God's Chillin'

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Season 1, Episode 3, "God's Chillin". Directed by Jean de Segonzac, written by Tom Fontana.

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Contents

[edit] Brief Synopsis

Jefferson Keane begins to tire of the gangster lifestyle, upset by the endless violence in his life, and eventually converts to Islam. Meanwhile, the prison is under harsh scrutiny from the Governor and the media about the rash of murders which have taken place there. The situation only gets worse when federal investigators come in after a Latino inmate die at the hands of Jefferson Keane; however, he was set up by O'Reilly to gain favor with the Italians.

Meanwhile, Beecher begins to use drugs to mentally escape Schillinger's torment, and Miguel Alvarez' baby is born with a bad liver and other problems, due to the drugs that his girlfriend Maritza used during pregnancy.

[edit] Extended Synopsis

Hill describes the beginning of the Universe, explaining that God created Himself a territory where he could be a "big shot." In Oz, the Father Mukada is holding services for Johnny Post, killed by the Italians in Visits, Conjugal and Otherwise. The picture displayed at the altar is of Johnny sitting on a Jeep's roof, holding a pistol. Meanwhile, Glynn is holding a staff meeting to discuss the several murders in their prison, three in as many weeks; apparently, the Governor wants to send in federal investigators. The staff reveals that they know who committed all these murders, and that Jefferson Keane will probably make the next move, but Tim McManus urges them not to "meet violence with violence," due to a change in Keane's character.

The Homeboys plot revenge on the Italians, but Keane tells them to wait. He does not tell the Homeboys that O'Reilly gave up Post, implying that they'll find out when the rat turns up dead. Keane makes a phone call to his wife Maevis, which is interrupted by Kareem Said's disapproving eye. In the gym, Adebisi and the Homeboys taunt Joey D'Angelo until a fight breaks out, Joey beating several black inmates with gym equipment until Keane begins to choke him with a curling bar, and the COs stop the fight. In Warden Glynn's office, an impromptu council consisting of Nino Schibetta, Jefferson Keane, and Kareem Said meets and Glynn tries to get them to quell the violence, lest a riot occur, and threatened a massive lockdown.

Back in Jefferson Keane's cell, the Italians left Johnny Post's severed penis as a message to Keane, for they know that he was involved in Ortolani's death. That night, Keane lights his bed on fire, apparently just to spend some time alone in solitary. When he arrives, however, he is beaten by Officer Mike Healy, who warns him that Ryan O'Reilly isn't to be touched for ratting out Johnny Post. O'Reilly's crime is then shown in flashback: high, he leads the police on a chase through a crowded city, hitting two people and killing them before crashing into a parked car. Ryan O'Reilly then goes to confession, telling Father Mukada about how he lied to an inmate about not having any cigarettes to help him kick his habit; he then reveals that he only went to confession to have time to sneak a cigarette without the COs watching. Augustus Hill appears as the narrator again, and talks about priest confessionals, laughing about how priests can't tell anybody about the crimes that are revealed to them.

O'Reilly goes to see Tobias Beecher in the library, asking for help on his appeal as Tobias was a lawyer before going to jail (he was automatically disbarred after being convicted of a felony). He reveals that he was made an example of and given the maximum sentence and sent to a maximum security prison, instead of a minimum-security "Club Med" institution. Beecher says he'll try to help, but reminds O'Reilly that he was a corporate lawyer and is not up to date on criminal law. Beecher attends church services, and is then harassed about it by Schillinger (who ironically is a Christian himself). He commands Beecher to take a shower with him, and insinuates that he will rape him in the shower. Later, Sister Peter Marie changes Tobias' work assignment: instead of doing factory work, he'll be her office assistant, as he is one of the only inmates with practical computer experience (Marie jokes that the praised Jesus when she found out he knew Word and Lotus). They talk about faith, and Beecher tells Marie that God took everything away from him after he killed the girl on the bicycle. His life has become nothing but pain and punishment since arriving to Oz (mostly because of Schillinger), and his wife Genevieve is divorcing him and taking the children. Marie doesn't have an answer.

In the common area, Beecher offends Schillinger by (correctly) stating that Jesus was from Judea, so most likely had olive-colored skin (the Aryans believe that Jesus was white). Schillinger states that Beecher is getting too mouthy, and forces him to lick his boots clean. O'Reilly walks in on Beecher crying in his pod, and then shares a joint with him. He meets with Schillinger, high, who tells him that he does not want him using drugs.

Donald Groves goes to confession to get time out of the hole (he snuck into the morgue again), and ironically (he ate his parents) discusses how fascinating the practice of the Eucharist was with Father Mukada.

Kenny Wangler arrives in Oz, and immediately tries to join the Homeboys. Adebisi wants him in to increase their manpower, but Keane is quickly tiring of the violent lifestyle. Kenny then goes to see Kareem Said, who talks to him about the Muslim faith and tries to convert him, who denies. Keane calls for Maevis, but the man on the phone (presumably her father) refuses to tell him where she has gone, which most likely means that Maevis is cheating on Keane. He gets high with another inmate and Kenny Wangler, but Kareem Said breaks them up. Keane then breaks down, overwhelmed by all the violence in his life, and joins Islam. Billie Keane gets out of the hospital and hugs Keane, and thanks him for killing Ortolani. Jefferson tells his brother that he has to stop being gay, or else according to his new faith, he cannot protect him anymore. Billie refuses, and Keane continues to the point where he says he'll beat "the black off" of him unless he stops being gay, at which point Kareem Said interferes. Billie is upset by this, begins to cry, and runs away. Kareem explains to Keane that he has to reach his brother through love, not intimidation. Together, Kareem and Keane agree that Jefferson keane must apologize to everybody that he's hurt, and goes back to the Homeboys and urges them to get off drugs and begin to love their fellow man. Adebisi tells him to fuck off. Keane then goes to O'Reilly, and promises to him that he will not tell anybody that O'Reilly ordered the hit on Ortolani. O'Reilly then goes to Nino Schibetta and tells them that it was Keane's plan wholly (though Keane only agreed to it after Ortolani beat up his brother), and asks if he can set up Keane's death "as a sign of good faith." Schibetta agrees, and O'Reilly has Mike Healy stage a fight with Keane and two Latino inmates.

They attack him, though Keane asks them not to. He kills them both in self defense, and is videotaped doing so by the guards. Glynn locks the prison down, and the Governor arrives to personally investigate. McManus tells the Governor that he's not helping ease tensions in the prison, with the massive cutbacks and prisoner "perks" that he's taken away, and the Governor haughtily refers to McManus as the Greek God Mercury, to Glynn as Apollo, and to himself as Zeus and tells them that they must obey him. He orders Jefferson Keane to be tried and for the lockdown to end. McManus has one of his friends, who is a Senator, complain to Devlin about his interference in the prison and Glynn berates him for it. Federal investigators come to inspect the prison and solve the murders. Agent Jeremy Goldstein informs Tim McManus that he and the CO's are suspect until they give him reason not to believe that their involvement in the murders.

Miguel Alvarez's crime is shown; he and his girlfriend savagely beat an old man who accidentally scraped Alvarez' car while parallel parking, and bash in his car windows. Alvarez visits his girlfriend Marisa for the birth of their child, as O'Reilly denies the Latinos access to Keane's cell as things are too crazy in Oz with the FBI there. Alvarez goes to confession, apologizing for the drugs that he and Maritza did which caused problems to their child in the womb and asking Father Mukada to apologize to God for him to save his baby. In his cell that night, Miguel stabs himself in the hand and cuts his face. Meanwhile, Donald Groves takes his first communion.

Augustus Hill closes out the episode, calling God the "Ultimate Gangster" who, rather than having the "whole world in his hands," has the whole world "by the balls."

[edit] Cast

Also Starring:

Guest Starring:

With:

  • Raul Aranas as Jorge Vargas
  • Elizabeth Rodriguez as Maritza Alvarez
  • Derrick Simmons as Billie Keane
  • Philip V. Scozzarella as Officer Joseph Mineo
  • Eugene Ashe, Paul Frazier, and Ray Frazier as Singers

[edit] Characters first seen in this episode

[edit] Flashbacks

  • Ryan O'Reily - His arrest is shown following his wild, unrestrained car chase through a crowded city. He hits two people and crashes into a parked car, but is too injured to run off and is cuffed.
  • Kenny Wangler - He kills another young man in an argument over a jacket, shooting him in the head at school. Wangler is 16 and has been tried and charged as an adult.
  • Miguel Alvarez - He and his girlfriend savagely beat an old man who accidentally scraped Alvarez's car while parallel parking, and bash in his car windows. She goes to Parker Women's Facility as both of them are charged for the same crime.
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