Orange Is The New Black Season 5 won’t hit Netflix until June 2017, but the rumor mill is already churning after the dramatic ending of Season 4.
We’ve rounded up a few of the recent claims about the upcoming season; some of them seem plausible, but others seem very farfetched. It’s worth noting that none of these rumors have been confirmed by the showrunner, Jenji Kohan, or the cast members.
Does Piper Chapman die?
This seems very unlikely. Movie News Guide claims “spoilers suggest that Taylor Schilling’s Piper Chapman will die in the upcoming installment. And with her absence, many [other cast members] are expected to step up once the series returns.” However, Movie News Guide does not provide a source or support for this argument.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean it couldn’t happen. It became all too clear in Season 4 that Piper had made enemies among Litchfield’s Latina population; remember Maria branding her arm with a swastika in the kitchen? Also, the final moments of Season 4 saw the inmates rising up in violent revolt; it’s possible that accidental deaths could result, and Piper could be among them. However, if this were to happen early on in Season 5, and merely for the sake of a “shocking” plot twist, it would undercut the dramatic story implications and social criticism behind Poussey’s death.
It seems more plausible that Piper could leave Litchfield at some point before Orange Is The New Black ends; she’s got to get out of prison at some point, right? Many of the show’s supporting characters have long since eclipsed Piper, and the panty plot of Season 3 seemed to suggest the show’s writers no longer knew what to do with the character. PopSugar claims Shilling hinted toward her departure from OITNB in an interview with the site back in May, before the release of Season 4. When asked if Piper “makes it out OK,” Shilling’s response is “I don’t know… I don’t know.” However, it seems more likely Shilling simply does not know her character’s ultimate fate on the show just yet.
Will Taystee go to war against the COs after Poussey’s death?
There’s likely truth to this rumor; in fact, we already saw the opening salvos of this war in the final moments of Season 4. Taystee incited the prisoners’ uprising, after Caputo deliberately neglected to mention Poussey by name during the press conference about her death. Back in June, Danielle Brooks, who plays Taystee, talked with The Hollywood Reporter about the end of Season 4.
“It's war," she said. "Taystee has nothing to lose, she’s lost everything that she cared so deeply about. It’s time to fight. I think — I don’t know! — but I think that’s where we will see Taystee go. You see Taystee in the beginning as someone who is just full of light and love. Then she lost her 'mother' Vee and had no explanation of how she died, while she's also watching out for all of these women. Now she's seen the death of her closest friend and has no justice for that."
Of course, all of this depends on the consequences of the riot; it could be pretty hard for Taystee to lead a “war” if she’s left to rot in Max. However, assuming the riot is quelled relatively quickly and a few inmates (other than Taystee) are singled out for punishment, we could see a more intense focus on her. Season 4 of OITNB certainly seemed to argue that prison can too often destroy the people it’s meant to rehabilitate, and at this point in the story there’s no one in a better position to carry that argument forward than Taystee.
Will Pornstache, Bennett or other past COs return to Litchfield?
Several of the past Litchfield COs are fan favorites (or love-to-hate, scenery-chewing “favorites”), and some of these characters are more likely to reappear on the show than others.
It’s unlikely Pornstache will return in Season 5. Last we saw him, back in Season 3, he was in jail for having a sexual relationship with an inmate (Daya). Even if Litchfield needs to hire more COs to cope with the influx of new prisoners expected in Season 5, it’s highly unlikely someone with a criminal record of sexually abusing women at that very prison would be considered an acceptable job candidate.
In some earlier predictions about Season 5 of Orange Is The New Black, iDigitalTimes predicted we would see Healy back at Litchfield after his mental health crisis, motivated at least in part to help Lolly (Lori Petty) get the care and support she clearly needs.
Matt McGorry has also hinted at the possible return of his character, CO Bennett, on social media. In July, he told Bustle that he wasn’t sure about the future of his OITNB character: "At this point, I don't know what will happen next. I wish I could give you more information, but I don't know anything at this point." He’s either keeping mum or hasn’t been asked back for the early stages of filming, which are currently underway. It’s still possible he could return, but OITNB seems to have turned its back on the optimistic, light-comedy trappings of Season 3 (thank goodness!), so a happy reunion between Bennett and Daya seems like wishful thinking. If we do see him, it will likely involve a brief glimpse into a new life that doesn’t involve her (or their child) in any way.
Orange Is The New Black Season 5 is currently in production, and new episodes will likely hit Netflix in June 2017.
What do you think will happen in Season 5 of Orange Is The New Black? Which characters would you like to see take a central role in the series? Are there any past characters you’d like to see return? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
