Does Orange is the New Black Need Piper?

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Orange is the New Black Season Five!

Could Orange is the New Black go on without Piper? Jenji Kohan, creator of the Netflix dramedy, has gone on record calling Piper her "Trojan horse," whose purpose was to get the show a green-light and subsequently pave the way for stories about women of color, old age, and varying sexual preferences. She called Piper an "easy access point," attracting general audiences that might not otherwise be interested and presenting them with diverse characters. Piper began the show as a fish out of water, an audience surrogate character to help establish the world of OitNB. But if Piper has already served her initial purpose, what's the point of her going forward?

The truth is, Piper's absence wouldn't damage the show all too much. Orange has decidedly become a ensemble TV show long since Piper's introduction. If Piper were to leave, the show would go the way of Game of Thrones post-Ned Stark - surviving and maybe even thriving, despite the vacancy of an inarguable protagonist. As it stands, with Piper still on the show, the proclamation of any character as the lead would certainly be debatable. Considering the fact that Piper is an irritating character to many, her departure could even make the show better. When she was revealed to be a Trojan horse, the show not only continued to work but also improved.

However, there are benefits to keeping Piper onboard. Given how fantastic Taylor Schilling is in the role, it's impossible for Piper to ever be a genuinely detrimental link in OitNB's cast. There are also benefits to be found in the character on her own. Annoying as Piper can be, her waspishness is a staple of the series. She's a textbook "love to hate" character, or at least a "love to roll your eyes at" character. Losing Piper also means losing the Piper/Alex relationship which, though equally eye-roll inducing, is still one of the show's defining features. A conversation about Orange is the New Black would be incomplete without at least a mention of Piper and Alex's toxic relationship. With Piper gone, the only area of the show needing immediate attention would be Alex, because, as is, she wouldn't work without Piper in her corner (or on her case).

Alex is a decent enough character but she stands out primarily because of how she bounces off of Piper. Because of who they are individually (and what they've done to each other), they can't stand each other. But they also can't live without each other. There is love between them, whether it's healthy or not. So if Piper is out of the picture, that doesn't leave Alex much to do and Jenji Kohan and her writers would have to come up with better storylines for Alex immediately. There was a possibility of Alex having a solo arc early in season five. After publicly disrespecting a leader in the Litchfield prison riot, Alex unintentionally unified inmates wanting to remove themselves from the chaos, finding herself a hesitant authority figure, potentially a reluctant hero.

But then that arc fizzles, and Alex, once again, becomes intrinsically tied to Piper's story. This is especially a shame when you notice how great Laura Prepon has been on the show. Even though she works extremely well with Schilling, she couldn't do as many interesting things with Alex by herself. Prepon already nails Alex's undying paranoia, brought on by life as a drug dealer. That anxiety could believably turn inwards if she was faced with the responsibility of leading followers. And given how Prepon seems more involved in the show than ever (she directed an episode for the latest season), she'd probably be more than game to dig deeper into the character.

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Taystee smiling in Orange is the New Black

This doesn't mean to suggest Alex should suddenly be the main character. If anybody should fill that position, it's Taystee. Taystee has always been a fan-favorite, which isn't easy considering Orange's cast is made up of mostly fan-favorites. But Taystee, brought to life with a commanding performance by Danielle Brooks, sticks out thanks to her quick wit and her ambitious spirit. She was undeniably the best part of an otherwise tepid season five. Her arc brought out the best and worst in the character and was the only journey this season that felt complete and consistently engaging. While most characters were aimless, perfunctorily coupled with other characters to lackluster results, Taystee delivered ten ways to Sunday.

So let's say Piper is gone, Alex forges her own path, and Taystee takes center-stage. The only real concern that remains is basic logic: How exactly would Piper leave the show? You can rule out a sudden death. Piper was alive last time we saw her, and her demise would strike an all too familiar tone when compared against Poussey's passing, which still stings today. Off that, Piper's death would not cut quite as deeply as Poussey's, given how the latter's killing had an immeasurable emotional impact (due to the character's popularity amongst fans) as well as a social impact (due to the scene's palpable, if flawed, allusion to the Black Lives Matter movement).

If death is out of the equation, what does Piper's fate hold? At one point it seemed Piper had a shot at negotiating her release. She became a temporary protector of an MCC employee who unfortunately found herself in the middle of the Litchfield riot. But that character fell to Piper's periphery vision eventually, leaving her one less bargaining chip to offer law enforcement. Release seems even less likely in the wake of season five's cliffhanger ending. Piper found herself holding hands with several other inmates, awaiting the coming of police officers in riot gear. It's possible that Piper's offenses - namely evading the police in the middle of a riot breakup - could land her with a harsher penalty than the other inmates, putting her in maximum security prison. But that would mean the others with her, Red, Alex, and Taystee included, would be also be going down. The best bet now is having Piper do something extra that lands her in max, thus giving the character at least a hiatus from the show.

If pressed to make a decision, Jenji Kohan would find herself in a perfectly good position if she kept Piper on the show. Both the character and Taylor Schilling have attributes that benefit OitNB. But if Kohan did decide to do away with Piper, her chief concern should be to beef up Alex's character. If the creator felt the need to push an alternative protagonist (which she shouldn't, since Orange is buoyed by a wonderful ensemble), Taystee is the obvious pick. Whether Piper stays on or has a sudden, but fully believable, departure from the show, then Kohan and her writing staff shouldn't have much else to worry about.