‘Orange Is The New Black’ Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: ‘Bed Bugs & Beyond’

Orange Is The New Black‘s second episode of season three takes place during a bed bug infestation at Litchfield prison, during which Alex has a breakdown about her return to prison and Daya thinks about the future of her and Bennett’s baby.

Orange Is The New Black Recap

Bed bugs have taken up residence in the prison, leading Flaca (Jackie Cruz), Daya (Dascha Polanco) and Maritza (Diane Guerrero) to argue about who is to blame for the itch-causing insects. They should actually be blaming O’Neil (Joel Marsh Garland) and Bell (Catherine Curtin), who recently picked up a previously owned couch. While half the inmates are in blue disposable outfits, the other half remains in their underwear. Poussey (Samira Wiley) tries to fend off the bed bugs with a garlic necklace, and Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore) decides to spray her whole body with Lysol.

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Red (Kate Mulgrew) returns to her bunk with Piper (Taylor Schilling). While Piper is thrilled to have her back, Red has a bone to pick with her. She’s incensed that she had lied to her about her market’s booming business. Piper tries to plead the case for her white lie, but Red calls her out for lying for her own gain – wanting Red to like her.

In conversation with Alex (Laura Prepon), Piper, despite Red slamming her for her continued mendacity, still doesn’t explain how she really ended up back in jail. Alex continues to lose it and ends up flipping out on Maxwell (Lolita Foster) in the bathroom. Maxwell gives her a shot and then threatens to send her to the shu. Piper intercedes and offers to take a shot to save Alex the harsh punishment. Back in the cafeteria, Piper finally decides to tell Alex the truth – that she called her probation officer to tell him that she’d violated her payroll.

Mary Steenburgen makes her Orange is the New Black debut as Pornstache’s mother Delia Mendez. After learning that Daya had received a letter from her, Aleida (Elizabeth Rodriguez) arranges to see her to find out how much money she can milk from her. Delia, obviously, still thinks that her son – not Bennett (Matt McGory) – is the father of the child. Delia wants to adopt the baby because she doesn’t want it to end up like its parents. Aleida isn’t impressed – until she learns that Delia is willing to make monthly payments to her and Daya.

Bennett and Daya confront Aledia in the kitchen to talk about Delia. She tells them that Delia wants to adopt the baby, and they’re both horrified by the idea. Aledia argues that Delia’s two other children are successful, and that there’s no one else who can really raise their child. She points out that both of their hands are tied, and that Cesar (Berto Colon) will mess the child up. With Delia, the kid will be safe and loved and will have a chance at a real life with “clean towels and s–t.” In the afternoon, Bennett proposes to Daya with a ring made out of gum wrapper. Later on he goes to visit Cesar and tells him about the proposal. By the end of the visit, seeing how Cesar handles the kids with a young live-in girlfriend and gun threats, Bennett isn’t so sure anymore about keeping the baby.

Big Boo (Lea DeLaria) and Nicky (Natasha Lyonne), meanwhile, are having trouble figuring out how to get the heroin out of he prison with Red’s tunnel closed up – and all of the inmates getting early release. When Nicky catches Luschek (Matt Peters) with pot on him, she realizes that he could be the perfect person to help them move their heroin stash. When she pitches Luschek on the deal, he feigns turning her in before wholeheartedly agreeing to get in on the scam. When Nicky and Boo go to get the heroin from their hiding spot, it’s missing.

At the end of he day, Red lays some truth on Piper, telling her that, true to Alex’s summation, she’s manipulative. Piper acknowledges that they’re both right, and vows to be more straight forward in the future – “No more bulls–t.” After the talk, Piper gets Alex to follow her into the library, where they have some hate sex. Red, meanwhile, has her own relationship issues and wants to begin the process of divorcing her husband.

As the Litchfield beds are set aflame and the library cleared of its books because of the bed bugs, Caputo gets the crushing news that Litchfield is getting shuttered.

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