The OA is a sci-fi mystery drama centered around NDE's and interdimensional travel. In part one when Prairi Johnson (Brit Marling) is kidnapped she is blind but after escaping 7 years later she comes home with her sight restored and a story to tell about her experiences to a group of unlikely allies made from high school students and their teacher. At the end of part one there is a school shooting where Prairi intervenes and gets shot.
Part 2 carries on from this point and shows Prairi in a new dimension as Nina Azarova who is trying to figure out what's happened to her while also trying to find a missing girl, Michelle who she knew as transgender Buck in the other dimension. She has help from Karim (Kingsley Ben-Adir) a private detective who's been tasked with finding Michelle and uncovering what is happening to the 'lost' teenagers.
From the off set the whole story and narrative arc of part 2 blew me away, I loved part 1 but some how this season topped it and went the extra mile with creativity and artistic flare. like part one it only had 8 'chapters' which is most defiantly not enough but they are extra long episodes some being upwards of an hour which more than made up for it and allowed for the same attention for detail as part I.
Subtile links to part one made it even more enjoyable to watch as I found it interesting to pick out things I recognised such as the fish tank that Homer described and Prairie in the mental hospital which was the closing shot of part one. A creepy and slightly terrifying edge was added to this season with the exploration of the game and the house by Karim while looking into Pierre Ruskin which added a whole new level to the episodes which hadn't been fully explored in season one.
Enigma codes and the intellectual puzzle was heightened through the episodes if that's even possible after part one. From this I found it entertaining to try and figure out what was happening. I found this difficult because of the obscure nature of the themes which made it so much more rewarding when I figured something out, something I believe is missing from most modern media as often you can see the ending outcome from the beginning.
Again the aesthetic effects were on point with perfect mood lighting to distinguish between the dimensions and to show how dangerous and mysterious the house is as well as the club which Prairie visits. Angle iconography, a halo of light surrounding Prairie was used in the last episode when she was confronting Hap (Jason Isaacs) her captor from season 1 to show her supernatural and almost heavenly persona in the show. This was a perfect addition through the aesthetics and created questions for me about what she really is and what she can do.
The editing throughout the 8 chapters was perfect, using amazing transitions and fades moving within scenes and allowing for an eerie effect which added to the mystery of the show. They also worked to create seamless edits between dimensions especially towards the end and in the last episode when they're in the original dimension and step in to the same pace Prairie is in the new dimension. They worked to create parallels between the two in a similar way as the edits and shots overlapped to show the same things happening in both.
Representations of diverse and advanced characters were used throughout in several different ways from disability to PTSD and modern representations of gender and sexuality. Buck is a transgender male in the original dimension and was played by trans gender actor Ian Alexander which shows the progression of media and how important representation is. PTSD from the shooting was demonstrated gracefully from the kids and not tiptoed around which I believe is important, we see them relive the shooting when a car backfires. Also Jesse (Brendan Meyer) is shown to not be sleeping well or being able to cope after what happened which he acted in a truly amazing way.
I was also blown away by Steve's (Patrick Gibson) performance as he struggled with his own problems and tried to find Prairie. His relationship with the other boys and Betty is what made their parts of the season that much better and enjoyable to watch, especially 'chapter 6: Mirror mirror' which had me crying from the performance and the outstanding quality of the character development.
Brit Marling did an amazing job as Prairie and of representing a strong female who cared so deeply for the people that she loved that I was entirely convinced she would do anything in her power to save them and make things right for everyone. One of the quotes that stuck with me from the show was from the last episode;
"Nina saw the whole world but I saw underneath it, I was pressed down like coal, I suffered. That's what an angle is - dust pressed into a diamond by the weight of the world"
This again reinforces the angle iconography especially as at this point she wore all while and had a halo from the back-light. I almost squealed at that quote beyond impressed with her performance and 'take nothing from no one' character she portrayed so well.
The ending was as infuriating as season one especially because it mirrored a lot of the same elements and shots leaving us with many questions answered but also so many new ones we have to wait to be addressed. I need another season right now so that I can find out what happens next but if its anything like last time I could be waiting a while.
Overall as you can probably tell I loved part 2 of the OA just as much, if not more than part I which mounts to a hell of a lot. If you haven't already you should most defiantly check it out and binge watch both seasons, but if you're not patient maybe it isn't the best idea because we may be waiting 5 more years for the next part.