13 Best TV Moments Of 2016 (So Far)

Best doesn't have to mean pleasing or necessarily even enjoyable, because neither of those terms can be applied to the tragic death of Poussey Washington in Orange is the New Black's fourth season, but it is one of the biggest, best, and most important scenes of television this year.

Poussey was a fan favourite character, and with good reason: funny, intelligent, caring, and played with real charm and charisma by Samira Wiley, she was one of best among the inmates of Litchfield. She'd had a few great character arcs, with a sweet friendship with Taystee, and then developing (rather different) bonds with Soso and Judy King in Season 4.

OITNB enjoyed its best season to date this year, with a run that was infuriating, entertaining, funny, dramatic, violent, and most of all felt incredibly timely, with racial tensions mounting and the prison becoming for-profit, meaning there were major issues with overcrowding, the treatment of inmates, and the hiring of former soldiers clearly suffering from PTSD as guards.

It all mounts to the stunning penultimate episode, The Animals, in which the inmates take a literal stand with devastating consequences. As the rivalry between the prisoners and the guards boils over, Poussey is held down by Bayley, and in the ensuing panic is crushed to death underneath him. The scene is utterly heartbreaking and super powerful, working on a character level, a series level, and a level that transcends the show. She'll be missed, because she was a beloved character. Her flashbacks, which played out towards the end of the season, highlight wrongdoings in the criminal justice system. And with the Black Lives Matter movement still shockingly relevant, this was the show's take on that, with the manner of the death and Poussey's "I can't breathe" referencing real world events, producing a moment of horror and tragedy that you can't (and shouldn't) look away from.