2x03 Magic Mirror

Yay the gang is back!!! I appreciate Marling and Batmanglij didn’t leave us hanging when it came to these characters after OA left their dimension. I also love the addition of Angie.

The seance scene is probably the best part of this episode (as it should be—I loved the possessed TV), but I feel like our shining star is French! I loved his arc and how Perea displays his internal conflict with his identity but also with OA and how he put so much faith in her and her story. He has had to be the rational and responsible one his entire life. He abandons this role by meeting with the gang and believing OA’s story, and it all comes crashing down when the psychiatrist convinces him the story was a fabrication; a manifestation of Prairie’s PTSD as a result of her captivity and escape. French is heartbroken, naturally, because he felt a freedom in OA’s faith and unbelievable story. This episode is him coming to back to OA and the group because they offer him something more than reality—hyperreality.

I feel like one of the larger themes of this series is wanting to believe in something greater and higher than oneself, which is often what religion is used for. Obviously the character OA and her name convey a religiosity, but this series isn’t about religion nor is it even about faith. At least not on the surface. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what it is about, but I think it has to do with human consciousness and the dangers of trying to control it. Also maybe the dangers of science when it becomes intertwined with capitalism, but that’s a bit reductive. Can’t wait for the next episodes!!