Netflix loves to spring surprises on us last minute, especially when it comes to its original shows. Now it looks like they’re hoping to recapture the sci-fi magic they achieved this super with a new show they’re releasing Friday: The OA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvHJtez2IlY
The plot is mostly unknown. Prairie Johnson returns after seven years of being missing, with her eyesight totally restored. Johnson doesn’t remember what happened to her, but the flashes we see of mysterious technology, strange skin markings, government/science facilities, mysterious landscapes, and even an apparent suicide attempt. Netflix has described the show as a “mind-bending tale about identity, human connection and the borders between life and death.”
So what could have happened to Johnson? Aliens? Possession? Weird experimentation? Even the title is mysterious. There’s no hints as to what “OA” might stand for, if it is in fact an acronym at all and not just a name. And who is the man helping her out in the trailer? Netflix is keeping quiet about what might be happening, which is, of course, only going to make people want to watch it all the more.
Just like hit show Stranger Things, this sci-fi show is coming out of nowhere and is being released around the time of a big school and work holiday and with very little details about the plot. The show is headed up by relative newcomers Brit Marling (who also plays Johnson) and Zal Batmanglij, who worked together on the 2013 environmental-themed thriller, The East and 2011’s sci-fi thriller Sound of my Voice.
Hopefully, the hype won’t be all manufactured on this one and we will have another sleeper hit to look forward to. If not, the equally melancholic and creepy The Cure for Wellness will come out in late February.
The OA will debut its eight episodes on Netflix on December 16, 2016.
A reporter by trade, Sara is a lover of horror, sci-fi, and all things pop culture. From indies to classics to even the strangest schlock, all movies and TV shows are fair game. She believes Batman is the most fascinating superhero, and that Silent Hill is one of the best horror franchises ever made (as long as you don't count the movies).
Fun Fact: The only movie Sara will not rewatch is The Room -- once was more than enough.
