The evolution of Taystee on Orange is the New Black
By J.C.
The lovable Taystee Jefferson was comic relief and a fan favorite, but she gradually evolved throughout Orange is the New Black.
The Netflix original show introduced us to Tasha ‘Taystee’ Jefferson as one of the first scenes ever on Orange is the New Black. She started off as sarcastic and was involved in many of the first season’s comedic moments. What started off as a jokes turned into a serious storylines involving Taystee all the way to season 7, the final seaosn of the series.
During the earliest seasons, Taystee was an inmate who saw the best of a bad situation. It was clear from the beginning of our time at Litchfield that she’d been throught a lot. She kept trying to make the most of it.
There was a gradual shift after Litchfield tensions started to rise when it comes to race relations and the different treatment with inmates of color. Soon, Taystee slowly took a more serious and no-nonsense approach when dealing with these issues and became a leader.
The shift came after she landed herself back in Litchfield after being released. We learned from these scenes that she is only in her comfort zone in Litchfield rather than the outside world. She found something worth fighting for and wanted to make it better for herself and everyone there.
Taystee took a new and unexpected turn after Poussey’s death season 4 when tension between the inmates and guards reached a new high. Poussey’s death was enough to push Taystee over the edge to get serious about changes.
The lovable inmate was all business during the riot and was not interested in old antics that would have entertained her when the Netflix original series started. She even lashed out on her closest allies when they resorted to their old antics.
While Taystee wanted to make the prison better, after the riot, she faced an even bigger dilemma being wrongfully accused of the murder of CO Piscatella in season 6. The system she was trying to fight has now grown bigger and began to hit harder.
Everyone was trying to adjust to the new prison, but the odds were stacked against them higher than it was before. With the riot and the wrongful accusation against Taystee, she is now fighting for her own life to survive.
While Taystee is still trying to put up a good fight, she will no longer be doing it for Poussey or anyone else. After the verdict came back, they found Taystee guilty on all counts, which brings us to what could happen season 7.
The strong-willed prisoner has already been through so much, but nothing compares to how alone Taystee must feel now. She knew the system was against her, but the system may have contributed to a slight disconnect between her closest allies.
While Taystee is locked up, the support from outside the prison may grow and change everything for Taystee as not just an inmate but a significant figure. It Is a complete flip from having support from her close friends in the prison and nothing from outside the prison.
She may feel defeated for what has happened, but she finally has a platform, and this is a platform she wanted all along. Now she has it, and what she will do with it may be anything from writing letters to exposure of conditions in max prison.
Even though Taystee was found guilty, the fight is far from over. Taystee has a stronger presence than she has ever had before, and the final season of Orange is the New Black returns one more time July 26 on Netflix will show us how far the prisoner has come and what she will do next.