After a long, lonely year without the erratic cast of unlikely prison mates, "Orange is the New Black" is finally back. This weekend, thousands tuned into Netflix to watch the long awaited third season of the show.
Social media blew up with instant critiques. Many were not pleased with the plot, saying there “wasn’t enough conflict" or that “it’s turning into 'The L-word' behind bars.” However, others were excited to finally learn the backstories of not only several of the inmates, but of many of the correctional officers as well.
Although viewers find out how some of the supporting characters ended up getting incarcerated, many of us couldn’t remember how some of season one and two’s main characters got locked up.
So for your convenience, we have created a reference guide reminding viewers of all the characters whose incarceration stories were revealed in season one and two. You’re welcome.
Piper Chapman — In college, Piper’s girlfriend, Alex, an international drug smuggler, convinces Piper to traffic a suitcase of $50,000 of drug money to Belgium. Piper was charged for this at age 32 when Alex rats her out.
Alex Vause — Alex is Piper’s college girlfriend, an international drug smuggler and also a heroin addict. She was arrested and charged for the same crime as Piper.
Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Dogget — Pennsatucky is a homophobic, Jesus-loving meth head, who was arrested for shooting a nurse at an abortion clinic when the woman made a snooty remark about her five abortions. She later forms a fan group of Christian pro-life supporters who think she shot the woman for being pro-choice.
Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson — Taystee is a 16-year-old orphan who was taken under the wing of Vee, also a Litchfield inmate. Taystee was the drug operations accountant and was later arrested. She eventually gets out, meets back up with Vee and is later arrested again.
Dayanara “Daya” Diaz — Daya is in jail for drug related reasons just like her mother, Aleida, who is also locked up in Litchfield Penitentiary. While incarcerated, she gets pregnant by a correctional officer.
Gloria Mendoza — Gloria’s backstory revealed that she and her son were victims of domestic abuse, and she began to save up money to get out of the situation by starting a food stamp scam but was arrested before she could escape.
Lorna Morello Muccio — Lorna is a beautiful, psychotic and racist stalker. She used to run a mail scam ordering things online but calling the company saying they never arrived. She runs into a man named Christopher, who she begins to fantasize about and later stalk. He gets a restraining order and she later attempts to kill both Christopher and his girlfriend by putting homemade explosives underneath their car.
Janae Watson — Janae was a talented track star who was arrested after getting involved in a romance with a gang member and helping him rob a check-cashing establishment.
Yoga Jones — Yoga, a sweet, calm woman, was arrested for shooting an 8-year-old child who she thought was a deer trying to eat her crop of marijuana in California.
Brook Soso — Soso is a young, half-white half-Asian girl and is arrested for protesting.
Sister Jane Ingalls — Sister Jane, the former nun, was arrested for chaining herself to a flagpole at a nuclear weapons base during a political protest.
Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren — Crazy Eyes is a lesbian prisoner with a violent history. She was adopted by a white family and never developed at the same rate as other children. Although there are hints that her arrest derived from manic behavior and that she is going to be in prison for a very long time, we are not sure what led to Crazy Eye’s arrest.
Galina “Red” Reznikov — Red originally ran the prison’s kitchen and a smuggling operation within prison walls. She and her husband ran a restaurant and were also involved in the Russian mafia and she was incarcerated under organized crime charges.
There are many other characters, such as Cindy Hayes and Poussey Washington, who are not listed here but played huge roles in seasons one, two and three. We didn't list them because their arrest stories have not been told. Some of their stories are revealed in season three, but we wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.
The new season of "Orange is the New Black" and the stories of the inmates and Litchfield staff can be found on Netflix.
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