Netflix's Orange Is the New Black can make viewers feel everything from laughter to sadness, from joy to despair.
Season four of the hit series was no exception, and included one major moment that hit fans especially hard.
Please note that the following contains major spoilers for season four of Orange Is the New Black.
In its most recent season, Orange Is the New Black saw the women's prison become a corporate-run endeavor. Things went from bad to worse as all its previous guards quit and new guards came on to make life difficult for the inmates. Eventually, it all came to a head, and in one of the season's final episodes, Poussey Washington lay dead on the cafeteria floor, killed at the hands of a guard.
Instead of taking responsibility for the death, though, the warden made a statement that put all the blame solely on Poussey (which wasn't the case). And the season ended with the inmates beginning to riot with one holding a gun to a guard's head.
The death of Poussey, though, hit fans the hardest. Of all the inmates at Litchfield, she was always the most positive and seemed to hold things together. It's one of the most talked-about moments of season four, but Netflix decided to make things even more difficult for Poussey's fans by releasing a video called "Why We Love Poussey Washington."
The video also features interviews with cast members of the series, speaking about the real issues in prisons that result in tragedies depicted in season four. They also talk about that particular scene. Get the tissues ready.
Season four of Orange Is the New Black deals with problems like overcrowding in prisons, as well as issues with untrained guards who don't know how to deal with various matters that may arise, including those concerning inmates with real mental issues. It's one of the show's darkest seasons yet, but also serves as an eye-opener of what life behind bars is really like. It's as close to real as a series can get to the real thing.
"I think our writers have done an amazing job at being very accurate within this fictional world," actress Laura Gomez, who portrays Blanca, said. "It will never be as raw as the real world, of course, but they're pretty informed, and I've met former incarcerated women who tell me how much they appreciate the show. Orange Is the New Black has brought serious issues to the table."
All four seasons of Orange Is the New Black are now available on Netflix.
