<P> Tim Surette of TV.com said that Vause's season one flashbacks fit the character well, and "instantly gave us a story to be interested in", as they provided a more rounded view of the character than Chapman's purview allowed . J.M Suarez wrote in PopMatters that the character of Vause is "fearless and intimidating" as well as street - smart, contrary to Chapman who is "sheltered" and "often afraid and deferential", and it is "in highlighting these differences in prison, that their eventual backstories have even more impact ." Greco Patti of Vulture complimented Prepon's "nuanced" portrayal, and noted that, notwithstanding Vause's illicit occupation and her role in Chapman's imprisonment, she is a woman who "came from nothing, who loved and lost, and who maybe got used", and she seems more loyal and genuine in her love for Chapman . The A.V. Club's Myles McNutt considered Vause's relationship with her crimes to be "complicated"; he appreciates when the show does not filter character development solely through Chapman, deeming it "productive" when Vause had "a chance to open up to Nicky (Nichols)". McNutt also said that Vause's conflict with Doggett, who saw her as "coming from privilege", is meaningful for Vause as it is a trigger for her "past struggles with class hierarchies". According to McNutt, Vause's despondency regarding her absent father "could either gain (her) new perspective and put her life on the right track or (she could) try to fill the absence as quickly as possible", the latter of which she chose . Mahn deliberated that, growing up poor, a free ride wasn't a possibility in Vause's world . Vause "left her scruples at the door" when she built her worldly life on an alliance through her father's drug dealer, Mahn assessed . "She worked hard, gambled big, and lost everything". Autostraddle posited that Vause hates and fears vulnerability, and the scene where she is locked in a dryer and pleads Chapman to stay echoes the past, when Vause pleaded with Chapman before Chapman left following news of Vause's mother's death . Additionally, Vause is a complicated character for the writer, primarily because she found her sexual threat to Doggett "troubling", while seeing Vause as a young girl "who would do anything for the life she was cheated out of" was something with which she empathized . </P> <P> In Den of Geek, Chris Longo wrote that, as the first season played out, Vause "was vilified, then the tables turned when she won Piper's friendship, then they turned upside down during their inevitable hookup . Alex, for all the bad she's done, seems like a woman who stays true to her word . And now after breaking Alex's (and Larry's) heart, Piper is the one who's vilified ." Longo praised Prepon's performance, and hoped the series progressed Vause's storylines . The Guardian's Tom Meltzer wrote that Prepon plays Chapman's "jilted" former lover "with subtlety and unabashed smoulder". In his review of the first season, Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe described pre-prison Vause as "icy cool", and called Prepon a "revelation" in the role . David Hiltbrand wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer that Prepon plays the character with "real vigor". Maureen Ryan of HuffPost also praised Prepon's portrayal, commenting that "underneath the cool - girl exterior is a whole lot of pain and loneliness, and Prepon has done a wonderful job of subtly bringing those notes forward ." Chris Jancelewicz of The Huffington Post Canada deemed Vause "charismatic", adding that Prepon "excels as the bad girl influence". </P> <P> Kristi Turnquist of The Oregonian stated that although Vause would only be present in a few episodes of the second season, she "turns up to devastating effect early on". In a review of the first episode of season two, Horatia Harrod of The Daily Telegraph commented that Vause is dedicated to self - preservation and thought that "another betrayal" of Chapman "reached new depths", thus she found it "puzzling" that Vause's bad - girl routine "seems to have won her a fan following, while (Chapman) is reviled ." Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast noted that there is something about Vause that "convinces (Chapman) to throw her lifelong caution to the wind ." Kate Zernike of The New York Times said that Vause is "calculating" and that "there's something black cat - like about (her)--she slips into the frame and you know things are about to go bad, or at least, get interesting ." Chris Harvey of The Daily Telegraph described Prepon's turn as "unforgettable" and explained that Vause's wicked attitude and bespectacled look have made the character a "cult favourite". In her review of the season two premiere, The Wall Street Journal's Candace Jackson wrote that "much like in Piper Kerman's real - life experience, (the Chicago facility) is where (Chapman) runs into Vause". Prepon is "excellent in this role as ever", Jackson commended, walking a "believable line between flirtation and manipulation". Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic observed that Vause was "correct earlier in (the second season's premiere) when she diagnosed how inconsistent Chapman's worldview is: "it is so hard to keep up with what is black and white for you"." According to Kornhaber, Vause's "return, in letter and in flashback, offers another lesson in moral relativity and personal transformation . We finally see how (Chapman's) cultivated naivety and (Vause's) cultivated knowingness created a passionate, dangerous pairing early on ." Danielle Henderson remarked in Vulture that Vause "has balls" for sending Chapman letters after the incident in the season two premiere . In her review of the second season's finale, Zernike wrote that although Vause may not be the "typical re-entering felon", her speech to Chapman about needing to violate her probation, flee, and possibly go back to her former felonious life, "does raise some good points" regarding issues with the prison system . </P> <P> The Advocate's Nico Lang described Vause as a notably popular femme fatale character, whom the show brought back after the second season "despite the fact that the real - life character was barely in (Kerman's memoir) at all". Charlotte Richardson Andrews wrote in Sight & Sound that Vause is one of the show's "believable and investment - worthy" queer characters, adding that the "tangled, romantic dance that (Vause and Chapman) do is compelling, nuanced and sexy where, in other hands, it might have felt exploitative". In Digital Spy, Emma Dibdin described a "power shift" in the third season between Vause and Chapman and how this positively impacts both characters; "the power dynamic of (Chapman) and (Vause's) relationship is so dramatically shifted that everything about them feels fresh . (Vause) is more vulnerable than we've ever seen her, utterly shattered to find herself back in jail ." The Observer's Orly Greenberg said Vause returns to Litchfield "completely absent of her flashing eyes and snarky confidence, instead relying on (Chapman) as an almost maternal figure" as Chapman leads Vause to believe her return to prison is a product of "the system", rather than Chapman's own doing . Emily Ambash of CutPrintFilm wrote that Vause is "emotionally broken" when she reenters prison; "embarrassed and ashamed of her own choices" and her failure in handling her brief freedom . Vause and Chapman's dynamic in the third season feels "fresh", different from the first season, as they confront their issues in the present without passive aggressiveness and without a focus on the past, Ambash noted; "the characters (are forced to) question their faith not just in each other but also in themselves when dealing with each other ." Michael Hindle of Comingsoon.net observed of Vause and Chapman's relationship, while "one has always had power over the other in some form or another now (Vause and Chapman) are more or less on an even playing field". Joshua Alston of The A.V Club said that Vause's return to prison "lands with a surprisingly soft impact". The character Stella "appears right on time to drive a wedge between (Chapman) and (Vause) just as a functional relationship becomes possible", and the show "manages to make (the looming love triangle) feel consequential ." </P>

When does alex come back on orange is the new black