Jenji Kohan’s world-famous comedy-drama Orange Is the New Black ended its six-year run July 26, 2019 after airing its seventh and final season. Its finale episode, “Here’s Where We Get Off,” rounded out the character arcs of its ensemble cast with an all-encompassing conclusion that put a definitive end to so many overlapping stories. Although not all endings were as favorable as we’d have liked, and we were forced to bid farewell to some beloved inmates, the legacy of Orange Is the New Black lives on in its life-long friendships.
Over the course of seven seasons, it’s only natural for characters to gravitate towards like-minded individuals to form unbreakable bonds and establish where their allegiance lies. However, within these meaningful partnerships, there are some unlikely pairings. Throughout the events of Orange Is the New Black, some of these friendships deteriorate, while others flourish into everlasting and meaningful connections. When in prison, it’s important to have friends, and these alliances are the most entertaining, impactful, and undergo the greatest development.
10. Polly Harper and Piper Chapman
Hear us out, PoPi (as their soap brand affectionately names them) aren’t exactly the model pairing, but if we focus on pre-prison Polly and Piper, there’s a humorous and endearing aspect to their friendship that only declines after Piper is incarcerated. In the beginning, Piper and Polly are inseparable; joint at the hip and willing to face the hardships of life together, growing alongside their respective love interests. However, when Piper surrenders herself to Litchfield, everything changes. From then on, Piper becomes hardened by her imprisonment and distances herself from Larry, which results in him cheating on her with Polly. Although PoPi were life-long BFFs from the get-go, their friendship couldn’t withstand the test of time and trust.
9. Leanne Taylor and Angie Rice
Let’s admit it, Leanne and Angie are downright irritating. They’re like giggly schoolgirls who form a hate-all clique and bully anyone that so much as breathes in their direction — all Mean Girls style. Despite having irredeemable personalities, Leanne and Angie are hilarious together. Dubbed “The Meth Heads” by Litchfield’s entire population, Leanne and Angie are always on the hunt for whatever kind of recreational drug they can get their hands on, even if it inconveniences those around them. Although mostly pranksters, Leanne grieves for Angie’s temporary absence when a case of mistaken identity grants her early release in place of fellow inmate Sarah Rice. Clearly, Leanne and Angie can show compassion for one another, which is nothing but admirable. Despite being unlikable characters, they provide some much-needed comedic relief to Orange Is the New Black that helps to strip the heaviness out of certain situations. Besides, their witty one-liners make their insolence tolerable.
8. Sophia Burset and Sister Jane Ingalls
Here, we have the biggest unlikely friendship to ever exist in Orange Is the New Black: a transgender woman and a Catholic nun. Originally, Burset and Ingalls barely interact, but after Sophia suffers a conflict of conscience concerning her wife, Crystal Burset, Sophia turns to Christianity — the very beliefs that condemn her as a transgender woman — and seeks guidance from Sister Ingalls. There’s some witty banter shared between Sophia and Jane, which warms the heart, but their friendship is strengthened by a mutual respect and acceptance. Although they might come from opposite walks of life and commit to different values, they’ve always supported one another. While Sophia suffers unwarranted and prolonged isolation in the SHU, Sister Ingalls ‘punches’ Gloria Mendoza to get herself taken to SHU in order to find Sophia and get proof of her inhumane treatment to incriminate MCC. Considering Sister Ingalls’ religion essentially censures Sophia’s entire existence, their friendship bridges the divide between religious folk and the LGBTQ+ community — an ongoing political and social issue.
7. Gloria Mendoza and Aleida Diaz
Despite residing in Spanish Harlem together, Gloria and Aleida don’t interact much until Gloria takes over from Red as Head Chef in the kitchen. When Gloria enlists the help of “her people” (aka the Hispanics and Latinas), those hired bodies include Gloria Mendoza, whom we’d only known as Dayanara’s mother before then. Even though Gloria and Aleida are similar in age, the former has always posed as a guardian to the latter, offering up advice and teaching life lessons whenever Aleida suffers a motherhood crisis. When Aleida gets granted early release, Gloria congratulates her and motivates her to do something meaningful with her life, including studying to pass the GED and getting a stable job to claim full custody of her children. Both devout mothers and Puerto Ricans, Gloria and Aleida have a lot in common, which makes them fast and forever friends. Plus, the dialogue exchanges between Gloria and Aleida are unmatched. In the end, Gloria is freed and Aleida ends up at Litchfield Max alongside Daya after assaulting her daughter’s boyfriend, and that’s how their lives go separate ways, which just goes to show that friendships don’t always last.
6. Lolly Whitehill and Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
Another unlikely, but completely understandable friendship, Lolly and Suzanne barely interact for the majority of Orange Is the New Black. It isn’t until Season 6, more so Season 7, that Lolly and Suzanne start to form a meaningful connection. After the riot, when all Litchfield inmates (sparing those that were transferred to the ICE holding facility) were relocated to Litchfield Max, the characters were divided into “blues” and “khakis,” which have always been rival prison gangs spearheaded by Carol and Barbara. Meanwhile, the elderly, infirm and mentally ill inmates, which included Lolly and Suzanne, were given pink uniforms. “Pinks” were deemed separate to “blues” and “khakis” and an unspoken rule made them untouchable. When Litchfield Max implement a program involving chicken farming, Lolly and Suzanne agree to chicken duty and begin frequently interacting. Their friendship is wholesome and blossoms into a mutual admiration; Lolly and Suzanne become the only two people in the world that understand one another, given that they both suffer from different manifestations of psychosis.
5. Galina “Red” Reznikov and Norma Romano
From the get-go, Red and Norma became companions. They were “running the game” in Litchfield long before the modern-day inmates even arrived. Ever since feuding with Vee, Red and Norma have only grown closer. Red accepts that Norma is mute and servile, while Norma tolerates Red’s overbearing narcissism, so there’s a constant exchange that establishes healthy boundaries for the both of them. Norma rubs Red’s feet, shaves her legs, massages her back — essentially whatever she wants/needs — and Red appoints Norma as her right-hand. Given Norma’s silence, there isn’t a whole lot of quips shared, but Red and Norma have grown complacent with their old age and enjoy the finer things in life. They’re essentially old pals at the bingo hall, always looking forward to every Thursday of the week, where they get to drink hot chocolate, eat snacks and gossip about a corrupt government. We love to see them flourish together, and given the timeline of events, they’ve been friends for a very long time, so that must mean something.
4. Alex Vause and Nicky Nichols
Although there are some lines crossed as far as Alex and Nicky’s friendship, the definition of which sometimes teeters towards the “situationship” category, Alex and Nicky are first and foremost good buddies. If they’re not smoking crack together in a corn field, they’re consoling one another in the library. Both natural comedians and womanizers, Alex and Nicky have similar one-track minds when it comes to sex, partying and causing trouble. Although there’s more than one occasion where things turn flirtatious between them, Alex and Nicky have an unspoken agreement, and these flings only ever happen when both of them are single and free from guilt concerning prior arrangements with Piper and Lorna. While their friendship is less serious than some of the others, these jokesters are always a fun time whenever they share a scene, which gives credit to Laura Prepon and Natasha Lyonne. Plus, it’s always enthralling to watch them bicker about girl problems and attempt to keep each other on the straight and narrow.
3. Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales and Maritza Ramos
How could we ever leave Flaritza out? They’re the BFFs that everyone automatically pictures when someone mentions Orange Is the New Black friendships. Although some fans believe that Flaritza should have been more than strictly friends, they still go together like peanut butter and jelly. Flaca and Maritza manage to have similar yet contrasting personalities; Maritza is the stereotypical pretty, popular girl who uses her ‘natural advantages’ to get whatever she wants, whereas Flaca is more the rule-breaker, emo/goth cliché that rebels against conformity. While at Litchfield, Flaca and Maritza bonded over mutual interests in makeup, fashion and boys, and influenced one another’s outlook on life. Maritza becomes more humbled and less obsessed with her appearance and Flaca starts to shun her inner critic and realizes her self-worth. Although they can be troublemakers and goofballs at times, Flaritza have plenty heart-to-heart moments that balances out the foolishness and keep a well-rounded friendship above water. It was fated that Flaritza would cross paths and leave their mark on Litchfield.
2. Poussey Washington and Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
If Leanne and Angie are comedic relief, then Poussey and Taystee double those efforts. From the moment they met, it was obvious that Poussey and Taystee would get along. There was a budding one-sided romance between them early on, but both of them understood that platonic love can be just as meaningful. Even though Vee causes a rift between them, Poussey and Taystee always seem to make amends and learn from their mistakes, which are the markings of a true friendship — accepting fault and making changes. It was always expected that Taystee and Poussey would crack a joke or two and throw in some ethnic diversity with references to Black culture. Both Taystee and Poussey have been shamed by society (the former as an orphan and the latter as a lesbian) and represent taking a stand against oppression, especially shown in Taystee during the riot, where she fights for justice after Poussey’s death. When Poussey dies, Taystee is inconsolable and mourning the loss of her best friend, just like Orange Is the New Black viewers were mourning an irreplaceable friendship.
1. Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett and Carrie “Big Boo” Black
Just like Sophia Burset and Sister Ingalls, Pennsatucky and Boo come from very different backgrounds and practice opposite beliefs. Whereas Tiffany has devoted her life to Christianity and performing the miracles of God, Boo has always boasted a free-spirited lifestyle as a non-conforming lesbian. Initially, there’s some heated disagreements and an overall avoidance, but as Tiffany comes down off her Jesus high, she welcomes Boo with open arms and takes a page from her book about living according to herself and no one else. She takes a break from her values and meets Officer Coates, whom Boo dislikes from the get-go, but gives the benefit of the doubt. Ultimately, when Coates crosses the line, Boo steers Tiffany on the straight and narrow and helps her overcome the urge to victim-blame, accepting that she is worth more than what she can offer to men. Overall, Tiffany and Boo endure the biggest development of all and their friendship is heartwarming and sincere, proving that a cactus and a lily can find a common pot to grow.
