Sister Pete

Sister Peter Marie Reimondo aka Sister Pete is a fictional character on the HBO drama "Oz" played by Rita Moreno.

Character overview

A nun, she served as the titular prison's lead drug counselor and psychiatrist. She opposed the death penalty, supported much of Tim McManus' ideology, and cared to help the inmates become better people.

She also was involved in several issues throughout the series involving Tobias Beecher, Chris Keller, Dr. Gloria Nathan, Kareem Said, and Vern Schillinger.

eason 1

Sister Pete's role in Oz is to evaluate the psychiatric condition of the inmates and provide counseling to keep them mentally stable and healthy. She's in charge of assigning conjugal visits, which gets shut down after Governor James Devlin puts a halt to them. She also leads a group therapy session for former drug addicted inmates. When Tobias Beecher arrives, she learns he has the computer skills she needs for an assistant and hires him on the spot. After Devlin reinstates the death penalty and makes Jefferson Keane the first to be executed, Sister Pete loses her job for speaking out against the execution. She joins the protesters outside Oz. Although her beliefs are strong, she decides to return to Oz.

eason 2

She tries counseling Ryan O'Reily after he becomes obesessed with Dr. Nathan. She then has to keep quiet about Warden Glynn's daughter's rape at his request. She soon discovers an old inmate confined to solitary knows who killed her late husband. She's able to break through to him and learn exactly what happened on that day. She rewards him with a supply of his favorite toothpaste for which he's eternally grateful.

eason 3

This season, Sister Pete initiates a victim/offender program to help Rivera (the victim) and Alvarez (the offender) come to terms with Miguel's blinding Rivera. The program ends abruptly when Rivera and his wife decide not to return for more sessions even though Sister Pete seemed to make progress with Miguel. Next up, Keller starts counseling sessions to come to terms with his feelings about betraying Beecher. During these sessions, Keller turns the discussion's focus around to her. Soon her personal feelings and suppressed longing for those "fleshy" desires arise and she starts questioning her faith and commitment to being a nun. After discovering that Keller's been using her just to get Beecher back, she refuses to counsel him. In a confessional to Father Mukada, she explains her decision to leave the convent. After finding out about death row inmate Shirley Bellinger's pregnancy, Sister Pete examines Bellinger and recommends that Shirley be transferred to a mental institution.

eason 4

Sister Pete decides to leave and asks for resignation papers to be drawn up for her. Cardinal Abgot (played by Gavin McLeod) visits Oz and has a conversation with her about her plans. He informs her that the decision is ultimately hers but that her feelings are not out of the ordinary. When Nat Ginzburg's condition worsens, he asks Sister Pete to request his execution be moved up. Sister Pete convinces Glynn to approve the request however, when the execution squad shows up for Nat, he's already died peacefully in his sleep. Remembering his last request to her, Sister Pete promptly sits down and proceeds to finish polishing Nats nails. Sister Pete continues her refusal to treat Keller in group or individual sessions. Her trust in Keller has been shattered and she refuses to change her mind. She finally convinces Dr. Nathan to participate in the victim/offender program with Ryan O'Reily and his brother Cyril. The session ends abruptly. While sitting at her desk contemplating the session she tears the resignation papers to shreds and decides to stay.

Sister Pete continues her victim offender program. This time, her subjects become Beecher and Schillinger and she becomes puzzled when Schillinger begins quoting bible passages and claiming that he wants nothing but peace and happiness in his life. She also takes up William Giles's cause to be stoned to death for killing Bevilaqua only the Governor wants him executed by traditional means. The press gets a hold of the story and a petition is sent on Giles' behalf

eason 5

When Cyril's attorney reports how Cyril's unruly behavior disrupts the proceedings, Sister Pete gives Cyril a hand puppet to help him cope. She also aligns with Father Meehan, Katherine (the attorney) and Suzanne Fitzgerald to pressure the state to overturn the death penalty. She believes Cyril's actions although violent are the cause of his diminished mental capacity and he's therefore not completely responsible.

During a session Schibetta reveals that he was raped by three men. Sister Pete recommends he talk with Dr. Nathan to help him deal with his attack. At a later time, Sister Pete met with Adam Guenzel, a new inmate who is now completely under Schillinger's control. Her attempts to get information from Adam are to no avail, as he is too afraid of Schillinger's wrath to tell anyone about the abuse he suffers. She decides to put the query to the three inmates she knows have insight: Beecher, Said and Schillinger. When she asks them to speak up on anything they may know about Guenzel's case, none of them responds. Angry and frustrated, she dismisses them and refuses to see any of them for future sessions.

References

*http://www.hbo.com/oz/cast/character_reimondo.shtml