What I’m Watching: The OA

The OA: Season 1, Episode 6 “Forking Paths” (B)

This show is getting trippier and trippier, as the prisoners have taken to physically carving things into their bodies to remember movements and Hap thinks that Prairie has just traveled to the rings of Saturn during her latest NDE. It was captivating, however, to see Hap be so open and honest with someone, seeming like the more human of the two when talking with his mentor Leon, who causally discussed how important it is to distance yourself from your subjects before pointing a gun at Hap for having discovered something transformative. Hap killing his mentor was a cold act of self-defense, and telling the nurse to go look for the people who needed help was far more generous. Hap considers himself close to his prisoners but Prairie gave him a harsh, stern reminder of the fact that just because he feels that way doesn’t mean they’re sympathetic to him given all that he has put them through. Prairie has become so complacent, strapping herself in and outfitting herself for the experience, that it no longer fazes her. Prairie suggesting that, if he really wants to learn something about NDEs, he should put himself in the machine, was an enlightening suggestion that is sure not to be taken. Instead, Hap is so involved in what he’s doing that he left the door open and let the sheriff right in to see what he’s doing, an event that is very unlikely to turn out in the sheriff’s favor even if it seems like he has the upper hand at the moment.