Jill Greenberg/NetflixFurlough is over, it's time to return to Litchfield for Orange Is the New Black season four. The Netflix dramedy returns for a new season of 13 episodes on Friday, June 17 and it's been over a year since we last checked in on Piper, Red, Poussey and Taystee. In the time between seasons, there have been countless other shows that dropped (or normally aired) full seasons, so it's completely understandable that your memory of the last OITNB happenings is murky. We're here because we care.
Before you start getting into the thick of season four (spoiler alert: we've seen six episodes and it's as mesmerizing as ever), refresh yourself with what happened during our last visit to the prison grounds.
Piper, her panties, Alex and Stella
Piper (Taylor Schilling) started a panty empire with the help of her brother. By panty empire, we mean she got a group of girls to wear panties they made and then her brother sold them on the Internet and she divided the earnings. Alex (Laura Prepon) was by her side for a spell before Stella (Ruby Rose) came in and shook things up. Piper started sleeping with Stella on the sly and then Stella stole Piper's money. Piper then got retribution and hid contraband in Stella's bunk. Bye bye Stella, hello badass Piper. Meanwhile, Alex was worried Lolly (Lori Petty) was sent to kill her. She wasn't, but the drug kingpin did send someone to kill her. That's how the season ended for her.
Sophia, Gloria and SHU
It's probably hard to forget details of this heartbreaking storyline. Gloria (Selenis Levya) had her son carpool up with Sophia's (Laverne Cox) son and wife and the boys started hanging out. Turns out they weren't a very good match, Sophia thought Nicky was a bad influence on her son Michael and stopped the visits. But it was the other way around. Gloria started spreading rumors about Sophia. More than one physical altercation followed, with Sophia pushing Gloria and then Sophia later getting jumped in her salon. Sophia was then sent to SHU for "her own protection."
Nicky to the Max
Natasha Lyonne's character was sent packing early on in the season after hiding drugs in the electrical office. But Lyonne's been doing panels promoting the show…
Bye-bye Bennett
Bennett (Matt McGorry) disappeared early in the season because the actor had to go learn how to get away with murder on How To Get Away With Murder. Daya (Dascha Polanco) finally had her baby and after flirting with the idea of giving it to Pornstache's mother (Mary Steenburgen), she backed off and told Mare she lost the baby and planned to give it to Cesar, but then, you know, he was arrested. Oops.
Praise Norma
Norma (Annie Golden) became a religious figure in the prison and amassed followers including Brook (Kimiko Glenn) and Poussey (Samira Wiley). This fractured Norma's relationship with Red (Kate Mulgrew), but as Norma lost her power (never forget the Norma toast), she and Red reconnected. However, Brook tried to commit suicide and this brought her and Poussey closer together.
Mama Taystee
With Vee out of the picture (thank goodness, right?), Taystee (Danielle Brooks) became the Crazy Eyes whisperer and bonded with Suzanne (Uzo Aduba). While this was going on, Suzanne penned her own porn saga, "The Time Hump Chronicles," and became quite popular with the ladies, even finding a girlfriend at the end of the season.
Quack, quack
Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) took over for Morello (Yael Stone) on driving duties and bonded with the new CO (James McMenamin), however their donut trips turned awful when he raped her. With the help of her new BFF Big Boo (Lea DeLaria), Pennastucky sought out for revenge, but the two stopped themselves before actually sodomizing him with a tool. Instead she faked a seizure to get out of driving duty. Speaking of Morello, she got married with Healy (Michael Harney) and Red as her witnesses in prison. Red and Healy grew close over the course of the season, but Red broke it off before anything happened. The Russian badass also reclaimed her kitchen and swore off her item trafficking ways and started a vegetable garden.
Meanwhile, the prison turned private and Caputo (Nick Sandow) was put in charge as major changes started to take place. Plus, Black Cindy (Adrienne C. Moore) converted to Judaism, the very Martha Stewart-esque Judy King (Blair Brown) reported for her prison sentence as the guards walked out and the inmates broke free, diving into a nearby lake.
Orange Is the New Black season four drops on Netflix on Friday, June 17.