Orange Is The New Black’s second season premiere, “Thirsty Bird,” opens with Piper in solitary confinement. While conversing with a “poochie hating” transfer officer, Piper (Taylor Schilling) describes her egg-yolk wall art as a depiction of a yellow warbler drinking from a daffodil (which she names the “Thirsty Bird”). Piper is brought outside to a bus, and the guards refuse to tell her where they’re going, nor does anyone tell her whether Pennsatucky is alive or dead.

The Windy City of Chicago

After a five-hour bus ride Piper finds herself on a plane, having a heart-to-heart with another inmate where viewers see an edgier, more murderous, side of Piper. As the plane descends Piper realizes she is in Chicago to be tried for the murder of Pennsatucky (at least that’s what this “Thirsty Bird” is thinking).

In the middle of a Chicago detention center Piper is reunited with her on-again-off-again love interest, who we all love to hate, Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). In their reunion Alex informs Piper that Pennsatucky is alive, and that they were transferred to Chicago to testify in the trial against drug-lord Kubra (Eyas Younis). Alex explains to Piper that there is no justice in testifying against Kubra, and that instead they need to falsely claim that they had never even met him. Flashbacks show that Piper’s goodie-two-shoe personality has hindered her from lying in the past, despite her family’s tradition of sitting on one’s emotions and keeping information secret.

Piper finds herself in a new cell that makes her Litchfield one look like a suite at the Ritz, not to mention she is accompanied by four new, eclectic roommates. Mistake number one: Piper makes enemies within the first 30 seconds of stepping into her cell. She is now a two-time murderer, this time killing a cigarette-carrying cockroach named Yodah. This lands her in the dog house with roommates Aracelli (Solly Duran) and Joyce (Darlene Dues), who sings as she fills the pot of gold (if you catch our drift). Not to mention, her new face-licking bunk-mate, Mazall (Rebecca Drysdale), makes Crazy-Eyes (Uzo Aduba) look like a nun. Piper is placed on a mission by the “roach” crew to find a new Yodah.

Kubra’s Trial

In the van ride to their trial Piper exclaims to Alex that she has to tell the truth, and Alex’s manipulative mind games convince Piper that they have to remain united.

During the prosecution when Piper is asked if she had known Kubra, a flashback takes us to a scene where Alex and Piper are fondling in a lavish pool, accompanied by a lounging Kubra. Piper, the thirsty warbler, drinks from Alex’s nectar of lies, and testifies “I was there for Alex, she was who I paid attention to, everything else was background.”

Piper awaits Alex in her cell, but instead is confronted by her lawyer, who also happens to be her father-in-law, Mr. Bloom (Todd Susman). Bloom, disgusted with Piper’s false testimony in court despite their agreement on her telling the truth, tells her that he is done. Everything is fine though because Piper knows that she has Alex by her side.

Freedom, For The Wrong Inmate

A hopeful Piper is shocked to find Alex, normally clothed, rushing past her crying – “I am so sorry Piper everything happened so fast I had to tell the truth.” Piper finds herself locked up in a jail cell, betrayed by Alex for the well…we can’t keep up with the number of times. Enraged, Piper screams out a well deserved “f–k you Alex!”

The episode closes with a distressed Piper who has lost belief in all miracles, until a cigarette-carrying cockroach brings her a little Yodah peace.

– Giuliana Richetta