DaveSumm Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Wow. Spoiler I had a sinking feeling toward the end that, when Alfonso found the books, that it would a boring ambiguous ending that didn't give any hints as to whether it was true. And I guess in a way, it was .... except I loved it. I thought coming up with an inventive ending that wasn't either "they succeed and rescue Homer" or "it's all bollocks" was brilliant. And it provides a very clever cushion for you even if you do start to think she was making it up, in that it all transpires to be necessary to stop this event. It provides a strange third option; she was making it up, but she is still an angel. This was exactly what they needed to hear to all be in the right place in the right frame of mind to confuse the fuck out of the shooter. And I think the moves had to be partially absurd to work, their bizarre appearance and the characters complete and utter conviction was what made the whole thing function. I found it strangely moving, that the truth of the matter was relegated to being less important than the telling of the story for such a crucial reason. And I say that as someone who hates ambiguity used in such a way, so often a glorified 'it was all a dream....or was it?' ending. A few loose ends - did we ever find out why they needed to leave their doors unlocked? Or fill in the gap between her being abandoned by Hap and the opening of the show? Why did she jump in the river? What was with the scene where Alfonso had the same scar as Homer? Despite loving this season, I have the exact same feeling I had upon finishing Stranger Things; I don't want another one. They both feel like one season shows to me, and I can't possibly see how another 8 episodes of The OA wouldn't tread all over the delicate balance of ambiguity they managed to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbunting Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I binged this over the weekend. I had high hopes because in the last couple weeks I also binged Stranger Things and Sense8 and loved those. This wasn't on par with those for me. Spoiler Not going to dissect it too much because I don't feel a draw to this. The books to me looked like a plant and how was the violin there? She had it in NY in the subway when taken, then when Hap dropped her off she had nothing. Are we to assume the violin was a plant as well? She was blind at 7 as a Russian child, then learns English. I don't believe we ever saw that she could read English before going blind so that was kind of strange. I didn't mind the ending because it leaves it open for interpretation and/or Season 2 to explain it. They did a good enough job with it that you could argue that it was a spell that was working, you could also argue that the shooter was simply dumbfounded at the five of them "dancing" like that. You could argue that it was all in her head or that it was all real. And to me, I think she jumped off the bridge to kill herself thinking that she would have a chance to go to Homer. She was mentally broken at that point and she had been getting drowned over and over so maybe she just thought if she drowned it would work. All in all this wasn't a bad show and I would watch a second season, but it's not something that grabbed me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I feel somewhat confident her jump from the bridge wasnt a suicide attempt, it was her trying for another NDE to try and connect with Homer et al. Which is why she was so concerned to know if she flatlined when she woke up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbunting Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 27 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said: I feel somewhat confident her jump from the bridge wasnt a suicide attempt, it was her trying for another NDE to try and connect with Homer et al. Which is why she was so concerned to know if she flatlined when she woke up Problem is that at that height she only survived by luck, so did she try to have a NDE or just try to die and use the afterlife she feels she knows is there to get to Homer and the others? There was no guarantee whatsoever that she would live after that jump. I live near water and a large bridge, the Ambassador, and you will not survive the jump. Not only that but your body generally is found way down river days or weeks later. The fact that she survived is a "miracle".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSumm Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 She said when she woke that it wasn't a suicide attempt didn't she? I didn't get the impression she was lying. Also now that we know Spoiler It wasn't Hap in the car she fled (well.....if that's all true anyway), I can't see why she picked that moment to suddenly flee. If she was hitching a ride she could have just calmly got out and walked. So there's some unknown peril in that vehicle or moment that we know is true as her Mom watched the video. @dbunting some interesting points in your previous post, you're right there isn't really a window where she could have learnt to read English. And the violin case flagged up for me as odd as well, unless she owns two I guess? Or bought another one off screen since returning? And the books were weird, I had a feeling they'd be incriminating from the way they set the scene up, but then as they were revealed......I didn't quite get it. If I thought an NDE had turned me into an angel....yea, I might buy a book or two on those subjects. Nothing weird there. 'Homer' is the only connection there is I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbunting Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 22 minutes ago, DaveSumm said: She said when she woke that it wasn't a suicide attempt didn't she? I didn't get the impression she was lying. Right, but in her mind it wouldn't be suicide if she believes she is an Angel right? SO in her mind she wasn't lying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 It's always hard to know if the writers thought about all the things the viewers think about. Like did they think about the fact that a blind girl who spoke and read Russian before going blind wouldn't know how to read English when she's no longer blind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSumm Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Dr. Pepper said: It's always hard to know if the writers thought about all the things the viewers think about. Like did they think about the fact that a blind girl who spoke and read Russian before going blind wouldn't know how to read English when she's no longer blind? Yea, that did cross my mind. Also, relying on what we see as true is a bit fuzzy......I mean the trip to Cuba would've been recounted to her so that's feasible, but what about Hap's meeting in the abandoned hospital wing? OA specifically says 'I think he killed someone' so she doesn't know the whole scene.....so how are we seeing it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myshkin Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 On 12/27/2016 at 1:54 PM, SpaceChampion said: She wasn't born blind, remember. She was however born Russian. And, you know, they have a different alphabet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamMe90 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 oh homerrr i just wanna pinch those perfect chubby cheeks of yours to death Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChampion Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 A child of one of the Russian oligarchs would probably learn English too. 1 hour ago, Myshkin said: She was however born Russian. And, you know, they have a different alphabet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isalie Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I don't really think the reading matters, either the books were planted and she can or cannot read, or her story was made up and the writers can claim she majored in English literature. I prefer the plant, but I'm also sceptical of a second season to *give answers*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martell Spy Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/oa-emory-cohen-defends-the-movements.html The OA’s Emory Cohen Defends the Movements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nictarion Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Just finished this. Really like it. The dance moves didn't bother me at all. During the cafeteria scene I thought to myself I should find this rather silly, but I didn't. The music they paired it with was so perfect, and the actors did a great job. I'm definitely leaning towards the books being planted and everything being true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martell Spy Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Netflix Renews ‘The OA’ for Season 2 http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/02/08/netflix-renews-the-oa-for-season-2.html?via=desktop&source=copyurl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 29 minutes ago, Martell Spy said: Netflix Renews ‘The OA’ for Season 2 http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/02/08/netflix-renews-the-oa-for-season-2.html?via=desktop&source=copyurl Happiness! Now we get to find out how much was truth, and how much was story. I lean towards mostly truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Meereense Knot Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I was trying to figure out what the tone and setting of this show reminded me of and I think it finally came to me...Donnie Darko. The reality of the metaphysical events of the show are currently more in limbo than that, but in terms of tone and characterization that's what this reminded me of the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiDisaster Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Just binged this over the past few days. I liked it overall, some of the things that happened while she was in captivity made very little sense at all but I guess that can be explained by her making a lot of it up? I didn't mind the interpretive dance magic, but I am annoyed by the ambiguity of the ending. I want to know if any of it was real or not dammit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolorous Gabe Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I see this as an intriguing oddity than anything more. It's a deeply flawed piece of adventurous ambition and in fairness I would rather watch something of that description than a solidly made piece of unadventurous conventionality. That said, my issues with it are enough for me to say I probably won't be watching any further seasons unless word of mouth suggests I should give it a go. After all, I didn't intend to continue with Fargo after S1 but then S2 was magnificent. I personally found the ending of The OA to be an incredibly repulsive glorification of its own spiritualistic sense in the face of real world tragedy, the invocation of which in the context of such a fantastical story was at best foolish (I won't say what it was at worst). That said, I do applaud its effort to be original and that I'm still thinking about it nearly a month after finishing it is to its credit. It's not easy to balance real world horrors and fantasy and keep things ambiguous without insulting the viewer/reader. The best stories that do that tend to have a real world story and a fantasy story that work equally well individually and in conjunction, like Pan's Labyrinth for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theda Baratheon Posted February 9, 2017 Author Share Posted February 9, 2017 21 hours ago, The Meereense Knot said: I was trying to figure out what the tone and setting of this show reminded me of and I think it finally came to me...Donnie Darko. The reality of the metaphysical events of the show are currently more in limbo than that, but in terms of tone and characterization that's what this reminded me of the most. I pitch this show to people telling them it's Donnie Darko meets Breakfast Club Explains why I love it so much 6 hours ago, Dolorous Gabe said: I see this as an intriguing oddity than anything more. It's a deeply flawed piece of adventurous ambition and in fairness I would rather watch something of that description than a solidly made piece of unadventurous conventionality. That said, my issues with it are enough for me to say I probably won't be watching any further seasons unless word of mouth suggests I should give it a go. After all, I didn't intend to continue with Fargo after S1 but then S2 was magnificent. I personally found the ending of The OA to be an incredibly repulsive glorification of its own spiritualistic sense in the face of real world tragedy, the invocation of which in the context of such a fantastical story was at best foolish (I won't say what it was at worst). That said, I do applaud its effort to be original and that I'm still thinking about it nearly a month after finishing it is to its credit. It's not easy to balance real world horrors and fantasy and keep things ambiguous without insulting the viewer/reader. The best stories that do that tend to have a real world story and a fantasy story that work equally well individually and in conjunction, like Pan's Labyrinth for example. I';m sorry but whaaaaat; Season 1 of Fargo was outstanding ???? One of the best TV seasons I've watched Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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