The OA - A show ahead of its time?

Having been a nerd for the longest part of my life, I have seen plenty of science fiction, mystery and fantasy movies, but I have to admit I was rarely as blown away as after watching The OA. This show leaves you gasping for air due to its incredible level of creativity. 

Usually I start these articles with a brief synopsis of the show or movie and this is were is begins to get tricky with The OA already, as it is almost impossible to describe the fantastic premise of the show. It begins with a young woman being found, after having been missing for seven years. When she went missing she was blind and now her sight has been restored. What follows is an incredible journey of mysteries, abduction and near death experiences. Without giving away anymore of the story it is probably the most creative story telling in television. The revelations over the course of the show have to be compared to the end of "The Sixth Sense" when the audience learns that Bruce Willis' character was dead all along. The clues are there all alone and fall all perfectly into place with the revelation. Something like this only works in a show were the storyline has completely laid out in advance. 

Thinking about the shows style, I can only describe it as delicate, as it doesn't use the big gestures to advance the story but rather small details. There are no big action scenes since the show focuses on spirituality and the emotional journey of the characters. It is the sort of show, that gets you hooked and where you almost don't blink for fear you might miss something, especially since there are long scenes without dialogue, that are merely visual. In a way the OA feels almost like a play as it has a small cast for most of the time and very few settings. 

The acting is superb with Brit Marlin (Who is also one of the shows creators) and Jason Isaacs leading a balanced cast of veterans and newcomers. Especially since a lot of the scenes take place in confined spaces and with little to no dialogue, the cast faced an unusual challenge. The actors have nothing to rely on but their own facial expressions and movements. That is why I referred to the shows style as delicate. Every small detail might become a mind blowing revelation over the course of the story. Personally I love the sandwich scene between Jason Isaacs and Brit Marlin, that is screaming subtext without any dialogue. The scene is perfect in every way!

Unfortunately Netflix has decided to cancel the show (Or haven't they? Again you need to watch the show to understand this question!). Although the fans are still fighting to have Netflix bring it back. There was a three year gap between season 1 and 2 anyhow, so we can still hope...

Personally I believe that the shows cancellation was in part due to it being advertised like a "normal" fantasy show. In a way the show is like a surreal painting among comic strips on Netflix. Don't get me wrong: I love both comic strips and surreal paintings but if I am in the mood for a comic strip the surreal painting might be lost on me. I believe that if the show had been advertised differently it would have attracted more viewers, since it is not the sort of show you usually start watching after just browsing. We can only hope that at least they will finish the story with a movie or a book as I would love to know how it was supposed to end. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Character Analysis - Hayley Marshall-Kenner (The Originals & The Vampire Diaries)

Since some people have told me, that I always write these about characters that I like I have decided to change that and pick a character I don't like: Hayley Marshall-Kenner. Before getting into the character in details, let's clear something up: While I dislike the character, I find it is very well crafted and Phoebe Tonkin portrays her excellently. She is a stunningly beautiful woman yet manages to believably pull off the tomboy and though girl. She also does justice to the emotional range of Hayley. But let's take a closer look at the character itself.  When we meet Hayley in "The Vampire Diaries" we learn that she has helped Tyler break the sire bond, meaning that although she grew up outside of the werewolf community she has learnt about the supernatural world. Not much is known about the family that adopted her only that when she turned into a wolf her parents kicked her out.  Hayley is what can be called street smart, which makes sense since she spend time...
Read more

Science Fiction & Fantasy - Escaping Reality

When talking to people I often get the question: "Why do you write Science Fiction and Fantasy?" This is usually followed by a tirade that they don't like it, because it is so unrealistic. What they don't get: That is the point! With these two genres the fact is that the only limit to your writing is your own mind. While in reality we are limited by physics, biology or simply life. This became very evident to me when my mother, who loved those genres probably even more than I do, fell severly ill. At one point it became evident that there was nothing the doctors could do for her. My reaction was the same one as for everybody who is loosing a loved one: I tried to find a solution and went through the five stages of grief. I spent hours on the internet researching her illness and looking for the latest breakthroughs only to come to the conclusion that medicine was not yet ready to safe her. The feeling of helpnessless was overpowering especially since my writer...
Read more

The 10 most badass female characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Many people still think of women as the weaker sex. Science Fiction and Fantasy however have already given us some memorable badass women. The fight with strength, intelligence and charm. But it is not only their skills that make them badass but their will never to give up.  These are my top 10 most badass female characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy: 10. Zoe Washburn from "Firefly"       If a tv series, a movie or a book features a female badass character it is usually the lead and she is often passionate and a natural born leader. Joss Wedon's Zoe Washburn is very different. She is the second in command and the embodyment of a level headed, cool soldier. You wouldn't want to mess with her. At the same time she manages to be a dignified woman, who is deeply in love with her husband, although he is not a fighter.  9. Katniss Everdeen from "The Hunger Games" Jennifer Lawrence brought her to life in a brilliant way. What made Katniss ...
Read more