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"Low Self Esteem City" is the fifth episode of the second season of Orange Is the New Black. It is the eighteenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on June 6, 2014. It was written by Nick Jones and directed by Andrew McCarthy.

Synopsis[]

A bathroom turf war sees deeper lines drawn in the sand as Gloria and Vee go head to head. Piper receives devastating news.

Plot[]

Present[]

With Mendoza running the kitchen, the Latina's are endowed with a new-found sense of entitlement. They decide that they deserve special privileges because of their dominance in the kitchen. And when their showers become busted, they barge into Vee’s crew’s bathroom without even asking. This action ignites the impending conflict between the two groups.

The feud continues when Vee has two of her girls play a small break on the Latina's to agitate them. The Latina's react by ruining Vee's crew's lunches with an overwhelming amount of salt. Janae Watson becomes flustered because she had nothing to do with Vee or her shenanigans and willingly trips Dayanara Diaz. John Bennett jolts to the scene revealing his dedication to protect Daya by viciously pinning Watson to the ground.

After this event Vee and Mendoza square off in one of the bathrooms. Vee seems very weak and on the verge of crying the entire time. Mendoza pities her and they make a deal. Later on, Red reveals to Gloria that Vee played her and that the whole cry-baby display was just a deceptive act.

Also in this episode, Boo and Nicky's sex contest goes full force. They sit down at lunch and establish a scoring system based on the difficulty and perceived quality of the girls. Boo makes her way around the prison racking up the easier bounties while Nicky sets her focus on a more ambitious goal,corrections officer, Susan Fischer, who is worth the most amount of points. But Nicky is shut down quickly after hinting at “exploring” this possibility with her.

During visiting hours, for the first time in a while, Piper is visited by her family. But only her brother, Cal Chapman, and her mother, Carol Chapman show up, leaving Piper questioning her father's absence. To her dismay, her father was absent because her grandmother, Celeste Chapman had an accident in the swimming pool leading to her doctors finding out a more serious problem.

Due to Healy still having issues with his wife at home, he bonds with Caputo at a bar and decides to act in the inmate's best interest. To start this act of kindness, he tries to get Piper furlough so she can see her grandmother one last time. Healy also flirts with Red multiple times due to the problems with his wife.

Flashbacks[]

In Gloria's flashback, it is revealed that she was a struggling single mother trying to survive and provide for her children. Before being locked up in Litchfield Penitentiary, she owned a convenience store in the city. She shared the space with her spirtual aunt and her abusive boyfriend, Arturo, whom isn't the father of Gloria's children.

He strikes Mendoza several times, but is quick to beg for forgiveness. When the violence escalates to her children, she attempts to run away from Arturo with money she was able to save from her food stamp fraud. Sadly, her escape is cut short when an angry customer of her aunt tips off the feds about her scam.

That night, Arturo tries to steal the money but is killed in a fire he accidentally started in the process.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

 


Guest Stars[]

*Michael Chernus as Cal Chapman

Co-Stars[]

  • Tamara Torres as Gerrman "Weeping Woman"
  • Hugo Medina as Arturo
  • Kian Silva as Young Benito
  • Tom Beaujour as John Glickman
  • Ira Elliot as Gabe Ronley
  • Tim Foljahn as Albert Roth
  • Jimmy Palumbo as Jeremy
  • Peter Rini as Jason Figueroa
  • Deron B. Campbell as Black Customer
  • Jonathan Cunningham as Bartender
  • Claire Dominguez as Showering Latina
  • Oksana Lada as Ulya
  • Indio Melendez as Querent

Navigation[]

Gloria's Flashbacks
Low Self Esteemy City  •  Trust No Bitch  •  Who Knows Better Than I  •  How to Do Life?
Episode Navigation
Season 1 I Wasn't Ready  •  Tit Punch  •  Lesbian Request Denied  •  Imaginary Enemies  •  The Chickening  •  WAC Pack  •  Blood Donut  •  Moscow Mule  •  Fucksgiving  •  Bora Bora Bora  •  Tall Men with Feelings  •  Fool Me Once  •  Can't Fix Crazy
Season 2 Thirsty Bird  •  Looks Blue, Tastes Red  •  Hugs Can Be Deceiving  •  A Whole Other Hole  •  Low Self Esteem City  •  You Also Have a Pizza  •  Comic Sans  •  Appropriately Sized Pots  •  40 Oz. of Furlough  •  Little Mustachioed Shit  •  Take a Break From Your Values  •  It Was the Change  •  We Have Manners. We're Polite.
Season 3 Mother's Day  •  Bed Bugs and Beyond  •  Empathy Is a Boner Killer  •  Finger in the Dyke  •  Fake It Till You Fake It Some More  •  Ching Chong Chang  •  Tongue-Tied  •  Fear, and Other Smells  •  Where My Dreidel At  •  A Tittin' and a Hairin'  •  We Can Be Heroes  •  Don't Make Me Come Back There  •  Trust No Bitch
Season 4 Work That Body For Me  •  Power Suit  •  (Don't) Say Anything  •  Doctor Psycho  •  We'll Always Have Baltimore  •  Piece of Shit  •  It Sounded Nicer in My Head  •  Friends in Low Places  •  Turn Table Turn  •  Bunny, Skull, Bunny, Skull  •  People Persons  •  The Animals  •  Toast Can't Never Be Bread Again
Season 5 Riot FOMO  •  Fuck, Marry, Frieda  •  Pissters!  •  Litchfield's Got Talent  •  Sing It, White Effie  •  Flaming Hot Cheetos, Literally  •  Full Bush, Half Snickers  •  Tied to the Tracks  •  The Tightening  •  The Reverse Midas Touch  •  Breaking the Fiberboard Ceiling  •  Tattoo You  •  Storm-y Weather
Season 6 Who Knows Better Than I   •  Shitstorm Coming   •  Look Out for Number One   •  I'm the Talking Ass   •  Mischief Mischief   •  State of the Uterus   •  Changing Winds   •  Gordons   •  Break the String   •  Chocolate Chip Nookie   •  Well This Took a Dark Turn   •  Double Trouble   •  Be Free
Season 7 Beginning of the End   •  Just Desserts   •  And Brown Is the New Orange   •  How to Do Life   •  Minority Deport   •  Trapped in an Elevator   •  Me as Well   •  Baker's Dozen   •  The Hidey Hole   •  The Thirteenth   •  God Bless America   •  The Big House   •  Here's Where We Get Off
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