
I cannot stand Valentine’s Day. One of the many reasons why I do not like the commercialised big booming pink hearted money grabbing fucktard of a day is because I am single; we’ll get that out of the way first. I hate being reminded of the gaping hole of air beside me as I lounge in my sweat pants eating Nutella with my fingertips and continuously watching Orange Is The New Bl- and I may have figured out why I am still single. Regardless, no matter how bad I may have it on Valentine’s Day, imagine how bad it is inside Litchfield prison for the lady convicts. And this is precisely why I am talking about Valentines this summer’s day.

Prepare yourself for a new favourite character. Though the first series of Orange Is The New Black delegated her to a sidekick, the prominence of Poussey is this episode is captivating. Not only is her story line tragic, showcasing her humanity and visceral soul, but she has this incredible spirit that bounces on screen with this kinetic energy. It helps that the character is played effortlessly by Samira Wiley, who brings a natural charm to the role and acts a dozen emotions at once. The intense intricate changes in facial expressions and the toiling of affections for Taystee all combine realistically that Wiley becomes one of the greatest actress on the show.

Juxtaposing interviews with the inmates alongside the storylines, the snippets into the emotional backbone of the women was simply poetic. Heightening our love for our collection of troublesome ladies, director Allison Anders makes the gritty black humoured drama a little bit more fluffy. It shouldn’t work but it does, dragging you into the core of loneliness that happens despite the party and the hysterics (and Boo’s and Nicki’s bang off.) What’s more impressive is the concentration of a once side-lined character and allow her to come into fruition, knowing that she will be the core antagonism for Vee. It’s a terrific episode.