My Issues With OITNB This Season (SPOILERS EVERYWHERE)
1. Poussey did NOT deserve that. She did not deserve to die, and White writers should not have been allowed to tell that story. They co-opted Black Lives Matter heavy, especially in the way that they killed her off.
2. The over saturation of White writers really just destroys a lot of the show for me. They write in so many racist one-liners and use an unnecessary amount of slurs. I could understand if POC wrote it because then they could authentically show prejudice, anti-blackness, and colorism which DO exist in our communities and could actually be addressed and not just used for shock value or whatever the hell reason they have
3. Sophia and Crystal did NOT deserve that. Sophia’s story could have put way more focus on the unfair treatment of trans people in prisons by the people in charge. It could have also focused more on activism by showing protestors or something. Crystal was doing everything to get Sophia out of the SHU, so why wouldn’t Crystal contact the ACLU or literally ANY activist group? Instead she was saved by a white guy and a white nun. Crystal did NOT deserve to have a gun pulled out on her, or to have it overshadowed by Caputo making out with Linda.
4. Maritza did NOT deserve that. I understand wanting to portray the abuse inmates face and bring it to light (which is what much of the show was attempting to do) but not to that extent. That twisted game he made her play was over the top.
5. Lolli did NOT deserve that. Jesus. I appreciated her backstory, and I appreciated that even in homelessness her life had purpose. I also appreciated that they showed how police mistreat people with mental illnesses. But Lolli didn’t deserve psych. She did not deserve to be the only one punished for protecting Alex. Her life was one dead end and sad story after another, and she did not even receive any justice. None of them did.
6. Suzanne did NOT deserve that. She did not deserve for that to be her backstory honestly. They should have left it at kidnapping, which she did unintentionally. She didn’t deserve manslaughter too. And it definitely did not deserve to be a child. Even though it was unintentional it was still demonizing. She also did not deserve to be the one distracting the guard who was on top of Poussey. She was trying to help, but they painted another death as her fault and made the CO a victim. Also it never showed her White sister for getting in trouble for leaving Suzanne alone. It has been established that Suzanne has some sort of unspecified mental illness and that she had never been on her own for an entire weekend. She could have gotten respite or even a damn care provider for the weekend. She should have, especially since it was her first time home alone. Why did it not show her being arrested or charged with endangerment? It did not even show her being questioned by police.
7. Poussey DID NOT DESERVE THAT. It was completely unnecessary to kill a queer black woman– an already underrepresented marginalized group. She did not deserve that death. WHITE WRITERS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO WRITE THAT DEATH. It was a huge nod to Eric Garner and BLM. It was not their story to tell. It was not a radical statement, it was capitalizing off a tragedy. Plus it was done by the only well-intentioned, “nice” guard. They made him a victim too, which was gross. The man who killed Eric Garner did it intentionally and was not a “nice guy”.
8. The Islamophobia from Cindy was so unnecessary, as was the sheer amount of it. Even after they became friends Cindy continued on with the slurs and backhanded comments. There was a lot of antisemitism too. Season 3’s ending implied that Cindy was going to take her religion much more seriously. It was the butt of jokes more often than not.
9. All the suffering and all the torture was directed towards people of color. There were so many skinheads and nazis who got NOTHING. Pretty much it was only Piper and the swastika burn, which was resolved. The only one who really suffers was the White nun who helped save Sophia.
10. Aleida did not make an attempt to get back Daya’s children or her own. She found a place to live temporarily, but was not shown making an attempt to get a job or see her children. I wish it would have shown her making an effort.
11. Dominicans were the only ones portrayed as a gang. The racist White people were just “a couple of Nazis”. They were just as much of a gang but they were shown more as “believers in White supremacy” rather than a White Supremacy gang or organization like the KKK. They were more blatantly racist but also less violent.
12. Doggett’s rape should not have been handled like that. I understand the “forgiving him for my own sake” part, because that’s what I did. HOWEVER showing her maintaining/wanting a relationship with him should not have been done. It makes audiences more inclined to empathize with a rapist. It encourages audiences to take her rape less seriously imo.
13. It continued to demonize Latin men. Last season it was Ceasar, now it’s Ruiz’s dad. Diablo was also a jewel thief, which was unneeded since it did not add any plot value.
14. I wish Blanca was arrested for something less violent than elder abuse. That old White lady deserved the first part when she fucked Diablo in her room as revenge, but continuing to show her as insensitive and violent to someone who couldn’t defend their self painted her more negatively than necessary.
15. Piper’s Hawaiian roommate and Soso were the only prominent pacifists, which is just lazy writing by relying on the “model minority” myth. Soso was also arrested for protesting, which is a lot more noble and “safe” than some of the other prisoners arrests.
16. Daya’s shouldn’t have been the one in the end pointing the gun. It should have been Taystee, Watson, or Soso in my opinion. Even Maritza, Sophia, or Blanca would have been a better choice since they all faced some pretty bad abuse from the guards. Maybe I’m missing something but I don’t think I am? At least it wasn’t a White woman.
