
Furlough is a concept that many people probably don’t understand. After all, the idea is pretty bonkers. You have a criminal, a known law breaker, that for whatever reason (usually personal) needs to leave the prison. And then you have to trust that criminal to come back. Sure, you set up precautions that basically track where the delinquent is going but if they leave, abscond to another country then you’ve basically screwed up. At the same time, they are still humans with family that may get sick or children that may be birthed. Furlough is tricky to handle, it’s a godsend to get and it lands squarely in the hands of our leading character, Piper.

Again, we’ve gone back to concentrating on Piper and for once it isn’t a yawn fest. The character has been kicked to the side lines by the audience, for good reason, because we are heavily invested in the background. In this episode, we actually see how much she has developed. She has departed her “innocent” life. Hardened through fights, insults and the degradation of prison life has seen Piper grow as a human that is less self-centred. There is a poignant moment in this episode between her and her father, a relationship we already know is strained, and it is a captivating brutal watch.

With added Pornstache, Caputo attempting to crackdown on Figaro and Pornstache and the freedom of New York life, this episode is teeming with glorious human moments. It is a combination of tenderness and harshness and it is glorious.