The Status of Every Orange Is the New Black Season 1 Character

When Orange Is the New Black launched on Netflix in the Summer of 2013, it was a groundbreaking hit. The popular show gave viewers an inside look at the life of Litchfield prisoners at their minimum-security facility. Throughout the years, many of the inmates have suffered at the hands of fellow prisoners, sadistic guards, and unfortunate circumstances. Following the riot in season five, many of the surviving prisoners are sent to the maximum-security facility, permanently shaking up the original friendships and relationships. While some of the season one characters are still around, a handful are not. To find out the status of all of your favorite season one characters, click through to the gallery. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

01
​Piper
Netflix

​Piper

Piper has had quite a ride during her six seasons. Between finding her way in the prison, becoming the boss of an underground panty ring, and her rollercoaster relationship with fellow inmate Alex, Piper could use some relaxation.

During season six, Piper tries to avoid unwanted attention from Madison "Badison" Murphy, who is second in command to cell-boss Carol. In an attempt not to get caught with a bag of heroin Madison plants on her, she unknowingly informs the guard who is bringing in the drugs. Hoping to keep his drug operation going smoothly, he arranges for her to be released early.

The last we see of her in season six is her driving off with her brother, free from prison but away from her fiancée, Alex.

02
Alex
Netflix

Alex

Alex and Piper are hardly on good terms for the majority of the first season, but things turn around dramatically by season six. Alex tries her best to avoid Madison and Carol, but with little success. Trying to save Piper from Madison's negative attention, she offers herself to Carol as a lackey and a tool in the task of smuggling drugs.

In an uncharacteristically romantic move, Alex arranges for her and Piper to be "prison married" before Piper is released. The intimate ceremony, witnessed by only a handful of other inmates, isn't the only bout of good news for Alex. Carol and her mortal enemy (and sister!), Barb, kill each other, presumably releasing Alex from Carol's death grip.

03
Sam Healy
Netflix

Sam Healy

Sam Healy makes a very brief appearance in season six, and to say that he seems like a changed man would be an understatement. Considering that Healy checked himself in to a mental hospital at the end of season four, he definitely needed a break. While he is at first caustic, outdated, occasionally cruel, and strangely homophobic, Healy is now bubbly and content. When he meets with his former coworker Joe Caputo, he encourages Caputo to move on and find some way to be happy and content in life.

04
Miss Claudette
Netflix

Miss Claudette

Not seen since that first season, Miss Claudette is a Haitian woman who is convicted of human trafficking. Meticulous with her bunk and willing to kill if someone crosses her (as seen through her flashback), Miss Claudette is currently serving out her sentence in max after attacking a guard. It's anyone's guess as to whether or not Miss Claudette will be back for season seven now that the whole gang is in max with her.

05
Red
Netflix

Red

Litchfield's mother hen, Red, has arguably one of the saddest outcomes in season six. After being scalped and tortured in season five, things get a whole lot worse for her when the FBI pegs her as an instigator of the riot. Additionally betrayed by her prison family, namely Piper, Nicky, and Frieda, she is lost in her new world of maximum security.

Seeking vengeance on Frieda, Red befriends the leader of C-block, Carol. Abandoned by her prison family, and her real family as well, she becomes Carol's new partner until Carol decides that it isn't worth pursuing Frieda. While waiting to visit with her son, Red sees Frieda walk by. Stripping away her chance to see her son, she attacks Frieda, landing herself in solitary confinement for the remainder of the season.

06
Larry and Polly
Netflix

Larry and Polly

Larry begins his tenure on Orange Is the New Black charmingly enough. As the understanding fiancé of Piper, he takes her to prison and tries to cope with her world. However, as it becomes clear that Piper and Alex are more than just cellmates, Larry finds comfort in the arms of Piper's best friend, Polly. Last seen in season two, Larry and Polly ask for Piper's blessing as they begin their own relationship.

07
Nicky
Netflix

Nicky

Nicky has not had an easy time in prison, and now that she finds herself in max, she is having to make sacrifices for herself and the protection of others. After breaking into the infirmary during the riot the previous season, addict Nicky now faces steep charges that will add 70 years to her sentence. Her only way out is to help bring down her prison mom, Red, which she only does after much deliberation and permission from Red.

While in max, Nicky spends most of her time trying to protect her friend and former lover Morello, who often can't see the danger in getting mixed up with bad people. When faced with getting involved in a potentially deadly prison brawl on a kickball field, Nicky hides Morello in a closet and takes her place. While on the field, Nicky does all she can to dissuade the fight from happening, and thankfully the gang war doesn't take place, potentially saving her life.

08
Joe Caputo
Netflix

Joe Caputo

Joe Caputo has come a long way from being the guy who would jerk off in his office and barely lift a finger to help the inmates. Season six has shown him to be a caring warden who genuinely cares for the women under his watch, even if the rest of his life is a complete mess.

On paid leave thanks to the riot, Joe is aimless for much of season six. He begrudgingly accepts a warden job out of state but decides to stick around, thanks in part to his renewed relationship with his former boss Natalie Figueroa and his desire to help Taystee as she stands trial for the murder of Piscatella. Tipped off by Cindy to investigate the CERT team in the death of Piscatella, Joe becomes convinced of Taystee's innocence. He tries, unsuccessfully, to change the outcome of the trial by reaching out to the CERT team members, only to have one of them beat him up after the trial.

09
Pornstache
Netflix

Pornstache

One of the sadistic guards from season one, Pornstache is a violent, predatory rapist who multiple inmates sought to get rid of. After finding out she's pregnant, Daya and others decide to pin the pregnancy on Pornstache, in part to save Daya's love interest, but also to get rid of Pornstache. After getting caught having sex with Daya in season one, he winds up incarcerated. The last we see of him is in season five, when it is revealed that his mother is going to adopt Daya's daughter.

10
Taystee
Netflix

Taystee

Lord, Taystee has been through the ringer. The charismatic, intelligent, and thoughtful inmate begins season six still heartbroken over the death of her best friend, Poussey. After spending much of season five negotiating for a better quality of life for the prisoners, Taystee finds herself looking at a long prison sentence in season six.

After CO Piscatella is found murdered, the FBI needs to find someone they can hold accountable, and Taystee meets their mark. Accused of his murder, Taystee ends up with a great lawyer, thanks in part to the Black Lives Matter movement and activists who want to support her. Unfortunately, she is found guilty of the murder and returns to max.

11
Sophia
Netflix

Sophia

After spending much of season five in medical, helping the only nurse who was available to the inmates, Sophia has been fairly quiet in max. While most of her fellow transfers were moved to C- or D-block, Sophia is placed in B-block, where the elderly, sick, or insane live. Linda, the vice president of the organization that owns the prison, offers Sophia $300,000 and an early release if she agrees not to sue the company for mismanagement. She takes the deal and is released during the last episode, when she is seen at the gate hugging her ex-wife.

12
Wanda
Netflix

Wanda

The stern, albeit occasionally compassionate, guard finds love with a fellow officer and leaves working for the prison when the inmates are running toward the lake during season three. It's shown in season five that they are now married and expecting a child while she is working as a crossing guard at a local school.

13
Big Boo
Netflix

Big Boo

Big Boo is a lover and a fighter. Even though she is often sarcastic and a considerable presence in the prison, she is also tenderhearted and loves to please the ladies. After the riot in season five, she is taken to a prison in Cleveland, where we briefly see her waiting in line to have her head shaved.

14
Blanca
Netflix

Blanca

When we are first introduced to Blanca, she appears wild, unstable, and unkempt. With tons of hair and a menacing grin, she is not someone to be messed with. Over the course of many seasons, Blanca has softened and become a fan favorite. Her sardonic wit and good nature make her pretty easy to like.

At the start of season six, she escapes extra time for helping lock the doors during the riot. After meeting with the prison's gynecologist, she realizes that if she wants a baby, she'd better act fast. She and her boyfriend, Diablo, come up with a plan for him to sneak his sperm into the prison so she can inseminate herself. During the finale, she tells Piper that she got her period but then finds out she is going to be released early. Unfortunately for her, she is removed from prison, only to be placed in an immigration facility.

15
Watson
Netflix

Watson

The tell-it-like-it-is track star is last seen in season five, helping to organize the negotiations for better treatment in the prison. After expressing concern that white inmate Judy should not be the face of the conversation, Taystee takes the lead. She is caught early on once the guards storm the prison, and presumably she is sent to a different prison.

16
Gloria
Netflix

Gloria

Gloria finds herself at the center of trouble often, but not necessarily because she is the one leading it. The same is true for her time at max. Even though she is trying to make the best of a bad situation, she is threatened by Badison and also removed from the one thing that is bringing her joy: Luschek's dance class.

To make matters worse, Gloria discovers a scorecard for the guard's version of fantasy inmate (a sick twist on fantasy football). She confronts a guard and is sent to solitary confinement, which is the last we see of her in season six.

17
John Bennett
Netflix

John Bennett

CO Bennett starts off so promising, only to have it all crash and burn. In season one, he begins an ill-advised and illegal relationship with Daya. When it's discovered that she is pregnant, he is complicit in Daya's plan to frame Pornstache. Overwhelmed by what a real relationship with an inmate would be like after meeting her family, he abandons his responsibilities and his baby, never to be heard from again.

18
Daya
Netflix

Daya

After taking a plea deal for the death of the officer she shoots, Daya is given a life sentence. The guards frequently abuse and mistreat her, making it difficult to function. While she is under an extreme amount of pain, inmate Daddy takes a liking to her and gives Daya some medication to help relieve her pain.

Quickly becoming addicted to the pain medication, Daya steals from cell-boss Barb. Worried about Daddy and getting in trouble, Daya and Daddy hatch a plan to start bringing in drugs, thanks to her newly released mother and her guard boyfriend. Unfortunately, Daya continues to feed her addiction, and during a visit with her mom, she can hardly keep it together.

19
Aleida
Netflix

Aleida

After getting released from prison in season four, Aleida has been trying to get her life in order. In season six, she gets caught up in a pyramid scheme selling health shakes. Unable to unload the merchandise she purchased — despite going door to door and setting up in the prison parking lot — she becomes discouraged by the system that has failed her. She is kicked out of her apartment and moves in with the head guard at the prison.

Her daughter, Daya, convinces her to start smuggling drugs into the prison for the sake of saving money to get her kids back. Even though she is concerned about her daughter's heroin use, Aleida decides to continue her and her boyfriend's drug-smuggling operation.

20
Rosa
Netflix

Rosa

Rosa's cancer gets worse in season two, despite her weekly chemotherapy treatments. After being told she has only weeks to live, she steals a prison van (with the help of Morello) and escapes. Along the road, she spots a fleeing Vee and runs her over, and later she drives the bus off a cliff into a quarry, thus taking her own life.

21
Sister Ingalls
Netflix

Sister Ingalls

It's been well established that Sister Ingalls has a soft spot for the underdog cases. Her compassion and desire to solve problems lead her down a rabbit hole. In season four, she goes looking for Sophia, who has been taken to solitary confinement. Sophia's ex-wife tells them that in order to win a lawsuit against the company for violating Sophia's rights, they need a photo to prove that she is being kept in solitary. Sister Ingalls tries to smuggle in a phone to take the picture but is caught and sent to solitary herself. It's only later that Sophia, released from solitary, finds out that Ingalls gets pneumonia and is given a compassionate release.

22
Yoga Jones
Netflix

Yoga Jones

The peaceful yoga teacher spends most of the riot in season five in the bunker with Frieda and Red's family. She peacefully surrenders to the guards and is last seen being transported onto a bus to a new location.

23
Morello
Netflix

Morello

The lovesick beauty has had a whirlwind of experiences at Litchfield. After getting married to her pen pal, Vince, and consequently getting pregnant by him, Morello is focused on trying to raise her baby. Sticking close to Nicky in max, Morello gets caught up in the gang war between C- and D-block. On the day of the big fight on the kickball field, Morello and Nicky hide in the broom closet, with Nicky ultimately taking her place. Unfortunately, the stress from the situation seemingly causes Morello to go into early delivery at only seven months along. She is last seen being helped into the doctor's office.

24
Suzanne
Netflix

Suzanne

After the riot and testifying about her whereabouts, Suzanne is given her meds and taken to B-block, which is where they place the older prisoners and those with more special medical needs. Isolated from her friends Taystee and Cindy, she sticks close to Pennsatucky and Frieda. Initially scared to go outside, Piper convinces her to sign up for kickball, which she is last seen playing and having a good time with.

25
Pennsatucky
Netflix

Pennsatucky

At the end of season five, Pennsatucky has escaped from the prison during the riot. Due to a clerical error, it's not apparent at first that she has gone missing. Initially intending to run off with her former rapist (current guard/boyfriend), she decides instead to turn herself in to the authorities. After blackmailing Linda, a vice president at the prison, she is placed in the cozy B-block (aka Florida), which has some nice perks. She is last seen on the kickball field, playing with Suzanne.