Orange Is the New Black is a show full of unforgettable characters. From conniving hipster drug mules to authoritative Russian cooks, pretty much every character leaps out at you in each of the show's scenes. There are, however, the outliers, the characters we overlook because they're either so quiet or outrageous, we don't understand the gems they truly are underneath. Here is a listing of the most underrated characters in Litchfield. Beware: there are spoilers ahead!
Mysterious, wild-eyed, and ever intriguing, Blanca is Litchfield's resident enigma. In season four, we finally uncovered the identity of the mysterious Diablo, as well as her startling backstory. We also got to see her defy authority by standing on the kitchen table for days when punished for not washing. For refusing to kowtow to authority and finding subtle ways to thwart the man (which sometimes included fish oil), Blanca is the magnetic enigma that we want to see much more of on OITNB.
For every bad grandpa, there's an even worse grandma. At Litchfield, that person is Frieda Berlin. One of the prison's "golden girls," Frieda has loads of expertise in the art of Lorena Bobbitting (she cut off her husband's penis with a dull knife), body disposal, and good old-fashioned murder. Between casually mentioning that she's killed at least four people and helping Alex bury a would-be assassin's body, Frieda keeps her prison life stimulating by always being on hand for all the lethal tasks. We would say we want to see more of her backstory next season, but quite frankly, we're scared.
One of the brashest, most outsized personalities on OITNB, Big Boo is the friend or lover you always wish you'd had. She's outspoken but always honest, loyal to a fault, and down for both the good times and the bad. In helping Pennsatucky get over her season three rape, Boo showed us a compassionate side we never suspected she had. Dare we hope that she gets more screen time next season?
Quiet, sarcastic, and always funny, Chang is Litchfield's resident cipher. You never know what she's going to say or whether she's going to say anything at all, and that's all part of the charm. She's always there when someone needs practical advice, although she doesn't really want to be. In fact, Chang takes the word "isolationist" to dazzling new heights. Even then, her quirk and humor brings a level of unexpected comedy to OITNB that allows us to laugh even in the series' darkest moments.
It's always the quiet ones. A pacifist nun, Sister Jane Ingalls is seemingly one of the more sedate characters at Litchfield. In reality, she was excommunicated from the church for her incendiary novel, Nun Shall Pass, and sentenced to prison for protesting at a nuclear facility. Between her hunger strike with Soso and her willingness to go to the SHU for Sophia, Sister Jane is one of those unexpectedly badass characters that make for good and compelling heroes.
Sweet-natured, raspy-voiced, and always stylish, Lorna Morello is like a dazzling ray of sunshine on a dreary prison day. Even at her worst, when she's stalking old flames and stealing people's teddy bears, Morello always manages to bring a heaping of old-world glam to her criminal activities. She's your fabulous aunt who never leaves the house without makeup on, and it is for this commitment to looking her best that Morello deserves much more of our attention.
Pretty much all people can talk about now is Poussey's shocking death in season four, but this overshadows a life that was lived quietly subverting expectations. Poussey was a gay African American military brat who spoke fluent German and made excellent prison wine. She was also an avid bibliophile and a lover of the culinary arts — all attributes you would have never expected upon meeting her, as memorably and hauntingly shown in the season four episode "(Don't) Say Anything," during which her girlfriend, Soso, makes the assumption that she had an impoverished childhood.
Poussey was the ultimate example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and she will be sorely missed in upcoming seasons. RIP Poussey. Sniffle.
Attached at the hip and virtually inseparable, Maritza and Flaca are the Tweedledee and Tweedledum of Litchfield Penitentiary. With their kooky schemes and wacky ideas, both women bring a new meaning to the phrase "BFF." Granted, both women are very separate people with very interesting backstories, but it is together that they are Litchfield's highly likable but underrated comedic duo.
