You remember that mustache. That thick, aggressive, slightly-too-groomed Caterpillar living on Pablo Schreiber's face. George Mendez—better known as "Pornstache"—was the guy we all loved to hate during the early seasons of Orange Is the New Black. He wasn't just a "bad" guard; he was a walking, talking ethical disaster zone.
But here is the thing: what actually happened to him? If you stopped watching after the first few seasons or just need a refresher, the arc of George Mendez Orange Is the New Black is one of the weirdest, most surprisingly "redeemed" stories in the whole Litchfield saga. Sorta.
The Most Hated Man in Litchfield
When we first meet George Mendez, he is basically the embodiment of every systemic failure in the American prison system. He’s corrupt. He’s cruel. He is trading drugs for sexual favors and making life a living hell for anyone who doesn't play ball. Honestly, the scene where he urinates in Red’s Thanksgiving gravy? That was the moment most of us decided he deserved whatever was coming to him.
He was a predator, plain and simple. He targeted the most vulnerable inmates, like Tricia Miller, fueling her addiction and then framing her death as a suicide to cover his own tracks. It was dark.
But then the show did that weird thing OITNB always does. It gave him a weird, twisted sense of "humanity."
That Absurd Love Story
Remember when Dayanara Diaz (Daya) and the other inmates cooked up a plan to get Bennett off the hook for getting her pregnant? They decided to pin the pregnancy on Mendez. It was a brilliant, desperate move. They lured him into a supply closet, made sure he was caught "in the act," and boom—he was gone.
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The twist? Mendez didn't see it as a setup. He genuinely believed he was in love.
While he was being hauled away in handcuffs in Season 2, he wasn't screaming threats. He was shouting professions of love to Daya. He promised to take care of her and "their" baby. It was one of the most jarring moments in the series because, for a split second, you almost felt... something? Not quite sympathy, but a weird realization that this monster was also incredibly delusional and lonely.
Why Pablo Schreiber Left
If you were wondering why George Mendez Orange Is the New Black suddenly vanished after being such a huge part of the first two seasons, it wasn't just about the plot. Pablo Schreiber is a phenomenal actor, and he landed a lead role on the HBO series The Brink alongside Jack Black.
He told the New York Post at the time that it was a "no-brainer" to move from a guest-starring role to a lead. He still loved the show and creator Jenji Kohan, but the scheduling just didn't work.
He did pop back in for a few cameos, though. We saw him in Season 3 with a mullet (minus the mustache) in a men's prison, still obsessed with Daya. Then he showed up briefly in Season 5. But it's his final appearance that really sticks.
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The Surprising Finale: Where is George Mendez Now?
By the time the series wrapped up in Season 7, most of the characters were in a pretty bleak place. Daya had turned into a hardened drug kingpin inside the prison. Bennett was long gone, having abandoned his child and disappeared into the night.
But Mendez?
In the series finale, we see a short, wordless montage. George Mendez is in a backyard. He’s clean-shaven. He’s playing with a little girl—Daya’s daughter, Armaria. His mother, Delia Powell (played by Mary Steenburgen), is there too.
It turns out that despite knowing he wasn't the biological father, Mendez stepped up. He’s actually raising the kid.
The Irony of the Pornstache Arc
There is a massive irony here that fans still debate on Reddit and Twitter. George Mendez, the "villain" of Season 1, ended up being the only person who actually provided a stable, loving home for Daya’s baby.
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- John Bennett (the "good" guy): Ran away.
- Aleida Diaz (the grandmother): Caught in a cycle of crime and poverty.
- Daya Diaz (the mother): Lost to the prison system.
- George Mendez (the "monster"): Changed diapers and played in the yard.
Is he a "good guy" now? Probably not. He still did horrific things at Litchfield. But the show used him to illustrate a complex point: sometimes the people we think are the heroes are cowards, and the people we think are monsters are capable of a weird, specific kind of redemption.
What You Can Learn From This Character
If you're a writer or just a fan of prestige TV, the George Mendez Orange Is the New Black character is a masterclass in subverting expectations. He never stopped being a weirdo, but he became a useful weirdo.
If you want to revisit his best (or worst) moments, here is what you should do:
- Watch Season 1, Episode 12: This is where the drug trade and Tricia Miller's story come to a head. It’s the peak of his villainy.
- Watch Season 2, Episode 10: The "Little Mustachioed Shit" episode. This is his big exit and that iconic "I love you!" scream.
- Check out Pablo Schreiber in Halo or American Gods: If you want to see how much range this guy has without the 'stache, his later work is incredible.
The legacy of George Mendez is basically a reminder that in Litchfield, nothing is ever black and white. Not even the guys with the creepiest facial hair.
The most actionable thing you can do right now? Go back and watch the Season 7 finale. Look closely at that backyard scene. It changes the way you view the entire first three seasons of the show. It makes you question every "hero" the show initially presented to us.