One thing I think that all OA viewers can agree on is that the stylistic layout of the series itself resembles the absurdities and complexities that lie within the story. Starting with episode one, the background setup is somewhat grueling, but makes for an interesting, in-depth introduction that makes you click on to the next episode. We also experience Prairie’s storytelling in flashbacks that are cut day to day, messing with the timeline and leaving me asking more questions. One thing that I find personally enjoyable when watching a mysterious series is to contradict or challenge my own thoughts with each new episode. I went into the OA fully prepared to support the idea that Prairie’s life has supernatural elements. My role as the viewer from this point was to figure out why Prairie could see and what mystical elements surround her and the other people that make up the 5.
The most entertaining scenes of the series were the ones that made increasingly more skeptical of what I initially believed. I would ask myself if Prairie was insane or if other people wanted us to believe that. The theme of trust and acceptance is central in each episode. From having the kids and Betty learn to believe Prairie to the 5 having to learn to trust each other to escape, there are challenges that characters face that directly reflect the challenges that viewers face when deciding for themselves. Contrary to the way Pierre brought about the beauty of ambiguities, I think they were used really well in the OA. The ambiguities felt more like puzzles that were going to solved which is satisfying for any spectator.
In addition to this, I felt that the characters presented were crafted in a way that is both intriguing and endearing. Even the evil character, the “Angel Hunter” was given enough of a plot line that you wanted to learn his backstory and possibly even sympathize for him. The fact that my feeling towards Hap, essentially a monster in the series, shows how well scripted the show is and how well the actors played these roles. The show does a good job at showing the troublesome side of every character, making them more real and enriching the show as a whole. There wasn’t necessarily character development for any of the characters besides the kids, but there was a great amount of internal struggle for how Prairie directly affected her parents, friends, and other outsiders which adds to the mystical element.
Overall, the narrative and character relations is worth the struggle for answers, and I would highly recommend this series to anyone interested in supernatural or mystery genres. Additionally, be prepared for a cliffhanger at the end of season one to interpret!