'Orange Is the New Black' season 4 news, spoilers: 'OITNB' takes on Black Lives Matter, stuns with tragic death

"Orange Is the New Black" season 4 ended with what may be the show's most shocking finale to date.

The season 4 ender, titled "Toast Can't Never Be Bread Again," which dedicated binge-watchers of the Netflix prison comedy/drama saw this weekend, left fans reeling after it killed off one of the show's most beloved characters in a particularly horrible and senseless manner.

Fan favorite Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley), the smart and kind bookworm whose friendship with her prison bestie Taystee (Danielle Brooks) has delighted fans since season 1, died during a prison riot.

In the heartbreaking and provocative episode, which echoed the various real-life incidents that propelled the Black Lives Matter movement, Poussey died after trying to help Suzanne (Uzo Aduba), whose behavior had been growing increasingly erratic. Bayley (Alan Aisenberg), an untrained prison guard, pinned her down with his knee, putting his entire body weight on her slim frame and accidentally suffocating her.

By the time Suzanne was subdued and taken away, Poussey was lying lifeless on the floor of the cafeteria, where her body was left for almost an entire day as the prison tried to figure out how to explain the situation to the public.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wiley spoke about her character becoming the latest "Orange Is the New Black" casualty.

"This season means the most to me," she said. "It's the most special season that I have had on this show."

"The writing for me is great," she said about season 4. "The message that all of our cast is telling with this season and my part in it, I couldn't ask for anything better."

Speaking with Vulture, the actress talked about "OITNB" creator Jenji Kohan's decision to tackle the Black Lives Matter movement.

"Some people who love 'Orange Is the New Black' don't know what Black Lives Matter is," she said. "They don't have a black friend and they don't have a gay friend, but they know Poussey from TV and they feel just like you said — you feel like you knew her."

While fans have been saddened and outraged by Poussey's death, the character's legacy will live on in the series. It has also become an invaluable tool in making a much-needed statement about social injustice.

As MTV News noted, Poussey's death paralleled many unnecessary real-life deaths. The way in which the character was restrained and acidentally suffocated reflected the way Eric Garner died in New York City. The way her body was left where it was for almost 24 hours reflected the aftermath of Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri. And the way in which her name was not even mentioned in the prison's statement reflected the events following Sandra Bland's death in Waller County, Texas.

"Orange Is the New Black" season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.