[Shaun]

finished the season now.

I liked the turnaround in likeability for Pennsatucky's character but...hmm... I feel like some of the characters have made pretty unrealistic turnarounds? Like Piper's a good example, obviously, just an overnight badass? Please. And the sudden introduction of a bit of transphobia for Sophia's character... if anything it was obviously unrealistic in the first place to introduce her as this sort of beloved, sassy hairdresser with no enemies or conflict, and then this season just sought to ruin her in every way possible. Caputo too, bit of an obvious "becoming part of the machine" story.

Smaller thoughts:
- STOP TRYING TO MAKE RED/SAM HAPPEN. IT DARE NOT ****ING HAPPEN.
- I'm over Norma. Taking all season to realise she led a clique of idiots... I don't care if her backstory was sad, she's a ****ing moron and I'm bored with her.
- I kinda ship Boo/Pennsatucky
- and Soso/Poussey
- Characters I loved this season: the new counsellor, the new inmate from Chicago with the glasses and the paranoia, Flaca, Ang, Black Cindy 10000x more, Big Boo 100000x more, Chang <333333
- Characters I did not love this season: Electrics guy, rapey guy, Daya's mom, Daya actually, Caputo (blah), every bitch who crossed Sophia and shall - if the writers know what they're doing - drown in that lake in the finale at the hands of a mysterious trans-rights spirit.
- I WANT TO HUG PORNSTACHE'S MUM.

In general I don't quite side with the majority of complaints about this season - I don't think the show needs a villain per series to root against for it to be a success or compelling, the characters and backstories are more than enough for me already. The only thing I'd bemoan is the rushedness of it all - the sudden changes of character, the increase in trying to put across backstories and flashbacks towards the end of the season (like did anyone really really care about that running girl's Muslim father, or Sindy's crazy authoritarian father?) - but at the same time I'm kinda intrigued to learn more about other characters too (Yoga Jones, more of Boo, Maritza, that woman who's always crying on the phone / about toast-Norma)

Speaking of flashbacks, how amazing was the brief Rosa return?