Netflix offered a first look at Orange Is the New Black season four with a teaser released earlier this month, but the 30-second video was barely enough to whet the appetite of the series’ voracious viewers. Luckily, the streamer has served up a batch of tantalizing photos, dropping a few more hints at what to expect from Litchfield’s captivating inmates come June.
The photos tell us a number of important things, namely (spoiler alert!) that Alex (played Laura Prepon) has survived and been freed from the shed she was trapped in by Aydin (Juri Henley-Cohn), a corrupt correctional officer. However, we can also see that poor Sophia (Laverne Cox) appears to be in solitary confinement still, and it doesn’t look like she’s faring well there. Beyond that, there are glimpses at Litchfield’s ever-changing alliances and rivalries, plus the much-anticipated arrival of new imates.
The photos focus mainly on long-standing prisoners, but celebrity chef Judy King (Blair Brown), who arrived at the facility during the season three finale, makes an appearance. It seems that she’s adjusting well to life in the prison’s kitchen, as she’s all smiles alongside Poussey (Samira Wiley). Other new inmates may not get such a warm welcome, though, based on the skepticism we see on the faces of fellow Lichtfield residents in another photo.
The season is expected to bring Piper (Taylor Schilling) more trouble, given that the series has been renewed for three additional seasons and her original sentence was just one year. Judging by the photo of her being held down by Blanca (Laura Gomez) with a knife to her fingers, problems are definitely in her future. Confusingly, though, the two are also pictured standing alongside each other, so just how they’ll relate to each other is unclear.
The Emmy-winning series won’t be back until June 17, so we’ll have to wait until then to get the answers we crave.
