Oz, The Complete Series

In the 'Emerald City' experimental unit of Oswald State Penitentiary, we meet some of the diverse inmates who exist in a pecking order of Gangbangers, Latinos, Muslims, Westies, Aryans and Wiseguys. No clear-cut leader emerges--with the possible exception of Kareem Said, a Muslim author who preaches non-violence and abstinence. Said's arrival doesn't prevent a short-fused Mafia inmate named Dino Ortolani from ticking off just about everybody--a habit that ends up burning him.

With Schibetta and the prison brass in a race to uncover Ortolani's killer (for very different reasons), we see how inmates react to visits both from their wives and (in one case) family members who are also in prison.

Friction is growing in the wake of two deaths--first Ortoloni and now Johnny Post--so Said, Wiseguy leader Schibetta and Gangbanger Jefferson Keane are brought together by Warden Glynn, who tells them to keep their boys quiet or else he'll lock the prison down. The tension increases following a visit from Governor Devlin, who was responsible for the ban on smoking and conjugal visits. Meanwhile, Keane has found God--just as a couple of Latinos with a grudge find him.

Governor Devlin has reinstated capital punishment in the state; and the first Oz prisoner scheduled to die is Jefferson Keane, who killed a Latino in a skirmish set up by the CO's. Before he's executed, Keane donates a kidney to his ailing sister, then turns down lawyer-turned-inmate Tobias Beecher's offer to take up his defense. After Keane's death, Richard L'Italien--slaughterer of women--is executed by lethal injection after he makes a startling admission.

The infiltration of drugs into Oz has reached unprecedented levels, and the undercover efforts of McManus and Glynn to find out who's smuggling the drugs in have backfired in a deadly way. Despite a lockdown in the Emerald City, drugs continue to trickle in--and the blame shifts from prisoners to corrupt officials.

Three generations of Alvarezes--all prisoners at Oz--are united when the patriarch, Ricardo, is found face-down in his cell, suffering from Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, Tobias Beecher, who as the neo-Nazi Schillinger's 'girlfriend' has been forced to wear women's clothes, flips out after taking PCP and sends Schillinger to the hospital with a cut eye. Other inmates aren't exactly the picture of health, either: mob boss Schibetta has stomach pains caused by ground glass intentionally mixed in with his food, and Muslim leader Kareem Said has a heart attack after refusing to take medication for high blood pressure.

A recovered Said ostracizes Huseni Mershah for turning his back on him when he was dying--and orders all the Muslims to cast him out. Impressed by Said's power, Groves decides to kill Glynn in his honor, but ends up stabbing and killing an officer by mistake. Condemned to death, Groves chooses his form of execution: the firing squad. Meanwhile, Schibetta is still being fed ground glass by O'Reilly and Adebisi, and ends up hemorrhaging. And Beecher, transformed by prison life, finally gets his revenge on his nemesis, Schillinger.

In the Season One finale, a riot breaks out and frustration, sexuality, hate, revenge and racism all rear their ugly heads, causing the violence to escalate. Finally, after several prison officers are taken hostage, tear gas is thrown into the Emerald City and the SORT Team arrives, guns blazing.

Season Two premiere. In the aftermath of the riot that killed six inmates and two officers, Oz is locked down, and Emerald City prisoners are sent either to solitary or gen pop. A special committee is appointed to investigate the riot and Governor Devlin's handling of it; the committee's leader is law-school Dean Alvah Case, who roams Oz questioning inmates and officers alike. Inside, a gen pop prisoner named James Robson demands that Beecher perform a sex act on him, and gets a painful tip in return. Case determines that the death of inmate Scott Ross during the riot was no accident--but is the truth better left untold?

Ten months after the riot, Em City is reopened. A recovered McManus creates a council of group representatives to keep order, and initiates classes to help inmates get high-school equivalency diplomas. Having been told by O'Reilly that Abedisi was responsible for his father's death, Peter Schibetta takes over the kitchen by cashing in on a favor Glynn owes the family. As Schillinger's parole hearing nears, Beecher taunts his nemesis mercilessly in an attempt to ruin Schillinger's quest for freedom. Glynn's daughter is raped by a group of Latinos, and the warden takes out his frustrations on Alvarez. O'Reilly learns he may have breast cancer.

Alvarez knows who raped Glynn's daughter, but refuses to tell the warden. Wangler is making progress at school, but his cellmate, Abedisi, isn't a fan of higher education. When Augustus Hill's judge is convicted of accepting bribes, Said takes up Hill's case and tries to get him a second trial. Diagnosed with cancer, O'Reilly goes to a hospital to get a prison-paid lumpectomy, which is cheaper than a mastectomy. The Aryans are losing credibility at Oz, so Schillinger arranges to have a tough named Vogel killed. Next on the hit list: Beecher. Finally, the prison is filled with excitement as a woman, Shirley Bellinger, arrives on death row to be executed.

Augustus Hill's court appeal is denied, despite the efforts of Said, who has better luck getting Poet's poems published. Meanwhile, O'Reily survives his lumpectomy, and now focuses his attention on Dr. Nathan. Trying to cut a deal after killing an Aryan inmate, Richie Hanlon is forced instead to admit to a murder he didn't commit. Schibetta offers Alvarez a piece of his drug biz in exchange for killing Adebisi, and Adebisi makes a counter-offer. Beecher is forced to meet with the judge who sentenced him; it appears she has a guilty conscience. Beecher's new roommate, Chris Keller, seems to hate Aryans as much as Beecher. Appearances can be misleading.

With their enmity at a boiling point, Adebisi poisons Schibetta--but not fatally. Now that his brother has turned himself in for murder, Glynn no longer owes Schibetta any favors. Sister Peter Marie figures out that Giles saw who killed her husband. Poet, now a published author, gets his parole, but Gov. Devlin still takes away funds for McManus' high-school equivalency program. When Beecher learns his wife committed suicide, Keller offers comfort, but his advances are rebuked. Meanwhile, O'Reily is in love with Dr. Nathan, and gets his brother Cyril to have her husband killed.

Schillinger attempts to enlist Said to get him out of jail. Recovered from being poisoned, Schibetta is brutalized by Adebisi, losing 'control' of Oz. Meanwhile, Alvarez is bumped out of the Latino power seat by Raoul Hernandez, a.k.a. El Cid. Jiggy Walker claims he was Gov. Devlin's personal crack dealer and the two go head-to-head in the media. Reimondo finds out Giles murdered the man who killed her husband, and Dr. Nathan confronts O'Reily about her husband's death. Meanwhile, Schillinger's plan to destroy Beecher approaches fruition.

Cyril O'Reily, Ryan's brother, is imprisoned and falls under Schillinger's control. Ryan tries to get him away into Oz, but Cyril winds up in the hole. El Cid tells Alvarez there's only one way he can 'stay in the game.' Bellinger and Adebisi have been exchanging love letters, but have never met--big mistake. Nappa, the new Mafia leader, wants Adebisi to be punished for raping his godson Peter Schibetta. Robert Sippel, a Catholic priest who spent ten years in Oz for molesting a 14-year-old boy, is released, but Poet returns.

In the Season Two finale, Wittlesey is transferred to general population and replaced by Karl Metzger, a Nazi. Mack and another Aryan try to escape through Busmalis and Rebadow's hole. Hill gets the idea of escaping Oz by hiding in a coffin. An act of violence gets Alvarez put in solitary for life. Needing a blood transfusion for Rivera, Dr. Nathan finds that only O'Reily has the same blood type; he agrees to donate...on one condition. Keller and Schillinger reveal their sordid plan of deceit to Beecher. Fortune teller Kipkemei Jara gives Adebisi hope of a new life, but is murdered by Antonio Nappa, causing Adebisi to lose his mind. Said is pardoned but heads back to Em City instead.

In the Season Three premiere, Beecher is still in the hospital after Schillinger and Keller broke his bones, Alvarez is still in solitary for blinding Rivera, Adebisi is back in the kitchen and McManus starts dating a newly arrived CO. Meanwhile, O'Reily plots revenge against Schillinger for raping his retarded brother Cyril and Beecher uses fingernail retaliation to pay back Metzger for a beating.

No one knows who killed Metzger. Meanwhile, McManus hires his friend Sean Murphy as a C.O. and he launches a boxing program. Hill faces a dilemma when a new inmate reveals that he murdered an entire Italian family. Adebisi sticks Nappa with an AIDS-infested hypodermic.

In the boxing program, O'Reily spikes Robson's spritzer bottle with drugs and Cyril knocks him out. Rebadow's mother tries to persuade him to meet his son and grandson. Meanwhile, Nappa finds out he's HIV-positive and is moved to Cell Block E. Keller wants to patch things up with Beecher, but Beecher has only one thing on his mind: killing Schillinger. And when young Andrew Schillinger comes to join daddy, Beecher's eyes grow wide.

O'Reily and Keller plot to 'take care' of Andrew. McManus is forced by the prison brass to settle Howell's sexual-harassment suit. Hanlon's murder convictions get overturned and he's allowed back in the general population--where he ends up having troubles with Vogel's pal Stanislofsky. Adebisi makes a deal with Pancamo to whack Wangler, while Wangler and Pierce plan to whack Adebisi.

Wangler 'finds out' his wife and her lover were murdered execution-style--just as planned. Meanwhile, Poet and Pierce are attacked by Hernandez, Ricardo and Guerra, who pour scalding hot water on them. Lockdown ensues, and Wangler finds himself vulnerable--and in a cell with Adebisi. Beecher nurses Andrew Schillinger through his withdrawal, and turns him against his father, leading to an ugly confrontation.

With Cyril scheduled to box Pancamo, O'Reily plans to use his spray-bottle trick, but first he must deal with Cudney. Alvarez sees the photos of Rivera's gouged-out eyes and goes nuts. New roommate Nat Ginzburg offers to be Nappa's secretary in writing his memoirs; Nat then tells Pancamo about Nappa's book plans, and Pancamo orders a hit on Nappa. Said is ostracized by his Muslim ex-followers, and is moved to Beecher's cell.

When 'State Department employee' Lana Keese visits Kosygin in solitary, it costs him his life. Adebisi accuses McManus of sexually harassing Wangler, and gets it on the news. Bellinger meets with McManus and requests execution by hanging. There's just one problem: she's pregnant. Said refuses to join Adebisi in his attempt to start an Oz race war.

Brace yourself for the explosive Season Three finale! As the new millennium approaches, things are heating up in the Emerald City as racial tensions mount. After Murphy throws Hill into the Hole, prompting outrage from Adebisi and other black inmates, Hughes asks Glynn if he ever felt like he betrayed his own 'people.' Glynn fires Hughes, but before leaving Oz, Hughes is able to deliver a millennium gift to Adebisi: a gun.

Season Four premiere. The world of Oz--an experimental prison within a prison known as the Emerald City--reopens its doors with the inmates still on a 24-hour lockdown and prison officials struggling to end the hostilities.

The African-American inmates point the finger at McManus for letting Em City get out of hand. After that and his recent erratic behavior, McManus gets the ax from Glynn. Mobay's cover is almost blown. Beecher takes Said's place testifying in court after Said refuses to wear the orange prison suit to court. Dr. Nathan agrees to participate in the interaction program with her in-laws and the O'Reilys. Gulino pays a price for demanding that Stanislofsky return his cell phone. Alvarez proves he has (at least) nine lives, and Busmalis lets him in on a little secret.

Glynn learns from Adebisi that he was given the gun by former C.O. Hughes. Morales enlists Rebadow's help in taking Hernandez's place in the drug ring run by Adebisi and Pancamo. Mobay is cornered: either take drugs to prove he's not undercover or get rubbed out. African-American community leaders talk to Glynn about getting a black man or woman to take McManus's place. The interaction program turns into a disaster thanks to an announcement by Ryan O'Reily. Schillinger learns that Beecher made the arrangements for his son to visit him--and decides to return the favor in his inimitable way.

Em City gets a new Unit Manager, Martin Querns, whose methods are hardly orthodox. Beecher's torment over his missing children is worsened when Schillinger presents him with an unexpected package. Cramer has a stroke of luck that may get him out of Oz. Sister Pete gets a visit from Frances Cardinal Abgott, who discusses her decision to leave the Order. Dr. Nathan confronts O'Reily about his involvement in a recent attack against her. Em City gets a new resident, Supreme Allah, who's definitely bad news. McManus returns to Oz in a new capacity.

As Querns implements his new course of action, the dynamics of Em City start to change, causing friction with Officer Murphy. Beecher falls deeper into depression as he wonders about the fate of his children. After dealing with Hernandez, Rebadow is infused with a new attitude. Mobay, still proving himself to Adebisi and his crew, commits a hideous crime in order to convince them that he isn't a narc. Stanislofsky attempts to get Hoyt to whack O'Reily, but the plan backfires. Father Mukada confronts Schillinger about his involvement in the abduction of Beecher's kids.

In an effort to reduce violence, white inmates are transferred out of Em City. Said and Arif talk to Querns about the negative impact of his changes, but their efforts are in vain. Mobay gets in good with Adebisi's crew...but pays a price. Officer Murphy takes a new assignment in Unit B, now under McManus' management. Officer Howell is transferred to Em City to counter the increasing lack of diversity. On death row, Ginzburg petitions to be executed early. Beecher finds out who is responsible for his children's kidnapping. Rebadow looks to exact revenge on Busmalis for escaping without him. O'Reily meets Dr. Nathan's attacker and decides to take care of him.

With everything topsy-turvy in Em City, O'Reily begins a surprising affair. Zabitz asks Schillinger for protection from Keller--who tries to get into the rehab program to make amends with Sister Pete. Beecher looks to get even with his children's kidnapper. Adebisi wields his power by going solo in the drug business. Confronted with his own demons, Arif turns to Said for guidance and leadership. Said unexpectedly pledges his allegiance to Adebisi, but plots with McManus to stop Querns' reign of terror. An enraged Hughes makes an attempt on Devlin's life at a press conference.

After Hughes' attack on Devlin, Glynn decides to withdraw from the race. Miguel Alvarez is still on the loose. Supreme Allah receives an unwanted surprise. Hill pays big time when he tells Mobay he knows he's undercover, and Mobay comes clean about his involvement in Oz's recent crimes. Considering the words of Cyril O'Reily, Sister Pete considers remaining in the Order. On death row, Deyell, angered by Miles' racial comments, decides it's time for payback. Glynn deals with Querns when he gets evidence of Em City's mismanagement, and McManus takes back his 'rightful territory.' Meanwhile, Said does the unthinkable.

A TV newsmagazine crew descends on Em City, and the results aren't quite ready for prime time. O'Reily sees the visit as his chance for revenge against the show's anchor, Jack Eldridge, who ran a negative piece on the O'Reily brothers fifteen years earlier. While Beecher and Keller argue over how much to reveal in front of the cameras, McManus tips the show's producer off that the real story lies behind Adebisi's death.

New inmate Burr Reading arrives, ready to take charge of the African-American drug scene. Dr. Nathan returns to Em City, and finds the biggest adjustment is dealing with her feelings for O'Reily. Tidd tries to strike up a deal with Schillinger. Glynn hires a new assistant named Floria Mills. The zealotry of new prisoner Jeremiah Cloutier (a former TV evangelist) is met with skepticism. Several Chinese refugees are housed in the Em City common room, where they become caught in a power struggle between Morales and Redding.

Morales looks to pit the Chinese against Redding. Alvarez offers Glynn his services as an informant as a way out of solitary. Dr. Nathan announces that Em City inmates will be selected to test a trial drug supposed to age people the same number of years as their sentences, which in turn would reduce the time actually spent behind bars. Tidd 'proves' his intentions towards Said and Arif are honorable. Barlog, Keller and Beecher become embroiled in a love triangle that intensifies when the FBI offers leniency to Barlog in exchange for testifying against Keller.

O'Reily regrets getting Cyril involved with the trial drug when it starts taking effect. Meanwhile, Giles' request for an unusual method of execution creates controversy and the Chinese refugees are deported...but not before plotting revenge on Morales.

O'Reily is in for a surprise when a visitor reveals the truth about his past, while Cyril faces trouble for his difficult behavior. Meanwhile, Morales and Redding lay out plans that could lead to all-out war in Em City.

McManus calls a superficial truce between Redding and Morales. Basil finally sees his wife, but Hughes ends up spoiling their happiness. Meanwhile, Cyril's latest outburst proves to be the last straw.

McManus finds he is unable to turn his back on White. Beecher tells the parents of the young girl he killed that he's up for parole. Howell tries to blackmail O'Reily so she can get to Cyril, but he throws her for a loop--and then O'Reily is thrown himself by a family secret.

In the Season Four finale, Hill discovers where his true allegiances lie in Oz. Redding's plot to use the Colonel against Morales has an unexpected outcome, forcing the two drug leaders to consider a real truce. Cloutier runs into trouble from both his church on the outside and his disgruntled parishioners in Oz. Hughes 'revolutionizes' Unit J. The last basketball game is a very different contest without Brass. White gets a little too close to McManus. Beecher's agony about his parole hearing leads to a shocking season climax.

The renovations may be complete, but the mayhem is starting all over again! It's a new year, and Emerald City's got a brand-new look. But inside the hearts and minds of the prisoners, Oz is just as dark and dangerous as ever. In its fifth season premiere, Oz re-opens in the wake of major renovations that had to be completed following a gas explosion. Rev. Cloutier--who had been bricked up behind a wall--barely survives the blast. Meanwhile, Arif wants O'Reily blamed for O'Keenan's death, but O'Reily has other plans in mind.

McManus thinks White may reform if he spends quality time with Said; Alvarez offers Guerra a unique solution to their dispute; O'Reily's mother, Suzanne Fitzgerald, begins a community service term teaching music at Oz; and the FBI stirs up trouble over Hank Schillinger's death.

Brass wants to know who cut his tendon; Redding and Morales form another uneasy alliance; the burned Rev. Cloutier's mysterious influence over his followers grows more intriguing; and Keller returns to Oz, only to be hit with an ID from an old murder charge.

Penders, Hill and Alvarez are given a chance to train seeing-eye dogs; Martinez gives Brass a 'cocktail' he definitely didn't order; the love triangle between Beecher, McClain and Keller becomes more complicated; and two new young inmates become pawns in a battle between Blacks and Aryans.

Robson stirs up problems between White and Said. Meanwhile, Pancamo's illness might save some work for his enemies, Schillinger makes a friendly but suspicious overture towards Beecher, and Morales seeks revenge on his sister's abusive husband.

As Cyril's trial gets off to an inauspiciously cold start, tensions between Mukada and Kirk come to a boil. Also, a priest named Meehan lands in Oz while White and Said turn over a new leaf in their relationship. McManus comes up with a potential solution for Rebadow's dying grandson.

Hill's recovery leads to renewed friction between Redding and Morales, Alvarez gets his wish as the 'Man's Best Friend' program is finished and Meehan presents some revolutionary ideas to help Cyril. Meanwhile, Beecher's attempt to help Guenzel doesn't work as planned and Martinez seems close to spilling the beans about Brass.

In the Season Five finale, Robson goes to extremes to remedy his gum dilemma, Meanwhile, McManus struggles with personal turmoil over his decision to stay at Oz and Rebadow deals with his grandson's fate. Busmalis gets a huge surprise from his former fiancee and an agreement between Morales and Urbano ends in trouble for another prisoner.

In the Season Six premiere, Alvarez and Schillinger are released from solitary and placed back into the general population. Meanwhile, a mourning Rebadow's spirits get a lift when he is transferred to the library and meets the new librarian, Stella Coffo.

The unexpected arrival of Mayor Wilson Loewen at Oz spurs an ironic turn involving Schillinger and Beecher. Meanwhile, Dr. Nathan discovers why solitary inmates are getting sick. A new business plan within Oz inspires Redding, and some Death Row prisoners get a bang out of a magazine shoot.

Schillinger has a disappointing visit with Mayor Loewen. Glynn has to face the truth about the toxic-poisoning problem within Oz. Down in solitary, Officer Brass spends some quality time with Morales. Meanwhile, Cyril O'Reily undergoes an unusual method of therapy, and Said gets more than he bargained for in leading the Muslims into a new business venture.

Glynn receives mixed news on the toxic-poisoning problem. Meanwhile, Rebadow's relationship with the new librarian Stella hits a snag, Keller and Beecher work out an agreement, and Robson finally gets some redemption.

Everyone in Em City has a different opinion of the newest inmate, Idzik. Meanwhile, Alvarez receives some shocking news, Murphy makes a confession to Glynn, and Beecher finds himself in a perilous position as a result of his devotion to Keller.

New inmate Idzik faces his enemies and requests a transfer. Meanwhile, the Loewen case grows increasingly complicated, the Muslims run into business trouble, and the inmate population comes together to support the O'Reilys.

Three new inmates arrive at Oz, one of whom is particularly close to the O'Reily clan. Meanwhile, the Keller-Beecher-Schillinger triangle gets even more pointed, and an awards banquet ends in a fateful discovery.

In the final episode of this hit drama series, Oz is in upheaval following the return of Martin Querns. Meanwhile, Howell and Robson each receive troubling news, Mukada answers an unsolved mystery, and the O'Reilys struggle to make amends. Finally, the prison production of 'Macbeth' ends with a staggering final act.