Orange Is the New Black season 7, episode 6 recap: Trapped in an Elevator
By Ariba Bhuvad
Orange Is the New Black helps the inmates walk down the path of restorative justice thanks to Mr. Caputo.
Orange Is the New Black shifts its energy and focus to yet another important topic during this episode via Mr. Caputo. One of the classes on Tamika’s list of classes the prison will offer is one focused on restorative justice. It’s a way for the inmates to acknowledge their crimes and reflect back on those they have hurt as a result.
I really liked this part of the episode because it felt like an area the series hasn’t really covered yet, therefore, it gives the inmates a chance to be vulnerable. Orange Is the New Black loves to do flashbacks so this episode takes us to Maria Ruiz’s past in which she was cheating on her boyfriend and then ultimately ends up getting arrested for selling counterfeit items. As much as she blamed her boyfriend for everything that went wrong, the flashback helps us understand it was her own doing.
Furthermore, thanks to Caputo’s class, Maria realizes that she’s been blaming her boyfriend for so long that she’s blinded to what her daughter, Pepa, would benefit from the most. It’s a startling epiphany but one that helps her mend the broken relationship she has with him as he confesses that he’s been seeing someone else.
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Meanwhile, Cindy is getting ready to get out of prison but that comes with a lot of guilt and shame because it means Taystee is still there for life, no thanks to Cindy. During Caputo’s class, he asks the inmates to write a letter to one of their victims, apologizing for what they did. At first, I thought it’d be written to Taystee, but the letter Cindy writes is to her mom, someone who has stepped up in her absence and raised Cindy’s daughter as her own.
Of course, we know that Orange Is the New Black doesn’t always give us the happiest storylines, so while Cindy is ecstatic about moving in with her mom and daughter, I don’t think that happiness is going to last very long. I say this because, towards the end of the episode, we see Taystee writing a letter to Cindy’s daughter, Monica, telling her the truth about who her actual mother is. Ugh, that one is going to sting hard.
This season has been laser-focused on discussing important social topics this time around, and this episode brings forth a #MeToo storyline involving Caputo. While he’s waiting to have his surgery (which is so he and Fig can try and have kids), Caputo learns that his social media is blowing up with comments and posts because Laura, one of the Litchfield officers is essentially blaming him for sexual misconduct. She’s not using his name but it’s clear who she is talking about. Orange Is the New Black is going all in with their stories this year, aren’t they?
Side note: Watching Fig melt and have a heart is so freaking adorable. She loves Caputo and because of him, she’s definitely feeling the guilt of running an ICE detention center. Hopefully, we continue to see this side of her through the rest of the season.
Speaking of ICE, it’s revealed that Linda is going to shut down the Psych ward in order to get more money and wants Tamika to interview about it. Not only has Tamika never done this before, but she’s also not in support of closing the Psych ward so she goes to Fig asking for help. Naturally, she has just the remedy to solve the problem, more or less.
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Lastly, we catch up with Piper and Alex a bit in this episode of Orange Is the New Black as they try to navigate being apart from one another. Alex’s suggestion? That Piper start hooking up with people because she’s not going to be getting action from Alex anytime soon. I have a feeling this will bite them in the butt hard because Piper is definitely thinking about sexual stuff now, and there is something weird between Alex and McCullough.
So, it’s a matter of time before something goes down. But who will goof it up first? Tune in to find out.
Let us know your thoughts on this episode of OITNB in the comments!