Last night, I stumbled across Adult Swim premiering Jack Stauber’s “Opal” and got to enjoy it in its entirety. I’m a huge fan of his work, and seeing his latest and biggest animation to date was quite the treat in this season of tricks!
I really enjoyed the lore and thought I would (try to) explain my personal theories regarding the story.
If you haven’t watched “Opal”, I highly suggest you do so. It’s available for free on Adult Swim’s Youtube channel. Go ahead. It’s quite the ride.
SPOILERS BELOW CUT!
The first time you watch “Opal” and the second time you watch it, the story completely changes. The atmosphere changes. The characters change.
What you thought was a surreal tale about a young girl exploring a forbidden house and being consequently terrified by the residents inside transforms into a story where a young girl suffers in a neglectful and abusive household and tries to escape into her fantasies to cope.
You’re led to believe in the beginning that the girl’s name is Opal and that the residents mistake her for someone named “Claire”.
At the end of the story, you realize that “Opal” is actually Claire.
“Opal” is Claire’s fantasy. She pretends to be this happy and bright girl on a billboard in the distance (Opal’s Burgers), surrounded by a family who love and “see” her.
The story begins with “Opal” sitting in her kitchen with a burger while her “family” (the family depicted on the billboard) sings to her.
We see you, Opal
Your troubles are miles away
We see you, Opal
And in our eyes you’ll stay
These lyrics are important because no one in Claire’s house sees her.
From the dialogue/lyrics, each character that Claire interacts with in the house showcases how they never truly see her.
The grandfather watching television is blind. (“And the girls are singin’. They dance too, I assume.”)
The father spends all of his time in the Reflection Chamber staring at himself. (“Why do people look at me like the way you probably are right now?”)
The mother is always intoxicated and lying in bed and sees through a drunken haze. (“Who’s that?”)
None of these characters actually see Claire, which is why she delves into a fantasy persona where she’s given positive attention and love and affection.
The fantasy portion in the beginning, I believe, shows that Claire spends most of her time at or on the billboard until she has to go back to the house to sleep.
In Claire’s fantasy, “Opal” sneaks into the mysterious house next door (which her Billboard Parents warn her to “don’t mind the house across the street”), but she hears cries coming from the attic and goes to investigate.
The realization at the end is that the cries are coming from Claire herself, and her inability to escape her abusive household as she’s locked herself in the attic.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the household in detail...
There are three other residents in Claire’s home, which are represented by the billboard: The Mother, the Father, and the Grandfather.
The Grandfather
Claire’s real grandfather is a blind, obese chain-smoking man addicted to television. He struggles to breathe, coughs up blood, and scolds Claire for hiding his cigarettes, claiming that “it’s evil to help someone that doesn’t need help”.
Claire appears frightened and nervous around him.
When he demands that Claire give him his cigarettes, he soon grows concerned that she “smells weird” (because she had been outside) and won’t say anything.
Due to his blindness (and possible dementia), he mistakes her for a stranger, panics, and lashes out, yelling at her to “get out of his house”. In his panic, he falls out of his chair and screams as Claire runs away.
The Father
As Claire continues on toward the attic, the Father stops her. He sits in his Reflection Chamber in the bathroom, surrounded by mirrors. He is unable to see anything but his own face.
(It’s implied that he is delusional, as you can supposedly see the Father’s True Face at 11:09, which is distorted, grey, and horrifying)
Claire appears perplexed by him. It’s obvious that she isn’t used to him speaking to her. However, it becomes apparent that he doesn’t truly speak to her, but rather projects his own insecurities and feelings onto her.
He appears to be extremely narcissistic and unaware of the world around him. Religious themes collide with his self-reflection, as he rambles and talks about how “God is in his skin” and he considers himself in the process of becoming the world’s next “savior”. He spends all of his time fixing his appearance because “they turn me down so I live my nightmare”, and his need to be “seen by somebody somewhere”.
When she tries to leave, he raises his voice at her, only to calmly remark that “you could spare me a little time, you know; you act like I’m a complete stranger.”
Which, to her, he most likely is.
The Mother
Claire’s mother resides in a dilapidated room, surrounded by wine bottles, pills, and romance novels.
She lies in bed (or on the floor) underneath the sheets and grabs Claire’s leg.
She speaks with a slur, heavily intoxicated.
At first, she doesn’t recognize her daughter, but comments that “you’re being a person today, huh?”, implying that Claire often spends her time away from the family-- and for good reason.
She speaks morosely and in confusing tangents that reveal her inner turmoil about the family and her circumstances.
“Goodness exists. If I wait, Claire, and sit still... it will arrive.”
“You should be more considerate, obviously, but I forgive you. I forgive every single one of you... every night. It’s a virtuous cycle.”
“How did this get so bad? I feel terrible for all the things I... I feel terrible.”
“You and I don’t live, Claire. We survive.”
“Our adversaries are in denial. They don’t know the wrong they do. And they never repent how I want them to.”
(To Claire) “And you, you’re just like me. You’re just as powerless as I am, Claire.”
She lies back into the bed and drunkenly sings a lullaby.
The Mother’s Song
Mama needs a little girl to land on
Mama needs a little girl to fall in her arms
Mama needs a Mama’s girl to take good care
Mama needs a baby girl to hold her hair
After this, the camera zooms into the Mother’s rolling eye and a flashback is rapidly shown, including a hand dialing 9-1-1 on a phone, a child(?) being struck and falling to the ground, and what appears to be the Mother (or, perhaps, the Mother’s Mother) screaming in terror (or anger).
This is either a flashback to the Mother violently attacking someone, or a flashback of the Mother’s childhood where she herself was abused.
(It should be noted that the side of the Mother’s head appears to have a dent, implying she may have been the child.)
Claire appears absolutely terrified in her presence, most likely having suffered before from her physical abuse and escapes as soon as the Mother lunges at her, fleeing up to the attic and locking the door.
The truth about “Opal” is shown, and Claire quickly surrenders to her fantasy in her mind as her family beats on the door, where the camera zooms out and the story ends...
In conclusion, the world of “Opal” is a sad tale. Its themes center on fear, neglect, isolation, and abuse in its many horrific forms-- physical, emotional, and psychological. It focuses on Claire’s escapism in her mind, to imagine a happier life, far, far away from those who hurt her.
A forbidden house across the street, filled with dark and foreboding figures, and a little girl that just wants to be seen and loved.
