# Oz - what!? \*spoilers\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 17, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558 "2003-02-17T03:14:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/1 "2003-02-17T03:14:38Z")
OK Oz used to be my favorite show, but I must say this season sucks. It sucks so bad I’m compelled to write about it here. It’s become a cartoon (figuratively)! _spoilers beyond_Seriously, the janitor killed Glynn! Beecher’s back in jail, Cyril got a stay of execution, Ryan’s been pussified, Said’s dead, the Itzig-White plot was weird, the Aryan’s don’t do much anymore and Alvarez is in love. Is this going anywhere interesting, or are the writers just slacking off cause its the last season? What does everyone else think? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/2 "2003-02-17T18:58:32Z")
Ryan’s also turned into a _really_ bad actor. He had a heart ot heart with his mom that had me metally re-speaking his lines in my head because he sounded like a highschool kid that was reading out of a book. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/3 "2003-02-17T19:53:33Z")
Well, **Qwertyasdfg** , you’ve only got one more episode to watch the show go down the proverbial tubes. It is 100 minutes long, however, so plan accordingly. I think the Alvarez/Cutler’s widow romance is totally from left field (sort of like Glynn and McManus’s ex-wife); we still haven’t found out why Cutler left everything to him in the first place. Will Alvarez be paroled or not, what with Torquemada trying to pull him back in? I wasn’t sure how I wanted Glynn to end up. I suppose it was fitting he ended up shanked at his awards banquet, but I was expecting something a little more spectacular for the worst warden in history. The Beecher-Keller-Schillinger triangle is of interest, since I never can tell what the hell Keller’s going to do and when he’s on screen the air around him crackles. Beecher also seems to be fraying severely around the mental edges, and I think I caught of glimpse of him fighting in the previews for the finale. I bet everyone’s probably fighting, though. As far as the series finale, I’m going to take the path of least resistance and accept whatever Tom Fontana decides to throw at me. Will anyone be purchasing episode-flogged [Journal of Augustus Hill](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060521333/qid=1045511480/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-0685968-0763168)? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/4 "2003-02-17T20:25:33Z")
I sort of stumbled onto Oz just this year thru being a Sopranos fan. I’ve been a bit confused on certain plot lines this season, so I went and rented DVDs of earlier seasons. But I’ve only been able to find Seasons 1 and 2. Any idea if Seasons 3-5 are on DVD yet? It sure seems like a lot of highly unlikely coincidences are converging on the finale. Gotta watch it, though… ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/5 "2003-02-17T20:42:41Z")
Only the first two seasons have been released on DVD so far. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/6 "2003-02-17T21:21:40Z")
Fibber: Thanks. Seems strange-- you can get all the Sopranos episodes on DVD, but I guess that show is lot more popular. ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/7 "2003-02-18T02:58:23Z")
Who wants to lay odds that the last scene of the final ep will be that scuzzbag of a governor arriving for his stay in Oz? ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/8 "2003-02-18T03:20:10Z")
Fibber, I think you may have something there. I thought would let Leo figure out that the Governor was behind the Mayor’s slaying. But no, he was stabbed to death, in his office, by some two bit geek. How many times can this show jump? Btw, why the hell were they having a black tie function at the prison? I used to think this was the best show in the history of … well that’s a little too much. But the first two seasons, and even through the boxing thing, it was pretty good. It just ran out of steam. Now it’s like a car wreck. I cringe at half the stuff going on – starting with Rebidou and Ms LaPone. But I’ve never missed an episode, and I’ll watch the final show on Sunday. I hope they can return to something close to what they once had. ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/9 "2003-02-18T03:48:50Z")
Oh yeah, the production of MacBeth with Schillinger as MacBeth and Beecher as Mac Duff? Most. Obvious. Set. Up. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/10 "2003-02-18T03:58:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kevja \* > \*\* > I hope they can return to something close to what they once had. \*\* I think it’s a bit late for that but, you know, the stupidity and chessiness and the ridiculousness of it all is part of why I love this show. I am sort of dissappointed in the way they killed off Kareem Said though. It was a great disservice to the character, and this Itzich (or however it’s spelled) guy who killed him is a waste of time and space. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/11 "2003-02-18T07:27:17Z")
I agree completely, except that my moment of “Oh jesus fucking christ I’ve ignored reams of ludicrous contrivances, but you CANNOT be expecting me to take this seriously!” was when White spent two hours in the prison library and discerned the meaning of life from his complete and virtually instant understanding of advanced astrophysics. I nearly threw shoes at the TV set. ---
**Author:** ![Blackhawkeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@Blackhawkeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackhawkeye)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/12 "2003-02-18T07:49:24Z")
Since when is Omar White that smart??? That was ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/13 "2003-02-18T14:43:53Z")
I am in agreement with most of you here. This season has sucked, and each week has been more and more outrageous. I too am a loyal Oz fan, but I’m glad they are ending it. I wish they would have ended it two seasons ago… it is just leaving a bad taste in my mouth. A parole question… how in the world was Beecher allowed to meet with Keller (and other inmates) while he was on probation? Isn’t that a parole violation (spending time with convicted felons?) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/14 "2003-02-18T14:54:02Z")
Presumably the inmate’s right to representation was factored in to the decision to allow Beecher to visit the prison on criminal issues. This doesn’t, however, explain why he would be allowed in on civil matters since there is no civil right to representation. Were it me I would stay as far away as possible. I don’t get hung up on procedural questions on this show. It is a cartoon as far as I’m concerned. It’s not drama; it’s eye candy. It’s gay porn designed for mass consumption. Which is why my gripe for this season is the severe reduction in the volume of pickle shots. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/15 "2003-02-18T14:57:28Z")
**Stink Fish Pot** , you might as well ask then how scores of people are murdered in Oz without anyone investigating (the pot-brownies guy, for example.) I agree with everyone that the Omar White thing was ludicrous. I think the show’s problem, now that I think about it, is that they covered all the major aspects of prison life in the first few seasons (Beecher becoming Schillenger’s bitch, the riot, capital punishment, drugs etc) leaving the last two seasons grasping at straws. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/16 "2003-02-18T15:24:06Z")
I agree that this season has been ludicrously plotted (David Chase and Joss Whedon need to teach Tom Fontana how to maintain a multi-episode story arc), and I also agree with **Otto** that there has been a severe deficiency in full frontal schlongage. The show could have been a significant examination of the flaws of the criminal justice system in America, but instead Fontana has created a sad, disjointed farrago of improbable plot twists, like the Maxim magazine fashion shoot which not-so-coincidentally was featured in a tie-in photo spread in the real Maxim. Fontana starts plot threads and leaves them hanging, and he wastes sensational actors like Patti Lupone and Joel Grey in nothing roles. (I would have liked to have seen Lupone, Grey, and Rita Moreno perform together in last season’s musical episode). I have seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, and I may buy season three, bnut that’s where I’ll stop. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/17 "2003-02-18T15:51:16Z")
My suspension of disbleief started to wane when to casualty level just got too high. There is no way that a prison with such a high body count – both prisoners and guards – would not be investigated and shut down. The occasional knifing, or brutal fight, I can believe, but walling up Luke Perry with concrete blocks… it started getting silly. It was getting to be almost one dead body or serious maiming (e.g. arm ripped off, eyes poked out) per episode! So the whole psychological prison drama aspect took a backseat to senstaional gore. Lost its intrigue for me. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/18 "2003-02-18T18:14:31Z")
I have to agree with what everyone has said so far - plus, new characters arrive and have the life expectancy of a fruit-fly, at best. And really - Omar suddenly comprehending the mystery of life in under 3 hours at a prison library? I think they should have saved that Irish terrorist bomb story for the final episode and just killed them all off in one big bang. There aren’t even that many people left to kill in the final episode, so who knows how they are going to fill up 100 minutes. Too bad - it was a good show for a few seasons. Oh well, guess we’ll just have to wait and see how they wrap it up…maybe the final two prisoners to enter OZ will be Osama and Martha Stewart? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/19 "2003-02-22T12:23:45Z")
I like oz, but i’m tired of the plots building up to nothing. They say a race war will occur, then nothing happens Someone builds a bomb, then it doesn’t go off Cyril is put in the electric chair, but then he is given a stay Schillinger tries to kill Beecher, and fails They should have killed off more main characters, just to keep the show fresh. Schillinger being a punk like Robson ended up being would have been entertaining. I should start a post on this. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558/20 "2003-02-22T13:04:25Z")
I think I saw on an HBO special that this is the final season, and that’s why everything is coming apart the way it is. The surprises have only just begun. They are dismantiling the show right before our eyes. Frankly, it’s a refreshing way to end a series. Sort of T. S. Elliotish. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-what-spoilers/155558.md?page=2)