High School Basketball

In the Emerald City experimental unit of Oswald State Penitentiary, we meet some of the diverse inmates who exist in a pecking order of Gangbangers, Latinos, Muslims, Westies, Aryans and Wiseguys. No clear-cut leader emerges -- with the possible exception of Kareem Said, a Muslim author who preaches non-violence and abstinence.

With Schibetta and the prison brass in a race to uncover Ortolani's killer (for very different reasons), we see how inmates react to visits both from their wives and (in one case) family members who are also in prison.

'God's Chillin'.' (Season One) The Warden threatens to lock the prison down unless inmate leaders can keep their boys quiet.

Governor Devlin has reinstated capital punishment in the state, and the first Oz prisoner scheduled to die is Jefferson Keane, who killed a Latino in a skirmish set up by the COs. Before he's executed, Keane donates a kidney to his ailing sister. After Keane's death, Richard L'Italien -- slaughterer of women -- is executed after he makes a startling admission.

'Straight Life.' (Season One) The effort to find out who's smuggling drugs into prison backfires in a deadly way.

The prison's health service is kept busy by a variety of prisoner complaints. Beecher flips out after taking PCP and sends Schillinger to the hospital. Mob boss Schibetta has stomach pains caused by ground glass intentionally mixed in with his food. And Muslim leader Kareem Said has a heart attack.

A recovered Said ostracizes Huseni Mershah for turning his back on him when he was dying. Impressed by Said's power, Groves decides to kill Glynn in his honor but kills an officer by mistake. Condemned to death, Groves chooses death by firing squad. Schibetta is still being fed ground glass by O'Reilly and Adebisi, and Beecher finally gets revenge on Schillinger.

A riot breaks out and frustration, sexuality, hate, revenge and racism all rear their ugly heads, causing the violence to escalate. Finally, after several prison officers are taken hostage, tear gas is thrown into the Emerald City and the SORT Team arrives, guns blazing.