"Fucksgiving" is the nineth episode of season one of Orange Is the New Black.
It's Thanksgiving and the inmates have to deal with the holidays. Taystee celebrates her successful appeal and release, leading to a party at which Chapman and Vause end up dancing together in fairly raucous fashion. Pennsatucky, carrying on her vendetta against Vause from the previous episode, tattles on them to Healy, who has Chapman sent to the Solitary Housing Unit for the crime of lesbianism. Larry is incensed at the violation of her rights, and throws a somewhat desultory Thanksgiving; but at it, he meets NPR talk-show host Maury Kind, who read Larry's article and invites him to give a talk about it on an upcoming episode.
This episode provides examples of the following tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Healey for Piper.
- A Day In The Lime Light: Vause's back story. We see her relationship with her single mother and her bullying at the hands of the Alpha Bitch and her Girl Posse. We also get to see Vause meet her biological father and it doesn't go well.
- Aesop Amnesia: In the SHU, Piper swears she will keep her head down, break things off with Vause and be a good girl from now on. Her release, however, leads directly to...
- Becoming the Boast: While in SHU, Piper brags to Healey that he won't ever get with her because girls like Piper go for tall hot girls instead. Not long after, Piper forgets what good she promises to do and immediately hooks up with Alex.
- Berserk Button: Healey hates lesbians and when Pennsatucky tattles on Chapman and Vause, he's quick to throw her in the SHU for it.
- Big Damn Kiss: Piper plants one on Vause the minute she's released from the SHU, breaking their Unresolved Sexual Tension.
- Blatant Lies: Pennsatucky lies to Healey that Piper and Alex were engaging in lesbian sexual activity in one of the bathroom stalls when in reality they were just dancing.
- Blind Without 'Em: When Pennsatucky breaks her glasses, Vause is, while not blind, quite impaired. Nicky later asks how blind she is.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Fahri.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Someone in the SHU screams a litany, which Piper hears, though the screamer is not revealed.
- Cure Your Gays: What Healy's hoping to do with Piper by imprisoning her in the SHU and keep Alex away from her. He even tries to make her his girlfriend.
- Dance of Romance: Piper and Alex dance together to "Milkshake" by Kelis.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Healy sends Piper to the SHU for dancing and answering the questions he asks. Pornstache even agrees that she didn't deserve to go to the SHU.
- Escalating War: Between Vause and Pennsatucky.
- Everyone Can See It: The inmates and staff can see something going on between Piper and her ex Alex.
- Even Evil Has Standards: When Healy breaks rules to get Chapman sent to solitary, even Pornstache, one of the most slimy and immoral characters on the show, points out that he's wrong.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Pornstache is mesmerized by Piper and Alex dancing together.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Zigzagged. Gloria makes up a concoction for Daya to drink, claiming it's an abortifacent; but it's actually just roots and leaves and crap and merely results in diarrhea. Aleida wants her to keep it, proud of her daughter for the first time in their mutual lives, and ultimately Daya decides she wants to as well.
- Hidden Depths: Crazy Eyes gets a visit from her parents. They are white, suggesting that she was adopted, and from the tone of their interactions, it is clear that they love her, and she them, very much.
- Hot for Preacher: Crystal tells Sophia about her friendship with the pastor at her church.
- Hypocrite: Taystee's living arrangements. The lady who opens the door says she's not about to get in trouble for letting some ex-con stay at her place. In the background, several people are openly smoking drugs.
- If I Can't Have You…: When Healey sees Piper dancing with Alex, he gets jealous and throws her in the SHU for it.
- Incompatible Orientation: Healey hates lesbians and yet he wants the bisexual (and engaged) Piper Chapman to be his girlfriend.
- Kick the Dog: Pornstache to Red, several times. Starting with blackmail, then urinating in her turkey gravy and making her watch. Healey also does this to Piper.
- Making Love in All the Wrong Places: Piper drags Alex over to the church chapel where they begin to have sex.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Maury Kind is a pretty clear take on NPR's hosts. As it happens, Ira Glass of This American Life was offered the role, but declined it.
- It's Personal: Healy's attitudes towards Chapman alter dramatically during this episode, when he sees her lesbian tendencies with his own eyes. Before the end of the episode, he's called on it.
- Luke, You Are My Father: Vause goes to meet her Disappeared Dad, The Rock Star.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Larry runs into this trope while trying to complain about Piper's punishment. On a holiday.
- Parental Incest: Alex's biological father Lee says that Alex is so beautiful that he would not have recognized her as his daughter and would've accidentally had sex with her instead. He also compliments her on her breasts of all things too.
- Pervert Dad: Alex's biological father Lee who can't help to say out loud that she, his daughter, "has a great rack". Alex, and Lee's bandmates are disgusted by this.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: The ending cuts away to the orange screen and credits before we see Alex and Piper's lovemaking progress any further.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Healy's attitude.
- Shout-Out:
- Norma being referred to as Silent Bob
- Piper being referred to as Jon Benet Ramsey by Alex on her hairstyle.
- The song Piper and Alex dance to at the party is "Milkshake" by Kelis.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Pennsatucky and Healey accuse Piper of "lesbianism". After she's released from SHU, Piper hooks up with Alex.
- Situational Sexuality: Piper hooks up with her ex Alex in prison to deal with the stress in her life.
- Surprise Incest: Alex's biological father Lee lampshades this during a conversation of what would've happened if he hadn't known Alex was his daughter, since she is very beautiful to him.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Pornstache urinates in the thanksgiving gravy and makes Red watch.
- "Take That!" Kiss: Alex delivers one to Pennsatucky as payback for her homophobia and getting Piper locked up in the SHU.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: After being thrown into the SHU and then given a lecture by Healey on how lesbianism is a disease and Alex is a sick person, Piper chastises Healey and then vows to obey Healey and stay away from Alex. However, after being let out, the very first thing Piper does is drag Alex into the chapel and have sex with her.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Piper gives one to Healey for throwing her in the SHU.Piper: The only sicko here is you. And under different circumstances, what? I'd be your girlfriend? Is that it? Did I make you jealous? You put me in this hellhole for no reason. Wake up, Healy! Girls like me? We don't fuck ignorant, pretentious old men with weird lesbian obsessions! We go for tall, hot girls, and we fucking love it! So, that leaves you on the outside, living your sad, sad little life. You don't get me! Ever! So, go fuck yourself!
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between Piper and Alex. Up until the church scene.
- "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: The first hints that the Diazes can repair (and are repairing) their fractured relationship are given in this episode.
