Orange is the New Black: The 21 craziest moments thus far

The inmates have a pool party… er, lake party

In the midst of the security breakdown at Litchfield, the inmates get a funny and sort of wonderful little respite from their sentences. As the perimeter fence is being repaired, part of it is left completely wide open. As the inmates begin to realize this one by one, it becomes clear that even though they wouldn’t be able to ultimately escape, they get an opportunity to forget for a few hours that they’re actually prisoners.

The women go rushing into a nearby lake outside of the fence, screaming and laughing gleefully. It’s maybe the first time any of them have swam in years. On land, they’ve been separated by  their beliefs, their socioeconomic backgrounds, their sentences… but in the water, they all find an equalizing and true joy shared among them all.

I love this episode because it’s satisfying to see these characters offered some relief from their condition, but as actors it looks like the cast is simply having the time of their lives, and enjoying each other’s company. My main takeaway as an actor on OITNB is that this show, probably like many successful episodics, is comprised strong and loving found family members. The crew probably had just as much of a blast as the cast did this day because it seemed like that’s just how every day is for them. It’s scenes like this that highlight the thrill of working on a set.