<P> Taystee is quite intelligent and well - read, with a strong ability to remember information and an aptitude for business and mathematics that initially helped her become involved in Vee's drug ring . Owing to her time spent in the prison law library, she has accrued a wide knowledge base with regard to the law . Taystee's childhood was a rough one, spent in foster homes, and she was eventually taken in by Vee to help with her heroin business . She has known Vee on the outside for 15 years, and becomes a member of her prison gang in the second season . Eventually, when Poussey's actions damage Vee's business, Vee decides to cut her losses and appease her by expelling Taystee from the group . Finally seeing Vee for what she really is, Taystee later rallies the other black inmates to turn on her former idol . During the third season, Taystee finds herself becoming the leader of her group and ends up having to be the one to keep them in control . Later on in the season, she helps Poussey save Brook Soso after a suicide attempt and welcomes her into their group . </P> <P> During the fourth season, Taystee finds herself being assigned as Caputo's secretary . She uses her new position to influence some of the decisions Caputo makes on behalf of the inmates, to include convincing him to play The Wiz during movie night . She also convinces Caputo to give her a wristwatch, which none of the other inmates have, and it is later broken by one of the guards . While Caputo was gone, she successfully guessed his computer password and used his computer to surf the Internet . After Poussey died, she was devastated, but refused to take the day off from being Caputo's secretary, offering to call the police for him and trying to convince him to call Poussey's dad . Unknown to Caputo, she was present during the press release announcing Poussey's death and was angered when he stated Bayley wasn't being arrested and when Caputo failed to mention Poussey's name . Following this, she went through the halls shouting that Bayley was being let off, causing an uprising among all of the inmates . </P> <P> At the beginning of the fifth season, after the inmates take control of the prison, Taystee punches Caputo in the face and holds him and Josh from MCC hostage . She attempts to force Caputo to make a statement on video stating that Bayley murdered Poussey, but he refuses to and she finished the statement herself . Frustrated that the video didn't get the views she wanted, she handed Caputo to the Spanish inmates . Following this, she negotiates with the white supremacist inmates for possession of Judy King, who she plans to use to release a statement about their treatment in the prison to the press to the protest of Janae . During Judy's statement, Taystee interrupts her and speaks about how they are treated herself, as well as revealing Judy's special treatment, before releasing Judy and going back into the prison . </P> <P> Taystee ends up being the prison's spokesperson for negotiations, and she presents the list of demands voted on by the other inmates, disappointed that Bayley's arrest was so low on the list . She ends up negotiating with Figuerora, who was sent on behalf of the governor, and has Caputo by her side during the negotiations . After a video of Piscatella torturing Red, Alex, and others goes viral on the Internet, the governor agrees to meet all of their demands except for the arrest of Bayley due to his alleged murder of Poussey being outside of the state's jurisdiction . Taystee refuses to accept the remaining demands without the demand for Bayley's arrest being met and kicks Figueroa and Caputo out . After Maria leads the guards out of the prison, the state orders the riot team to take back the prison after Maria reveals that the guards weren't released by Taystee . After Taystee fails to stop the guards from breaching, she flees to Red's bunker and after seeing Piscatella she grabs Frieda's gun and almost shoots him for contributing to Poussey's death, before being talked down . After Piscatella is released, her and the other inmates in the bunker stand together as the riot team breaches the bunker . </P>

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