This Fan Theory About Daya On ‘OITNB’ Will Make You Feel So Relieved
The final season of Orange is the New Black was filled with a lot of dark moments, and Daya Diaz (Dascha Polanco) was at the center of a lot of that drama, all the way up to her final scene of the series. The question of Daya's fate was left unanswered at the end of the series finale, but this fan theory about Daya on Orange is the New Black will give viewers hope for her. Warning: Spoilers for Season 7 of Orange is the New Black follow.
From the first episode to the last, Daya transitioned from a naive young girl to a hardened inmate who made her way to the head of her own prison gang. By the finale, her mom, Aleida (Elizabeth Rodriguez), was disappointed in her and terrified of Daya roping her younger siblings into dealing drugs. In their final scene on the show, Daya lorded her newfound power over her mother, and it turned out to be the last straw for Aleida, who attacked Daya, punching her in the throat. The last audiences saw of Daya was her struggling to breathe on the ground, leaving many fans convinced she died at the hands of her mother. However, the show did not definitively say she's dead, and some fans are optimistic she survived. In fact, there's one fan theory that will convince you both Daya and Aleida are still alive... but not without some consequences.
Reddit user pipershaw1994 posted a theory that Daya and Aleida are both alive once the show ends, and in the future their rivalry will sparks yet another Litchfield gang war led by relatives. Here's the theory:
Theory: Daya survived Aleida’s attempts to kill her, instead of moving Aleida to the SHU (which is used again under Hellman’s authority), Hopper convinces him to move Aleida to C-block. Aleida quickly becomes the boss of C-block (essentially the new Carol), whilst Daya becomes the boss of D-block (essentially the new Barb). The war between C and D block starts up again, history repeats itself just like with Carol and Barb.
In Orange is the New Black Season 6, a fight between two sisters named Carol (Henny Russell) and Barb (Mackenzie Phillips) led to an ongoing feud between each of their respective prison blocks. They both died at the end of Season 6, but pipershaw1994's theory indicates the tradition of warring cell blocks continues with Daya and Aleida.
Of course, there's one issue with this theory, and that's the fact that CO Hopper was fired in Season 7. However, pipershaw1994 addresses that, saying Hopper would likely get rehired by the new Warden Hellman. With that issue smoothed out, a lot of fans have gotten on board with this theory. Fans are especially excited about the possibility of family drama continuing to be a big part of Litchfield long after the show was over.
This theory also gives hope that Daya survived her mother's attack. With this theory, even if Daya will still be in prison for life, at least fans can be assured that she still has her life.
You can watch all of Season 7 of Orange is the New Black on Netflix now.
