Directed by Darnell Martin
Written by Tom Fontana
Tropes for the episode:
- Arch-Enemy: Ryan and Dino clearly have a lot of hate for each other.
- Asshole Victim: While Dino went too far putting him in hospital Billie was clearly a Jerkass who was making unwanted passes at him. He also outright tells his wife to move on and find a man who could be a better husband and father than Dino was, given that he was locked up in prison for life.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Dino was something of a Villain Protagonist but his death was caused by a good thing he did.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Schillinger saves Beecher from being sexually assaulted by Adebesi but only so he can rape Beecher himself.
- The Bully: Adebisi steals Beecher's things and torments him with the threat of rape.
- Butt-Monkey: Beecher quickly becomes one.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: It's implied Rebadow actually can talk to God as it doesn't seem like they'd be any other way for him to know the name of Beecher's wife.
- Dirty Cop: Johnny Post is able to get into Dino's cell and kill him by bribing a corrupt guard.
- Downer Ending: Dino is burnt alive on Keane's orders, right after his only act of compassion in the episode. The last shot is McManus sadly looking at photos of his corpse.
- Drugs Are Bad: Said tries to rid the prison of drug dealing.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Alvarez's role in the premiere ultimately amounts to this, given that he's stabbed in the first few minutes and goes unseen for the rest of the episode.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- McManus's first name is "Timmy" here. For the rest of the series, it's "Tim" instead.
- Dr. Nathan is much colder and more hostile to the inmates, contrasting with how concerned for their well-being she is in later episodes.
- When Beecher holds up the clothes-making, Hill shoots him a Death Glare to get him working. For the rest of the series, he's one of the most even-tempered and friendly prisoners, and it's shown that something has to be deeply personal for him to get genuinely angry.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Right before the new inmates are admitted into the prison, Alvarez is stabbed and left bleeding on the floor while Beecher screams in horror. This pretty much tells you what they're in for for the rest of the series.
- McManus's meeting with Dino establishes both his idealism and his vindictiveness and short temper.
- Adebisi stealing Beecher's stuff and gleefully taunting him about how he's going to rape him, setting him up as a cheerfully boisterous psycho.
- Schillinger manipulating Beecher into becoming his prag and burning a swastika onto his butt.
- Glynn's argument with McManus over the cigarettes ban establishes him as a savvy and intelligent man, but one who doesn't give a damn about any of the inmates.
- Healy complaining about McManus's policies for no reason establishes him as a confrontational Jerkass.
- Immediately upon getting into Oz, Said threatens to start a riot, amassing followers on his first day in prison, and having one of them beat him up to prove his dedication to his ideals. It succinctly establishes his ego, hatred for the legal system, and his genuine commitment to his principles and faith.
- Rebadow kindly invites Beecher to sit with him after he's rebuffed by everyone else.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Dino doesn't want his his kids to see him in prison believing it will have a negative effect on them and encourages his wife to move on with her life.
- Keane wasn't willing to risk war with the Italians until they hurt his brother Billie.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Nino is disgusted that Donald Groves could kill and eat his parents.
- Enemy Mine: Schillinger suggests that the Italian mob form an alliance with the Aryan Brotherhood to take care of Said. Dino decides to reject the offer.
- Evil vs. Evil: The conflict between Ryan and the Homeboys against Dino.
- Foreshadowing:
- Said tells McManus and Glynn that the the prisoners could take over the prison any time they wanted.
- After Said has one of the Muslims beat him hard enough to draw blood to prove his dedication to his ideals to Keane, Adebisi can be seen grinning, setting up his Villainous Crush on Said later in the series.
- Good Is Not Nice: McManus vindictively makes Dino talk to his wife through glass, preventing him from being able to touch her because of their bad blood.
- The Idealist: McManus is this believing that even Groves can be redeemed.
- Jerkass: Dino bullies Beecher for no reason.
- Kick the Dog: One of the first things we see Schillinger do is sodomize a man and burn a swastika onto his butt.
- Mercy Kill: Dino kills an AIDS patient to end his suffering.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Beecher has this in his crime flashback when he kills Kathy Rockwell by accident due to his drunk driving
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Dino giving his friend in the AIDS ward a Mercy Kill leads to his death.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: The guards viciously beat Dino into a bloody pulp after he gave his friend a Mercy Kill.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Keane refuses to put a hit on Dino as he doesn't want to cause any trouble with the Italians. It isn't until the latter brutally beats his brother into unconsciousness is when Keane relents and puts the hit out on him.
- Politically Incorrect Villain:
- Schillinger is obviously this since he's a neo-Nazi.
- Dino basically tells Said that he dislikes him for being black.
- Healy makes fun of Keane for having a gay brother.
- Scary Black Man: Adebisi.
- The Sociopath: Glynn calls Groves one.
- Tragic Villain: Dino Ortolani's downward spiral and death is underscored by the fact that he had no real chance of reforming as long as he was locked up for life without the possibility of parole.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Said is genuinely devoted to fighting for civil rights but does so by blowing up warehouses.
