1.4 Imaginary Enemies

'In the morning when I wake up, there are these few seconds before I realise where I am.'

This episode only increased my sadness at the human condition. The dehumanising alarm, at the sound of which all the inmates have to lie face down on the ground. The coerced 'volunteering' to be felt up by Pornstache.

The whole screwdriver thread is absolutely nerve-racking - so much so that bathos is the only way for it to end. Double bathos in fact.

There were compensations - the moment shared by Alex and Nicky, Piper telling Miss Claudette what's what, the resolution of the 'Mercy leaving' thread against expectations, and Miss Claudette and Piper's reactions to Mercy's departure.

I was surprised to find that this episode made me cry real tears, and that hasn't happened since I was living through my own version of Sophia's back story. It seems my soul wasn't pickled in vinegar after all.