Season 4 of "Orange Is the New Black" Left Me Speechless

I finished Season 4 of Orange Is the New Black last night and, perhaps not surprisingly, I couldn't sleep, as I was overcome with a real sense of loss and anguish over this incredible season and its horrific climax. 

This fourth season of Orange might be the best season so far, full of staggering heartbreak and portrayals of truly revolting inhumanity as these women struggle to find a place in a for-profit prison system that does not view them as people but products and in the care of sadistic guards who see them as either their playthings or as detritus under their heels.

The final two episodes of the season (the penultimate of which was directed by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner) left me breathless, as Poussey Washington (Wiley) embarked on a magical trip through a nighttime Manhattan, a symbolic recreation of The Wiz (complete with Whitney and a yellow brick road), a payoff a full season in the making. The pull between the means of peaceful demonstration and violence made for an anxious race to the finish line as tensions escalated at Litchfield to the past the point of no return. In a season that examined mental illness, sacrifice, and corruption, the final scene ramped up to a fever pitch that had me shaking all night.

The storytelling this season was tremendously well-crafted: subtle and poignant and perhaps most importantly extremely timely. And while the acting throughout the series has been top-notch to date, Danielle Brooks and Samira Wiley, in particular in Season 4: I’m in awe of your talents.

There's so much that I want to say about this season but I need time to process my feelings. While I’ve always loved Orange Is the New Black, this season just hurt my heart in the best possible way.