One of Netflix’s earliest and most beloved shows, Orange Is The New Black is a seven-season roller coaster of emotions. Themes of social injustice, racial inequality, drug addiction, immigration, violence, and more are touched upon in its hilarious yet emotional and thought-provoking episodes. Along with this, romance plays a major role for most of its characters. There are many romantic relationships all through the show, ranging from toxic to wholesome. Therefore, many of these characters also indulge in cute romantic gestures that offer us a heart-melting escape from the gritty reality that Orange Is The New Black offers.

Here, we count down some of the biggest and best romantic gestures in Orange Is The New Black.

Joe Caputo Turns Into Bruce Springsteen

After Fig discovers that her husband is actually gay, she and Caputo surprisingly engage in a toxic physical relationship. What’s more delightfully surprising is how these two actually end up becoming an actual couple later.

Caputo was the first one to fall head over heels in love with the ex-warden of Litchfield Prison. Fig gives mixed signals but her feelings are evident too when Caputo is transferred away from Litchfield. They go out on a cute date in a pub, and joke about the Bruce Springsteen song I’m On Fire. Caputo takes a step further, giving a bittersweet karaoke performance of the same song and even bringing his ladylove up on the stage. Figueroa’s expression sums up the warm, fuzzy feelings that she’s feeling inside.

Soso Builds A Library In Poussey’s Memory

Brook Soso and Poussey Washington’s romance was sudden, pure, and unfortunately, short-lived. Fans even shipped them with a couple name called ‘Pousoso.’ Both the inmates helped each other through their episodes of depression and alcoholism. They engage in a rom-com love story until Poussey’s untimely death.

Poussey loved reading. That’s why she often hung around in the prison library, arranging books and giving literary recommendations. Soso decides to make the entire prison a community library for the late Poussey. She hangs books on strings all across the hallway so that everyone in the prison can read and remember Poussey. A significant moment here is when Soso and Poussey’s best friend Taystee hang Alice In Wonderland together on one of the strings; this was Poussey’s favorite book.

Lorna & Vince’s Prison Wedding

“I want to know what love is. I know you can show me.” These are the words that Vince and Lorna exchange in their heartwarming wedding at Litchfield. Vince met Lorna through an online dating site, and he was willing to understand her struggles with prison and compulsive lying. Such was his love for Lorna that he even got ready to marry her in an impromptu prison ceremony.

Such is the emotional intensity in this scene that even the prison guards, the usually grumpy Sam Healy, and Lorna’s stern prison mother Red, break into tears.

Blanca Moves To Honduras To Reunite With Her Boyfriend

Being migrants in the US, inmate Blanca Flores and her beau Diablo have had a tumultuous relationship. He has been consistent with her all through Blanca’s prison time, waiting for her to come back and marry him. He arrives with a smile and a bouquet of flowers when he’s informed of her early release. Unfortunately, she’s still detained on account of being an illegal immigrant. Diablo himself gets detained too for an expired green card, being sent to Honduras later.

They still wait to meet each other with patience and perseverance. Finally, Blanca does get free and gets the choice to live as a free American citizen. What does she do? She decides to give it all up for Diablo. “Why would you come to the murder capital of the world to live in a shack?” Diablo asks his future wife as she arrives at the airport, to which Blanca hugs him tightly.

Big Boo Gives Linda A Special Prison Pass

A corporate hotshot from MCC, Linda Ferguson accidentally ends up donning the prison uniform at Litchfield during the riot. There she poses as an inmate named Amelia Von Barlow, and the loud-mouthed yet big-hearted Big Boo develops an instant crush on her. Big Boo is usually gruff and standoffish. But with Linda, she acts all coy and tries to play it cool. She sticks to wearing a suit after Linda compliments her. She reserves seats for her at the prison cafeteria. She does whatever she can to make her feel at home.

It’s a shame that like many other temporary romances in Orange Is The New Black, Boo’s heart also gets broken after Linda’s lies are revealed.

Daddy Offers Empathy To Daya

Daya is harassed and beaten a lot by the prison guards in the last two seasons after she held a guard at gunpoint. Dominga Duarte, the confident yet flirty badass who uses the moniker “Daddy” tries to make her situation better. She offers Daya drugs to ease her pain and make the remainder of her prison stay better – not exactly romantic, and it has a profoundly terrible impact on Daya’s life.

However, Daddy’s gestures to win Daya’s love with her genuineness are actually noteworthy. Daya does reciprocate eventually, despite her previous disastrous romance with prison guard John Benett.

Crystal is inmate Sofia Burset’s wife. When Sofia underwent a sex-change operation ditching her previous identity of a male fireman, Crystal supported her whole-heartedly. And she kept on doing so even when Sofia was put behind bars. So, when Sofia is put indefinitely in the SHU, Crystal struggles to fight the authorities. She appeals to MCC executives, protests outside the jail, and knocks straight on Joe Caputo’s door to seek help by all means possible.

All of this shows Crystal’s love for Sophia and her conviction to save her. She eventually does succeed as her ex-partner is released among the general prison population, and later given an early release.

Nicky Continues To Be Friends With Lorna

Nicky Nichols is involved with various partners during her jail time but it’s Lorna with whom she shares a truly intimate bond of love. Nicky has constantly helped in giving reality checks to Lorna, who as mentioned before, has issues with compulsively lying about made-up fantasies. During the sixth season, Nicky realizes that Lorna is finally happy with Vince after her marriage and her child.

While it pains Nicky, she’s willing to be a good friend to Lorna and ditch all her feelings for her. It’s a painful task but Nicky does it, prioritizing Lorna’s happiness over her own.

Alex & Piper’s Prison Wedding

Another iconic tearjerker of a prison wedding in this show was the one fans were waiting for. Piper Chapman, the protagonist of the series, has had several ups and downs with her ex-turned-girlfriend-turned-wife Alex Vause. But finally, after spending enough months in custody, they decide that their relationship would have no more ifs nor buts.

Piper gets an early release, leaving room for suspicion on Piper spending her intimate moments with someone else in the outside world. She, however, convinces that Alex is her one true love. To really express this, she proposes to Alex and they have a hushed-up marriage.

Piper Relocates Near Alex’s Prison

Of course, Piper and Alex get another entry on this list. In the final season, the two lovers get a perfect ending that would make viewers smile and cry at the same time.

In a pleasant twist, Piper relocates to Ohio too where she feels she can begin her life again and be closer to Alex. The two jailbirds-turned-lovebirds meet in the very final scene of the show in the Ohio prison. Piper comes as a visitor while Alex is still in her prison uniform. But for that very moment, the line between prison and the real-world gets blurry. Piper smiles, and so does Alex. The show ends at that perfect moment.