Know Reviews

Kate Nowlin is my name. Movie and TV reviews are my game. Please forgive me for this bio.

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We’re all traveling through time together, every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.

ABOUT TIME (2013) dir. Richard CURTIS

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The OA Part 2 Review

To preface this review, I would like to say that when I started watching the second season of The OA, I was ecstatic. I absolutely adored the first season and considered myself a loyal fan. So it pains me to feel the way I do about the season finale of season 2, but I do and I feel so passionate about it I needed to write it out. (*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS FINALE SPOILERS*)

The finale of The OA Part 2 was a culmination of everything that happened since the first episode of Part 1. I will not deny, the end of Part 2 was epic. The pacing, cinematography, acting, editing, and everything in-between was phenomenal, but in order to respect this level of perfection, the end reveal has to be worth it to the audience. It was not at all worth it. It pulled me out of the fiction in an abrupt and frankly heartbreaking way. I immediately felt the need to write out my thoughts, and this is exactly what I wrote:

“To present yourself as a god through the use of television fiction is not only disgustingly self-indulgent, but also an incredible let-down to put a faithful viewer through. Your job as a content creator is to transport the viewers into a world where anything can happen, but throwing reality into the fiction in this way destroys the illusion and lessens the audiences respect for you.”

If you watched the The OA Part 2, you know what I meant by that. Sure, it’s interesting to see that OA is now thrust into the same universe as us, but at the end of the episode when the credits roll it starts to feel gross; as if it’s just an act of self promotion for Brit Marling and the rest of the cast. Television is and always should be used as entertainment for the viewer, not as a tool for those who created it.