‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season 6 Trailer Shows Return of Unexpected Character

Orange Is the New Black fans learned of an unexpected but welcome character return when the season 6 trailer was released on Monday.

As the core members of the OITNB cast of characters settle into the new maximum security prison, Lolly Whitehill (Lori Petty) makes a brief appearance.

The moment is very brief, but Lolly is shown in wearing a blue shirt and her glasses as she looks straight towards the camera at around the 1 minute, 23 seconds mark. Her mouth is slightly agape and she appears to stumble backwards.

Petty, who is also known for her roles in Tank Girl and A League of Their Own, took to Twitter to share the still with OITNB fans, expressing her excitement to be back on the Netflix drama.

“Glad y’all so happy U got 2 see Lolly in the fantastic OITNB trailer,” Petty wrote, adding hashtags for “she funny” and “I love her too.”

This is the first time Lolly, a former journalist with mental health problems, has been shown on-screen since season 4’s 11th episode, “People Persons.”

Her season 4 arc began with her defending Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) from a would-be assassin’s attack. She killed the hitman in the process, forcing Alex, Frieda Berlin (Dale Soules) and herself into a dangerous cover-up.

To hide the body, the trio chopped the man up and buried him in the garden. Lolly soon becomes paranoid that the murder will be discovered and tells prison counselor Sam Healy (Michael Harney) about the crime.

He initially thinks it is only Lolly’s paranoia and psychosis causing her to believe this tale. However, the hitman’s body is soon discovered.

Lolly is then taken to the psychiatric ward of the complex and sees how the other patients’ mental states there are far worse off than hers is currently. She is dragged off her to her new home, with most assuming she would not be heard from again.

While Petty has not been on the show since season 4, it is clear that the popular Netflix original series has stayed on her mind.

Last summer in a TV Time clip exclusively released by PopCulture.com, Petty divulged how exactly she landed her gig as Lolly.

“I was in New York City, it was season 2, and I had just seen this show on my cell phone, and went, ‘Why am I not on this TV show? I’m confused right now,’” Petty said.

From there, she immediately found the casting director’s number, cold-called her and set up a meeting as soon as possibly in New York City. One thing led to another and Petty’s beloved portrayal of Lolly was the result.

Seasons 1-5 of Orange Is the New Black are currently streaming on Netflix. Season 6 will be released on July 27.

Photo Credit: Netflix / JoJo Whilden