Having watched Netflix's Stranger Things only a few months ago, I set out to find a show of similar caliber. Because of my good experiences with Netflix Originals in the past, I figured that would be a good place to look for another show like Stranger Things. After a few minutes of shuffling through the listings for a few minutes, I found a show that seemed to fit the bill.
The OA is another sci-fi Netflix Original that was ranked by Netflix users as a similar show to Stranger Things. I was immediately intrigued and clicked "Play" on the first episode. The show began with an interesting start, throwing me right into the action with Prairie, the main character. As the episode went on, little hints at the mysteries leading up to the episode began to piece themselves together, leaving me asking a whole slew of questions by the end -- Who are the characters? How did they end up here? What's the bigger picture? Since it was already late, I decided to go to bed after the episode, but those questions stayed on my mind as a I fell asleep.
By the time I got home the next day, my questions were already eating at me, and I immediately put the show on. It wouldn't be any exaggeration to say that I sat there and binged the next six episodes in a single sitting. At this point in the show, everything seemed to be coming together to close off the plot very soon. Puzzle pieces were clicking into place and the gears in my head were turning, trying to solve the final mysteries of the show. Yet by the end of the seventh episode, it hardly felt like the show was over. There were still so many questions left open, and I wasn't sure how the writers could find the time to solve it all in one last episode. My hopes immediately turned towards a second season, and though I did not want to see the show end with another, bigger mystery, I thought that an ending like Stranger Things' would be a great way to finish the season. With those thoughts swirling through my head, I went to bed.
When I awoke the next morning, the first thing I did was put on the final episode; I simply had to know what had happened. The beginning of the episode fit the pattern of the rest of the show quite well: it opened with a suspenseful, thought-provoking scene and attempts to surprise the viewer with how the situation unfolded. Yet this late in the series, it immediately felt as though everything had been engulfed by questions. It seemed there was simply no way for the show to end soon (I had to double-check that there were only 8 episodes).
Without any real warning, the plot started to fall apart on me. Questions that seemed important to me were ignored, while the characters seemed to create new questions of their own. While I had noticed some awkward acting before (scenes that didn't feel like how normal people behave), it was as though I was bombarded by them. Without spoiling too much, I will mention that I was immediately confused about how one character went from total belief of a (frankly quite unbelievable) idea to complete doubt, taking the investigation into his own hands and totally flip-flopping his views on the subject. To me, it didn't really feel relatable, and that immediately took effect in the way I viewed the ending of the show.
When the final twist came into play, it wasn't so much a feeling of surprise as it was disappointment that caused me to press the "pause" button. The little hints earlier in the season started to come together and point towards what would happen, but the way the show used that caused me to lose my interest in the plot. Rather than carrying through a linear plot, it seemed like the writers tried to just push the twist 100%, never stopping to consider the viewer's experience. The change in the storyline was almost jarring, and despite the previous hints towards the final scene, it felt as though it was occurring in a completely separate show than the rest of the narrative.
The final scene was one of the most disappointing endings I could have hoped for. My questions from before weren't answered, but it did open up plenty of new questions. The paradoxical nature of this scene -- was everything up until now a lie? -- simply gave it a half-baked feeling. And yet the lack of closure given to the viewer felt different from the way the ending of Inception makes you think.
Instead of "what happens next?", the question I was left with was "is that it?" The plot did not pose itself it ask questions, but rather cut off and switched to another story. Overall, it felt as though part of the show was missing. The closest thing I can compare it to is the ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the controversial final episode which led to numerous remakes with alternate endings in order to appease the fans.
Overall, I give the show a 3/5. The beginning managed to capture my interest almost immediately, and despite some of the writing feeling like a stretch of the imagination, the amount of mystery kept me engaged. The visuals and sound track are excellent, and the amount of thought put into many of the main characters felt great. Numerous, very distinct personalities were apparent throughout the whole show, giving everyone something to relate to. Overall, I would not recommend watching the show. However, I would tell anyone insistent giving The OA a viewing to skip the last episode, as any predictions you come up with are probably more rational and satisfying than the way the show actually ends.