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Piper Elizabeth Chapman (played by Taylor Schilling) is the protagonist of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The character is based on Piper Kerman, author of the non-fiction book , upon which the series is based. Schilling was nominated for awards in both comedy and drama categories for this role.
Series creator Jenji Kohan had initially considered casting Katie Holmes in the role, but decided against it as Holmes had too many commitments. Ultimately Kohan cast Taylor Schilling.
Piper is one of very few emphatically atheist inmates on a television show that highlights the theme of issues around American religious freedom. For instance, in season 1 episode 12 she responds to a request that she be baptized by saying that she cannot pretend to believe in a god, saying that while it might make her happier if she believed in a religion, she "needs it to be true", and instead looks to science to explain the world. Earlier in that same episode, she had clarified that "Well, I've always thought agnosticism was sort of a cop-out... If I had to label it I'd say that I'm a secular humanism which is not to say I'm not spiritual".
In 2018, Schilling stated that while Walter White of Breaking Bad was written with having a rationale for each action, "Piper's behavior oftentimes feels groundless" and "the audience can't quite grab onto Piper's behavior. It seems like it's coming out of nowhere."
Chapman is assigned to the prison's electrical workshop and accidentally pockets a screwdriver. Her cellmate, Miss Claudette (Michelle Hurst), helps her evade the guards' searches. In order to ingratiate herself with the other inmates, Chapman offers to review their appeal letters.
Although Bloom learns that Vause was the informant who gave Chapman up, he does not share this information with his fiancée. Chapman then rekindles her relationship with Vause. Meanwhile, Bloom, an aspiring writer, publishes a story about Chapman's incarceration that paints unflattering portraits of her fellow inmates and the prison staff. The article earns Chapman the ire of both the guards and the other prisoners, and severely strains on her already fading relationship with Bloom.
Chapman is elected to the prison council but finds that the only change she is able to make is to get the Cinder track reopened for Janae Watson (Vicky Jeudy), who was put in solitary confinement during the screwdriver incident. Chapman makes an enemy of Tiffany Doggett (Taryn Manning), who wanted her spot on the council. Doggett tells the inmate counselor Sam Healy (Michael J. Harney) about Chapman and Vause's relationship; Healy punishes Chapman by putting her in solitary confinement and telling Bloom about the affair. Bloom gets back at Chapman by doing an interview on NPR that casts Litchfield in a harsh light, which makes her even more unpopular. During an angry phone call, Bloom reveals that Vause informed on her.
Vause asks Chapman to choose between her and Bloom. Chapman chooses Bloom, but Vause breaks them up and spurns Chapman. When Doggett attacks Chapman with a shiv, Chapman finally snaps and beats her to a pulp.
By season 2, Piper remained a main character of an ensemble cast but not the central character according to IGN's Matt Fowler. Liz Raftery of TV Guide says "There's a lot going on in Season 2 of Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, and very little of it has to do with Piper Chapman". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone considered that the show's ensemble focus has turned Piper into "dead weight" and "nobody would argue that an early parole for her would hurt the show". As he reviewed season 2, The Huffington Post Canada entertainment editor Chris Jancelewicz, opined that "Schilling's deadpan expressions and snap comedic timing help us empathize and grow to love her" as her character became more understandable. Alicia Lutes of MTV wrote that as of Season 2 the show is about Piper understanding herself and her capabilities better "even if those abilities put her further in the muck" and not about her possible reformation.Lutes, Alicia. " We’re So Mad at Piper After That ‘Orange is The New Black’ Premiere ." MTV. June 6, 2014. Retrieved on April 14, 2016.
Sarene Leeds of The Wall Street Journal stated that in Season 3 Piper changed from being "a gangsta wannabe into a dangerous villain that is not to be crossed" after planting contraband in girlfriend Stella's bed to get her sent to the maximum security unit in retaliation for Stella stealing from her; Leeds argued that the change "is a necessary plot device to keep things interesting" even though she did not like the new version of Piper.Leeds, Sarene. " Why Piper’s Turn to the Dark Side on ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Works ." The Wall Street Journal. June 22, 2015. Retrieved on March 31, 2016. Drew Millard of Vice wrote that Season 3 Piper went "completely off the deep end" and changed "into the most unlikable version of herself", making her "deadweight on a show that was at first strictly about her."Millard, Drew. " Will Someone Please, for the Love of God, Kill Piper on 'Orange Is the New Black'?" ( Archive). Vice. June 30, 2015. Retrieved on March 31, 2016. Kerman stated that even though she still found the series to be entertaining, she could no longer relate to Piper Chapman.Parker, Maggie. " Piper Kerman Has a Really Unexpected Answer for Who Should Be Piper's Endgame Love Interest on OITNB" ( Archive). People. June 12, 2015. Retrieved on March 31, 2016. "While she can't really relate to Chapman anymore, she still finds the show wildly entertaining." Sadie Gennis of TV Guide also suggested removing Chapman from the show.Gennis, Sadie. " Orange Is the New Black: It's Time for Piper to Go ." TV Guide. June 19, 2016. Retrieved on July 26, 2016.
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