3 Things to Expect From ‘Orange Is the New Black’s Final Season
Preview
Visiting hours are over!
After seven seasons of hard time(s), Orange Is the New Black is hanging up its jumpsuit, but not before the ladies of Litchfield Penitentiary deliver an unforgettable jailbird swan song.
Here’s what to expect.
Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind
When the action picks back up, the women are reeling in the wake of Taystee (Danielle Brooks) being falsely convicted for the murder of a guard.
“There’s a crack in the foundation; they don’t know whether to trust themselves or each other,” says Selenis Leyva, who plays inmate Gloria Mendoza. “This is a very different Litchfield.”
Expanding Horizons
The corporation that owns Litchfield is now operating an adjacent detention center for undocumented immigrants. “The two worlds will become intertwined,” says Leyva (above right, with Nick Dillenburg, Yael Stone, Kate Mulgrew, Natasha Lyonne, and Jackie Cruz), noting that Gloria will be torn between self-preservation and the desire to stand up for the innocent.
Meanwhile, the recently freed Piper (Taylor Schilling) struggles to find her footing. “We’ll see how prison changes people so much that even this [privileged] white woman is having a hard time readjusting,” Leyva says.
(JoJo Whilden/Netflix)
A Whole Lotta Heartache
Yes, there will be moments of levity — but for the most part, you’d better buckle up for a bumpy landing.
“It’s an emotionally charged season that just keeps building,” Leyva says. “Some of the characters will walk away from this with a life; others will be broken completely. I think viewers are going to be yelling at the screen like, ‘Nooooo! You can’t do that!'”
Orange Is the New Black, Seventh and Final Season Premiere, Friday, July 26, Netflix
