What To Expect From The OA Season 3

Netflix's The OA season 3 isn't confirmed yet, but fans of the show are already anxiously awaiting its release. Netflix has carved out something of a niche as home of some of the strangest, and yet somehow the most effective, TV series in modern times. The OA is numbered among them, a popular show that ostensibly deals with metaphysical questions such as life after death. It rejoices in its weirdness, with season 1 memorably ending with a school shooting disrupted by what was essentially an interpretative dance routine. Viewers were left to decide for themselves whether Brit Marling's Prairie was telling the truth about her experiences, or whether she was just insane.

Season 2 picked up where season 1 left off, and revealed that Prairie was indeed being truthful. That cliffhanger ending forced the series to finally reveal the pseudo-science that underpins it; the idea that human consciousnesses are connected across the Multiverse. Dreams and Near-Death Experiences are glimpses of other times and other worlds, and all it takes to traverse the Multiverse is an element of faith.

It was safe to assume that The OA season 2 would end with another cliffhanger, but nobody could have predicted the setup for The OA season 3. Prairie and her tormentor Hap jumped to yet another reality - but this time it actually appears to be a version of our own world, with Hap jumping into the body of actor Jason Isaacs. The OA season 3 seems inevitable; but when will it come out?

Netflix Hasn't (Officially) Confirmed The OA Season 3

Netflix hasn't officially confirmed that The OA season 3 will happen, but in truth it's just a matter of time till there's an announcement. Season 1 received generally positive reviews, even if critics weren't quite able to work out whether or not it was science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, or some sort of supernatural drama. Season 2 has had pretty much the same reception, and is sure to be a hit for Netflix.

Back in July 2018, Netflix VP of Original Series Cindy Holland told IndieWire that The OA was originally pitched as a single five-season story. There'd been some concern among critics that this would be another Lost, a Mystery Box that hadn't really been planned out, but fortunately, season 2 has proved that isn't the case. Showrunners Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij have provided some crucial answers to some of the key questions, lifting the lid on their concept of the Multiverse, and season 3 clearly shows they do have a clear arc planned out.

When Will The OA Season 3 Release?

Unfortunately, fans might have to wait a few years for The OA season 3. There was a three-year gap between seasons 1 and 2, in part driven by the fact that Marling is both the lead actor and the lead writer, meaning a season can't begin production until the entire script is completed. What's more, Marling and Batmanglij feel they're attempting to create a whole new genre of fiction, something different to traditional TV or even to movies, and as such they're attempting to innovate whole new approaches for everything from costuming to editing. As each episode pivots in terms of genre, lessons from one episode don't translate to the next, and every hour of footage needs to be handled in a completely different way. So don't be surprised if The OA season 3 doesn't come out until 2022.

What Will The OA Season 3's Story Be?

The OA season 3 will continue from the dramatic cliffhanger, with Prairie and Hap exploring another new dimension. This time around, they've emerged in a reality where they're married, and are actors working on a TV series about life after death. It looks as though The OA season 3 will be seriously meta, with the stars struggling to deal with a dimension in which their story is that of a TV series. Meanwhile, Prairie's friends back in her home dimension appear to be learning how to breach the boundaries between dimensions; though they don't know it, their performance of the Movements saved Prairie's life once again. That arc, too, is sure to continue.

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The OA season 2 is available now on Netflix.