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Netflix: The OA (with minor spoilers)
2019-Mar-24, Sunday 07:29 pmNetflix released a very weird and disturbing show back in 2016 called "The OA". Without giving away any big secrets, those letters are used to name the main character as "The Original Angel". It already sounds intriguing, right?
It's a very rough ride, that season 1 show. A demented man repeatedly murders people and brings them back to life, all so he can research the afterlife through his kidnapped victims and their carefully engineered near-death experiences. A very rough ride. By the end of the show, when the OA reveals her life story to some strangers, we're left wondering if the whole series was a surreal excursion to the afterlife, or... did we just waste hours of our life watching a psychotic break? She was blind, and then she wasn't, so we're inclined to believe her version of the story, but... there is also good evidence to cause doubt. Finally, 2.5 years later, we finally have season 2.
Wow, "The OA" is now one of the best sci-fi/fantasy shows that I've seen. You have to endure the grim depression of Season 1, but it really pays off in Season 2. We learn immediately that the Original Angel isn't psychotic. The multiverse is real. Her cohorts from season 1 also jumped to this same universe, including their serial murderer, and he's back in control of their prison cell again but this time in a psych ward. Let the roller coaster ride begin.
These latest episodes are just as surreal as the first. One particular scene left me stunned in surprise. You'll know it when you see it; it finally explains why the OA has those weird marks on her arms in this new universe. Trust me; it's not on your list of expected causes. And even why that scene is possible isn't fully explained until later when the trees start talking and divulging their truth. Surreal, like I said.
There are a few meaningful flashbacks to scenes from the first season. The doctor is just as vile in any universe, so some things remain constant. That very weird performance dance that they do to travel between worlds is still vital, but even that gimmick offers a small surprise. The visuals and the acting are just as impressive in the second season as the first. If you like weird sci-fi/fantasy, then "The OA" has a lot to offer, but you do kind of have to endure the first season to reap the rewards.
My Netflix subscription ends in less than a week, so I'm glad I got a chance to see this show before I leave the platform behind. I've already moved over to DC Universe and have been enjoying new and old shows there. "The OA" makes a good farewell performance.
A much longer write-up with major spoilers is up at TV Guide. It explains the potential for season 3.
It's a very rough ride, that season 1 show. A demented man repeatedly murders people and brings them back to life, all so he can research the afterlife through his kidnapped victims and their carefully engineered near-death experiences. A very rough ride. By the end of the show, when the OA reveals her life story to some strangers, we're left wondering if the whole series was a surreal excursion to the afterlife, or... did we just waste hours of our life watching a psychotic break? She was blind, and then she wasn't, so we're inclined to believe her version of the story, but... there is also good evidence to cause doubt. Finally, 2.5 years later, we finally have season 2.
Wow, "The OA" is now one of the best sci-fi/fantasy shows that I've seen. You have to endure the grim depression of Season 1, but it really pays off in Season 2. We learn immediately that the Original Angel isn't psychotic. The multiverse is real. Her cohorts from season 1 also jumped to this same universe, including their serial murderer, and he's back in control of their prison cell again but this time in a psych ward. Let the roller coaster ride begin.
These latest episodes are just as surreal as the first. One particular scene left me stunned in surprise. You'll know it when you see it; it finally explains why the OA has those weird marks on her arms in this new universe. Trust me; it's not on your list of expected causes. And even why that scene is possible isn't fully explained until later when the trees start talking and divulging their truth. Surreal, like I said.
There are a few meaningful flashbacks to scenes from the first season. The doctor is just as vile in any universe, so some things remain constant. That very weird performance dance that they do to travel between worlds is still vital, but even that gimmick offers a small surprise. The visuals and the acting are just as impressive in the second season as the first. If you like weird sci-fi/fantasy, then "The OA" has a lot to offer, but you do kind of have to endure the first season to reap the rewards.
My Netflix subscription ends in less than a week, so I'm glad I got a chance to see this show before I leave the platform behind. I've already moved over to DC Universe and have been enjoying new and old shows there. "The OA" makes a good farewell performance.
A much longer write-up with major spoilers is up at TV Guide. It explains the potential for season 3.