9. The Tightening

Red, coming down from her drug high, is nursed by Nicky, who believes Red's warnings about Piscatella being in the prison are hallucinations. Piscatella, in full riot gear, attacks Blanca in a utility room. Inmates soon begin disappearing one by one, including Nicky and Boo. Gloria begs Caputo—who is locked in a Porta-Potty —to give her furlough to see her son, but Caputo states he cannot help her until she lets the hostages go. After Boo disappears, Linda desperately seeks out Caputo, who is let out by Taystee to back up the inmates' claim of slave labor to Figueroa.

Morello, hurt by Nicky's comments that her pregnancy is all in her head, convinces Suzanne to stop taking her psych medicine. Red finds Frieda's map to her secret bunker, and she accidentally discovers Piscatella's prisoners while on her way there. However, while trying to free them, Piscatella arrives. Flashback: In the late 1970s, Red is in the Soviet Union working a menial factory job. Her rebellious friend, Nadezhda, suddenly vanishes. Red's ex-boyfriend, Dmitri—whom she had dumped for being too dull—proposes they lie about being Jewish in order to escape to the United States, as Jews were being allowed to immigrate to countries other than Israel.