7 References You Might Have Missed In The New Season Of 'OITNB'
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Season 5 of 'Orange is the New Black.'
Orange is the New Black has always loved its little references, and Season 5 was no exception.
Indeed, some of the references this season were pretty dark — including a lot of jokes about mass shootings, which many found controversial.
Along with mass shootings, there were also references to real prison riots, films, and even viral videos.
Some of them are said so quickly you might not have caught them — and that's exactly what this post is for. You're welcome.
1. The mass shootings (Episode 1).
There were so many mass shooting mentions — Aurora, Columbine, San Bernardino, Sandy Hook, Charleston, Virginia Tech, and Fort Hood — crammed into Episode 1 that I'm just going to count them as one.
Again, some found these references to be a tad distasteful.
2. Attica/prison riots (Episode 1 and throughout).
Referenced explicitly many times throughout the season, Attica is one of the most well-known prison riots of all time.
On September 9, 1971, over 2000 inmates rioted and took over control of Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York. Inmates took 42 officers, staff and civilians hostage, and created a list of demands pending their release.
There are also references to other famous prison riots throughout the season — read up on some of those here.
3. Girl, Interrupted (Episode 2).
Maria tells Daya Girl, Interrupted is "like the whitest movie ever." In case you don't know what it is, allow me to elaborate it a little.
Girl, Interrupted is 1999 psychological thriller, directed by James Mangold and starring Winona Ryder. It's based on a real-life memoir of the same name.
Ryder plays an 18-year-old who attempts to commit suicide, is diagnosed with personality disorder, and gets sent to a psychiatric hospital. Spoiler: Things don't go great in there.
Kind of like Litchfield!
4. Jennifer Lopez kicked a dog (Episode 4).
There's a lot of references to talent shows like America's Got Talent and more in this episode, but I want to focus in on a quick reference you may have missed.
When Leanne and Angie asked Maria to be a judge for their talent show, it's revealed they hate J.Lo — and Angie says, "I heard she kicked a dog."
This is an obscure reference to a gossip story from 2o15 that Jennifer Lopez's neighbor was attacked by Casper Smart's (her boyfriend at the time) dog.
Obviously, Leanne and Angie got the story a little skewed, being in prison and all. (They may also be referencing another story, which happened last year, that J.Lo closed down a Hampton grooming shop for a day so her dogs could have some privacy.)
5. Hot Cheetos and Takis (Episode 6).
After the governor delivers Hot Cheetos to Litchfield, Red and Blanca get really into their snacks and starting singing the "Hot Cheetos and Takis" song.
If you are unfamiliar with this viral music video from 2012, it's definitely worth a watch.
These kids wrote this pretty amazing rap and made an impressive music video — and it's literally just about eating Hot Cheetos and Takis. Bless
6. Home Alone (Episode 8).
Red and Blanca decide they are going to trap Piscatella, á la this movie Blanca's seen where this kid gets left home alone.
You probably already knew they were referencing Home Alone, but did you recognize the music playing when Blanca was laying her trap?
The Home Alone theme by John Williams!
7. Horror movies (Episode 9).
This entire episode is an homage to a lot of different horror movies, and I'm not even sure I caught all of them.
I did recognize a few though:
- The Shining when Cindy sees the "twins" at the end of the hall (actually just Maritza and Flaca).
- When a Stranger Calls when Cindy receives a phone call telling her to "check the children" (just Angie and Leanne trying to scare her, but a reference to the famous babysitting horror film).
- Of course, Psycho when Piper and Alex get attacked in the shower.
Tell me what references you caught this season in the comments! (Preferably politely.)
