasons. It was time for the show to wrap it up.

Totally agree about Alaida and Daya. Even in the first season, I thought Daya came off maybe nicer just in comparison to her mom, but rarely made a sound decision. And I also realize being addicted to opiates makes one make terrible decisions, but to get the sister involved just showed how far gone she was after she shot the guard. 

Alaida was horrible but cracked me up half the time, so I liked her more than Daya, but honestly, if they were real people, the world is a better place with them locked up. 

Flaca became one of my absolute favorites. I feel like she grew, and the actor who played her was just fantastic. Her dedication to helping the detainees was a great way to end her story. I don't know how long Flaca has left to go in prison, but I feel like out of all of them, she may do the best after released. 

[kitkat343]

I loved how Caputo and Fig's daughter was the perfect representation of their relationship: neither of them would have ever imagined wanting to be with someone like the other, but they just fit together, as did their new daughter 10 seconds after they agreed on wanting a boy.

[bobbyjoe]

Because several people were asking if we should see Daya as definitely dead, it should be noted that Ausiello’s site TVLine just had an interview with the actress who plays Daya.  Like the rest of us, she’d assumed Aleida had killed her and her character was dead.  But she spoke to the writers and they told her that, no, Daya is definitely alive, she just got the wind knocked out of her hard. 

If you ask me, the fact that they’d say that just lends credence to the suggestion that they really do plan to eventually do a Netflix movie or spinoff.  Because it’s a much more satisfying resolution if Daya is killed in that moment, and the only reason I can see that they’d be so definite that she's alive is if they’re thinking we might possibly see the character again.

[ChicksDigScars]

On 7/28/2019 at 7:48 PM, tomsmom said:

Omg a doll!!! Lmao 🤦🏻‍♀️ So she wasn’t really pregnant...Duh! I swear I was so confused! That’s why I love this site! Thanks ❤️

Yeah, she must have gotten a urine sample from the pregnant woman to pass off as her own? When Fig was in the doctor's office, she put a urine sample on the desk after announcing that she was pregnant and saying that she didn't want it. It was all a lie to obtain the pill for the detainee. That was my take. 

And thanks, guys. I didn't even recognize Pornstache! 

Edited August 9, 2019 by ChicksDigScars

[PeterPirate]

22 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I loved how Caputo and Fig's daughter was the perfect representation of their relationship: neither of them would have ever imagined wanting to be with someone like the other, but they just fit together, as did their new daughter 10 seconds after they agreed on wanting a boy.

That scene really is one of the best moments of the series.  

I wonder if the producers issued a casting call for a '6yo girl who can rap about drugs'.  Seems to me that any parent who answered it might get a visit from child protective services.

[Splash]

I avoided the past two season until this week, so I had a bit of a ride and it was a surprising good one.  I rolled my eyes so hard when I heard about the ICE season, but I think it was incredibly well done.  

I think Piper moved to Ohio to wait for Alex, which wasn't a surprise for me.  Piper and Alex are terrible for each other, and I think Alex realized that at the end, but knew that wouldn't be able to really end things with Piper until she was out of prison.

When Piper was talking to Larry, I realized why she's annoyed me for so long; she hasn't gained any emotional maturity.  Wikipedia says she was 31 when she went to prison, so she's basically early to mid 30s during her incarceration.  But how she speaks to Larry about the her break up with Alex, it's like a teenager talking about her first love.  Which I can get that Alex might be her first real love, but if the only way you can express your sadness about her ending things is like losing a limb, maybe therapy is in order.

I did like Piper taking law classes.  Even if she can't sit for the bar, she can still get a degree and be an advocate.  I was hoping she'd hear about the ICE inmates and that's what inspired her to go back to school.

As far as a series finale, I did like how things were wrapped up, other than the Piper/Alex relationship.  We got to see most everyone and not everything was wrapped up in a bow.

[tennisgurl]

Its kind of wild thinking how long this show has been around, and while there have certainly been some ups and down (I swear, I still have nightmares about Badisons awful accent) I will miss it and its characters a whole lot. It was a real pioneer in telling stories about people that normally dont get seen on television very much, and while, again, there were issues, its been a great ride, and I think this was a very fitting ending. 

So while I've found this season to be at times super ridiculously depressing, I think they finally found more of a balance for its ending. There was a lot of tragedy, some triumph, and some bittersweet endings as well. Gloria gets out of jail and is reunited with her family, Nicky takes on Reds old position as kitchen mom and has stayed clean despite all thats happened, Taystee is making the best of her situation to help other inmates, Maria, Yadriel, and his new girlfriend are all co-parenting (and I think that Gloria sent Maria that book for her daughter) and Fig and Caputo are going to adopt an adorably precocious child that sings about drugs. Most importantly to me, Blanca and Diablo are reunited, even if she ended up back abroad anyway even after getting her green card to be with him. He even brought his flowers again! 

On the other hand, Red and Morello are basically mentally gone with no professional support, Daya is basically dead inside and her family is even more broken, Maritza is gone to a country she knows nothing about, Penn is dead without ever knowing she passed her test, and poor Karla is left alone in the desert desperate to find her sons again, possibly to die. I honestly think the Karla bit really hit me the hardest, despite not knowing her very well. She tried so hard to be a good member of society and be with her sons, its just so horribly unfair that this is what she got. Of course, the show kind of ruined it with the "America America" song playing as the camera pans away from her crying. Like, we got it show, we all get the point, you dont need to drop that anvil on us QUITE so hard, Karla and her pain was doing fine without the musical accompaniment. 

I think what I ended up liking about how the show ended was the message that, yeah the system is a mess and horrible unfair things happen, but you cant stop trying and you give up hope, and it is possible for people to really change for the better. You see that with Fig and Caputo, Luzchek finally doing something selfless even if he got fired for it, Flaca showing growth from the rather selfish and immature girl she was to someone wanting to risk more time to help people, the white supremacist girl apparently giving up racism, the woman at the GED program really trying to start again after prison, Cindy connecting with her family, even Ponstache being a good dad, and Judy helping to fund the program in Pusseys name, there are plenty of crappy people out there, and some people get dealt a bad hand, but you can still work to change your circumstances and the circumstances around you, even if you cant take the system apart, or even if its just doing one good thing.

I know its kind of a customary thing to do the "everyone comes back for the finale" stuff, but I admit I did love seeing so many familiar faces, and that things are going ok for a lot of them. Much of the old Lichfield gang is on Ohio, helping out some newbies, Soso has a new friend, Janae is back to running while Allison is helping her, even Leanne and Angie seem to be doing better, and they all seem to be back in minimum security, and in less awful living conditions than Lichfield became. I knew who Pornschache was right away, I am super used to his new, much sexier American Gods look now! 

I think that Larry was spot on about Piper, she wants to be special and awesome and badass, but she is really just kind of basic. Which is fine, and I do think she has grown as a person over the show and has grown more empathetic and has gained at least a little self understanding, but not a whole lot. I am glad that she is on the straight and narrow now, whether or not she is still prison married to Alex or if they are just pals now. They are just drawn to each other in ways that probably not even they understand.

Its been a wild ride, for better or for worse! This season has had some issues, but I mostly really enjoyed it and considered it a strong ending.

[foxfreakinmulder]

On ‎8‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 11:33 PM, bobbyjoe said:

If you ask me, the fact that they’d say that just lends credence to the suggestion that they really do plan to eventually do a Netflix movie or spinoff.

I've canceled my Netflix I've had for 6 years and that would not be enough to bring me back. I got so tired of Netflix's original shows with only 6 or 8 episodes and a year or longer between seasons. Plus they raised prices so not worth it. I have HULU which lowered their price and I'm waiting for the Disney Streaming channel. I think at this point the only show that will get me to rejoin Netflix is season 4 of Stranger Things.

[iMonrey]

I thought they wrapped it up pretty well although I have never cared for Alex and was really hoping Piper would move on. There were still a few loose ends but that's to be expected I guess. The return of some of the earlier characters was really fun.

I didn't care for the "Mountain Dew" thing. I just thought it went on a little too long and it ruined the joke.

I'm not sure I understand how Tiffany OD'd. That other girl was snorting lines right and left and she was fine, why did it kill Tiffany? Was it because her tolerance was so low since she was clean? Finding out she actually passed the GED was bittersweet.

The cast waving goodbye over the closing credits was really fun.

[sara416]

One thing this finale did better than a lot of other finales have done was the way they incorporated everyone from the past into the show. It's a difficult task, because trying to shoehorn in characters that we haven't seen in years can be really contrived. But I think they did a great job of bringing them back without it seeming too forced. 

I cried several times. But one thing that really got to me was Natasha Lyonne sobbing during the out take at the end through the credits. You can tell she loved being a part of this show. 

I love that they made a real Poussey Washington Fund. I know it isn't the same concept as what they shared in the show but I think it is really important work. I only watched half of season 6, I got so bored. I started season 7 without finishing it and I feel like I missed nothing. This season felt back to when this show was good. It hit the issues without too much stupid filler. 

[sistermagpie]

On 7/29/2019 at 8:32 PM, ShortyMac said:

Glad Gloria got out after all. Always liked her, like Red, and her maternal nature. LOVE that she gave Maria her donkey book to read to Pepa.

I don't think Gloria's book had anything to do with the book Maria was reading. It was a standard book for young Spanish-speaking children so was in both houses and both women would get to read it to their baby daughter and granddaughter.

On 8/1/2019 at 12:47 PM, Hellohappylife said:

For being a final season, I feel like they added too many new characters/stories to fill time. Such as, The mother of 2, the lady pregnant by rape. The Egyptian girl. 

So much time  spent on trying to be relevant on current issues for example,#metoo movement and current immigration issues.  The show has been circling the drain for a few seasons now,did Writers give up? 

I thought the show's focus on current issues was more natural and organic than ever this season, especially the way they could just use actual earlier #metoo storylines for Caputo. It also seemed a natural fit for the women working in the detention facility to find meaning in helping the other women. I just thought all the themes and ideas gelled in this season the way they haven't in years. The tone mixing (tragedy and comedy) worked really well for me too.

On 8/8/2019 at 3:17 PM, kitkat343 said:

I loved how Caputo and Fig's daughter was the perfect representation of their relationship: neither of them would have ever imagined wanting to be with someone like the other, but they just fit together, as did their new daughter 10 seconds after they agreed on wanting a boy.

I thought it was also ray of hope because that little girl was a sort of callback to Taystee who was also larger than life as a kid and tried to catch the attention of potential parents but never got picked for adoption. This girl would have support Taystee didn't. She got parents who want to raise her rather than a sociopath drug dealer who saw a potential worker.

I definitely thought Piper chose Alex in the end, though whether she was actually going to be a lawyer wasn't clear and probably didn't matter. Their love story didn't do anything for me, but I couldn't see her lasting with Zelda very long at all. She was just too perfect. As for Larry's speech, I thought he was right about her, but at the same time that wasn't all there was to her. That is, whatever reasons Piper made her choices, her choices were still her life and the relationships she chose were still relationships that had meaning. Though it was a shame she didn't seem to have many times in the end to anybody else. She did stay in her bubble in a lot of ways. Really glad they didn't have her write a book--but the Judy King memoir was a great meta joke about it.

[ShortyMac]

6 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

I don't think Gloria's book had anything to do with the book Maria was reading. It was a standard book for young Spanish-speaking children so was in both houses and both women would get to read it to their baby daughter and granddaughter.

Yes, it did. When Gloria picked it up, it had crayon scribbles on the cover; the one Maria was holding had the same scribbles. So, Gloria sent it to her.

[sistermagpie]

Just now, ShortyMac said:

Yes, it did. When Gloria picked it up, it had crayon scribbles on the cover; the one Maria was holding had the same scribbles. So, Gloria sent it to her.

Totally missed that! That would also explain why Maria would have it with her, which I guess she did. Thanks!

[Lovecat]

No mention of the amazing Danielle Brooks (Taystee) singing over the end credits?  When her voice broke, I started to cry. I’ll miss this ensemble of (mostly) wonderful actresses.

PS: Thanks, y’all, for clearing up who the guy with the baby in the kitchen was! I was literally yelling at the teevee, “Am I supposed to know who that is?!??”  I re-wound twice and still didn’t pick up that it was Pornstache!

[Cking]

On 8/2/2019 at 7:57 PM, kieyra said:

This show has been addressing both the issues of sexual assault and the plight of immigrants since season one. The rest of the world caught up, not the other way around. 

My main issue I have with the entire series (although I understand it) is the way time was handled. The real Piper went to prison initially around 1998, and served a one year sentence. That means she was released in 99 or 2000. Even the fictional Piper, who reportedly served 18 months . . . yet every season was written so that current issues were brought to light. The cell phones, social media, politics . . .  So the series, in the timespan of 18 months to two years went from 1998 to 2019.  It definitely bothered me through the entire run. 

[sistermagpie]

20 minutes ago, Cking said:

So the series, in the timespan of 18 months to two years went from 1998 to 2019.  It definitely bothered me through the entire run. 

Oh yeah, it was blatantly fake. In the first season Piper was telling Larry not to watch Mad Men without her, clearly talking about a show that's still on. Then this season we're clearly dealing with 2019 and Red's making jokes about Russians leaking things despite having been in prison for years... They just embraced a science fiction bending of time.

[kieyra]

54 minutes ago, Cking said:

My main issue I have with the entire series (although I understand it) is the way time was handled. The real Piper went to prison initially around 1998, and served a one year sentence. That means she was released in 99 or 2000. Even the fictional Piper, who reportedly served 18 months . . . yet every season was written so that current issues were brought to light. The cell phones, social media, politics . . .  So the series, in the timespan of 18 months to two years went from 1998 to 2019.  It definitely bothered me through the entire run. 

I'm kind of following you, but kind of not. The show never made any reference to taking place in 1998. I can agree that, yes, it (the show) moved culturally from 2013 to 2019 in what was supposed to be a more compressed time frame. It did feel more like three or four years to me, but that's the extent of it. 

It's also been a busy couple of years in the real world. The show premiered in 2013, and our planetary descent towards hell started not too long after. 🙂

[PeterPirate]

On 8/10/2019 at 3:36 PM, foxfreakinmulder said:

I've canceled my Netflix I've had for 6 years and that would not be enough to bring me back. I got so tired of Netflix's original shows with only 6 or 8 episodes and a year or longer between seasons. Plus they raised prices so not worth it. I have HULU which lowered their price and I'm waiting for the Disney Streaming channel. I think at this point the only show that will get me to rejoin Netflix is season 4 of Stranger Things.

Fwiw, I just finished Natasha Lyonne's Russian Doll on Netflix, and enjoyed it quite a bit.   

[CrystalBlue]

2 hours ago, kieyra said:

I'm kind of following you, but kind of not. The show never made any reference to taking place in 1998. I can agree that, yes, it (the show) moved culturally from 2013 to 2019 in what was supposed to be a more compressed time frame. It did feel more like three or four years to me, but that's the extent of it. 

It's also been a busy couple of years in the real world. The show premiered in 2013, and our planetary descent towards hell started not too long after. 🙂

Our planetary descent toward hell started at the beginning of time.

[foxfreakinmulder]

2 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

Fwiw, I just finished Natasha Lyonne's Russian Doll on Netflix, and enjoyed it quite a bit.   

I did watch that. I thought the ending was confusing but I thought Natasha was good.

[DoctorAtomic]

There's also the fact in terms of time that one whole season was only 4 days and there was like 50 years between seasons. 

[Dobian]

I was glad they brought all the others back for cameos at the end.  So that was the reason to send Alex off to Ohio.  That was Pornstache with Daya's baby in the final montage?  I really liked the final season.  This show floundered through seasons 4 and 5, then started to right the ship last season with the exception of Badison.  They hit all the right notes this season, all of the major cast members had meaningful story arcs.  I liked most everything this did, including reincorporating Jason Biggs back into the story.  They even brought Judy King back in in a positive way.  Loved the Mountain Dew scene.  And I enjoyed the cast goodbyes during the end credits.  I'll miss the women of Litchfield.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Dobian

[Dobian]

On 8/14/2019 at 11:26 AM, sistermagpie said:

Oh yeah, it was blatantly fake. In the first season Piper was telling Larry not to watch Mad Men without her, clearly talking about a show that's still on. Then this season we're clearly dealing with 2019 and Red's making jokes about Russians leaking things despite having been in prison for years... They just embraced a science fiction bending of time.

Well Mad Men ended its run in 2015, so that show was still running when OITNB began its run.  The timeline was consistent.