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This is Vause, who saved my ass. She was my official hidey-hole, not like that, you perv.

#alex vause #madison murphy #oitnbedit #oitnb season 6 #oitnb #6x08 #*

Part 3: The Dynamic Between Alex Vause and Madison Murphy

I know this took a while but now I finally have some free time to talk about it so here we go:

What do Alex Vause and Madison Murphy have in common? Both these women were victims of bullying as children but both chose to deal with it in different ways which led them to become the people that they are today. In a way Madison and Alex are almost two sides of the same coin. They’re not too different from each other. Hear me out.

Alex Vause

Constantly bullied for being poor and was given the nickname “Pigsty” but thanks to her mom uplifting her, giving her confidence and offering her the supportive phrase: “Don’t you listen to those smarty pants assholes they’re going to have boring ass lives they’re going to wish that they were you, you are cool.” years later just like momma Vause prophesized her daughter became a badass drug smuggling hot lesbian traveling all over the world who could bend any woman to her will.

Though it’s never been spoken aloud I think it’s pretty safe to say that Diane was Alex’s best friend and strongest support system that got her through those rough times and instilled that confidence within her to be the person that Alex is today.

And one of the greatest ironies to Alex’s character is that she fell in love with and married the type of girl that bullied her as a kid. And that is very telling of what kind of person Alex is, the fact that she’s able to unapologetically allow herself to love this person despite her past experiences with women like Piper. It shows that Alex has indeed grown and matured from her bullying experience. She doesn’t forget mind you, but she doesn’t hold any grudges, and she doesn't project those experiences onto Piper because Piper is not them.

Alex is a hardened woman who wears her confidence like a suit of armor. It’s the confidence that her mother had given her as child that helped her through the years and it’s something only Piper can penetrate to reach her most vulnerable spots. Without Diane there’s no telling how Alex would’ve probably turned out. Diane gave Alex a sense of pride and she was the driving force in Alex's life.

Madison Murphy

Madison Murphy is a girl with anger issues who had been bullied ever since she was a kid because she farted once back in fourth grade and received the nickname “Fartison.” Her relationship with her parents is rocky and sometimes violent to the point where she broke a window and hurt her mom. There's not a whole lot of uplifting in the Murphy household. And I wouldn't even be surprised if there was some physical abuse to the no doubt speculated emotional abuse Madison get's from her dad. To set her straight her parents sent her away to deal with the problem because maybe they felt they couldn’t handle it anymore or maybe they just didn’t want to.

Madison is a prime example of the bullied becoming the bully. She’s a shit stirrer but as Alex so eloquently put “she’s like the handheld blender of shit stirring.” She’s a fucking child who never progressed, who never grew up, who never got over her experiences as a kid. She’s desperate to stay Carol’s top dog because it’s all she has her power comes from bullying others who appear to be weaker than herself to make herself look good in front of people like Carol and yes even Alex. Whether Madison will ever admit it or not Alex is indeed the alpha to her beta.

Alex and Madison chose different paths in terms of their experiences with their bullying. One changed for the better and one changed for the worst. I think it's safe to say that Alex never held a grudge towards her experience because if she did she wouldn't be with Piper. With Madison it's pretty obvious that she does. I personally think Madison's distaste for Piper goes beyond Piper taking away her power. Much like a lot of people on this show Madison doesn't like Piper because she represents everything she doesn't have or even the kind of person that bullied her growing up. Madison has not grown from that and she didn't have the greatest support system to help her deal.

I don't think Madison is completely awful she does show glimpses of empathy for others. Which leads me to believe that Madison is not a lost cause. There's potential in there. The difference between her and Alex is that Madison has no real power, she has no real wit. She’s not a real badass, she’s a victim turned bully and a childish bully at that. Alex knows it and pegged her since the moment she met her.

“Carol’s the big boss, you’re a fucking child.” - Alex

Alex is more on the level with someone like Carol minus the psychopath and the sadistic nature. When she and Carol are talking you get this vibe that two grown women are having a conversation. Carol is business woman, Alex is a business woman. Alex knows how to talk to a woman like Carol. She is not intimidated by her, but she gives her respect and is totally manipulating her at the same time by stroking her ego and sparking her interests to get her to do what she wants i.e: make Madison leave Piper alone.

Alex the new Alpha of C block?

After the big kickball game and with Carol and Barb gone it’s possible D and C block will no longer have an alpha female to call the shots. Everyone will be governing themselves. But let’s say they did decide to keep the alpha role going. With Carol out of the picture who’s running C block? My money is Alex. She most certainly won’t want to but I feel like Alex being the leader of C block will be this unspoken thing. Everyone just knows it, everyone just accepts it whether Alex wants to or not. Madison won’t take this sitting down but when Carol died Madison’s “power” went with her. Maybe it will be as Carol said to Madison:

“keep mouthing off and you’ll be working for her” - Carol

Possible foreshadowing perhaps?

I can honestly even see Madison developing respect for Alex and sooner or later even accepting her as a leader, maybe even friends, who knows. But overall I do not think Madison is lost cause. Next season I would like to see a much softer Madison because it’s definitely in there.