Entertainment

Bennett's Time On 'OITNB' May Be Over

Sometimes even the alleged good guys can surprise you and turn out to be a world class jerk. Such is the case with Orange Is the New Black 's former corrections officer John Bennett, who — despite having just proposed to Daya days before — decided to up and abandon her and their unborn child without giving any sort of explanation. One moment he was there. The next moment he was gone. And as much as I can appreciate his understandable panic, that's certainly no excuse for his actions. Days deserved better and so did their relationship, which means it's high time he came back into the picture to make it right. But how likely is that possibility? Will Bennett return in Orange Is the New Black Season 4 or will the writers just let his story end on such a sour note? Unfortunately, right now the prospects of an appearance aren't looking too good.

Back in January, Dascha Polanco , who plays Daya, told Bustle that it's possible, but not necessarily probable, given his recent actions. "Bennett coming back? Who knows! When a man leaves you, can we ever tell if they're coming back or not? We never know," she remarked. Naturally, I'd like to think that Cesar's arrest would be a solid motivation for Bennett to come back in order to claim his baby, who was taken away at the same time as the arrest. But if he wasn't willing to stick around prior to the birth, it may be wishful thinking to believe you'd do right by the child now?

According to Screencrush, Matt McGorry (who plays Bennett) was missing from the show's Season 4 cast roster, so that in and of itself suggests that Bennett won't be back, at least for this particular season. Of course, there's always the chance the writers are keeping his return under wraps in order to surprise us with it during our inevitable marathoning session, but I wouldn't hold my breath. After all, McGorry is keeping himself pretty busy these days now that he's one of the main stars in ABC's popular hit series How To Get Away With Murder.

And if you were planning to go look at his IMDB page for clues of a potential Litchfield cameo, let me save you the trouble — Season 4 isn't listed. Does that mean it definitely won't happen? No. But it isn't exactly a great indication either. Don't get me wrong, I want Bennett to come back and try to redeem himself just as much as you do. But given the high number of new characters being introduced this season, there just might not be room for him right now. That doesn't leave him off the hook, though. I don't care if it's Season 4 or Season 10, one day this guy better come back and make amends. This storyline needs some closure.

Images: Netflix; Giphy