A definite return to form in my eyes this season. Although felt much darker on the whole but enough comedy and clever writing for it to pass.
I think making Piper and Alex spend the entire season apart bar the odd scene was a really good move, it definitely made me like them a lot more as I found them insufferable in the last season. Alex was a much better character, more fleshed and likeable. Piper is kind of a ruined character and majorly unlikeable in every single way, but I think that is just irreversible by this point? I felt like they also redeemed Red a lot this series and gave her a new sense of purpose.
Some good flashback episodes this season. I loved the one with Maritza, because it was a light comedic reprieve in quite a heavy season. Brook's also added some much needed something to her characfter who was more likeable this time round. I think her relationship with Poussey helped too though. Lolly also ended up being something I really enjoyed this season, she was much needed comic relief in almost every episode. I enjoyed the introduction of Alison, I look forward to seeing her more next series.
The return of Sophia felt like a bit of a non-event. There was so much build up there just for it to kind of amount to nothing. Similiar for the return of Nicky. Her first episode was very strpmg and reminded me how I missed the character, just for her not to do much the rest of the series. I think the biggest problem this series is there are a large amount of dead weight characters who they kind of now need to start being trimmed in places. Daya, Morello, Boo and so forth all have begun to feel pointless when the prison is now full of new dynamic characters to explore. But I guess they kind of work it on a rotational basis as there are characters who have been used heavily in S4 who will take a backseat in S5.
Now my major gripe is that I think the death in the last episode was a waste and purely for shock value. It has very little of the gravitas that it was meant to and I know it'll become a massive driving force for every event in S5 so I guess that will come in time. But considering it was one of the best characters in the show, it definitely felt cheap and crammed full of shock value to me.