‘Orange is the New Black’ season 4, episode 1 review: Did the hitman give Alex a death sentence?
If ‘Work That Body For Me’ (episode 1 in the highly anticipated “Orange is the New Black” season 4) is any indication of what the season looks like overall, hold on to your hats. Picking up at the lake where season 3 last left us, the tranquil setting is shaken by the big picture reality of the situation. Everything is out of control. The inmates have breached the grounds, the guards are disgruntled, and Caputo finds himself in the familiar position of being up the creek without a paddle.
We don’t have to wait any longer to find out what happened to Alex, who found herself trapped in the greenhouse with a hitman posing as a guard who was hired by her ex-boss to finish her off. Lolly, played by the phenomenal Lori Petty, interrupts the murder in progress by stomping on his throat repeatedly until he stops moving before turning to Alex and casually, yet breathlessly, invites her to join the other inmates in the lake.
While Caputo is trying to deal with the guards walking out in protest, he learns that the inmates have broken out. He is fresh in the new position of Warden of Litchfield Penitentiary, a job he has desperately wanted and felt would bring him respect, but things just never seem to go his way.
As the show has evolved, the focus has gone from mostly on Piper to a broad spectrum of women we knew only marginally at the start. Nobody has let Piper in on the secret, as she still thinks she is running the show. While we like her character the least of the vast ensemble, it’s some comic relief watching her stumble cluelessly from one bad situation the next, and making many enemies along the way. As she trolls the halls of Litchfield with swagger, she is convinced everyone is scurrying about in fear and awe of her gangsta with an “A” presence. Mei Chang informs her in that deadpan way we adore, that nobody cares what she is doing, they are running toward the lake while they can. Mei wants no part of it, as she feels it’s contaminated and caused Rosa’s cancer.
Alex fills Lolly in on the dead man’s true identity and they debate how to handle the situation. Lolly wants to run, but Alex is afraid she will be caught since she was with him last. His phone starts going off, so they read the texts and reply that Alex is dead. He wants a dead Alex selfie for proof. Including boobs.
Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ and Maureen have separated from the rest of the inmates and are alone in the woods. Something about Maureen sets off our warning bells. She seems childlike, but a very disturbed child. She is drawn to Suzanne over her storytelling ability, and they get closer. Maureen convinces her to go against her better judgment and stay in the woods alone with her rather than heed the calls to return and eat dinner. The guards from MAX prison have arrived for reinforcements, and Taystee worries about where Crazy Eyes went as they’re led back inside the prison.
Massive overcrowding is happening in the wake of privatization, and the women are worried about the new dynamics. Caputo is overwhelmed, and takes it out on Luschek, who repays him by farting into his box of cookies. He gets busted by a mystery redhead.
The hulking guard from MAX, Piscitella, has forbidden Red and the others from entering the cafeteria, regardless if anyone eats. She turns to get Caputo, but Piscitella steps in front of her and assures Caputo that he will do whatever it takes to make sure his job is manageable. Drunk with power, he ignores Red and agrees to let his new charge handle it. Red andPiscitella have words, and a stare down. Daya is bleeding through her pants from the childbirth, but nobody is allowed to leave under any circumstances. Morello is wearing a veil and telling anyone who will listen that she is a newly married woman. She is furious that the other women are too wrapped up in the reflections of their day of freedom to be envious of her wedding, which we all know the shocking truth behind. Charlie snatches her veil and uses it to clean up Daya’s blood.
Taystee is still wondering where Suzanne could be, and they worry she is AWOL. Cindy is bored, and jokes that she would like a race war and to have some fun. Lolly (and Alex) call Piper over, who is hiding keys and a cell phone in her lady parts. Piper instantly recognizes something is off with Alex, who just wants to go for a walk. Lolly tells her to piss off, and in Piper’s best sociopath performance stares her dead eyed and warns her she is a force to be reckoned with. After Lolly shrugs it off, she smiles and excuses herself to read her book. Gangsta with an A.
Flaca meets some of the new inmates, and it’s clear that this new group is much darker than the ladies of Litchfield we have come to know and love. One woman asks Flaca who is running things in Litchfield, and she scans the room and settles on…Piper. Of course she chose Piper. We expect trouble.
Back in the forest, Crazy Eyes is licking lead paint on an abandoned house they stumbled across. Maureen is obsessed with her storytelling, and tries to lead her into a story about the house. She says they can live there forever, and even Suzanne knows this chick is out to snack and quite literally makes a run for it and begs Caputo to let her back in. They realize Maureen is the only one missing, and Caputo finds her locked in the abandoned house. Just when he breathes a sigh of relief, he gets the call from his superior that Judy King is there to be booked. By his visible reaction, and the revelation that her presence there will put the press right outside the walls, we know the famous chef is going to cause a stir – He is warned to handle her with kid gloves. Turns out the red head, who has spent the day hanging out with Luschek talking, is Judy King. She is just about to be sent to bunk with Poussey, who is starstruck and shocked, until Caputo steps in to give her the celebrity treatment. Taystee sees Suzanne, (who is thrilled to be back) and tells Taystee that Maureen is crazy. Indeed.
Caputo comes face to face with Maureen in his office, and glances at her file. He is shocked by her offense, which we don’t hear details about. He wonders what to do with her for punishment, and decides going to bed without dinner is all he can handle dealing with at the end of this long day. Healy runs into Caputo during shift change, and Caputo has something important to tell him, but after what his first day has been like it escapes him. Healy opens his office door to find Judy King asleep on the floor on an air mattress. We know he is a sucker for a red head – Bonus points for a celebrity red head.
Alex wakes up Lolly in the dead of night, amidst the sounds of quiet sobbing, saying that they have a dead body to contend with. Lolly tells Alex that she is on her own. The next day, in the greenhouse, Alex is horrified to realize the hitman is still alive. She really doesn’t want to, but she smothers him while the guards chatter outside. Later on, Alex and Lolly rush back to the greenhouse to deal with the body once and for all, but when they walk in Frieda is there and she knows everything. They tell her they intend to put him under the floorboards. Her murderous past figures a better plan is to dismember him and bury him in 6 separate locations in the sunflower garden. She gives them some garden clippers and a few tips on which body part to avoid cutting and in a particularly graphic scene, they do just that to the tune of Papa Roach’s ‘Last Resort’, which we will never hear the same way again.
We LOVED episode one! This season has started out with so much excitement that we can’t wait to see what happens next. We expect Piper to continue her quest to be Head Bad Girl. Alex will probably struggle with the trauma of murdering someone, she is a con artist…not a killer. Poussey and Soso still have chemistry, so we look forward to seeing that develop or crash and burn soon. Caputo will likely face one crisis after another, while Healey and Judy King are destined to bond. Will the guards who walked out come back? How long will we deal with the hulking giant Piscitello from MAX? Will there be retribution ahead for Alex? Will Piper talk herself into a power struggle situation that is potentially the most dangerous yet? Who will we learn more about this season? Most of all, we wonder what the social changes will be as a result of the crop of new inmates. This season looks to be dark, exciting, and we are so looking forward to how the new plots play out.
This is scripted television at its finest, coupled with a dream ensemble cast. We expect this show will be around for many more seasons and be assured that we will be watching. Episode grade: A+
What did you think of thttps://twitter.com/SoSofieFatalehe premiere of “Orange is the New Black” season 4? Leave us a comment below and share your thoughts. This review was written by Michelle Wilmot and if you want want to follow her on Twitter just follow this link! (Photo: Netflix)