The OA’s long-awaited second season is set to arrive this month, setting the task of reacquainting ourselves with movements, NDE’s and dimension-hopping once again.
Released back in December 2016, Netflix’s genre-bending sci-fi series starring and co-created by Brit Marling is one of the most unique shows in recent memory – following a young woman named Prairie Johnson who reappears after being missing for seven years.
What starts out as a simple mystery, however, balloons into a spiritual journey of belief involving torturous kidnapping with self-proclaimed angels. It wasn’t for everyone, but it was certainly memorable for those who persisted through the occasional indulgence.
But after the finale saw Prairie bundled into an ambulance after a shooter descended upon the school, there’s a number of questions surrounding the next season. Need a refresher? Here’s the biggest prevailing theories and discussion points for season two.
Did Prairie make up her story?
Towards the end of season one, French heads into Prairie’s house and discovers a cardboard box full of books relating to angels, Homer the Greek poet, and Russian oligarchs – leading him and the rest of the locals enraptured by her story to believe she had fabricated the entire thing.
Considering the trailer for season two sees Prairie seemingly jump through dimensions, however, signs points towards her powers being genuine – but will the locals ever listen to her again?
Who was the mysterious shooter at school?
Through clever editing, it’s still unclear who exactly turned up at the school with a rifle – sparking theories of who the mysterious individual could be.
On closer inspection, fans have pinned the individual in question as having blonde hair, leading some to believe it could be Steve from another dimension. Or Hap from another dimension seeking vengeance on Prairie.
A more logical straight-forward answer is that it could be Miles who was punched by Steve in the throat earlier in the season. This, however, feels a bit basic for a show steeped in dimension-travel.
Or could it be connected to Prairie’s FBI therapist Elias? Some believe his presence is involved in a cover-up of Hap’s experiments, having found himself in suspicious places at suspicious moments.
Speaking of which, did Elias plant the books in Prairie’s house?
As French discovered the books and retreated downstairs, Elias is bizarrely in the house too. His presence is oddly timed, and isn’t exactly explained.
One theory reckons he might have planted the books in order to make the locals believe Prairie was mentally unstable, and is somehow part of a cover-up of Hap’s experiments.
It certainly seems plausible. Elias is a character who is relatively unexplained in his motives, so he’s surely set to hold some big answers.
Is French actually Homer?
While French is inside Prairie’s house, a brief moment sees him look into a mirror where he sees Homer’s face staring back at him. This has led some to believe there’s a connection between the two, or that Homer could have jumped dimension and become French.
It’s a relatively loose theory, but Brit Marling has stated how everything in the show is planted for a reason. Interestingly, like French, Homer is also initially very sceptical of Prairie’s powers – so could there be some connection between their two paths?
Is this all taking place inside Prairie’s head?
While there’s doubts over whether Prairie’s story is genuine or not, some theorists believe the entire story of Hap’s experiments is actually a living representation of her subconscious mind.
Scott is claimed to represent her pragmatism, while Homer is optimistic support. It’s a far out there theory, but The OA feels like a show where almost anything is a possibility.
The OA season two releases on 22 March 2019.
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