Spoilers The OA - Netflix Series

[dahj]

There's a new sci-fi show on Netflix from Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij (Sound of My Voice, Another Earth, The East).

It's about a blind girl that goes missing and shows up 7 years later jumping off a bridge with her eyesight restored and strange markings on her back looking for Homer.

Just finished watching the first episode and I'm intrigued, anyone else watching per chance?

First episode has one of the longest pre-credits sequences ever

 

[Commander Richard]

Never heard of it until I read this thread. If Brit Marling is involved, I'm in. I like her work.

 

[Guy Gardener]

4 episodes in.

It's good.

It's nice to see Phyllis from the Office getting new work.

I'd always crack a smile when she would tell Michael that they were the same age.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

So it's not about the Green Lantern?

 

[dahj]

^^
Unclear.

 

[Guy Gardener]

When she explains the reason behind her rechristening, I yelled at my TV.

 

[Commander Richard]

I'm up to episode 5 and I'm quite enjoying it so far. I'll finish the season tonight. It's similar to Lost in that it has flashback storytelling and revelations that make you go "whoa!", and at the same time it's very much Brit Marling. If you've seen her work, you'll get it. She never broke into the mainstream but that's okay, this is what she does best and I consider it a real treat to get 8 hours of her.

Quick question though...

Spoiler

Why do they call her "OA"?

If this is revealed in the first 5 episodes, I must have missed something so let me know.

First episode has one of the longest pre-credits sequences ever

I thought so too. 58 minutes in. Then after seeing more episodes, I took it to be an intro for the season rather than that episode.

 

[dahj]

I'm up to episode 5 and I'm quite enjoying it so far.

I'm up to episode 5 as well, and that was a pretty awesome ending.
Will probably watch the rest tomorrow.

If this is revealed in the first 5 episodes, I must have missed something so let me know.

Spoiler: Episode 4

At the end of episode 4 she names herself that.
Or figures out that's her true name. Depends how you look at it.
Don't know if they get more into it later on, I expect they might?

When she explains the reason behind her rechristening, I yelled at my TV.

Spoiler: Episode 4

If you're talking about the end of episode 4, then in her defense it's not like it's a regular name like Dave or something, takes a while to pluck it out of the ether.
Or maybe she heard you

 

[Commander Richard]

I'm up to episode 5 as well, and that was a pretty awesome ending.

Yeah, it was a nice ending and a good place to finish for the night.

Spoiler: Episode 4

At the end of episode 4 she names herself that.
Or figures out that's her true name. Depends how you look at it.
Don't know if they get more into it later on, I expect they might?

Spoiler: Episode 5

I did notice that the first four episodes end with a "light at the end of the tunnel" that forms an "O". And at the end of episode 5, the light forms two lines that come together to look like an "A", the same as on the promotional art. I wonder what that has to do with anything. Guess we'll find out.

 

[Commander Richard]

^ Nevermind, I was overthinking it. The meaning of the show's title is answered in episode 7.

I really enjoyed the first season. Brit Marling is a great storyteller. A blind woman disappears and returns 7 years later with her vision restored and looking for someone named Homer. Then we have entire flashback episodes dedicated to showing us in great detail exactly what happened to her while she was gone. And in keeping with Marling's style, the story both makes us believe her recounting of events, and being skeptical, wondering if it's all true. It also gives some good insight into what it must be like to be sucked into a cult. We the audience can see the cultishness, but we also believe in her message and goals. It's very similar to her movie Sound of My Voice.

It was a weekend well spent and I can't wait for season 2, though like Lost, the show does have the potential to string people along.

Two things though... SPOILERS...

- Why did she jump off the bridge when she escaped in episode 1?

- Was HAP drowning the test subjects? That part was glossed over. If so, it's weird that they'd just wake up from that unless something else was going on.

 

[dahj]

Well that was wonderfully weird.

When it comes to Netflix shows it's always kinda hard discussing a show episode by episode, but then this is more like one long movie, so if anyone's stumbled onto this thread I'd advise you to watch the whole thing avoiding any spoilers, then come back.

Having said that...

Beware SPOILERS from now on!

the story both makes us believe her recounting of events, and being skeptical, wondering if it's all true. It also gives some good insight into what it must be like to be sucked into a cult.

Yep, that's what I like about her stuff, a lot more than usual the choice on what to believe and how to interpret it is left to the viewer. I'm more inclined to believe the OA, by the way, those books were awfully convenient placed, and the FBI guy(what was he doing there anyway?) lied to Alfonso.
Guess I should be wary of cults

- Why did she jump off the bridge when she escaped in episode 1?

Presumably she was trying to induce an NDE so she could enter the other dimension and find Homer and the others.

- Was HAP drowning the test subjects? That part was glossed over. If so, it's weird that they'd just wake up from that unless something else was going on.

He killed them, then "recorded" what was happening while they were dead.
They returned because they chose to return, that's why he needed the NDE survivors, because they came back on their own.

Anyways, I gotta feeling I'm gonna be collecting my thoughts on this for days, but on top of all that weird stuff, there's a really warm story going on and I just loved it.

"I'm eating a sandwich. I gotta go."

(P.S. "It's a matter of will"... this show IS about the Lanterns )

 

[Commander Richard]

Spoilers...

Anyways, I gotta feeling I'm gonna be collecting my thoughts on this for days, but on top of all that weird stuff, there's a really warm story going on and I just loved it.

Yeah, that really came through during the school shooting when they all got up and did their moves, which might I are both weird and intriguing. Another thing about the story that sticks with me is the way OA brought Betty around when she was just a jaded teacher looking to get Steve expelled.

"I'm eating a sandwich. I gotta go."

I was excited when she saw Steve being taken away and then decided to follow. I thought... Yes! Go get him! Betty to the rescue. Then I was disappointed that she botched it up and lost her $50,000. but thinking back, this happens when you join a cult. You do stupid things and lose your money.

 

[dahj]

did their moves, which might I are both weird and intriguing.

That's basically my default position on all of modern dance.
I never understand what the hell is going on, but strangely I can't look away

 

[Guy Gardener]

Is there a modern dance floor?

Do kids (15 yrs to 29 yrs) still dance?

 

[dahj]

Is there a modern dance floor?

I used to think that's what the Tate was for.
I got escorted out.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Between Ferris Beuller and LA Story, how could you not?

 

[dahj]

The show's instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/the_oa/
(visual spoilers aplenty)

 

[wayoung]

Finished it today. Spent most of the time wondering what the hell was going on. Still not sure, which I guess is the point.

The first episode, the most conventional of the series, was bland, but the show picked up right after.

I didn't think the lead was a strong enough actress for the role, but did an OK job. I suspect if she wasn't also the Co creater she wouldn't have got the job.

I'm still not sure what the point of the first episodes sex scene was when there was no other sex or nudity for the rest of the series. It came off as gratuitous.

Riz Ahmed is in everything this year. That's a positive, not a negative.

Phylis from the office reprises her Bad Teacher role.

That ending was, well....

Spoiler

I never thought I'd laugh at a school shooting. Way to prove me wrong Netflix. Now I feel like a horrible human being.

Overall it's nice to see something taking risks, even if the risks don't necessarily pan out. Although it fell in the trap many supernatural mystery shows do of drawing out the mystery instead of providing any satisfactory resolutions. Makes one wonder if there are any real plans or if we're watching another Lost.

I do wonder if there is a larger point to Prairie having the Iliad and not the odyssey. It is the more relevant book. Especially with the blind prophet in the underworld who tells Odysseus how to get home and tries to warn him of upcoming tragedies. A more Prairie like character than Odysseus himself.

 

[dahj]

Makes one wonder if there are any real plans or if we're watching another Lost.

Here's some quotes:

“The truth is, before Zal and I started doing this, we thought you could potentially get caught up in doing something like this for many years. So you better be sure all those years of your life are going to be interesting, so that’s why we spent a good year and a half upfront before we even wrote the first chapter, designing the labyrinth and making sure there was something at its center that would feel worthwhile to arrive at,” Marling said. “So there is a there there, but whether or not we’ll be able to get there is another question. But we always had an intention for where a second season would start and where it would end. it was important to know all those things upfront. So I guess we’ll just have to see if we get to tell it.”

Zal: We planned out a larger story when we started, because we didn't want to go into it without having the larger picture planned out—I think the audience can always tell that, or feel it. But we also wanted it to be its own standalone piece. So again, I think the novel analogy works really well, it's a novel, but it could easily be a series of novels. And I think it would be best as a series of novels!

 

[Commander Richard]

I didn't think the lead was a strong enough actress for the role, but did an OK job. I suspect if she wasn't also the Co creater she wouldn't have got the job.

Brit Marling has said that she's had trouble getting work, so she creates her own. In doing so, it looks like she's found her niche.

I'm still not sure what the point of the first episodes sex scene was when there was no other sex or nudity for the rest of the series. It came off as gratuitous.

I don't even remember it.

Overall it's nice to see something taking risks, even if the risks don't necessarily pan out. Although it fell in the trap many supernatural mystery shows do of drawing out the mystery instead of providing any satisfactory resolutions.

I like that they did in fact answer what happened to her while she was gone. I'm also happy to hear that they have a firm plan.