Major Season Four spoiler alert.

A week is a substantial amount of time for people to be binge watch Season Four of Orange is the New Black. I found it appropriate to discuss one of the major plot points at the end of this season. For those who haven't finished the show, I suggest you stop reading here, otherwise you will be reading spoilers and I can't be held responsible. You have been warned.

As Season Four started, we were introduced to many new characters, including new inmates and guards. We began to see a lot of the guards' true colors. Piscatella (the new Captain of the Guards, since Caputo has been promoted to Warden) was a major character this season. He was hired as Caputo's right-hand man after he restored order in the prison after all the inmates escaped and swam in the lake at the end of Season Three.

As the season unfolded, we became more and more aware of the new guards' true intentions. They drank on duty, and were vile towards the inmates, especially those of color. Some of the guards even made the inmates do nasty things, like eating a live baby mouse and forcing each other to fight.

Episode 12 (the second to last episode) became one of the saddest and most talked about episodes yet. In this controversial episode, the prisoners start a non-violent protest against the guards. Everyone knows OITNB has been a show that "goes there" and makes many important references to racism, sexuality and prison guard brutality. This episode truly exemplifies that trend.

Poussey (many people's favorite character), decides to stand up and protest with her girlfriend Soso. In a sick twist of fate, she is killed by a guard when she attempts to stick up for her friend Suzanne (Crazy-Eyes). Fans are outraged with the writers' decision to end her life when she was such a well-loved character.

However, what many people fail to realize is that Poussey's death was important. It speaks volumes to what happens on a regular basis in prisons. This outcry is exactly what is needed to get viewers to understand the reasons behind the movement "Black Lives Matter." Poussey was suffocated, just like Eric Garner, and was left on the floor for hours after her death, just like Michael Brown. In addition, when Caputo released the press statement letting the media know of her death, he went on to call the guard "the victim" and did not even use Poussey's name in the statement. This is exactly what happened in the Sandra Bland case.

Because OITNB is a show that likes to send a message they chose a character that would never start a prison riot. Poussey was a cute, intelligent, tiny, harmless, funny, lovable, kind soul who never had a mean bone in her body. This is the reason they chose her. If this had been any other character, there wouldn't be this much of a debate over her death. But Poussey is a beloved character, and it makes her senseless death that much more heart-wrenching and powerful .

As upsetting as the season finale was, I believe the writers made the right call. Their goal is to shed light on important and timely controversial issues. It's sad to think about the next three seasons without Poussey, but I'm sure this will lead to interesting character development for those close to her, like Soso and Taystee.

I'll leave this article here with a quote from Poussey that really stood out to me this season. She says, "you can't live your life according to maybes." Poussey was always so smart and had some great life lessons to teach. She will be missed dearly.