When Netflix announced it was axing The OA after just two seasons, fans were up in arms. But a few sharp-eyed enthusiasts of the sci-fi series are now claiming that the cancellation is all smoke and mirrors, and there will be a third season.
In a thread on the subreddit for the series, Redditors are speculating that the show’s scrapping was actually within the meta-universe of The OA. Which means Netflix wasn’t making its announcement in our reality – it’s part of the fourth-wall-breaking second season.
Here’s a quick recap of what went down in season two. Yes, spoilers lay ahead.
The OA, played by Brit Marling, is trapped in a different dimension to the one she and her friends inhabited in the first season. She can, through distinct choreographed movements, travel between the dimensions of the show’s multiverse.
In the season two finale, another character, Karim, discovers a portal to yet another dimension – one that appears eerily similar to ours. Because in that Droste-effected dimension, we’re peer into a film set, inhabited by an actor called Brit.
Taking up the meta gauntlet, Redditor factoreight theorised: “What it boils down to, is that in the dimension to be explored in S3, Brit was injured. Surely, within that dimension, the show would likely be cancelled. The show broke the fourth wall. I believe that Brit and Zal [Batmanglij, The OA‘s co-creator] would take this opportunity to live out elements of the show beyond the constraints of the screen.”
The user continued, “What if it is our job now to do the movements. Not as a mere demonstration that we are fans of the show, but because we have a responsibility. What if it is now our responsibility to save Brit – to save the OA – not the show, but the person.”
So The OA fans are now set on holding a global virtual flash mob on August 12. The plan is for them to take a photo or video of themselves performing the movements, then sharing the posts en masse on Netflix’s social media accounts with the hashtag #SaveTheOA.
Other Reddit users have also weighed in on why they believe The OA will return from the dead. Theories range from the timing of Netflix’s announcement to numerology to farewell posts by cast members – see this thread for more.
“It’s exactly the kind of crazy/quirky thing Netflix/Brit/Zal might do,” Redditor HappyKnight11 concluded in the thread. “Because it rings true with the show’s themes: having faith, working together, staying determined. All of these are being tested right now, and I think we have to be faithful. Maybe there’s more to it, like a puzzle, but strongly I feel this isn’t the end.”