4 Theories on How Orange Is the New Black Season 5 Will Start

Updated on Feb 22, 2017 at 5:55 PM

The next season of Orange Is the New Black is still months away, but now that we have a premiere date and a teaser, we're already excited. We have a few details about the next season (including the surprising timeline), plus an all-too-brief teaser and a premiere date. The biggest question on our minds though, is how will season five start, given that season four ends on such an insane cliffhanger? Here are our theories for how the new episodes will kick off.

An inmate will shoot Humphrey.

The final moments of season four set this up perfectly, with Daya pointing CO Humphrey's own gun at his head. In her anger, she could very well pull the trigger and get sent to max as a result. Another inmate could also take the gun and shoot instead. Some options include Gloria, who promised the newly free Aleida that she'd watch over her daughter, and Maritza, who fell victim to a cruel and disgusting prank of Humphrey's. Another option is that an inmate will shoot — but the gun won't be loaded.

An inmate will get shot.

OK, the final moments of the season set up Daya shooting Humphrey perfectly, but maybe a little too perfectly. There may instead be a twist in which an inmate rather than a CO is hit. Judy King could be that inmate, as she is being escorted out of the prison while the riot goes down and may get caught in the middle of it. Since strings were pulled to release Judy early, this could spell a lot of trouble for Litchfield and MCC.

Gloria will intervene.

There would be serious consequences for Daya if she were to shoot Humphrey. Although practically all of the inmates are rooting for her to do so, someone may step in before anything fatal happens. For example, Gloria could talk her down and take the gun from her without firing. This, however, could have dire consequences and end up in Gloria and/or Daya accidentally getting shot in the process.

Linda will take matters into her own hands.

One theory suggests that Linda, who's on her first visit to a prison despite being the director of purchasing for MCC, will be a key player in season five's start. Though she's hiding in a bathroom during the time of the riot, she may pop up to try to cease the chaos herself — and maybe in less-than-peaceful ways. After all, she's proven herself as a ruthless corporate exec who doesn't really care about the inmates. Oh yeah, and she's not afraid to pull a gun on people she's never met (See: That time she threatened poor Crystal Burset).