The OA: 9 Crazy Fan Theories That Might Actually Be True
Is any of this real? Is it all a lie? These theories will keep you busy until Season 2 arrives.
Sneaking onto Netflix just before Christmas last year, The OA quickly became one of the most-talked about TV shows of 2016.
The series was equal parts bedazzling and baffling, inspiring and infuriating. The story of Prairie, a blind girl who returned home after being missing for seven years, and mysteriously had her sight back, unspooled into something very, er, different over the course of eight episodes.
The storyline showed us her in the present day, connecting with a new group, to whom she told the story-within-the-story of her capture. Near-death experiences, the afterlife, alternate dimensions, and interpretative dance all played key roles.
With a second season recently confirmed, there are a lot of questions the show has to answer. Until such a time comes, though, it means viewers have to really on speculation about what it all means.
Few TV shows of the last year have generated theories the way The OA has, from Christ allegories to everything being one big fat lie, and these are the ones to keep us occupied until Season 2 proves them all right or wrong (or just ignores them completely).
9. What 'The OA' Really Means
One of the show's big reveals - and a point when many will have checked-out - was when Prairie comments that 'The OA', the name of not only the show but what she insists on being called, stands for Original Angel.
However, given that she initally explains it as being a version of 'away', it's not necessarily to be taken seriously, or at least it may not be the only explanation.
One suggestion is that it refers to the Alpha and Omega from Revelation. The OA would be a reversal of that, meaning the end comes before the beginning, which fits with the themes of having to die in order to begin your next journey in the world and the exploration of afterlife and alt-dimensions (not to mention the various Biblical references littered throughout).
Another theory is that it means DOA, which is what The-O-A would sound like depending on pronunciation, and could be a clue to the fact that Prairie really is dead all along.