S04.E12: The Animals

[Cranberry]

TBA

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Allliances shift among the prison families as Piscatella and his guards crack down. Poussey, Judy, and Alex prefer to look ahead to the future.

[kdm07]

I wasn't prepared for that. At all :(

[Mya Stone]

Seriously. I am completely broken. Gutted.

[Tinfoil Hat]

Nooooooooooooooo........!!!!!!

[cherrycoke]

So sad!

[ciprus]

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I'm not sure if this was a genius move or a horrible one.

Never have I felt so terrible when watching this show. I feel physically ill. Of all the people they could have done that to, they certainly went for maximum impact. Such a useless death that could have been prevented (which was probably why they did it the way they did). The nicest guard takes out the nicest inmate. How ironic.

And seriously, none of the guards are trained in CPR? Since most of them are veterans they must be, so did they just not care enough to make the effort? They'd rather wait for medical to get there (too late) instead of trying to undo the damage right there. Either it's sloppy writing or these new guards really are worse than I could ever have imagined.

[OITNBkilledmysoul]

Alex being alive

Lolly going batshit crazy

Piper getting shit because she's fucking Piper

Alex and Piper moments

Nicky back

but, POUSSEY DEAD, this-i did not see at all, AT ALL...

[SnoGirl]

I fast-forwarded through her death, I knew it was coming as soon as the guard put his knee on her back. I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't believe that no one tried to give her CPR. I can't believe no one in that room was screaming about CPR. 

Poussey was one of my favorite characters, I'm crushed.

[Chairperson Meow]

The two most likable characters,  hell the only likable characters this season are freaking wrecked.  I cried.  I actually texted my bf who watches GoT regularly and asked him if this is how it feels.   Man.   I would rather Pornstache over Bearded Douchebag anyday because at least Pornstache didn't do crap like this.  I hope nice guard is back.   I really liked him a lot.  

[ciprus]

2 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

I fast-forwarded through her death, I knew it was coming as soon as the guard put his knee on her back. I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't believe that no one tried to give her CPR. I can't believe no one in that room was screaming about CPR. 

Right? There was a good chance they could have saved her life if they had given her CPR since everything went so fast. She stopped breathing maybe 30-60 seconds before people noticed, she had a fair chance of making it if she'd gotten help.

This really pissed me off for some reason. I've decided that I think it was sloppy writing. They wanted the image of Taystee laying beside her on the floor and everyone standing around them (it was a striking visual) but they ignored that since none of the CO's did anything at all to help her they ended up looking like monsters. 

[WhosThatGirl]

That happened. I'm heartbroken. I really didn't see that ending coming at all. Poussey was my favorite character on this show and probably the nicest, she was really always looking out for the others. These new guards are awful

[Ms Lark]

I also loved Poussey, but I knew she was a goner from the first ep because she was happy with Soso. Can't be happy on this show for very long. But damn. What a useless crap way to go. I need another year to get over this one!

[Lady Calypso]

Maria wasn't wrong when she said they had to take out the man in charge, Piscatella. I liked the guy but I've finally realized that he is the problem, just as much as Humphrey. Him telling Caputo that he'll walk if any of his men are punished? Really? He feels that confident? I would have fired his ass on the spot for that. I know that their budget is very tight so I get why Caputo couldn't just do that, but he is disrespecting his actual boss. 

Seeing all the different groups having to team up against the common enemy? It provides a lot of hilarity, that's for sure. And a lot of racism too, unfortunately. 

Pennsatucky and Boo's making up scene was sweet.

Vince figuring out how crazy Lorna is was a great scene.

Soso and Poussey have been so happy. Which is why when they started fighting, I had dread.

Bayley gets a flashback? Whoa. I really do like the guy. He reminds me of a more innocent Bennett. But man, was he a dick in his flashbacks.

Sophia's return and Gloria's reaction to seeing her was a good scene. 

That last scene....no no no no no, it can't be. Poussey can't be dead, right? Bayley did it by accident, that much is clear, but I have to believe that she's not dead....I guess until I watch the next episode in a minute from now. That was rough to watch. 

[Maximum Taco]

9 hours ago, Chairperson Meow said:

The two most likable characters,  hell the only likable characters this season are freaking wrecked.  I cried.  I actually texted my bf who watches GoT regularly and asked him if this is how it feels.   Man.   I would rather Pornstache over Bearded Douchebag anyday because at least Pornstache didn't do crap like this.  I hope nice guard is back.   I really liked him a lot.  

This is worse. At least on Game of Thrones you can justify most of the deaths of the likeable characters because they do stupid things that lead to those deaths, and they are at least partially responsible for their own stupidity which led to their death. Also usually there's someone directly responsible to hate for killing them.

Poussey's death was just meaningless and awful and accidental and potentially ruined several lives. And you can't even really hate Bayley that much, he didn't mean to kill her and he was poorly trained and none of the guards (excepting Bearded Douche) were really equipped to deal with a unified effort of the prisoners to cause problems.

Anyway thanks a lot OITNB, now my heart hurts.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Maximum Taco

[Chairperson Meow]

I'd trade Crazy Eyes for Poussey.   Like seriously.  

[Bama]

I just let out a "no no no no no No No No No NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" that ended up being so loud my husband walked in from another to room to see what the hell was going on.

Caputo's warning to Bayley to get out of Litchfield before it crushed him was prophetic.

I hope Piscatela gets what's coming to him in the final episode.

Man, I'm gutted.

[Fallacy]

This show is just exceptional, and Poussey's death and Tasty's reaction crushed me. I am still physically aching from that scene, and I finished the season. And of course, Suzanne was partly at fault too. If she had stopped hitting Bayley, he may have noticed that he was crushing Poussey. 

[NetflixandChill]

I was so not prepared for this. I put on self-tanner a couple hours ago, and trying to sob into a tissue pressed under your lower lashes to not get your face wet is hard. 

I am gutted right now. I can't believe the show went there, but now it all feels so obvious that they were going there. Her being happy with Soso, planning life once they got out, feeling hopeful that she'd get a job, not being on board with the protest only to then be join in and die because of it. 

How does the show come back from this? She's probably one of the most popular characters on this show, if the most popular. I just, oh gosh, I'm heartbroken. 

[luckyroll3]

Absolutely devastated by the end the of this episode.  That is all.

[Lillith]

I watched this late last night and couldn't bring myself to post until now.  She was my absolute favorite character.  Though as I watched Poussey and Soso and saw how happy they were I knew it wouldn't last.  But I didn't quite expect it to end like this.  And Tastee wailing over the body broke my heart. 

[TaraS1]

I would have been in complete and total shock as I watched that devastating final scene last night if the idiots over at TV Guide hadn't completely spoiled it in a headline blurb on their app Friday morning. They easily could have put a pic of the whole cast with a headline about a major death, but they went with a pic of Poussey alone and a headline about why she's irreplaceable. That really, really sucked. 

Taystee's reaction broke my heart, though.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

For all I hate that Poussey died, both because I love the character and think we're gonna get a Cousin Oliver next season who fills her role as the moral compass/human sunbeam but also because I'm madly in love with Samira Wiley and will sorely miss seeing her on my screen, I do love that it was Taystee with her in the end. The Taystee/Poussey friendship has long been one of my favorite aspects of the show, and it was glossed over to make room for the Poussey/Soso relationship development. Taystee's anguish when she realized Poussey was gone was some of the rawest acting I've ever seen. I'm still reeling. But she earned it, IMHO, more than any other inmate. Poussey was her family. 

[AmandaPanda]

That was beyond horrifying. I almost vomited at the end. Everything was so horrifying. I just can't even fully process it right now.

[Colorado David]

 Yeah I get this is drama show, but dam dam dam dam dam that was just AWFUL with P...and poor Taystee, OMG....P just trying to help Suzanne, just so WRONG what happened

[Dancingjaneway]

I still have not been able to wrap my head around this episode. I still cannot believe Poussey is gone. I actually couldn't breathe for a bit. Then the waterworks started. All I kept thinking was "why couldn't you have taken Morello, Piper or Alex??" Then I cried some more. 

[JessePinkman]

Some asshole on instagram spoiled it for me earlier today and I still audibly SOBBED when it happened and I don't recall ever crying over a character death on a TV show.

[mercfan3]

I thought this was..incredible. The decision making and writing and everything was so deliberate in getting their message across. 

I understand the argument from the queer community, that queer women are disproportionately killed off (as opposed to a happy ending.) The want (and need) for queer couples with happy endings. 

But from a writers perspective..from someone who wants to make a statement about society, where we are now in society, is not at the happy endings. It's at the "message" aspect..it's at the calling attention to the dehumanization of different groups of people. 

Here was a clear message. Black Lives Matter. The dangers of corporate prisons and the systemic issues that go along with that. And it had to be Poussey. It had to be the character that is universally loved..both on the show and off the show. The gentle spirit, the character that the most people would cry over. On show characters weren't going to rebel for Watson. The fandom wouldn't have this reaction to Black Cindy. The only other option was Tastie, and let's be honest..she would have kicked that little guards butt. 

And speaking of the little guard. It had to be him too. Why? Because the issue isn't about singular racist monsters, murderers or rapists infiltrating the prison/police system. It's systemic. The Piscatelli thought process..treat them like animals..the power tripping..that was the commentary. 

IMO, this show..and the show after..are so well done and so thought provoking..and the creative choices were what they had to be to make this statement/message that wanted to be made by the writers. 

But I'm still going to miss my favorite character. A lot. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by mercfan3

[AmandaPanda]

^This. One thousand percent. 

Of course I was upset that another queer character was being killed off a show this year. But no other character would have had that level of emotional impact. Poussey's death wrecked me. She was this amazing ray of sunshine in such a dark world and no other character dying would have been as much of an emotional gut punch. 

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

For all I hate the "Bury Your Gays" trope, and I hate hate HATE that Poussey died, I didn't think of the dead lesbian character epidemic that's been sweeping the tv landscape, if for no other reason than on this show there's a 50% chance that a character will be queer. 

[Pixel]

Poussey was by far my favorite character on the show. I will miss her terribly.

I don't feel like this death fits the dead lesbian trope. This death was because Poussey was the moral compass, and arguably one of the only truly good people in that prison.  Having said that, I hate, hate, hate that she's gone.  And that it was one of the few guards who knew right from wrong that accidentally did it.

[TrudyC]

Sidenote: Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner directed this episode. 

[Lady Calypso]

I totally get why they chose this. I think it was the death that made the most sense. I can't quite think of a character who would cause this much of an impact. Morello would make an impact on Nicky, Nicky would make an impact on a few but not enough, I don't know how many people care about the Latina group, the ones first attacked by the guards because of Piper, so I do think Poussey was, sadly, the best choice for the message they want to deliver. 

That said, I didn't want this to happen. I love Poussey. She was one of the best characters and the only one out of her group of friends that I actually liked. Soso's the only other one, but the other girls will probably dump her very quickly. Season 5 is going to have a very different vibe for me, especially with the black girls group. I hate Black Cindy and Janae, and I don't care that much for Taystee or Suzanne. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by Lady Calypso

[Daisy]

They killed Poussey? They killed P..  I am gutted.  I honestly didn't know (colour me naive) that you could die that way.  And I was screaming just give her CPR. come on. But as a story telling trope  - I get why they chose her. everyone liked her, she was respectful to everyone (to a point). she was never the one where you wish she'd just go away... 

I said this in another thread - this is very much the Stanford Prison Experiment. just because they've done bad things and some of them are jerks. they're still human beings and they deserve to be treated with some respect. I will never understand why people feel they can treat others like they are completely without value.

[lallalla]

I can't believe the way her death played out, just wow. Will Suzanne suffer more guilt? Or does she even realize the part she played?

Seeing Bayley's grieving, his guilt, it was powerful.

My god.

Then just leaving her body.

Already a couple of episodes ago, I was ready for Piscatello to take a hike, UGH! And that Humphrey's guy! UGH!!!!

I've searched online, still trying to determine, did the writers purposely end Poussey's role or did the actress want to leave? All I found was an article saying she was sad to go/missed her co-stars. :/

[lallalla]

9 hours ago, Pixel said:

Poussey was by far my favorite character on the show. I will miss her terribly.

I don't feel like this death fits the dead lesbian trope. This death was because Poussey was the moral compass, and arguably one of the only truly good people in that prison.  Having said that, I hate, hate, hate that she's gone.  And that it was one of the few guards who knew right from wrong that accidentally did it.

THIS!

I can get why her, but I HATE that it was her, and by the guard it was at the hands at.  After getting deeper into Suzanne's story arc, and having her go beserk at the hands of the guard earlier, I can see how this all could tragically play out, except, like some others have stated, I can't get over no attempts to revive her!

[allonsyalice]

7 minutes ago, lallalla said:

I can't believe the way her death played out, just wow. Will Suzanne suffer more guilt? Or does she even realize the part she played?

Seeing Bayley's grieving, his guilt, it was powerful.

My god.

Then just leaving her body.

Already a couple of episodes ago, I was ready for Piscatello to take a hike, UGH! And that Humphrey's guy! UGH!!!!

I've searched online, still trying to determine, did the writers purposely end Poussey's role or did the actress want to leave? All I found was an article saying she was sad to go/missed her co-stars. :/

From what I found, it was on purpose, and samira knew from the beginning of filming for the season, so she's known for a year now. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by allonsyalice

[lallalla]

1 minute ago, allonsyalice said:

From what I found, it was on purpose, and samira knew from the beginning of filming for the season, so she's known for a year now. 

I'm glad that she knew, sorry she had to be written out, but I also get the deeper "why" of it. :/

[Aja]

All I can say is there better be Poussey flashbacks galore in season 5. I understand the decision from a writing/story perspective, but I need Samira Wiley on my screen. 

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

She's taken a role on "You're the Worst", fwiw. 

[heckkitty]

Oh, no. No, no, no, no. On the one hand I'm kind of glad I spoiled myself, but on the other I'm not sure I'll be able to watch this. I'm tearing up just reading about it ???

[MaryTylerMoore]

3 hours ago, lallalla said:

I can't get over no attempts to revive her

When Tamir Rice was shot by the police officer in Cleveland the cops never administered CPR and let him lay there and bleed to death. When the cop shot Ramarly Graham in the stairwell he called his union rep instead of an ambulance. I was surprised to see people here complain about CPR not being administered after the events we've seen in real life.

It's weird that previously I thought Healey and Pornstache were awful but these new guards are sadist assholes. They don't even see the prisoners as human beings! 

I was devastated to see Poussey die but I love the flashbacks of the way she lived. I'm glad her family is well-to-do hopefully they'll sue the pants off MCC. 

[lallalla]

1 hour ago, MaryTylerMoore said:

When Tamir Rice was shot by the police officer in Cleveland the cops never administered CPR and let him lay there and bleed to death. When the cop shot Ramarly Graham in the stairwell he called his union rep instead of an ambulance. I was surprised to see people here complain about CPR not being administered after the events we've seen in real life.

It's weird that previously I thought Healey and Pornstache were awful but these new guards are sadist assholes. They don't even see the prisoners as human beings! 

I was devastated to see Poussey die but I love the flashbacks of the way she lived. I'm glad her family is well-to-do hopefully they'll sue the pants off MCC. 

I still believe these are extreme, outlier examples.  I would think attempts to revive are more commonplace than not, depending on circumstances/state of victim, of course. What you cite are powerful examples, but also (and I don't mean you are) attention-baiting examples.  This doesn't mean the system works this way in most or all cases and I'd guess that a natural instinct to intervene is often more powerful. Maybe I'm just too hopeful, though.

 

I wanted to clarify that I don't deny the horrors that go on in prisons, the neglect, the abuse, the over-all low standards. Part of my graduate studies involved studying prisons in-depth. I cried every day reading my course material and imagining what people were going through, many for non-violent crimes and in much worse prison conditions than even OITNB conveys.  By the end of the course, I had reached out to the authors of our main text and let them know how profoundly they shaped my views on behavior and criminology.  Prison is worse than punishment, it's a fate most of use wouldn't wish even on the most awful crimes we read about.

Edited June 21, 2016 by lallalla

[EvilApplesauce]

When Black Cindy made a reference to "Do the Right Thing", I had a feeling that the protest wasn't going to end well. Poussey went out like Radio Raheem :'( and Taystee's crying made me cry, too.

[BingeyKohan]

I think I had a more visceral reaction to this episode than anything I've ever seen on television. My heart was still pounding when I went to bed that night. The power and importance of the episode aside, can I just say: What a f***ing p*ssy is Caputo? 

[Auntie Velvet]

Some stupid media source reporting on her casting on You're the Worst spoiled this for me, but I was wrecked anyway. And I certainly didn't know the cause of death. So many black prisoners mysteriously die "in restraint," that I'm glad the writers (those bastards!) addressed it.  

[Jodithgrace]

I was devastated as well. I loved Poussey. And she actually had a future. As horrid as Judy King is, I am sure she would have gotten her a job. It would have been good for her post prison image. 

Re: CPR I was wondering if Poussey's windpipe was crushed by Bayley's knee. Not that there was any attempt to find out or to save her in any way. 

Caputo and Healy have both been ground to bits by that place and the system. Was Healy checking himself in to a Psychiatric facility? Or is that where Lolly is? 

I'm almost afraid to watch the last episode. 

[MarkySnark]

So... correct me if I am wrong because I binged and may have the timeline screwed up, but something's screwy. Suzanne goes batshit crazy and beats another inmate within an inch of her life and is somehow able to be among the general population as if nothing happened. Lolly, meanwhile, is innocently sitting in a box, holding a potato, thinking she's going to go back in time and is put in the psych ward, albeit she did admit she killed a guy weeks before. It seems to me that Suzanne should have been placed in the SHU or Psych after her physical altercation, even though the guards practically forced her to do it. I guess this is to illustrate the total and complete ineptitude and disregard of human decency of the new guards and, by extension, MCC. To me, that's too much of a stretch. It's not like Broom Closet Girl was a universally-hated inmate that everyone knew was in need of a beatdown. I guess the only explanation can be if they sent Suzanne to the SHU or Psych, the guards would have to explain why the fight happened and they would get in trouble. I guess I will have to hope that someone will slock the hell out of the guard that started it. He makes Pornstache look like a model employee.

[admiralrodcocker]

Well my heart is broken. Poussey has been my favorite since at least season 2 with her anti-Vee stance. She was always one of, if not the sanest of the inmates, and always (mostly) bubbly, positive, and full of life. Some asshole spoiled her death for me when I was on about episode 9, so when I watched I knew what was coming. Taystee's howl at the end killed me. I have never cried during an episode of this show before, but the tears were fear flowing. I still cannot believe it :(

I also loved Blanca getting on the table after Shit-catella pushed Red to the floor, followed by the rest of the inmates doing the same. Race relations this season have been heavy, but it was heartwarming to watch of these women band together against these fucked up new guards.

[Princess Sparkle]

I can't say anything better than anyone already said it, but yeesh, this ripped my heart out. I was crying right along with Taystee. I understand why it had to be Poussey and why it had to be Bailey, but shit, I never could've imagined this would happen. Other shows should take note - this is how you make a character death have impact. 

I must admit, with how much reliance Piscatella puts on the chain of command, I was actually shocked he talked to Caputo the way he did in the beginning of the episode.  I hope he gets taken down HARD in the finale. 

Another random Oz connection in this episode - Piper's bunkmate (can't remember her name) said she was representing "The Others" at the group meeting, which was also the name of the final representative Oz group McManus instituted after the riot.