The sixth season of “Orange Is the New Black” hits Netflix Thursday at midnight PT, and TheWrap is here to give you a quick refresher on where the drama series left off.
In case you forgot, the entire fifth season of “OINTB” takes place over the course of just a few days, as a riot breaks out at Litchfield after the death of Poussey (Samira Wiley).
In the finale, titled “Storm-y Weather,” CERT members get ready to break down the prison doors after days of negotiating terms and demanding the release of hostages the prisoners had taken. They’re going in with prison doors, smoke bombs and batons, handcuffing the inmates as they storm through the prison. There, they discover the dead CO Thomas Humphrey, who was shot by Daya (Dascha Polanco) in the first episode of the season. They start escorting the prisoners out of the prison, including Maritza (Diane Guerrero) and Flaca (Jackie Cruz), who are excited about the attention they are getting from their fans given the success of their beauty channel on YouTube.
Piper (Taylor Schilling), Red (Kate Mulgrew), Alex (Laura Prepon), and more inmates have been hiding out in Freida’s (Dale Soules) bunker that she crafted out of swimming pool that was never filled with water. Also, remember that Piper proposed to Alex, who said yes.
Desi Piscatella (Brad William Henke), who went into the prison on his own after dark after receiving a text from the inmates through Humphrey’s phone, is also in the bunker after he held Red, Piper, Alex and the other inmates hostage and used a knife to cut off Red’s hair and broke Alex’s arm. In the bunker, Freida knocked him out with a homemade poison dart. When Nicky (Natasha Lyonne) brings Taystee (Danielle Brooks), Black Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore) and Suzanne (Uzo Azuba), who was passed out on lithium for a while, to the bunker to wake Suzanne, they see Piscatella tied up and Taystee takes Freida’s gun and points it at Piscatella, blaming him for Poussey’s death. Red then releases Piscatella and orders him to leave without touching anyone. However, he is shot and killed by the CERT officers that have raided the prison, who couldn’t see who was walking down the halls through the smoke bombs.
At the end of the episode, we see the inmates being loaded onto buses, presumably heading to new prisons. Flaca and Maritza are separated, while the remaining inmates that are still hiding out in the bunker link arms when the doors are blown in.
Other quick notable happenings to get you back on track: Leanne (Emma Myles) and Angie (Julie Lake) set fire to all the inmates’ records. Lorna’s (Yael Stone) baby daddy Vince actually turned up and professed his love to her with the help of Nicky. Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) escaped the prison through the hole in the fence, while Gloria, who was leaving to go visit her son after his brain surgery, didn’t make it through.
What will happen to the ladies in the bunker? Will the next season bounce around to different prisons because the inmates have been split up? Is this the end of Litchfield or will we return? Overall, the show is heading for a major reset. We’ll find out when “Orange Is the New Black” returns Thursday night PT.
'Orange Is the New Black': 22 Characters Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)
Litchfield is filled with inmates running around -- some of whom we care about and others are just background characters that are a little annoying at times.
22. Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling)
Ugh.
OK, so she's the low-key protagonist of the show but that doesn't mean we have to like her.
21. Brooke Soso (Kimiko Glenn)
So we only really like Soso because Poussey was in love with her -- she's only cool in our book by default/association. Other than her connection to Poussey, Brooke is pretty annoying.
20. Angie Rice (Julie Lake)
It's shocking that Angie of the Meth Twins doesn't manage to accidentally murder someone in Season 5. Funny, though, she and Leanne may be -- much of the season with her is pretty cringe-worthy.
19. Alex Vause (Laura Prepon)
Like Piper, Alex is feeling more and more like an extra on a show that doesn’t need her. Her decision to stay out of the riot in Season 5 also keeps her mostly out of the action. And while it’s probably the smart move, it means she’s not participating much in the Litchfield story at all.
18. Joel Luschek (Matt Peters)
If there was a hierarchy of cool correction officers, then this dude would be at the top. He doesn't take his job as seriously as the rest and seems like he'd actually be cool to hang out with outside of Litchfield. Lazy, but cool.
17. Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett (Taryn Manning)
So we didn't always have a soft spot for Doggett, but we'd be lying if we said she hasn't grown on us.
16. Lorna Morello (Yael Stone)
With the constant specter of her self-delusion hanging over her actions in Season 5, Lorna at least gets some vindication while she's mostly hanging out off-screen. But like a lot of the other characters, she’s a bit of a fifth wheel in a season that’s about more important things.
15. Joe Caputo (Nick Sandow)
We have a love-hate relationship with Caputo. It's like, sometimes he does things that we applaud him for and other times he's just a creepy, old guy. Meh.
14. Maria Ruiz (Jessica Pimentel)
As a riot leader, Maria comes into her own. With nothing to lose, she's pretty dangerous, but she's no fool. Too bad she didn't take more of a part in actually fighting to change Litchfield, where it feels like she could have done some good.
13. Janae Watson (Vicky Jeudy)
Watson tells it like it is and we can't hate on that. She's a little rough around the edges so we don't know about being best friends with her, but she's 'aight.
12. Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales (Jackie Cruz)
Flaca seems like one of the girls we may have been friends with in high school but only because we were still trying to figure out who we were. She's a thoughtful person and her friendship with Maritza Ramos tells it all. And her eyeliner is always on point.
11. Maritza Ramos (Diane Guerrero)
Maritza could so be our riot buddy.
10. Dayanara "Daya" Diaz (Dascha Polanco)
Yaaaassss Daya!! What's not to love about her? She's loyal, a loving person and a ride or die.
9. Sophia Burset (Laverne Cox)
If you don't like Sophia, then we can't be friends. No argument. She's honestly one of the most loyal and level-headed inmates at Litchfield, plus she makes everyone look pretty.
8. Boo (Lea DeLaria)
Boo’s turn as a mock trial defense attorney is straight-up one of the best moments of the season. The “Saved by the Bell” defense should be taught in law schools.
7. Gloria Mendoza (Selenis Leyva)
Gloria’s one of the only characters on the show who gets a chance to contact the outside world and uses it for something other than Twitter and YouTube. Her story and the conflict that comes with it are high points for the drama of the riot and helps bring the craziness down to reality.
6. Frieda (Dale Soules)
Netflix needs a "Frieda, the Girl Scout" spin-off show ASAP.
5. Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren (Uzo Aduba)
Not gonna lie, her character makes us feel uncomfortable at times (most times) but we would totally be best friends with Suzanne.
4. Blanca Flores (Laura Gómez)
Blanca teaming up with Red to take down Piscatella is a great idea, even if the storyline is a bit marred by the seemingly randomness of their accidental speed addiction. We get a lot out of her character, and she says more lines than possibly ever before. And they’re all pretty funny.
3. Cindy "Black Cindy" (Adrienne C. Moore)
We looooove Black Cindy. Sure, she can come off a little ignorant at times, but she's our comedic relief in little, dark, twisted Litchfield.
Plus, she converted to Judaism so she'd get better meals -- how can we hate on that?
2. Galina "Red" Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew)
Red is like the grandmother you never knew you needed. She's super caring, a great cook and isn't afraid to kill someone to keep her close friends safe.
1. Taystee (Danielle Brooks)
Taystee is the heart and soul of Season 5. She’s the one keeping this whole riot thing from breaking down into utter nonsense (instead of just mostly nonsense). The show needs more of this.
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Spoiler: We don’t like Piper
Litchfield is filled with inmates running around -- some of whom we care about and others are just background characters that are a little annoying at times.
