Orange Is the New Black (season 1)

Sentenced to 15 months for a crime committed 10 years earlier, Piper Chapman leaves her supportive fiancé Larry for her new home: a women's prison. Her counselor, Sam Healy, empathizes with her and tries to gently give her tips to survive. She grapples with the racial dynamics of prison life and learns some of the rules. Unfortunately, she offends Red, the powerful matriarch of the prison kitchen, who responds by serving Piper a bloody tampon and subsequently starving her. Piper is then shocked to discover that Alex Vause, her former lover (who recruited her into carrying drug money) is in the same prison. Daya Diaz, another inmate, is greeted by her mother, who is also incarcerated, with a slap to the face.

After insulting Red's food, Piper is starved out by the kitchen staff. She struggles to offer up an acceptable apology. With help from Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren, she manages to prepare a medicated lotion for Red's back. Alex gives Piper a piece of cornbread but Piper rejects it. The kitchen freezer is irreparably damaged. Red manipulates Healy into buying a new one. "Crazy Eyes" makes a romantic move on Piper. Bennett and Daya check each other out.

Piper's best friend Polly takes more authority over their soap-making business. Piper deals with romantic advances from Suzanne (Crazy Eyes). After Crazy Eyes submits a request to bunk with Piper, Piper firmly rejects her advances. After Piper moves into Miss Claudette's cube, Crazy Eyes urinates on the floor of their space. Piper's relationship with Alex is very hostile. The prison reduces Sophia's dose of exogenous estrogen in response to budget cuts. She asks her wife to smuggle pills into the prison; her wife flatly refuses, asking her "How fucking selfish can you be?"

Piper adjusts to living with Claudette and working in the electrical shop. She starts to make friends with Nicky. After Piper loses a screwdriver, the prison staff searches high and low to find it before it is used as a weapon. Mendez molests Piper during the search. When Piper returns to her cube with the screwdriver, it places more strain on her relationship with Claudette. After the search ends, Piper and Claudette make peace. Piper agrees to review appeal letters from different inmates. Tricia Miller schemes to prevent her girlfriend Mercy Valduto's release, but Claudette convinces her not to ruin Mercy's chance for freedom. After Claudette receives a letter from her friend Baptiste, she agrees to have her case reopened.

While relaxing in the exercise yard, Piper sees a chicken. When she mentions it in passing, Red recounts her dream of cooking a proper chicken and offers a gift to the person who catches the chicken. Larry discovers that Alex gave Piper's name to the Feds. To keep Piper focused on life beyond prison, Larry lies to her. Polly arranges for Piper to take a business call, but Piper skips it to chase the chicken. Morello ends her relationship with Nicky. Sophia asks Sister Ingalls for estrogen pills, but she refuses. The overloaded chapel ceiling collapses from a heavy cross Pennsatucky tries to hang. The prisoners work to clean up and repair the damage. Miss Claudette starts researching her legal appeal. Bennett and Daya pass notes to each other. Aleida advises her daughter to date another guard who can do her favors.

Piper confronts her mother. Polly takes full control of the soap business. Now believing that Alex didn't name her, Piper starts to view her fondly. Larry agrees to write an article about his fiancée's term in prison. Healy announces elections for the women's advisory council, and encourages Piper to run for WAC. When she refuses, Healy places her on the council anyway. The guards start searching for a missing mobile phone; Piper finds it hidden in the wall of the bathroom. Daya attacks her mother Aleida, for trying to have sex with Bennett. After saying he turned Aleida down, Daya performs oral sex on him, during which she discovers that he has a prosthetic leg.

Watson is released from SHU (Security Housing Unit/Solitary), and concludes that it was Piper who misplaced the screwdriver. Piper confesses but points out that Watson was initially sent to SHU for arguing with the guards. Piper, frustrated with WAC, states "this whole WAC thing is basically bullshit." Piper tries to make nice with Alex. With Fischer's help, Piper gets the running track reopened, which pleases Watson. Piper's appointment to WAC infuriates Pennsatucky, who was hoping to use her election to obtain false teeth. Alex tires of Pennsatucky's complaining and threatens to rape her if she doesn't keep quiet. Mendez tries to pressure Red into smuggling drugs into the prison, but Red refuses.

The flu bug circulates through the prison. Larry's article is printed. While Piper is happy that it was published, she is upset that most of the information is inaccurate. Healy reads the article and begins acting coldly towards Piper upon realizing her history with other girls. Piper and Alex flirt and reminisce while they try to fix a dryer. Pennsatucky locks Alex into the dryer. Polly gives birth. Daya is pregnant. Taystee is granted parole. Tricia goes into drug withdrawal. Over Nicky's objection, Red cuts off Tricia and allows her to go into SHU. Caputo orders Mendez to investigate how the drugs entered the prison. Mendez performs a very intimidating interview of Morello. To retaliate against Red, Nicky tells Mendez that Red uses Neptune's Produce, a vendor affiliated with the Russian bosses from Red's background, to smuggle contraband into the prison.

Mendez uses Red's smuggling connections to move drugs into the prison. Red flushes them down the toilet. Mendez issues Red a death threat and urinates into the Thanksgiving gravy. Pennsatucky and Alex clash over their views on homosexuality and religion. Nicky and Alex flirt. Sophia's wife becomes romantically interested in her pastor. With Sister Ingalls's encouragement, Sophia gives her wife her blessing. Sophia's full dose of estrogen is restored. Daya attempts an abortion using Mendoza's herbal teas, but Aleida colludes with Mendoza to keep the fetus alive. Later, Daya agrees to keep the baby. Taystee is released but finds that her support network is missing. Piper and Alex share a sexually charged dance. Pennsatucky snitches on them for "lesbianing together," after which Healy sends Chapman to SHU. When Healy visits SHU, Chapman rages against him for punishing her for being a lesbian. After suffering in SHU, she resolves to obey Healy and avoid Alex. Caputo orders Healy to release Chapman from SHU when it becomes clear that her transfer is unjustified. Healy calls Larry, to tell him about Piper and Alex's sexual relationship. Upon returning to camp, she has sex with Alex.

When Cesar goes by Bennett's apartment and asks how and where the baby will live, Bennett learns that Daya is pregnant. He is concerned that the system will discover he had sex with Daya, which could result in disciplinary action for both. He explains that his prosthetic left leg, originally thought to be from his tour in Afghanistan, is really from an infection when he had a cut and stepped into a dirty hot tub in Florida. Baptiste visits Miss Claudette. Tricked by Watson and egged on by others, Pennsatucky starts a faith healing crusade. Scared straight arrives at the prison, and the inmates attempt to intimidate the visiting juvenile delinquents. However, they have difficulty intimidating Dina, who robbed a liquor store from her wheelchair. Piper succeeds by telling Dina the scariest part of prison is not other people but coming face to face with "who you really are." Pennsatucky's faith healing crusade ends after she attempts to heal Dina by forcefully removing her from the wheelchair, after which Pennsatucky is confined to the psychiatric ward. Tricia struggles to "make things square with Red." Mendez manipulates Tricia into selling illegal drugs. When the tour with juvenile delinquents begins, Mendez notices the state she is in, and locks Tricia in a closet to prevent her from revealing she is holding the drugs. When he returns to release her, he finds that she has taken the drugs, overdosed and died. Fearing he will be found out, Mendez manipulates the scene to make it look like a suicide hanging. Nicky and Red blame themselves for Tricia's death, and both resolve to bring Mendez down.

Prison officials cover up Tricia's death to avoid an investigation. The inmates believe Tricia killed herself and organize an informal memorial for her. Tricia's death affects Mendez, and he vents over drinks with Bennett. Aleida, Daya, and Red scheme to cover up Daya's pregnancy. Daya will have sex with Mendez, which will then deflect suspicions once her pregnancy becomes apparent. During their encounter, Mendez uses a condom, so there's no evidence to use against him. Pennsatucky is held in the psych unit. After Piper learns that psych is worse than SHU, she successfully petitions Caputo to have Pennsatucky returned to the general population over Alex's objections. However, Piper's bravery brings Alex closer to her. Larry is interviewed on NPR, and his comments are particularly hurtful toward Suzanne and Miss Claudette, though he is kinder to other inmates, including Red and Watson. Larry's comments regarding fidelity convince Piper that he knows about her relationship with Alex. Piper calls Larry and confesses her infidelity. Larry reveals that during Thanksgiving, Healy told him that she was put in SHU for "lesbian activity." Piper admits to Larry that she loves Alex, which Larry sees as a deep betrayal. Larry then tells Piper that Alex did name her, thereby admitting that he lied earlier. He asks Piper, "How does it feel to be in love with the woman who ruined our lives?", and says that he needs time away from Piper.

Caputo catches Mendez having sex with Daya. To avoid a rape investigation, Mendez is put on unpaid leave. Daya tells Bennett about her plot, but Bennett is displeased that she framed Mendez. Mendez believes that Daya loves him, and he tells Bennett about Red's smuggling operation, after which Bennett informs Caputo. Claudette's appeal is denied, and she attacks Fischer, resulting in her being sent to maximum security. Unable to adjust to life outside, Taystee commits a crime and returns to prison. Cal gets engaged via text message. Red mediates between Healy and his mail-order bride. Yoga Jones tells Watson how she accidentally killed an eight-year-old child. A journalist following up on Larry's interview asks the deputy warden about spending cuts at Litchfield, despite an increase in the prison's funding. Piper and Alex argue, and Piper admits, "I am an emotionally manipulative narcissist who bailed on you when your mother died." Alex admits she ratted on Piper for dumping her, and lied to Piper because she wanted her to like her. Alex gives Piper a choice: nest with Larry or travel with her and be prepared for anything. Larry asks Piper to marry him immediately. Pennsatucky broods after being "beaten" by Piper, but her lawyer encourages Pennsatucky to witness to Piper. Piper "prays to Mr. Christ" for forgiveness, but she flatly refuses to be baptized. Pennsatucky sees this refusal as another instance of being "disrespected" and announces her plans to murder Piper.