Episode Report Card Megyn: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Ryan's Hope
By Megyn | Season 4 | Episode 14 | Aired on 02.10.2001
Hill says Orpheus was blamed by the people in his town for failing his family, and they killed him and threw his organs into the river. Actually, that isn't correct. He was killed, but not by the "townsfolk." He wandered the forest and was killed by a band of women, I can't remember what they were called. ["The Ciconian women -- they attacked him because he refused the company of women." -- Sars] In essence, shut up, Hill.
New prisoner. Connelly, IRA member and terrorist extraordinaire. McManus and Leo meet in Leo's office to discuss amongst themselves. He's coming to Oz because, according to Leo, in the Federal prisons he kept getting death threats. McManus wants him in…wait for it…Em City. Glynn says, "You just want him in so you can study his every move." McManus admits he's "intrigued." Whatever. "Study his every move," my ass. He can't even keep the dudes from sniffing smack under the damn stairs, but he wants a terrorist in so he can watch him for…what? He probably needs a damn water boy for his little tournament of helmets. We see Connelly enter Tim's office with his little pillow and blanket. I personally think that would be toughest part of prison. Having only one pillow and blanket. My bed is literally a nest, with a fort of pillows arranged all around and then me, in the middle, wrapped like a burrito. McManus greets him. Connelly just stares. Looks like they won't be best friends after all. McManus tries harder: "I've been following your situation, so I know how fucked up it is…I took the liberty of calling your lawyer." Basically, since Connelly is litigating to stay in the U.S., he doesn't represent a flight risk. Bail will be set, and everyone will get a cookie. Connelly acknowledges that it is indeed "good news" and leaves without another word. That boy is gonna be trouble, y'all mark my words. As he walks through Em City, we see Jia pecking at the cage to be let out; Ryan, upon spotting Connelly, pecks at Cyril to alert him that another one of their kind is in the pokey. Pancamo makes a comment about "another dumb, spud-eating mick" and I have to say, being part Irish myself, I just don't find that to be very clever or offensive, and quite frankly, if that's the best Pancamo can do, well, I just give him a pat on the head and send him on his way to bang pots together or something.
Ryan bursts excitedly into Connelly's pod to introduce himself, but before he can finish saying his own name, Connelly demands he "step back." Ryan's like, "Wha? I just came to…" Connelly interrupts to repeat that he needs to step back into the doorway. Ryan: "All right, I like that, you're a soldier, cautious." No, Ryan, he just told you what to do. Connelly wants to know how Ryan knows his name; Ryan explains that "on TV" they saw how he had executed Captain Harley. Connelly says that wasn't what happened. They didn't execute him. Ryan starts to object to Connelly's dismissive air and tells him that everyone is watching them right now, and by Ryan's body language when he leaves the pod, they'll know "what's what between them." He goes on to explain that in Oz, everyone hangs with their own kind. To which Connelly says, "Because your name is O'Reily, that makes us the same?" Ryan insists that it does. Connelly leans over and horks some spit in the toilet, then continues brushing his teeth: "I won't be here long enough to need your friendship so have a nice walk." Ryan leaves and tries to walk down the corridor without looking like he just got dissed.