Don’t
ask me how, but in watching season 2 of Orange
is the New Black, I managed to restrain myself to a single episode a day. In the grand scheme of things, I realize that
spreading it out over 13 days in lieu of binge-watching doesn’t dramatically
shorten the wait until season 3, but it’s something. Expect plenty of Orange is the New Black meditations in the coming days; naturally,
though, I have to start with Poussey.
(Note: while I won’t get into
major spoilers, I will be including
season 2 stuff, so read at your own discretion.)
When I
finished season 1, I waxed on Poussey’s relationship with Taystee, but today is
all about Ms. Washington herself. Her
exuberant personality won me over in season 1 – the inmates at Litchfield deal
with their situation in different ways, and the Poussey we first meet is one
who rolls pretty well with the punches. She’s
excellent at finding things to laugh about (even in prison,) she’s tirelessly
supportive, and though she’s not afraid to get serious and speak her mind, she’s
most content just shooting the breeze with her friends.
The new
crop of episodes delve much deeper into Poussey, and while what we get isn’t as
all-out fun, it draws a picture of this woman that’s a lot more detailed. We still see Poussey’s capacity for joy and
humor, especially early in the season – the Stand and Deliver cracks me up –
but she goes through a serious trial by fire that tests her limits on all
sides. When Vee, someone from Taystee’s
past, shows up in prison and tries to get Taystee back under her thumb, she
quickly recognizes the importance of driving a wedge between Poussey and
Taystee, and Poussey’s fight to keep her friend is grueling.
So what’s
revealed about Poussey over the course of this storyline? First, we see that she’s a good judge of
character – she makes a piercing, spot-on observation about Vee that pinpoints
her better than any other line in the series – and she isn’t easily swayed by
flattery or manipulations. She’s a born
extrovert who craves companionship and values her relationships above all else,
and the surest way to press her berserk button is to try and take away the
people she cares about. When push comes
to shove, however, she won’t play nice with people she doesn’t respect just to
keep her place at the table. She’s
fiercely loyal even when people don’t always deserve it, and she has an inner
strength that drives her to face off against those who are bigger and more
powerful than her.
She
also gets her very own flashback episode to her pre-Litchfield days, which
provides further insight. Unlike some of
the inmates we’ve met, she comes from a loving middle-class family with a
wonderfully supportive father. She was
an army brat who moved around a lot, living in other countries and forming
close attachments that were severed every time her dad was inevitably
transferred again. Though it’s obvious
that she feels incredibly deeply, she’s developed the skill of pretending she
doesn’t – it’s easier to cut ties with someone when you insist that you never really loved them. It’s an interesting shade when you look at
her frequent wisecracking and occasional tough-girl posturing: a lot of it is genuine, I’m sure, but at
least some of it must be rooted in this same defense mechanism.
Oh, and
did I mention she’s a QPoC who’s both traditionally unfeminine and
gorgeous? Poussey for the win, people!
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