Piper is so dazed during her interrogation that she blames Red for torturing Piscatella. When she reads that “the tall one” was killed, she thinks she means Alex. Piper, however, misinterprets Red’s message hidden within a library book. After discovering in her interrogation that Piscatella died, Red tries to send the message to Nicky and Piper, using Badison’s many connections in the prison. She warned Red that her “family” wouldn’t be “family” anymore in max. C Block has the “good jobs,” and so the conditions are much more plush.Īnd so begins the parade of Red’s family betraying her. The blocks are also ridiculously unequal. These rivalries can get nasty - during a visit, Fig was told about recent toe amputations. Ever since that day (and the ensuing fight on the kickball court), C Block and D Block have been constantly locked in a war, with sisters Carol and Barbara as the primary leaders. Initially, Carol thought her nemesis (and sister), Barbara, had been responsible for the betrayal. In order to escape the calmer waters of minimum security prison, Frieda betrayed Carol by turning her stash into the authorities. As young women, Carol had been Frieda’s friend and partner in pushing drugs to the women of C Block. The bespectacled and generally stone-faced Carol (Henny Russell) is currently the de facto leader of max’s C Block. Frieda, we learn, had attempted suicide in episode 1 because she’s absolutely terrified of confronting her enemies in max, who have harbored grudges against her for decades.
The theme is best encapsulated through Frieda Berlin’s backstory.