10/10 This is the best show I have ever seen. When I saw it back in December 2016 I didn't even know what it was about. I just started, because the cover looked intriguing. I fell in love after episode 1. I love the vulnerability and the honesty. It is clever, smart, emotional and extra ordinary. Season 2 blew me away. I watch a lot of television (a lot) - stories are more or less the same, you see what comes next. But this show is so original, so different, there is not chance you can even imagine what comes next. Season 1 was really beautiful. I loved it. Season 2 was so different. From a Teenage Fairytale to a Tech Thriller. I have never expected this. Hands down, Season 2 is the best thing I have ever seen in my life. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time.
It is heartbreaking that we are not going to see Seasons 3-5. I know in my heart that this would have been the best show with the best ending of all times. (Probably better than the serial finale of 12 Monkeys - which is crazy hard to top!) Although I have a feeling we will get the rest of the story in another format in the future somehow.
This is a show that people either love or hate. There don't seem to be many opinions in the middle. People who hate it are frustrated that there are no straight lines, that the writing has a slow reveal, that there is more mystery than resolve (although, the season finales have a resolve that increasingly set up possibilities for multiple seasons). Those who love it (and I am firmly in this camp) appreciate how really well written and performed it is. To be honest, what drew me to this series was that Alice Krige chose to perform in this project and Brad Pitt had put his weight behind it as an executive producer. What kept me was it's mysterious tone, the interesting characters, the depth of relationship between disparate characters, the multilayered story telling and the discovery of the creative team. It was created, written and produced by Zal Batmanglij (who also directs) and Brit Marling (who also stars in the titular role) who made such an impression on me, in season one, that I have tracked down and watched as much as I could find that was the fruit of these creative talents. I give this series a 9 (superb) out of 10, and recommend it to all those who have a passion for mystical stories and interesting characters. [Fantastic Mysterious Drama]
Review by JSalariBlockedParent2017-01-06T05:46:16Z
Spoiler free review
Do yourself a favour, don't waste your time on this. It's a perfect example of all sizzle no steak. The show starts off weak then eventually hints at a decent mystery which you expect will come to some satisfying conclusion, but as the season reaches its crescendo it turns into one of the biggest let downs ever.
Admittedly it has some pretty moments but is mostly shot in drab, uninteresting settings, which doesn't really feel intentional. All the characters apart from the OA are wildly predictable, but she eventually falls into this category once you learn more about her. Any character relationships that are built up don't feel at all worth investing in, and any semblance of a subplot is swept under the rug quickly. Despite being eight episodes the show feels heavily padded, yet they decided to barely dedicate any time to develop side characters, because Brit Marling has to dominate every scene she's in, and the result of which feels massively self-indulgent.
If there's one thing I have to warn anyone watching The OA is that it completely cons viewers with a vague, nonsensical ending. I can only assume that they thought they were a shoe-in for a second season from Netflix and left it completely open, or they were trying to create an ending that was open for interpretation - which this show definitely didn't have the smarts to accomplish. The ending literally makes no sense, and only serves to add another gaping space to a plot already filled with holes; after seeing it I thought "wait, is that it? What the hell was that?" It's honestly like they reached the deadline for the script and figured "screw it, we'll make it vague, I'm sure Netflix will throw cash at us next year, we'll pretend to explain it then".
The OA is a interesting but lazy and frustrating mess. If you can put aside common sense and a desire for a decent plot and story for eight hours, then by all means go for it. The ending was such a huge "screw you" to the viewer that I refuse to return for resolution should they get another season. Oh, and this show shouldn't be called sci-fi at all, it couldn't be any further from it, if anything it's profoundly anti-science and unashamed of it.