This ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Video Is Going to Break Your Heart All Over Again
Warning: This video contains spoilers for Season 4 of Orange is the New Black.
As if the tragic Season 4 death of beloved Litchfield inmate Poussey Washington doesn’t continue to sting, actress Samira Wiley pays tribute to her character in a new OITNB postmortem video from Netflix that will make you teary all over again.
“I just see so much potential in Poussey Washington,” Wiley says. “I root for her. I want to see her outside of prison, making it.”
Right? The fact that that quote should really be in the past tense is just a reminder of the impact of Poussey’s demise on the Netflix series. Her death in Episode 12, “The Animals,” was followed by a season finale flashback that showed a happy, hopeful Poussey planning to move to Amsterdam to start a new life after her dream of attending West Point was dashed by a scandal sparked by her romance with a fellow military brat. It makes the final shot of Season 4 — Poussey breaking the fourth wall and smiling into the camera — truly crushing.
Related: Read our ‘OITNB’ Season 4 recaps
“This season was tough to go through, and see we were losing one of our own,” says Wiley’s co-star Uzo Aduba (Suzanne).
“[Poussey] was [Taystee’s] friend, her sister,” Danielle Brooks says in the clip. “She was Poussey Washington!”
“Who doesn’t love Poussey?” Emmy winner Aduba adds.
Wiley, who’s currently filming her next role, playing a therapist on the upcoming third season of FXX’s dramedy You’re the Worst, sums up why everyone loves Poussey, and why her death will continue to resonate into Season 5 and beyond.
“She’s honest, she’s funny, she puts a smile on your face,” Wiley says. “I’m so, so, so happy to have the opportunity to give life to someone like Poussey.”
Orange Is the New Black Season 4 is streaming on Netflix.
