I came to see the music credits for this episode, but after seeing a less than 100% positive review I wanted to leave one. I'm not great with words but I'm hoping to dispel some bad notions of this episode or at least encourage some reconsideration of them.
(Spoiler alert)
For starters: The woman in this episode was used for her body from a young age by an older man she was forced to marry. She continued to be treated as though her body were not hers later when incarcerated. The details of the arrest aren't important because the fact is they'll always be skewed since she is a black woman in America. Even so, in her words she said she was arrested because she wouldn't tell a lie. It's heartbreaking (but it shouldn't be surprising) that she would be in jail for so long on parole. The system is broken and it took away so many years from this woman and her children.
The point: This was a beautiful episode. Mary is a strong and caring woman who was brave and humble enough to show vulnerability and accountability. It was heartbreaking to hear of the losses she suffered. I felt so happy for her when she moved past her shame and admitted her faults so she could start living her life full of love.
Mary was a kid when she became a mother and she did her best to survive and taught her kids the same. She cared about her kids and loved them but didn't know how to show that love. She just showed them how to survive.
In this episode you see Mary's process for "decarceration" (i think thats the phrase) which I understood as a way of breaking down the patterns built in prison and allowing people to be freely themselves/human. Mary was illustrating this issue in her house, relationships, hair, and everything. Through the episode she broke down some patterns that she had and learned new ones. One pattern being her muted sensitivity which was so sad because she seemed so full of passion/love/joy but she was so unsure on how to express it.
So, it was heart breaking and healing at the same time for Mary to learn how to live her life without fear. The ending was perfect to just see her admitting her faults, her family opening up and forgiving her, and then they all healed together over food that she made them.
This woman went through hell for more than just the years in prison. Theres a reason those kids were proud of her still and were happy to share in her aura. Such a good episode to help reframe some notions one might have on those incarcerated and the circumstances which put people there. Very valuable.