Netflix mystery-drama series The OA is back in the spotlight after its most talked about scene went viral on social media.
Created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, The OA debuted on Netflix in 2016. It stars Marling as Prairie Johnson/The OA, a young woman who seemingly possesses supernatural abilities.
Marling and Batmanglij developed a five-season roadmap for The OA, however, Netflix axed the series after two seasons in 2019. While the show’s fanbase continues to lobby for a revival project, one has yet to materialize.
But the absence of new OA content hasn’t stopped folks from discovering the show – or its most notorious scene, at least.
School shooting scene in The OA is freaking people out
We’re talking, of course, about The OA Season 1’s infamous school shooting scene. The climax of Season 1’s finale, “Chapter 8: Invisible Self,” it sees the OA and her disciples foil a gunman’s attack in a school cafeteria using interpretive dance-like movements.
y’all PLEASE come get me off this floor cause what is this???😭😭 pic.twitter.com/nTTFDLQamB
— 𝕛𝕒𝕟𝕖𝕒 (@heyyitsjanea) January 10, 2024
This was a polarizing scene back in 2016, albeit one that arguably made sense in the context of the show itself. But as an isolated (and re-scored) TikTok clip subsequently shared on X, it’s left the OA uninitiated bewildered, to say the least.
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“Y’all PLEASE come get me off this floor cause what is this??” wrote one X user in response to the scene. “I thought they were gonna rush the shooter bc *power* in numbers and I-,” added another. “I NEED to know what this is. Please,” chimed in a third.
Fortunately, the OA faithful was on hand to clear things up. “Ngl, when taken out of context this joint got me dying,” one of the series’ devotees wrote. “It’s from a show on Netflix called the OA, which was pretty good imo.”
Netflix teases the return of one of its biggest shows
Regardless of how you feel about The OA’s school shooting scene, it’s undeniable proof of the show’s enduring longevity. Netflix no doubt hopes another of its high-concept shows, Stranger Things, will boast similar lasting appeal when it wraps sometime in either 2024 or 2025.
The streaming platform is already hyping Stranger Things’ fifth and final season, dropping a first look image in January 2024. Little is known about Stranger Things Season 5’s story at this stage, although series creators the Duffer Brothers have promised it will bring closure to all of its characters’ arcs.