OZ: An Overview

[rowanfairchild.livejournal.com]

Note: I've heard some concerns from European fen who have not yet seen S6, so, I'm *not* spoiling the final season. But keep in mind that OZ *is* a serial, so describing the characters in any depth will almost necessarily spoil certain events if you've never seen the show. My major aim here isn't to so much to synopsize plot lines, but to try and give a sense of the overall production and enough of a feeling for some of the major characters and relationships that you'll want to seek out more. For people who really crave nitty gritty detail, there are links to episode guides, show transcripts, etc. in the "Fandom" section.

This came out a little longer than I expected. *g*



Overview:
Set inside the experimental Cellblock 5 unit (a/k/a "Emerald City") of fictional Oswald Maximum Security Prison, HBO's legendary prison drama OZ, is a dark, addictive blend of scathing social commentary and testosterone-fueled soap opera. Explore love, hate, and everything inbetween. There are no easy answers, no clean solutions, and no moral absolutes in OZ: each 8-episode season is packed with dozens of intersecting storylines as inmates and staff alike struggle to get through their days and nights in one piece, and without losing too much of their souls.

As an extra bonus for angst-loving slash fans, canon couple Tobias Beecher and Chris Keller burn up the screen with smoldering stares and hot kisses (when they're not busy trying to kill one another, that is. *g*) And if those boys aren't your cup of tea, OZ's large, diverse cast provide loads of other charming, devious playthings to choose from -- see the "Fandom" section for a few possible combos.

Now I'm gonna say this up front before someone accuses me of not giving fair warning: OZ pushed all the boundaries for graphic content on television, even by HBO standards. Yes, this means lots of remarkably casual full-frontal male nudity. But violence and profanity also abound. As you might expect from a show set inside a maximum security prison, some of the subject matter is pretty rough, and includes occasional nonconsensual sex, and some gruesome murders. If you've got a very low squick threshold or offend easily? OZ is probably *not* the show for you.

But with that out of the way... if you've got a good stomach, appreciate warped, dark humor, and like the idea of hot bad boys embroiled in intensely charged dysfunctional relationships? Throw out that wonky moral compass, you're in for one hell of a ride!



OB Nekkid guys:

Keller and Beecher getting acquainted.

Augustus Hill and Kareem Said have a heart to heart.

Miguel Alvarez bares all to Father Mukada.

And a little smoochy stuff:







Characters
I'm not even going to try to describe all the players who pass through the corridors of OZ. There are way too many, both because it's a true ensemble show, and because we, uh, lose a bunch along the way. *g* So, I'm just going to concentrate on a few of the inmates and staff you're most likely to run across in fanfiction stories.


Inmates:

Tobias Beecher (Prisoner No. 97B412)
Played by: Lee Tergesen
Convicted July 5, 1997: Driving while intoxicated, vehicular manslaughter. Sentence: 15 years. Up for parole in four.
Harvard educated lawyer Tobias Beecher's once privileged life is forever changed when he is sentenced to 15 years in OZ for the drunk driving death of a young girl. Completely lacking in street smarts when he lands in prison, Beecher is "pragged" by Aryan Brotherhood leader Vern Schillinger -- raped, humiliated, and branded as property. Beecher's wife divorces him, and later commits suicide, unable to cope with the disgrace of his incarceration. But Beecher's trials soon begin to uncover the fiercer, more resilient man lurking beneath his seemingly meek exterior. Broken down to the point of mental instability, Beecher undergoes a radical transformation, lashing back against his tormentor, Schillinger, and the two engage in a back and forth revenge-war that will prove over the course of the show's run, to be unbearably costly to the lives and families of both men. It is also through Schillinger, that Beecher will come to know Christopher Keller -- and begin perhaps the most unconventional romance ever televised.


Beecher goes through many phases during his time in OZ, in his continual search for solace. He seems to have a true addict's personality, whether it's his original vice: alcohol, other drugs, his dysfunctional and codependent love affair with Keller, or indiscriminate sex (when split from Keller). Beecher also develops strong friendships with spiritual advisors, Sister Peter Marie Reimundo and Muslim leader Kareem Said. Beecher's family include his wife, Genevieve, young children Holly and Gary (and we later learn of a baby, Harry), parents Harrison and Victoria, younger brother Angus, and a grandmother.


Ryan O'Reily (Prisoner No. 97P904)
Played by: Dean Winters
Convicted July 12, 1997: Two counts, vehicular manslaughter; five counts, reckless endangerment; possession of controlled substances; criminal possession of a weapon; parole violation. Sentence: Life imprisonment. Up for parole in 12.
"The Lord of the Fucking Dance" -- Ryan O'Reily is OZ's master manipulator and leader of the Irish inmates. Ryan is constantly scheming to defend his piece of the drug trade and his relatively comfortable way of life inside OZ. His plans generally revolve around setting his enemies and competition against one another without any apparent personal involvement. When all is said and done, Ryan is either directly, or indirectly responsible for the majority of deaths in OZ . Partnerships of convenience with first Simon Adebisi, and later, Chris Keller result in the most mayhem.

Stricken by breast cancer in the second season, Ryan falls in love with prison physician Dr. Gloria Nathan and arranges for his brain-damaged younger brother Cyril (played by Dean Winters' real life brother, Scott William) to murder Dr. Nathan's husband. The plot is unraveled when Cyril is caught and sent to OZ for the murder, leaving Ryan struggling both to care for his vulnerable brother, and to get Dr. Nathan to forgive him and return his affection. Although he takes a pragmatically cavalier attitude towards the lives of most people, Ryan is deeply protective of his loved ones -- Cyril, Dr. Nathan, and his mother, Suzanne Fitzgerald.



Christopher Keller (Prisoner No. 98K415)
Played by: Christopher Meloni
Convicted June 16, 1998: Felony murder, 2 counts attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, driving while under the influence, reckless driving. Sentence: 88 years. Up for parole in 50.
The sexy, charming, con man and killer Chris Keller was originally slated to only have a brief role on OZ, as part of a Season 2 revenge plot set up by Vern Schillinger to destroy his former "prag", Tobias Beecher. But the explosive chemistry generated between Keller and his intended mark, convinced OZ creator Tom Fontana to continue Keller's role, and the erotically charged, highly twisted Beecher/Keller romance quickly became a highlight of the show.


Seduction is second nature to Keller, and he'll turn his charms on anybody of either gender he thinks can help him further his plans -- including a nun (Sister Peter Marie). But once he falls in love with Tobias Beecher, that relationship becomes Keller's true all-consuming passion. He will eliminate any one he perceives as a threat to himself or Beecher, even when the two are on the outs. Keller, um, racks up a pretty serious body count over the seasons. A series of murders Keller committed prior to his incarceration in OZ leads to his dogged pursuit by FBI Special Agent "Spanky" Taylor and he eventually lands on Death Row. Although he acknowledges murdering men after having sex with them, the subject of whether or not Keller is actually a serial killer in the manner alleged by Agent Taylor, is one of considerable debate among fans. Keller's past and family history is largely enigmatic: we know he had a sexual relationship with Vern Schillinger in Lardner prison at the age of 17, and he was married 4 times to three different women -- all of whom still pay him physically affectionate visits in OZ.



Miguel Alvarez (Prisoner No. 97A413)
Played by: Kirk Acevedo
Convicted February 3, 1997: Assault with a deadly weapon; criminal mischief in the second degree. Sentence: 15 years. Up for parole in two.
Miguel Alvarez's perpetual troubles in OZ begin on his first day, when he is shanked in the holding pen before even being brought into Em City. Miguel is the third generation of the Alvarez family in OZ -- both his father and grandfather are fellow inmates -- although he has little to do with either of them. Arrested alongside his pregnant girlfriend, Maritza, things for Alvarez truly begin to spiral down when the baby is born seriously ill and eventually dies. Alvarez has continual problems with his El Norte gang-mates who hassle him for being too light skinned and too 'pretty' to fit in. After gouging out the eyes of Correctional Officer Eugene Rivera (which he is challenged to do as a proof of loyalty to his gang), Alvarez is placed in solitary confinement where his mental state deteriorates and he is starved by the other Correctional Officers as revenge for having disabled one of their own. Early on, Alvarez develops an intense connection with Father Ray Mukada although that relationship languishes in later seasons.



Kareem Said a.k.a. Goodson Truman (Prisoner No. 97S444)
Played by: Eamonn Walker
Convicted June 6, 1997: Arson in the second degree. Sentence: 18 years. Up for parole in five.
Muslim leader Kareem Said is already a well-known author and activist when he lands in OZ. He informs Em City manager Tim McManus right off the bat, that he aims to do whatever he can to protest and disrupt what he views as the intrinsically racist, corrupt, and hopelessly flawed prison system. And indeed, Said leads the inmates of Em City into a major riot to end the first season of OZ. Over time, Said undergoes humbling experiences. He risks leadership challenges and ostracism by his fellow Muslims for the intense (albeit chaste) romantic attachment he develops towards Tricia Ross, the sister of a white inmate killed during the riot. His followers also express concern over the close friendship Said develops with Tobias Beecher, who comes to Said seeking spiritual guidance. Tension within the Said-Beecher friendship centers around Said's disapproval of Beecher's homosexual liaisons -- especially Beecher's ongoing love for Chris Keller.

As the most visible black leader in OZ, Said frequently butts heads with Tim McManus and prison management over various political and social issues. Said also has troubles with Vern Schillinger and the neo-Nazi Aryan Brotherhood gang. But the most personally troubling opponent Said must face, is the leader of OZ's black drug dealers, Simon Adebisi.



Vern Schillinger (Prisoner No. 92S110)
Played by: J.K. Simmons
Convicted October 21, 1992: Aggravated assault in the first degree. Sentence: eight years. Up for parole in five.
Sadistic neo-Nazi and leader of the Aryan Brotherhood gang, Vern Schillinger is a guy OZ fans love to hate. In the first season, Schillinger "prags" defenseless Tobias Beecher -- raping him, branding him with a swastika, and humiliating him repeatedly in public. Rape is a regular power/intimidation tactic for Schillinger, and he is one of OZ's worst offenders. Beecher, however, turns out to be more than Schillinger bargained for -- and the constantly escalating war between Schillinger and Beecher costs both men immeasurably.

A dedicated racist, Schillinger and his cronies have repeated run-ins with OZ's black inmates, most notably the Muslims led by Kareem Said. Schillinger is also hated passionately by Ryan O'Reily for the rape of his brain-damaged brother, Cyril. Schillinger and the Aryans are all eventually shipped out of Emerald City and housed in Unit B (but inmates from all units still mix in OZ's common areas like the dining hall, gym, library, and showers.) The Aryan Brotherhood also run the mailroom, and so have occasion to access most of the prison. Vern's wife is reported to be dead. He has a cantankerous father, and two messed-up sons in late adolescence: Andrew and Hank. We later learn of a sister.



Simon Adebisi (Prisoner No. 93A234)
Played by: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Convicted May 2, 1993: Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Another brilliant bad guy, Simon Adebisi is Emerald City's chief drug lord and party-animal extrodinaire. Devious and clever far beyond what his enemies tend to give him credit for, Adebisi's plots are not limited to his drug-dealing competition -- he reaches right upstairs into OZ's centers of power to consolidate his own position of privilege -- at one point engineering a near-complete takeover of Em City for himself and his followers. At first a seeming ally of Ryan O'Reily's in wresting the drug trade from the traditional control of the Italian Mafia, Adebisi undergoes a radical change after meeting a mysterious African mentor, and he embraces a racially-based philosophy that he hopes will include partnership with Muslim leader Kareem Said. But Said is morally outraged by Adebisi's freewheeling hedonism (aside from wild drug use, Adebisi, like Vern Schillinger, uses rape as a weapon of intimidation and control, and keeps "prags".) Ryan O'Reily is not thrilled by the direction Adebisi is taking things either, and he and Chris Keller devise their own plan for toppling Adebisi's power base.



Augustus Hill (Prisoner No. 95H522)
Played by: Harold Perrineau
Convicted November 6, 1995: Possession of illegal substances; murder in the second degree. Sentence: life imprisonment. Up for parole in 20.
I can't leave this section without making at least quick mention of Augustus Hill, the show's narrator, and in many ways, the voice of conscience among the inmates. Paralyzed in a fall running to escape the police, Hill is confined to a wheelchair, which makes him the perfect observer. His commentary segments both open and close each show, as well as offering connecting threads between the various "chapters" of action.


Staff:


Tim McManus (Administrator, Cell Block 5 --"Emerald City" )
Played by: Terry Kinney
The experimental Emerald City unit is Tim McManus' baby -- his creation. He gets to hand-pick which inmates will reside in Em City -- which confers greater freedoms to the residents than ordinary units. McManus has the bad habit of sleeping with women he works with -- including Dr. Gloria Nathan, Officer Diane Whittlesey, and most disastrously, Officer Claire Howell, who hits him with a sexual harassment suit when he declines to continue sleeping with her. Taking advantage of his prior harassment suit, inmate Simon Adebisi engineers a plot in which a young prisoner, Kenny Wangler accuses McManus of improper sexual conduct, and McManus briefly loses control of Em City to Martin Querns. McManus' best friend is head CO Sean Murphy.


Sister Peter Marie Reimondo (Psychologist)
Played by: Rita Moreno
"Sister Pete" as she is commonly known, is in charge of OZ's psych department, and leads the drug rehab, and victim/offender interaction programs. She's also a Catholic nun. Sr. Pete was married earlier in her life, and clues to the murder of her husband begin to emerge in the crazed ramblings of inmate William Giles. She is vehemently anti-death penalty, and her stance causes her to come into conflict with Warden Glynn on more than one occasion. She enjoys close friendship with fellow staff members Father Ray Mukada, and Dr. Gloria Nathan.

Sr. Pete takes on Tobias Beecher as her office assistant in the first season, and before long the two develop a strong bond. Sr. Pete questions her vows and considers quitting the convent after a series of sessions counseling Chris Keller leave her recognizing lust in her heart. When she becomes aware that Keller purposely manipulated her affections in his quest to get back together with Beecher, Sr. Pete is furious, and her anger not only causes her to cut Keller off, but also affects her relationship with Beecher. Eventually, she and Keller reconcile, and she appears to come to accept Beecher and Keller's relationship.


Leo Glynn (Warden)
Played by: Ernie Hudson
Warden Glynn is the no-nonsense head administrator at Oswald. He is constantly beset by headaches: problem inmates, squabbling staff, budgetary issues, and Governor Devlin breathing down his neck. Glynn also has skeletons in his closet. A run at Lt. Governor alongside Devlin distracts Glynn during the 4th season, allowing inmate Simon Adebisi to lever Tim McManus out as Emerald City Administrator, and gain influence over the unit through new manager Martin Querns.


Dr. Gloria Nathan (Head prison physician)
Played by: Lauren Velez
Dr. Nathan runs the infirmary/hospital ward in OZ and oversees the health care needs of the inmates. She is continually having to battle red tape, cost cutting measures, and questionable programs and policies forced on her by Governor Devlin and prison administration. Dr. Nathan becomes Ryan O'Reily's object of obsession after she treats him for cancer in S2. Even though she didn't have a great relationship with her husband, she is horrified and repulsed when Ryan orchestrates his murder. Later the victim of a violent rape near her home, Dr. Nathan's feelings about O'Reily become more complicated when she discovers that her attacker was sent to OZ, and promptly murdered by O'Reily to avenge her.


Officer Diane Wittlesey (Head CO for Em City in S1 & S2)
Played by: Edie Falco
Diane Wittlesey is a hard working single mother trying her best to make ends meet. Wittlesey shows no particular relish for her career, but she is a solid professional until compromises begin to creep into her life. She is blackmailed by inmate Scott Ross, a running mate of her ex-husband's, into smuggling cigarettes. She also enters into an ill-advised affair with Tim McManus. Wittlesey is investigated for the shooting death of Scott Ross following the riot that ends OZ's first season, and eventually abandons her former life to impulsively marry a man she meets on vacation in England.

Officer Sean Murphy (Head CO for Em City from S3 on)
Played by: Robert Clohessy
After Diane Whittlesey leaves OZ, Tim McManus selects his old friend Sean Murphy to become his new right hand. Like Wittlesey before him, Murphy has a reputation for being tough, but fair -- although he shows slight favoritism to Ryan O'Reily as a fellow Irishman.

Father Ray Mukada (Chaplain)
Played by: B.D. Wong
Sensitive, but far from wimpy, Catholic priest Father Mukada wades into the toughest spiritual messes with the inmates of OZ. He becomes particularly invested in helping Miguel Alvarez, counseling him through the loss of his baby, and figuring out that the CO's in Solitary are starving him. Quite human, Mukada is not above the occasional curse or cigarette, and he finds himself in a jealous rivalry with inmate Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier over the conversion of another prisoner.

Officer Claire Howell (Corrections Officer)
Played by: Kristin Rohde
Hard as nails, and with a fast hand on her nightstick, Claire Howell has no interest in playing nice. Almost as soon as she is hired, Howell puts the moves on Tim McManus, then hits him with a harrasment suit when he tries to stop seeing her. Howell also makes a habit of extracting sexual favors from prisoners in exchange for preferential treatment. Ryan O'Reily is her favorite target for a while, but she also manages to have her way with Chris Keller, and an unknown number of inmates in Solitary.


Special Mentions:

Miss Sally -- The well-endowed host of the inmates' favorite TV show, a children's program called "Miss Sally's Schoolyard". The prisoners gather daily to admire Miss Sally's bouncy antics, and make rude, speculative comments regarding the sex lives of puppets Nooter and Pecky.

Governor James Devlin -- A weasley, cynical, scheming politician who is not above playing dirty to keep his poll ratings up. Devlin frequently seems to consider the incarcerated to be less than entirely human.

Suzanne Fitzgerald -- The real mother of prisoner Ryan O'Reily. Suzanne Fitzgerald was married to O'Reily's abusive father, Seamus, but abandoned the family when Ryan was a baby to engage in radical activism. On the run from the law for decades, Suzanne introduced herself to Ryan (who had never known of her existence), and then turned herself in. She serves out a community service sentence in OZ, running a special program to bring music and arts to the inmates. Ryan is wary and suspicious of Suzanne at first, but they grow to have a strong bond. Suzanne also becomes a surrogate mother to Ryan's brother Cyril.

Martin Querns -- Querns is brought in to run Em City after inmate Simon Adebisi engineers Tim McManus' ouster. Querns strikes a deal allowing Adebisi near-autonomous control of Em City so long as a politically ass-covering record of 'no violence' is maintained. Querns follows Adebisi's suggestions to begin transferring white inmates and possible rivals out to other units, while transferring Adebisi's allies in. Recognizing the change in the air, Ryan O'Reily and Chris Keller hatch one plot to topple the Querns/Adebisi regin, while Muslim leader Kareem Said works at the problem from another angle.




Fandom:
You may have heard about troubles in this fandom from a few years ago. Not to sound naive, but I wasn't there, and don't see much point in rehashing hearsay. What I *can* tell you is that at present, there is a fairly small, but vibrant community of writers producing some kickass fanfiction about a kickass show. Come and join us! The first two seasons of OZ should be available for rental at major video stores, with more seasons on the way. HBO also reruns various seasons fairly often.

The official HBO OZ site has a current schedule, as well as not-bad ep guides and character bios.

By far, the most popular pairing in fanfiction is the canon m/m couple: Beecher/Keller. But you can find gen stories centered around many other characters, and many other combinations of pairings (Alvarez/O'Reily, Alvarez/Mukada, O'Reily/Murphy, Adebisi/O'Reily, Beecher/Schillinger, just to name a few of the slash parings I've run across, O'Reily/Dr.Nathan (a/k/a Ry/Glo) and McManus/Whittlesey on the het side.)

OZ-related Links:

Anne's excellent and comprehensive OZ fandom links page which she updates monthly. Includes links to show info sites, discussion groups, actor sites, individual fanfic author sites, transcripts and episode guides, etc.

Fiction Archives:

The New Unit B OZ Fanfiction Archive -- Now an active author-driven upload-it-yourself archive accepting slash/gen/het stories about all characters and all ratings. The old Unit-B mailing list's archive has been rolled into the new Unit B archive.

The Bleeding Shamrock -- An archive dedicated to Ryan O'Reily-centered fiction.

Many older stories may be found at:
Cellblock 5 Archive



Mailing lists and LJ communities:

Yahoo! Groups
Twisted Sisterhood -- Keller (and by extension, Beecher/Keller) focused.
TSXF -- fiction-only adjunct to the Twisted Sisterhood list.
Cellblock 5 -- general Oz discussion. Includes fiction. Slash-friendly, but not slash-dedicated.
OZLW -- active OZ Lyric Wheel fanfiction community. Challenges run on a schedule, but anyone can join at any time to read or comment on past entries.
Miguel and Ryan -- Alvarez/O'Reily pairing centered list. Fiction and discussion.
Unit B -- general Oz, non-Beecher/Keller centered (currently inactive)
Beyond the Rainbow -- picture/screencap archive


LJ:
hardtime100 -- weekly drabble and monthly flashfiction community
oz_interaction -- discussion group for the show and characters (not fanfic focused)
oz_rapsheet -- community reporting journal about any OZ-related news (actors, creators, icons, fic announcements, etc.)
ozrecs -- OZ fanfiction recs community