 -- 3-Disc Boxed Set -- Welcome to Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison or OZ. As run by McManus and uverseen by Warden Leo Glynn, Em City is about prisoner rehabilitation over public retribution. No matter how hardened a criminal of killer, whether you're in for a few of in for life, you have a role to play. Once inside, choose your friends carefully. Every group-Muslims, Latinos, Italians, Aryans-stick close to mutual friends and terrorize enemies. Don't smile. Get yourself a weapon. Stay on everybody's good side...if you can find one. Season 2 9. The Tip - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Nick Gomez 10. Ancient Tribes - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Uli Edel 11. Great Men - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Bob Balaban 12. Losing Your Appeal - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Keith Samples 13. Family Bizness - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Kathy Bates 14. Strange Bedfellows - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Alan Taylor 15. Animal Farm - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Mary Harron 16. Escape From Oz - Written by: Tom Fontana - Directed by: Jean de Segonzac 9. The Tip -- In the aftermath of the riot that killed six inmates and two officers, Oz is locked down, and Emerald City prisoners are sent either to solitary or "gen-pop." A special committee is appointed to investigate the riot and Governor Devlin's handling of it; the committee's leader is law-school dean Alvah Case, who roams Oz questioning inmates and officers alike. Inside, a gen-pop prisoner named James Robson demands that Beecher perform oral sex on him, and gets a painful tip in return. Case determines that the death of inmate Scott Ross during the riot was no accident--but is the truth better left untold? 10. Ancient Tribes -- Ten months after the riot, Em City is reopened. A recovered McManus creates a council of group representatives to keep order, and initiates classes to help inmates get high-school equivalency diplomas. McManus teaches Kenny Wangler to read. Having been told by O'Reily that Adebisi was responsible for his father's death, Peter Schibetta takes over the kitchen by cashing in a favor Glynn owes the family. Schillinger returns to Em City and he learns from his Dad that his junkie kids have run away. As Schillinger's parole hearing nears, Beecher taunts his nemesis mercilessly in an attempt to ruin Schillinger's quest for freedom. McManus confronts Wittlesey about the death of Scott Ross. Glynn's daughter is raped by a group of Latinos, and the warden takes out his frustrations on Alvarez. O'Reily learns he may have breast cancer. 11. Great Men -- Alvarez knows who raped Glynn's daughter, but refuses to tell the warden. Wangler is making progress at school, but his cellmate, Adebisi, isn't a fan of higher education. When Augustus Hill's judge is convicted of accepting bribes, Said takes up Hill's case and tries to get him a second trial. Diagnosed with cancer, O'Reily goes to a hospital to get a prison-paid lumpectomy, which is cheaper than a mastectomy. The Aryans are losing credibility in Oz, so Schillinger arranges to have a tough named Vogel killed. Next on the hit list: Beecher. Finally, the prison is filled with excitement as a woman, Shirley Bellinger, arrives on death row to be executed. 12. Losing Your Appeal -- Augustus Hill's court appeal is denied, despite the efforts of Said, who has better luck getting Poet's poems published. Meanwhile, O'Reily survives his lumpectomy, and now focuses his attention on Dr. Nathan. Trying to cut a deal after killing an Aryan inmate, Richie Hanlon is forced instead to admit to a murder he didn't commit. Schibetta offers Alvarez a piece of his drug biz in exchange for killing Adebisi; and Adebisi makes a counter-offer. Beecher is forced to meet with the judge who sentenced him; it appears she has a guilty conscience. Beecher's new roommate, Chris Keller, seems to hate Aryans as much as Beecher -- appearances can be misleading. 13. Family Bizness -- With their enmity at a boiling point, Adebisi poisons Schibetta -- but not fatally. Schillinger asks Said to represent him in the conspiracy to commit murder trial; Now that his brother has turned himself in for murder, Glynn no longer owes Schibetta any favors; Poet, now a published author, gets his parole, but Governor Devlin still takes away funds for McManus's high-school equivalency program; McManus shys away from Diane after she admits what happened with Scott Ross; When Beecher learns his wife committed suicide, Keller offers comfort, but his advances are rebuked; Sister Peter Marie figures out that Giles witnessed who killed her husband. Meanwhile, O'Reily is in love with Dr. Nathan, and gets his brother Cyril to have her husband killed. 14. Strange Bedfellows -- Schilinger enlists Said to get him out of jail, but Said backs out when McManus decides not to incriminate Wittlesey in Ross's death. Recovered from being poisoned, Schibetta is raped by Adebisi, losing "control" of Oz. Meanwhile, Alvarez is bumped out of the Latino power seat by Raoul Hernandez, a.k.a. El Cid. New inmate Jiggy Walker claims he was Governor Devlin's personal crack dealer; the two go head-to-head in the media before Walker is discredited and sent to gen-pop. Sister Peter Marie finds out that Giles murdered the man who killed her husband, and Dr. Nathan confronts O'Reily about her husband's death. Schillinger's plan to destroy Beecher approaches fruition when Beecher falls in love with Keller. 15. Animal Farm -- Robert Sippel, a Catholic priest who spent ten years in OZ for molesting a 14-year-old boy, gets ready to be released; but Poet returns. With his wife dead and Keller in the hole, Beecher starts drinking again; a voodoo fortune-teller's arrival has a strange effect on Adebisi; inmates help grant Rebadow's dying grandson his last wish. Meanwhile, Antonio Nappa, the new Mafia leader, vows revenge on Adebisi for raping his godson Peter Schibetta; and El Cid tells Alvarez the only way he can "stay in the game" is to "pluck out" the eyes of a prison guard, Rivera; Unable to deal with lying about Scott Ross, McManus transfers Wittlesey out of Em City to Unit B; Cyril O'Reily lands in the hole after being imprisoned killing Dr. Nathan's husband, despite Ryan's efforts to get him into Em City and away from Schillinger's control. 16. Escape From Oz -- Wittlesey is transferred to genpop and replaced by Karl Metzger, a Nazi. Schillinger and his cronies are the tormentors in the spotlight, but their cruel deeds are only made possible with the help of Nazi guard Karl Metzger. Mack and another Aryan try to escape through Busmalis and Rebadow's hole, but are sabotaged by the diggers. Hill gets the idea of escaping Oz by hiding in a coffin. Sippel re-enters Oz because he can't deal with life on the outside, but Schillinger crucifies him -- literally. Alvarez gouges out Rivera's eyes and is put in solitary for life. Needing a blood transfusion for Rivera, Dr. Nathan finds that only O'Reily has the same blood type; he agrees to donate in exchange for getting his brother Cyril near him. Keller and Schillinger reveal their sordid plan of deceit to Beecher, and break both his arms and legs. Fortune teller Kipkemei Jara gives Adebisi hope of a new life; but he is murdered by Anonio Napa, causing Adebisi to lose his mind. Said is pardoned by Governor Devlin, but refuses freedom, going back to Em City instead. Cast Notes: See Oz: Episode List for full cast information and much more. User Comment: poetlinus, Portland, United States • Whereas many second seasons tend to disappoint, the second season of OZ not only doesn't disappoint, it continues boldly and bravely with some powerful storylines and even more powerful acting performances. Picking up after the amazing prison riot at the end of the first season, the second season has a big hurdle to overcome. Instead of trying to overcome it, it is a companion to the first season by allowing us to delve into the characters and their lives more deeply. The season explores relationships, sexuality, health issues, love, as well as continuing the "be aware and beware" feeling so important to the success of the story. Strong performances continue this year, with the addition of Chris Meloni as an Aryan "spy". Oz doesn't let you down. If anything, the lesson sent is: NEVER go to prison, just watch it on TV. Summary: Deeper Down the Yellow Brick Road IMDb Rating (08/20/06): 9.3/10 from 729 users
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