Netflix's Orange is the New Black Season 2 Episode 5 Review

A turf war over the bathrooms breaks out after the Spanish Harlem bathroom has serious plumbing issues.  The Latinas go to the "Ghetto" bathroom, which is where the black women have claim.  The Latinas break the unspoken social contract by demanding to cut the line in order for them to get to the kitchen for work.  A fight breaks out and the tension between the groups is headed by Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) and Gloria Mendoza (Selenis Leyva).

Gloria's history is explored in this episode with her owning a convenience store while exchanging food-stamps for cash.  She also has a side business with her mother, who is a kind of holistic healer, selling blessed candles and spiritual cleanses.  Gloria has a boyfriend named Artoro who helps her out around her store and he installs a self-locking door for her store because she constantly leaves the doors unlocked.  When she exchanges money for food stamps but insults the customer to distract another patron from her scheme, Artoro hits her for defying him.

This abuse is a habit for Artoro and Gloria's mother demands she  leave him.  After Gloria decides to stay with him, her mother prays for Gloria's safety. The patron who witnessed her earlier transaction and had complained her candle didn't work for him informs the police about her food stamp laundering scheme and arrests her.  

While Gloria is sent to prison, Arturo returns to the store to steal her stash of money.  He accidentally locks himself in the back room of the store and kicks over a candle that lights up the whole room, burning him alive.  Instant-Karma.

Keeping things light, Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne) and Carrie "Big Boo" Black (Lea DeLaria) officially begin their sex-pedition and lay down their ground rules.  

Simultaneously, Vee tries to organize the young, black women to take over the prison.  She reminds them that the black women used to run the prison and that they need to work together to take-down the Latinas.

Galina 'Red' Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew) keeps her mind on her own business, while keeping an eye open on all of the power struggles.  She takes notes and adjusts her plays accordingly while trying to get Gloria on her side.  Red's new group, the Golden Girls, begin their work in the greenhouse and it becomes more obvious that their member Jimmy is drifting further away from sanity with her senile delusions.

When Vee's girls trip a pregnant Dayanara Diaz (Dascha Polanco), Gloria takes a stand and physically confronts Vee.  Vee apologizes and asks for forgiveness and to have some of Vee's girls to be swapped to custodial in exchange of the working bathroom.  Gloria agrees, feeling like she won the battle but Red lets her know that allowing Vee to get anything she wants will guarantee her victory of the war.

Off of the battlefield, Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) gets a visit from her mother and brother, but her father is said to be elsewhere.  Since her mother doesn't want to directly talk about it, as per usual, her brother starts a guessing game for Piper to find out own her own.  Piper eventually figures out that her grandmother is dying.  She then asks Mr. Healy for furlough, but he tells her it's a rare opportunity and awarded to no one.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Harlem bathrooms are being visited by a plumber and Joe Caputo (Nick Sandow) has a power struggle with Mrs. Figueroa (Alysia Reiner) about how the prison's money should be spent.  Caputo and Mr. Healy (Michael Harney) end up bonding at a bar after work over their shared hatred of Ms. Figueroa and express their concerns over the welfare of the prison.  Both have eyes on leadership, but neither has yet to step up to prove that they have what it takes.

Do you think Gloria and Red will form an alliance to take down Vee?  Do you think the staff will work together to reform the prison?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!