# The OA - netflix original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, netflix\ **Created:** [December 17, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955 "2016-12-17T18:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/101 "2017-02-26T20:22:49Z")
Original Angel? MiM ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/102 "2017-02-26T20:28:18Z")
> [@Made\_in\_Macau](#): > > Original Angel? > > MiM That would work, actually. Thanks, now I don’t need to stay awake at night wondering about it forever. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/103 "2017-02-26T20:31:10Z")
> [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > Did they ever explain her new name, OA? I wouldn’t care otherwise but my Finnish subtitles gave her name as EE instead so I kept on waiting for them to reveal what sort of acronym it is, going through various possibilities that’d be “OA” in English but “EE” in Finnish in my mind. If they ever explained it I must’ve missed it, though. The main character says\* at some point that it means “Original Angel”. Before that, I kept thinking: “It must stand for ‘Orignal something’ but that would be too corny”. I also wish I could get back the hours I put into watching the child of Lost and New Age hipster Touched by an angel. \*With a bad mix of offhandedness and taking themselves too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/104 "2017-02-26T21:19:20Z")
I think it was “Original Angel”. Yep, just checked. Original Angel. FWIW, since _Wayward Pines_ has been mentioned, I liked **Wayward Pines** better. Don’t get me wrong, it was terrible. But it was terrible in a B movie, doesn’t-take-itself-too-seriously terrible way. **The OA** was all about taking itself seriously, and it righteously sucked. I still cringe whenever I think about the cafeteria. :smack: ETA: double ninja’ed ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/105 "2017-02-26T22:42:54Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > **The OA** was all about taking itself seriously, and it righteously sucked. You forgot to capitalize Seriously. (Read that in a “Safe Space Coordinator who has had Enough” voice. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/106 "2017-02-26T23:13:59Z")
I thought “OA” was a mishearing of “Away,” a reference to the afterlife. Is that wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/107 "2017-02-27T00:07:49Z")
Yes. It really was for “Original Angel”. [wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_OA), one of the episode pages contains the “reveal” of her name. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/108 "2017-02-27T00:21:42Z")
Does that strike anyone else as the name a pre-teen girl would choose after listening to rap? With all its flaws, what did the show get right? It evidently got some things right but I can’t put my finger on it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/109 "2017-02-27T00:25:17Z")
Maybe **Athena** or **Mahaloth** can help with that. About all I can admit to is liking the character actress who played the teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/110 "2017-02-27T03:28:07Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Yes. It really was for “Original Angel”. > > [wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_OA), one of the episode pages contains the “reveal” of her name. Ah, okay. That apparently happens in the fifth episode; I watched through the fourth. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/111 "2017-02-27T04:21:41Z")
I figured out the O stood for original based on something she said early in the season. Can’t remember what it was now though. Then later they confirmed Original Angel. I think they wanted it to also sound like “away.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/112 "2017-02-27T12:05:19Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > With all its flaws, what did the show get right? It evidently got some things right but I can’t put my finger on it. Like _LOST_, it presented an interesting mystery. Also like _LOST_, the eventual reveal sucked. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/113 "2017-02-27T13:56:48Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Maybe **Athena** or **Mahaloth** can help with that. About all I can admit to is liking the character actress who played the teacher. All I can admit is thinking “that’s Phyllis from ‘The Office’” every time I saw the teacher… ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/114 "2017-02-28T17:27:24Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > FWIW, since _Wayward Pines_ has been mentioned, I liked **Wayward Pines** better. Don’t get me wrong, it was terrible. But it was terrible in a B movie, doesn’t-take-itself-too-seriously terrible way. **The OA** was all about taking itself seriously, and it righteously sucked. Yes, agreed. > [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > With all its flaws, what did the show get right? It evidently got some things right but I can’t put my finger on it. I thought the scenes with the doctor/researcher were generally good. The design of his cells was kind of ingenious, with the spring underneath (although you don’t want to think too hard about the toilet and drinking water being the same, especially if you are the furthest downstream). And I love the scene with him and his mentor in the morgue. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/115 "2019-03-23T16:38:11Z")
[And, its back](https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-oa-is-back-and-its-still-weird-as-hell-so-lets-tal-1833500638). ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/116 "2019-03-23T17:35:20Z")
Saw the first two new episodes last night. It’s watchable and engaging. Puts a little whitewash over the horrible ending of season 1, but I just accepted it and moved on. Problem is that it’s been off so long that I don’t remember who any of the characters are, so I only vaguely recalled the ending of the second new episode. The scene of the group in the field wasn’t from the first season, right? It fell flat with me, seeming like something cobbled together to bridge the two seasons, part of the whitewash of last season’s finale in the cafeteria. If you’re about to start season 2, I recommend rewatching season 1 first. Which I guess I’ll do this evening since the girlfriend can’t watch the new ones with me tonight. I like the PI. Hope he didn’t come out of that water with fifteen different diseases. But what’s with everyone’s assumption that a giant-ass house has exactly one entrance? Not sure I trust Nina’s social worker… she seems a little sinister. The lady who flies with crows is interesting. I’m sure her remarks about the birds will be important later. I don’t yet feel qualified to remark on the whole garden of forking paths arc since I’ve only seen a couple of the new episodes, but it’s an engaging premise. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/117 "2019-03-23T21:29:50Z")
I started Season 2 last night and I’m on episode 4. I’m enjoying it so far. Still very weird and engaging. > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > The scene of the group in the field wasn’t from the first season, right? No, that scene wasn’t in season 1. It was just a quick flashback to show us how Hap and his captives crossed into the parallel dimension. I think it was kind of necessary to show what happened after Hap released Prairie, and to set up the situation at the mental hospital. > [@](#): > > I like the PI. I like him, too. So far, he’s a relatively grounded character amidst the New Age stuff. I didn’t think the ending of season 1 was horrible, and I don’t think anything in this season is ‘whitewashing’ it. In fact, they are building everything in this season from it. The only slight whitewashing I detected was the scene with Prairie’s dad and French, regarding the books that were found under Prairie’s bed in season 1. Just kind of swept that mystery away quickly, though with a very plausible explanation. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/118 "2019-03-24T15:05:22Z")
This show is back? You’ve got to be shitting me. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/119 "2019-03-24T15:20:15Z")
_Zoo_ got three seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955/120 "2019-03-24T18:41:48Z")
Episode 4 is the craziest yet. There is a particular scene that is really ridiculous. Would probably be a breaking point for anyone on the fence about this show. I’m still in! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oa-netflix-original/774955.md?page=7)