The OA (TV Series) Overview (2019) User Reviews

Mindbending

[jbencker · 9/10 · 29 March 2019]

The last five minutes were just jaw-dropping. I sat there completely stunned, going WTF?! Thinking back, there were huge hints: Scott's NDE in which OA was called Brit and Hap had an English accent; Hap telling OA they were going somewhere everyone would call her OA but she would't believe. I wasn't able to connect these dots because - this is not a place shows usually go (expect if you're an interactive Black Mirror episode or Supernatural making fun of itself). While I think this is an interesting set-up, I get that some will be apprehensive. Actors playing versions of themselves is a tricky thing, especially if it's not for comedic value.

Season 2 on the whole was really good. Introducing Karim and the mysterious house played out very well, and it was great to see his and OA's storylines intersect. The puzzles and mysteries were well-elaborated, adding pieces bit by bit, creating tension and keeping us viewers guessing. Thankfully there were not only puzzles and questions but we also got some answers - which were sorely needed: no show can work solely on the basis of unanswered questions. The acting was terrific, as in the first season. Jason Isaacs brilliantly plays Hap as a multi-layered villain, showing his dark, but also his vulnerable, his curious side.

The season ended on a fantastic note with Hap believing he finally has everything, only for Steve, who made it over, to thwart his plans. It was such a powerful moment when Steve - finally! - caught up to the ambulance this time and locked eyes with Hap. These two are set up as opponents for the next season and I'm very excited to see where this goes.

Dreams big and doesn't disappoint

[lukemello · 10/10 · 24 March 2019]

Fantastic execution of vision in a story that could've easily fallen apart at every turn. Whether it's your cup of tea or not, this is excellent filmmaking.

Absolutely brilliant! Ignore the negative reviews

[Shortreviews · 10/10 · 23 March 2019]

This finale topped off what I believe to be the best season to date. I'm not spoiling anything here but just to say, after reading some critics reviews, the ending is absolutely logical within the story's parameters. In fact you can see it was heading this way from season one but only in hindsight. It was beautiful, genius and didn't dumb anything down which happened to another show I had loved - Falling Water - that I'm worried it won't be renewed for a third season. Please, please open yourself up to this story. Pay attention and remember, no image or scene was presented just for the sake of being weird. A masterpiece.

Best show ever

[kalyan-srinivas · 10/10 · 7 April 2019]

This is the best SCI-FI Show ever. Amazing cast and amazing work from everyone involved in bringing this show. Season 3,4,5 are must or it would be a Netflix BIG Fail

MINDBLOWN ON THAT F'ING ENDING!!

[sybil11 · 10/10 · 10 April 2019]

Holy crap, that freaking ending was so freaking good. We were in disbelief, & had to pause for a moment to take it in. This is such an underrated show! 11/10 this season has been! My gosh, can't wait for next season!!!! Please don't make us wait 2 years again!!!!

PS. What's with someone always getting shot in the last episode of each season...

Anyway, BRING ON SEASON 3!!!!

Mind Blown

[mcdunster-09359 · 10/10 · 5 July 2019]

Incredibly innovative episode. Surprisingly and completely in line with the OA. A series completely outside the box. So many questions, so far to the answers. Can't wait for the follow-up. Must wait for the follow-up. As twisted as the series.

Season finale ending too cute by half...

[yowilwasup · 10/10 · 28 March 2019]

Season 2 was even better than the first. But unfortunately the season 2 finale left us in some potentially super annoying territory. If season 3 debut does not start with an immediate jump we could be in for a long pretentious season 3. It still gets 10 stars though. And have faith that Brit and Zal will come through next year (or whenever).

Overview

[bobcobb301 · 8/10 · 17 April 2019]

This show is so off the rails and yet I don't think anyone saw THAT ending coming.

We need a follow-up because that can't be the end.

A good finale that will have me thinking for sure.

Absolutely fantastic!!! Edge of your seat stuff!!!

[rufenia-14797 · 10/10 · 14 August 2019]

Changed my life watching The Oa. Soooo emotional and heart wrenching to watch....Highly recommend this brilliant series and the best thing Netflix have ever produced!!!!... xx

Going well, until...

[IntrepidClass · 9/10 · 31 March 2019]

For me the beauty of the OA (season 1) was the grounded high-school cast around the ephemeral Brit Marling. It was a magical mix. In season 2 the creators chose to sideline the high-schoolers and concentrate on Brit Marling/the OA and the fantasy world/s around her. I'm surprised by the ratings here for Magic Mirror and Mirror Mirror, because they were my favourites from this second season. Although I enjoyed the mostly fantasy elements of the rest this season, I find the core of this show to be the character driven scenes with BBA, Steve, Jesse, Alfonso and Buck. So I was fairly enjoying the episode finale which features all of them... until the final 5 minutes. The twist delivered felt disastrously premature. This was a turn of events for a series finale, not a second season finale. The bad wig was the icing on an underdone cake. Hopefully proved wrong with season 3, looking forward to it. 7/10 for Overview.

wow...

[garabedian123 · 8/10 · 30 September 2019]

Okay...like Fring...not everything makes sense, but unlike Fringe, i feel like it does not need to explain everything..Although we still dont really know what the OA is or why she is special..We know that she is special and I dont think the writers could make a good season 3.. look at fringe. Although that suffered from a writers strike..BUt anyways the house being special really makes no sense. Especially since its only in universe B. But the reason it gets an 8 instead of a 10 is the lighting. it was GAME OF THRONES dark...that level of darkness that makes you turn your brightness all the way up and guess what...its not any brighter somehow.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee..." (TOTAL SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 2 June 2019]

It has been some time since I watched season 1 of The OA and found myself carried along by the intrigue of the story and the visual impact of the design. Over that time the feeling of the whole thing collapsing when push came to shove has faded and I was left with the memory of enjoying it mostly, but that the ending was weak. Of course, on reflection the ending was more than 'weak' since it essentially tore up so much of what went before, but still - in the end I returned to the second season, despite saying I would not in the wake of finishing the first.

It is no real surprise that it does the same trick again here, albeit not quite as good, and without the same audience - because we have already seen the little man behind this grand curtain. Perhaps they know this, and maybe it would be right to say that the show plays to the things that people liked before? If that is true then you can't blame the show for going all in on ideas, but not paying off on any of them; or that it looks and sounds great throughout, while not having much depth at all; or that very little of it matters when it gets to the end, which throws everything up in the air again. That ending deserves a certain amount of ridicule, but first it is important to note that the show does do things well.

Mostly, it takes itself seriously - and this helps a lot. It introduces ideas all over the place, doesn't feel the need to explain or justify any of them, and if they are dropped and never mentioned again once they serve a purpose, but yet it believes in itself throughout. The production values are high, and the playing straight makes it feel like all of this is building and all of it is a puzzle to be solved. Of course the genius is that there is no such formed whole here - only lots of clues and ideas which allow fans to theorize and wonder, before the next thing takes them away. This does work though - I enjoyed the journey in the first season and mostly did here too. Of course knowing that it was probably all nonsense again limited me a bit, but it was well delivered. The framing of the detective mystery worked well, and allowed a strong performance from Ben-Adir, but otherwise it is too familiar and offers too little of real substance in this creation, or emotional grit to go with.

The ending will further divide the true fans from those going with it. It reminded me very much of the very same device used in BBC's series Gangsters many years ago, so nothing new. In short, we have the characters jump into a dimension where they appear to be the actors making the show we have just watched - with only a few characters seeing that. It is a special type of madness, and even allows itself a version of the "hello to Jason Issacs" meme. Like the first season, it draws a line under everything that had gone before, but then put a line through most of it as well. So many small and big questions are left unanswered - but it is almost easier to take this time since it is clear that there are no answers on offer, probably because they don't exist. I didn't find it annoying this time at all, because it is all so absurd and silly that it is hard to be too angry at it - like really, is there anyone who can still think this is some great work of genius here, and that it just needs yet another season to bring it all together into one great prize?

So, it fooled me again, but at least I knew it this time, and could enjoy it on that level. It continues to be glossy, interesting, and pointless; last time I said I'd probably not bother with the second season, but this time I'll certainly be there if they make the third, but only to see how much more silly it can all get.

It is good, but it's out of ideas.

[guiscaranse · 7/10 · 26 March 2019]

I loved the new characters but the ending is just disappointing. It feels like The OA uses always the same type of clifhanger, but this time you don't feel exactly surprised and in love with the script.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

[oddery · 2/10 · 1 April 2019]

Last 5 minutes or so were far too meta. It got me thinking about shows like this, or Lost, or The Leftovers where the story presents a mystery that captivates you and makes you want more--but ultimately leaves none of your questions answered, and adds a few more. There is no resolution, nothing to sate the appetite the writers built in the viewer--just more vapid nonsense imagery that doesn't lead anywhere or tell us anything.

When season 1 ended, I felt short-changed with the cliffhanger and the possibility that OA's entire story was made up. It didn't seem like there would be a second season for a while there, but when I saw there would be I had hope for answers... but all I got were more questions.

Did Dr. Percy do something to subdue Homer's memories of OA?

What's up with the octopus?

What does "The House" have to do with anything and why did it need to exist in the story?

Is the FBI guy (Riz Ahmed) good or bad? Why did he instill doubt in French if he was there to help all along?

What's up with the octopus?

Why didn't OA make the connection between the fish tank in the common room and the place Dr. Percy kept her for 7 years?

How did Dr. Percy get the bodies of the people who'd been in "The House" to put in his secret garden?

What. Is. Up. With. The. Octopus?

Who is Kareem to OA?

Why are the robot cubes able to perform the movements successfully?

Who is that French "guide" lady?

Why are OA, Homer, and Dr. Percy eternally connected? What do they represent?

Is there any significance to the fact that Buck is trans in one dimension but not in the other?

Is Buck/Michelle more significant than the others in the group (French, BBA, Angie, Jesse, Steve)?

What happened after Rachel's message in the medium's house?

WHAT IS UP WITH THAT OCTOPUS?!?!?

All these questions, in addition to the last 5 minutes of the finale, make me believe there is absolutely no plan for this story, and it's a waste of time trying to decipher the fantastical imagery projected by people who have no courage to write an ending. I don't think they can even answer these questions because I don't think they explored past the ideas they wrote for this season. They're just winging it with a bunch nonsense.

Quit turning over every rock and just focus on what's already uncovered. That's what I wish shows like The OA, Lost, and The Leftovers understood. You can't unravel the mystery if you keep changing the size of the ball of yarn.

Or if you add in a telepathic octopus for no reason.

Um, where is Rahim?

[radunn · 8/10 · 18 June 2022]

So the nice FBI guy helps get them to Treasure Island (I presume), but then what? I thought he would have stayed with them so the *he* could be the 5th person while BBA stood in the center of their circle - otherwise, what was the point of their movements??

ended just as it got good

[anorexicshark · 10/10 · 29 May 2019]

This show really pushes the audience with how weird it can get. its sits on the line if "okay time to turn this off" while still remaining gripping. I really hope they have some good answers.

Amazing...

[faisalsarhi · 10/10 · 30 March 2019]

This series is only for mature viewers ... all those who have simple mind will hate it. And for the those who are giving it a low rating they have a low IQ rate.

THE OA must go on it is like soul food loaded with nutrients for every aspect of ourselves.

Wow wow wow

[joegreenhalgh · 9/10 · 6 June 2022]

Just an absolute crime they cancelled this show. What a masterfully written and directed finale to an amazing season. Just hope we can get the full story one day (fingers crossed).

Please don't waste what you've done!

[joaos9 · 8/10 · 26 June 2019]

I rarely come here to write about anything, but The OA is way too good. If the first season was good, the second was amazing; with a dangerous ending.

The OA writers bring us an intelligent, sensitive and very contemporary way of see life and afterlife. They do it in a way that amazed me. The mix of soul, angels, dying, mind, universe, multiverse, dimensions, consciousness, uniqueness, afterlife, etc, it's incredibly well made!

Everything is put in a way you can see the logic and the reality in a fiction series. But... This second season starts well, but as I kept on urging for answers, they gave me more. I must agree with some reviews on that. The octopus? The cubes doing the movements? Who's that traveller? The bodies blossoming in the water? It's OK if the next season explains some of those things. The thing is I was getting used to logics and some things are still too covered up or disconnected from the plot, to make it easy to swallow.

One thing is how brilliant the script was about OA as an angel, the other is to add some telephatic octopus to the same reality, as if it was normal. No, we can't be underestimating octopuses in our dimension... Or not that much. One thing is to have a gifted OA capable of introduce the perfect movements in a parallel reality; another is to have futuristic cubes doing those movements. So it's not a matter of will, perfection and energy anymore, a robot can do it? Other ways to travel without 5 doing the movements was OK, but THAT way?...

Just please don't waste everything with the end of the second season... That idea of the "real actors" and the set was bad. Or at least, something else could've been so much better, after all the possibilities the series has been given us. It may have ruined the plausible reality in the whole fantasy. So, I just hope the third season is capable of keep in the same script, angels, telephatic octopuses, blossoming multiverses, robotic tools to travel between dimensions and a cast of the "real" actors playing it all.

I'm curious already!

Bad

[baybeh_girl · 10/10 · 28 July 2019]

Ending was Soooooooooo gooood I'm super excited for the next season. Last season I bawled liked a babbby this season I am smiling so so much !!!!!!!

Different but good

[MsMoebius · 9/10 · 1 June 2022]

While this second season has proved to be different when compared to the first one, it is good and much more mysterious and suspensful.

So many questions have been opened and almost all of them answered allowing also us to conlcude, think or even imagine how the show could continue .... Open ending to think about No need for a third season The writers have made a great show.

Far from how bad i thought id be

[Joey_w7 · 9/10 · 7 July 2022]

At first, at the beginning of season 1, I thought to myself : theyre just adding more and more loose ended mysterious weird visuals and plot lines, they could never put it all back together, and boy i was wrong. I'm not certain if they put all the pieces back together but it was enough to enormously satisfy my brain.

Did the freshest, cleverest show on Netflix just cop out?

[babyned · 6/10 · 8 May 2019]

Firstly, I am a fan, I LOVE this show and all Brit Marling related stuff, and I really enjoyed this season just as much as the first.

It went in very interesting directions and they sustained the sense of mystery and intrigue all the way through. I've voted 9s and 10s for previous episodes.

It all seemed like plot threads were finally set to converge in a wonderful season final climax.

So I was filled with dread in the final moments where it seemed like they were going to employ the lazy writer's most over-used tool. The "Oh, it was all just a dream" tool. The plot device everyone uses when they can't think of a way to end something.

Ok, so in this case, it's not a dream, it's a movie set, and the characters are just actors, much like Dorothy's family in Wizard Of Oz. And perhaps all the events of the whole show just took place inside Nina's unconscious mind after her head injury.

I'm guessing they've left it ambiguous in case season 3 is green-lit, but if this is the last ever episode, then it looks very much like Nina/Prairie is just an actress who fell out the round window, knocked herself out and dreamed the events of the series. If that's the case, it's a massive disappointment.

Makes no sense

[sampsonart · 3/10 · 31 March 2019]

This last episode makes absolutely no sense no matter how you look at it. WTF WERE THEY THINKING? Using their actual actor names?? Huh?? Lame!! I'm a fan of the show but that ruins it sorry

Mind bending?

[yvolpe-97559 · 6/10 · 9 June 2023]

I changed my rating because of it anti climatic ending. How was AO ever Hap's wife? She loved Homer and her friends but not Hap he was the predator who was an envious seeker after her angelic power. What type of angel was she? She defied the time jump?? And survived the fall. Brought understanding to others but was searching out her identity through out all the episode. I loved the angel dances sequences reminiscent of Twyla Tharps dance retinue. A modern type of dance sequences to bring people back to life a very occult element fir sci-fy; brillant. Overall keeping up with the complexity and endless puzzles was tiresome. The actors were all amazing.