***Attention: Spoiler Alert, do not read if you have not finished season 4 of Orange is the New Black, or if you can't wait to witness this horrific surprise, then continue reading...***
Like most Orange is the New Black fans, I finished the entire season in a matter of a few days. A season that I have waited a year for, I blew away in two days to binge watch only to hate myself later for not spreading it out. But how could I? This show is just too good not to watch all at once.
So, if you're like me, you are dealing with what happened in episode 12. The death of Poussay Washington. The wonderful, sweet, and positive, Poussay. I can't even begin to explain what I felt when I watched her slowly die on the floor of the cafeteria. It was heart breaking, and I'm sure you cried just as much as I did.
It's still crazy to me, that she was the one to die. And having to deal with the fact that she won't be in future seasons just hits me harder than a strong gust of wind from a category 5 hurricane. It's so, so sad, and even days after finishing the season I'm still not over it. And that ending? That just pours salt in a wound knowing I have to wait another year to see what pans out.
In the show, Poussay was in prison for nothing extremely serious. Trespassing and selling less than a half ounce of marijuana was what she was arrested for. Nothing she deserved to die for. She was one of the nicest inmates in the Litchfield Prison, an extremely likable person, and an even more likable character to the viewers of this show. Someone I never expected to see go this past season.
As sad as it is, it was a huge moment for Orange is the New Black, an unforgettable moment that had an enormous meaning that everyone needs to understand. Her death was meant to bring light on the Black Lives Matter movement, and to highlight the corrupt prison system we encounter in real life today and how it is corrupt on both sides of the spectrum.
In an interview, Samira Wiley talks about her death in the show and explains how it happens in real life all the time. It showed that things are complicated, but life is complicated and that's just how it usually goes. Of all the guards to kill her, it was the nicest one, the one that cared the most about the prisoners, the one that treated them like real people. This shows how it is complicated, and unexpected things can happen in life. Samira Wiley was honored to be the one to be part of this incredible message, which of course eases my pain of watching her go in the show.
