The OA

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domino harvey
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

The OA

#1 Post by domino harvey » Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:05 am

Brit Marling's the OA finally premieres this Friday!

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thirtyframesasecond
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:48 pm

Re: TV of 2016

#2 Post by thirtyframesasecond » Wed Dec 21, 2016 9:49 am

Anyone watched The OA on Netflix yet? Another Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij collaboration. Looks like this might be my next series.

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willoneill
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:10 am
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Re: TV of 2016

#3 Post by willoneill » Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:22 am

thirtyframesasecond wrote:Anyone watched The OA on Netflix yet? Another Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij collaboration. Looks like this might be my next series.
Watched the first episode last night. It's feel like all of the other stuff Marling's written, as in has the same vibe. The scene with the dog and then the last ten minutes were really interesting, so I'm going to keep going.

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Ashirg
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:10 am
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Re: Netflix Originals

#4 Post by Ashirg » Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:00 am

I felt the same about the first episode. Didn't really hook me until the last 10 minutes and then I watched the whole series in 2 days. Still have mixed feelings about the ending...

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theseventhseal
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 3:53 pm

Re: The OA

#5 Post by theseventhseal » Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:09 am

I thought it was a wonderful show with some structure problems at the end. I would say the first six episode were the best thing I've seen on television in quite some time, as far as science fiction/fantasy goes. It is very daring , venturing to deal with the spiritual and unknown, which easily could have made it ridiculous or sappy. Instead, it always has enough mystery to keep you intrigued as a metaphysical adventure, while veering into very traditional horror/sci fi ground to keep the average audience happy. The cast was excellent and the direction was very good. The director Zal Batmanglij has a very deft touch in the opening episodes (he gets a little less inspired for the finale) where nothing is made too obvious and there's a delightfully scattered, organic feel to the show, but it has a drive underneath it that is propulsive and intriguing. I was thoroughly hooked on the show. But I felt the end began to sag, perhaps to due a contract to deliver more episodes than the story needed? Episode 7 killed the momentum and was a throwaway episode. As odd as this seems, if I were to give advice to viewers I would say skip Ep. 7 for a more rewarding experience and tighter show. Interestingly, episode six and episode eight end and and begin with matching shots, so I'm wondering if indeed there was some stretching thrown into the works. The ending was fine, but an attempt at a bit of ambiguity ala "The Ususal Suspects" felt cliched and too simplistic and was a poor writing decision to introduce ambiguity and a red-herring twist -- it felt like an afterthought thrown out at a production meeting and Brit Marling was given an offer she couldn't refuse. But otherwise "The OA" was a very original and in someways groundbreaking series as far as the art cinema making headway into mainstream entertainment.

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Murdoch
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
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Re: The OA

#6 Post by Murdoch » Wed Feb 08, 2017 3:10 pm

Renewed for a second season. Great news since this was my favorite series of 2016.

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Petty Bourgeoisie
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:17 am

Re: The OA

#7 Post by Petty Bourgeoisie » Wed Feb 08, 2017 5:30 pm

Watched it several weeks ago and haven't thought of it sense. Very "young adult" fictiony. Edit out that weird sex scene and they could market it to the Hunger Games crowd.

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domino harvey
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Re: The OA

#8 Post by domino harvey » Thu Mar 07, 2019 4:51 pm

Season two premieres March 22

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: The OA

#9 Post by Persona » Thu Mar 07, 2019 5:54 pm

Definitely a divisive series and I definitely fall in the "love it" camp.

Trailer for season two has me very excited.

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Murdoch
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
Location: Upstate NY

Re: The OA

#10 Post by Murdoch » Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:03 pm

I think it's the best series Netflix has produced. While I was fine with the finale of the first series as a nice way to wrap up the story, I'm excited to see where it goes in this new season.

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: The OA

#11 Post by Persona » Fri Mar 29, 2019 2:08 am

So, while I was still taken with moments of S2, my overall impression was one of disappointment. It feels much more conventional as they try to expand the show more and end up just expanding it into sci-fi and mystery tropes. At the same time the show also feels... I don't know, there are some sections that really drag. Because the story is, in some ways, more by-the-numbers it leaves the slower pace feeling more of a chore than how the unique rhythms of the first season felt. I mean, at one point a character says, "Everything's connected" and you just have to groan because, yes, this has been an "everything's connected" show since the start, we knew that and to hear it vocalized at that point was just a bad case of a show pegging itself in a really reductive way.

But then the end of the season happens and wow, damn if it didn't almost completely win me back over in an instant. In a weird way it sort of redeems everything that came before it, recontextualizes it in a way that I actually felt like they knew this was the ending they were building towards, it wasn't just some late pivot in the writing process.

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: The OA

#12 Post by Persona » Mon Aug 05, 2019 11:40 pm

Canceled and my heart hurts.

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Murdoch
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
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Re: The OA

#13 Post by Murdoch » Mon Aug 05, 2019 11:48 pm

I'll have to finish the second season. I liked what I saw but it lacked the strange beauty of the first and felt a bit more straightforward in its storytelling. I also thought the first season didn't need a follow-up so I'm not that sad to see the show go.

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: The OA

#14 Post by Persona » Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:43 am

Murdoch wrote:
Mon Aug 05, 2019 11:48 pm
I'll have to finish the second season. I liked what I saw but it lacked the strange beauty of the first and felt a bit more straightforward in its storytelling. I also thought the first season didn't need a follow-up so I'm not that sad to see the show go.
Definitely finish the second season. I'd venture to say that the finale is the second best episode of the series after the one with Scott's resurrection in first season, and I can't really overstate how much it elevates everything that came prior to it in the second season. It left me very much looking forward to S3 and now I'll just have to wonder what might have been, I guess.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: The OA

#15 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:30 am

I still have to catch up with season 2, but having seen all of Marling's previous writing collaborations with Zal Batmanglij and others, none of their work really provide catharsis and are designed to force the audience to sit in uncertainty to the mysteries of the world. I laughed once it was renewed for a second season, because I'm guessing that neither of them expected it to be more than a one-off and they had to find a way to continue the story while also holding true to their thematic interest. I have a feeling that no matter how many seasons there were, it probably never would have wrapped up in a satisfactory conclusion for many audiences, but I suppose the show itself is quite esoteric, and considering I love their work including season 1 I'll probably feel similarly to wanting a season 3 by the end.

RIP Film
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Re: The OA

#16 Post by RIP Film » Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:51 am

Cancelled? You have to be shitting me. The one original, inventive show in a sea of cookie cutter dross.

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mfunk9786
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Re: The OA

#17 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:14 am

Someone told me that the way the 1st season of this show ends is so absolutely absurd that I should avoid watching it altogether. Obviously can't speak to whether they were correct, but it sounds like it put off more people than just my friend.

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Murdoch
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Re: The OA

#18 Post by Murdoch » Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:36 am

SpoilerShow
Synchronized dance as a means to distract a school shooter was an odd way to tie things together, but I kind of loved the absurdity of it. Like, who wouldn't be distracted by a group of people suddenly bursting into dance in the midst of such potential horror?
Thanks mfunk for giving me the needed push to finish. I've been distracted by Evangelion recently so this went on the back burner, but it remains the most interesting series Netflix has produced. Brit Marling is a great talent and I would love to see her apply her skills to another series down the line.

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Persona
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Re: The OA

#19 Post by Persona » Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:44 pm

therewillbeblus wrote:
Tue Aug 06, 2019 9:30 am
I still have to catch up with season 2, but having seen all of Marling's previous writing collaborations with Zal Batmanglij and others, none of their work really provide catharsis and are designed to force the audience to sit in uncertainty to the mysteries of the world. I laughed once it was renewed for a second season, because I'm guessing that neither of them expected it to be more than a one-off and they had to find a way to continue the story while also holding true to their thematic interest. I have a feeling that no matter how many seasons there were, it probably never would have wrapped up in a satisfactory conclusion for many audiences, but I suppose the show itself is quite esoteric, and considering I love their work including season 1 I'll probably feel similarly to wanting a season 3 by the end.
Actually, from the start Marling and Batmnaglij had a 5-season plan for the show.

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Persona
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:16 pm

Re: The OA

#20 Post by Persona » Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:45 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:
Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:14 am
Someone told me that the way the 1st season of this show ends is so absolutely absurd that I should avoid watching it altogether. Obviously can't speak to whether they were correct, but it sounds like it put off more people than just my friend.
I'd say it's absurd but also kind of great, especially in the way in which it plays into the show's thematic concerns.

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: The OA

#21 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:56 pm

Persona wrote:
Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:44 pm
Actually, from the start Marling and Batmnaglij had a 5-season plan for the show.
Interesting, well I stand by the prediction that it would still leave its audience confounded after however many seasons, though I suppose we’ll never know. Either way I love their work and would gladly have watched all five.

Re: the show’s absurdity: mileage will vary on how people feel about it. I also read a lot of criticism that
SpoilerShow
the use of interpretive dance hand motions curing ALS was offensive (as well as stopping the school shooting), yet my friend and his dad watched the first season as his dad was dying of ALS and neither of them had anything but love for the show even after reading these criticisms.
I can see both sides but fall in the camp that liked it. If you enjoyed Marling’s other work, specifically thinking of something like Sound of My Voice rather than a more straightforward The East I would check it out for yourself.

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John Cope
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Re: The OA

#22 Post by John Cope » Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:50 am

Very disappointed with this news. I am a big fan of both seasons, though the second one possibly even more than the first as the first seemed to occasionally devolve or unravel into tedium at times. Anyway, depressing news, especially if clauses in Netflix contracts really do prevent this from being shopped around elsewhere. I really thought this had a good shot at coming back, especially as Netflix seemed to have a good relationship with Marling. Maybe not a great show but a defiantly ambitious and remarkably imaginative one, almost unrestrained in that capacity. I only hope that if there is no other outlet that at least we get to find out what the five year plan actually was (or someone involved should write it up as a series of novels, graphic or otherwise). They love their show as much as we do; why wouldn't they share that with us?

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Murdoch
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Re: The OA

#23 Post by Murdoch » Wed Aug 07, 2019 4:03 pm

I'm hoping we see a movie to wrap things up a la Sense8, although Marling's fanbase is a small fraction of the Wachowskis'

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grayskale
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Re: The OA

#24 Post by grayskale » Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:01 am

Murdoch wrote:
Wed Aug 07, 2019 4:03 pm
I'm hoping we see a movie to wrap things up a la Sense8, although Marling's fanbase is a small fraction of the Wachowskis'
Having seen the finale for Sense8 - adequate enough in a sense of having closure, despite being rushed, doesn't exactly do favors for the overall arc intended by its creators IMO - I don't know if the same can work for the OA - also having its own ambitions for 5 seasons.

There's been some buzz by very passionate fans since the cancellation over the last 2 weeks to save the OA :
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOA/

The petition is at 75k signatures at the moment:
http://chng.it/pRsvCs2btk


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