Warning: This essay contains major spoilers from the new season of “Orange Is the New Black,” including the finale. All 13 episodes are currently available on Netflix.  Let’s face it: Playing the good girl all the time gets boring really fast.  When Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) first showed up at Litchfield Penitentiary at the start of Netflix‘s monster hit “Orange Is the New Black,” she was a scared, street-smarts-lacking pampered white girl who, when not stuck with bland story lines, was pitifully inept at managing prison life. But now, at the close of Season 3, she has evolved into a Godfather-esque crime boss within Litchfield’s walls, having become more of a crook on the inside than she ever was on the outside. And you know what? She’s scary.  For most of the new season, Piper’s attempts at being “gangsta” (her words) were a joke. As her brother Cal (Michael Chernus, who really needs to get bumped up to main cast – Cal was this season’s unsung hero) so eloquently put it, “While I’m really proud of how evil prison has made you, I think you’re overestimating your villain index. You’re still transitioning, you know. You’re not Walter White yet. You’re Walter White Ink.” Cal was right: It was hard to take Piper seriously when she was giving soapbox speeches to her fellow inmates about her burgeoning dirty-underwear company, getting a serious dressing-down on her business practices from seasoned organized-crime vet Red (Kate Mulgrew), and walking around with a white-ink tattoo that read “Trust No B—h.”  But then something happens in the season finale that turns Piper from a gangsta wannabe into a dangerous villain that is not to be crossed. Through Cal, who is managing his sister’s “Felonious Spunk” business on the outside, Piper learns that all of the money she’s made through her little enterprise is gone – stolen by her captivating new Aussie gal pal inmate, Stella Carlin (Ruby Rose). While Stella’s actions are questionable, they are understandable: Unlike rich girl Piper, Stella is alone in the world – her family is back in Australia – and when she’s released, she has no money and no one to turn to (she could’ve been lying, but we’ll believe her for now). However, what Piper does in retaliation is, to quote Carrie “Big Boo” Black (Lea DeLaria), “some stone-cold s—t.”  Days before Stella’s release, Piper hides a ton of contraband all around her frenemy’s bunk (a lighter, joints, cigarettes, a shiv made out of Jolly Ranchers, the famous screwdriver from Season 1) and alerts the guards. Stella is summarily sent to maximum-security, and if you’re familiar with “OITNB” at all (and the stories of Nicky Nichols and Miss Claudette), then you know that putting someone in “Max” is about the worst thing that can happen to any inmate at Litchfield.  Here’s the thing: Piper didn’t have to get Stella sent to Max. She did it because it’s time for a shift in her character in order for the show to remain plausible. And because anything less would have been viewed as weak (for the character). With “OITNB” heading into a fourth season (production started earlier this week), and the series displaying no signs of slowing down, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a movement to get Piper’s sentence extended. She was only supposed to be in for less than a year and a half, and at this point, she’s creeping up on her one-year lockup anniversary.  So even though I have to agree with Alex Vause’s (Laura Prepon) observation about this revamped Piper (“I don’t like this version of you”), it is a necessary plot device to keep things interesting. But for those who really are against the idea of an Evil Piper, I think there’s also a good chance that she won’t last long. Just as Piper had reached the apex of her power trip – having the balls to say to Big Boo, “I don’t f—k around. Let the people know” – several buses full of fresh inmates began pulling up outside Litchfield in the final moments of Season 3. That means badass Piper is going to need her toughened skin and recently acquired street smarts for one of two outcomes: One, to teach the influx of prisoners who’s boss. Or, to handle her downfall in the more likely event that one of these new prisoners will knock her off her soapbox by the end of the Season 4 premiere.  For the latest entertainment news Follow @WSJSpeakeasy
We may not like this new version of Taylor Schilling's protagonist, but it's a necessary tool in order for "OITNB" to maintain its momentum.