‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season 7 Killed off a Major Character

Fans tuning in for the final season of Orange Is the New Black not only had to say goodbye to the series, but also a beloved character. Before the final credits rolled and the screen faded to black, one final character fell victim to Litchfield Max in one of the most tragic moments of Season 7.

Warning: This post contains spoilers from Season 7 of Orange Is the New Black.

In the penultimate episode of the Netflix original series, Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett died of a drug overdose after being found unconscious by Taystee in the laundry room of Litchfield Max. At the very start of the series finale, viewers watched as her body was carted away by the medical examiner, fans left with a final image of a ghost Pennsatucky pulling the hood of her sweatshirt up one more time.

The death marked a devastating end for a character who experienced immense character growth throughout seven seasons. After being introduced as a “Bible-thumping” inmate who pushed her beliefs on those around her, she underwent a change of heart and became more accepting.

In Season 7, hoping to continue her growth, she enrolled in Litchfield’s newly introduced GED program, where she discovered that she suffered from dyslexia and took part in tutoring with Taystee. However, when it came time to take the final exam, her hopes came crashing down when she discovered that Luschek had failed to complete and file the necessary paperwork that would allow her extra time on the exam.

Believing that she had failed, Pennsatcuky eventually finds her way to Daya and her crew in the laundry room, where she relapses and overdoses off-screen. She is found by Taystee, who later discovers that Pennsatucky had actually passed the exam and earned her GED.

In a final goodbye to the character, Suzanne leads a tribute to her cellmate, breaking out in a duet of Pennsatucky’s favorite song, the Mountain Dew Jingle, with CO Dixon. Toasting with “yellow drink,” the concoction of crushed up lemon candies mixed with water that Pennsatucky had made in Season 5, the inmates in B-Block, better known as Florida, also joined in on the song.

All seasons of Orange Is the New Black are currently available for streaming on Netflix. There has been no update on the potential Orange Is the New Black spinoff series, which had been teased shortly after it was announced that Season 7 would be the last.