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Susan Fischer is a former rookie Corrections Officer at Litchfield Penitentiary, portrayed by Lauren Lapkus. She once worked bagging groceries at Fairway in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and remembers Piper as a customer. She was one of the more lenient CO's.

Personality[]

Fischer was perhaps the only one of Litchfield's staff to consistently demonstrate genuine empathy for the inmates, often making remarks in an attempt to "level" with them on the unjust nature of incarceration. 

However, she is also easily manipulated. Such as when, (after Fig telling him to) Caputo telling the guards to be more strict. Her altered personality and more strictness led to a very upset Miss Claudette being abused for no reason and angering her, making Claudette attempt to strangle Fischer.

Physical Appearance[]

She is tall and slender with blue eyes. She has dark brunette hair and usually wears her hair up in a bun. Her height is 5' 10" (1.78 m). She has a round face with a very pleasant and youthful appearance. She has prominent smile lines extending to her chin. Her naturally protruding eyes give her a somewhat bug-eyed albeit adorable appearance.

Biography[]

Before Litchfield[]

It is hinted by Fischer that she herself has committed a crime. While talking to Piper in Blood Donut, she says "When I made bad decisions in life, I didn't get caught. It could've been me here in khaki, easy."

Fischer used to be a grocery bagger and was acquainted with Piper Chapman briefly before both of them began at Litchfield ("Blood Donut").

Season One[]

Fischer's inexperience and naiveté caused her to be liked, but not generally respected in a professional capacity by the inmates.

She was strangled by Miss Claudette in "Fool Me Once", after trying to adopt a more no-nonsense attitude towards the inmates at precisely the wrong time, as Miss Claudette had just found out her appeal for early release had been denied.

She is shown to be Joe Caputo's object of affection until she introduces him to her boyfriend at the Christmas pageant in "Can't Fix Crazy."

Season Two[]

Caputo continued to be infatuated with her, inviting her to a local bar where his band "Side Boob" was performing. Fischer invited the other CO's, either not aware of his intentions or hoping to thwart them. She later became romantically involved with Joel Luschek.

Fischer is shown to eavesdrop on inmate calls when on duty. She took the initiative to ask Caputo if the recorded phone calls were regularly reviewed, as per protocol. When she learns the tapes were seldom, if ever, reviewed, as a lot of the conversation are in Spanish, she volunteers for the position, informing Caputo, "Yo hablo español muy bueno [sic]" (she speaks Spanish very well). She later remarks to Caputo, "These tapes are amazing!". In this new duty, she is the second staff member to discover Daya's pregnancy, though she doesn't tell anyone.

In "Low Self Esteem City," Nicky attempts to seduce Fischer as part of a contest with Boo. Fischer is unsure of what Nicky's proposition entails but immediately adopts a more serious tone, even calling her "Inmate," something she is rarely seen doing.

Fischer and the other CO's grew unhappy with the new shot quota. Fischer complained to Caputo that the quota bred distrust between the guards and the inmates, and resulted in inmates being punished unfairly. Caputo told her to drop the matter and comply with his directives, but she continued to argue until Caputo fired her on the spot.

In the second issue of Piper's Prison Newsletter, the featured CO is Susan Fischer, with her favorite books, movies, food, hobbies and trivia portrayed, such as Mint Milanos and Chop Suey being her favorite food and mentoring at Litchfield, archery and karaoke being her hobbies.

Caputo fires Fischer due to her disobeying his wishes and raising her voice at him; although she was, in fact, making a reasonable point. After she is fired, she catches Nicky smoking and engages her in conversation rather than reporting the violation. She admits insecurity over finding another job that offers benefits, saying, "I'm not good at anything," and asks if Nicky had previously been trying to hit on her. She leaves Litchfield after this conversation and isn't heard from again until Season 7. ("Appropriately Sized Pots").

Season Seven[]

In Season Seven, Susan Fischer makes a brief reappearance, and continuing to serve as a minor-turned-primary antagonist against Joe Caputo. After Caputo takes up the reformative justice program, Susan Fischer steps into the limelight with a Facebook post, accusing him of sexual harassment. This continues to serve as an antagonistic continuation from Fischer as her story gains more and more traction.

Her exact grievances are that Caputo allegedly fired her because she stood him up, and refused to go out with him, while also having made overbearing, sexual remarks and - in Caputo's words later on in the season - created a work environment that was sexually charged and motivated.

Her stories eventually forced Caputo to resign as volunteer from the Litchfield Penitentiary Maximum Security Block.

Susan Fischer makes only one physical appearance in this season.

Relationships[]

Romantic[]

  • Stephen (ex-boyfriend) - In "Can't Fix Crazy", Fischer brings Stephen to the recital and introduces him to a disappointed Caputo, who was unsuccessfully trying to hit on her. She breaks up with him at some point in Season Two.
  • Joel Luschek (former date) - Fischer and Luschek dated for a brief while, much to Caputo's disappointment, but break up after realizing they're very different people.
  • Joe Caputo (unrequited crush) - Caputo harbored feelings for Fischer which were never returned. This may have been the main reason he fired her, even though he claimed it was for disobeying his orders.

Friends[]

  • Joe Caputo (former friend) - Joe seemed to take a keen interest to Fischer, and invites her to many of his band performances.
  • Nicky Nichols (friend) - Nicky and Big Boo had a bet to see who could score the most girls in prison for points. To gain ten points, one would need to have sex with a guard. Nicky flirts with Fischer to try and have sex with her, but Fischer doesn't buy into it. Later, after Fischer is fired, she catches Nicky smoking, but doesn't report it, and the two talk about their lives.
  • Piper Chapman Chapman and Fischer knew of each other outside the prison. Chapman was a strange shopper which made Fischer remember her. Fischer later helps Piper with a ladder and notes how she made mistakes in her life too, but she just doesn’t get caught and that she could’ve been just as easily in khaki.
  • Wanda Bell Wanda and Fischer both stand up to Caputo.
  • Scott O'Neill
  • Eliqua Maxwell
  • Sister Ingalls

Enemies[]

  • Joe Caputo (former boss) - Fischer raises her voice at Caputo, which angers him, despite being totally valid and is fired on the spot. Fischer is upset by this and leaves with a bad taste in her mouth of Joe Caputo. At the end of the season 7 episode, "Trapped In An Elevator," she made a facebook post detailing her experience with Caputo, as a part of the #metoo movement.
  • Miss Claudette (attempted murderer) - After being told to be more harsh, she shouts at Miss Claudette who is in a horrendous mood after her case has been closed again, and tells her to put her badge on and to take her nail polish off. Miss Claudette stares at Fischer and begins choking her. Miss Claudette is detained, leaving Fischer shaken.

Memorable quotes[]

"I'm not gay, sir."
— Susan Fischer to Joe Caputo
"Anyway, I just want you to know that as far as I'm concerned, you and me are the same. The only difference between us is that when I made bad decisions in life I didn't get caught. It could've been me here in khaki, easy."
— Susan Fischer to Piper Chapman
"Would it help if I used a deeper voice?" *adopts deep voice* "Move along, Sister"
— Susan Fischer to Joe Caputo

Gallery[]

[TBA]

Appearances[]

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