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Netflix has once again proven that there is such a thing as cinematic art, with its December 16th release of the new sci-fi series, The OA. Fear not: I'll avoid spoilers here in case you haven't binged the season like the Netflix addict I am. Instead, I'll focus on three takeaways that surprised me as I finished the final episode.

1. The OA reminds us to consider what we can and can't control - and it seems to be up to us. A cinematic theme has reemerged over recent years, and it reminds me of a time when The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits once ruled the societal narrative. Now, HBO's Westworld, Netflix's own Stranger Things and countless other shows are keeping us firmly ungrounded in a societal consideration of existentialism. In the case of The OA, I'm not suggesting that the theme of considering our own consciousness is a new one; however, The OA's blending of modern-day character grit with fantasy-driven art direction creates a refreshingly new take on how we might consider the ways in which divine intervention intersects all of our lives. Personally, the show reminded me of Neo's famous lesson in The Matrix ("There is no spoon"), and made me reconsider just how much we individually control in this crazy thing we call life. That's a question I ask myself often as an entrepreneur constantly at odds with "uncontrollable" forces, and a question I didn't expect to meet head-on in Netflix's newest release.
2. Whether we believe in angels or not, The OA re-energizes the very old human concept of intrinsic belief, in the most compelling of ways. Given the kaleidoscopic nature of its narrative, the show forces the audience to consider every dimension of the world around us - metaphorically, if not physically. As we see characters learn, evolve and transition in and out of belief and disbelief in Prairie's story, it prompts us to ask some important questions about the relationship we all have with hard evidence, and about what "scientific proof" means to our ability to grow and thrive. The show begs the question: At what times in our lives is it more important to see ourselves, versus believe in ourselves? As an entrepreneur, the idea of belief has very real connotations, and reminds me of the adage, "perceive, believe, persist, achieve." I speak from my own entrepreneurial experiences when I say that science sometimes can't explain what we humans are able to do by simply believing.
3. Science-fiction believability factor aside, The OA is a story of perseverance. I was surprised to learn that the young actress who plays lead character Prairie Johnson is, in fact, the showrunner, too. A quick trip through her Wikipedia is enough to make me wonder if I've done enough in this world to understand the meaning of life (could I ever be so dedicated as to become a freegan, like Brit Marling?). At a minimum, her obvious tenacity, perseverance and artistic worldview make me marvel at the real story of The OA - the story about a young girl achieving laudable artistic merit on the world stage that Netflix offers. At a minimum, the entrepreneurial spirit of this show reaches out and reminds us that all things are possible, particularly for those who relentlessly pursue their own belief systems.

Altogether, the new-age artistic rendering, the brilliant acting and the (finally!) newstory left me with a profound appreciation of Brit's efforts, her and her team's vision, and Netflix's applause-worthy dedication to cinematic experimentation in a world where cinematic "arts" are divined by the movements of the almighty dollar. What started for me as a throwaway thought of "this looks interesting, I'll try it," has left me wondering what The OA might signal for shows yet to come. The OA seems, in the very best of ways, to be a pillar of escapism; except, it's not. The OA is a siren call inward - not to escape, but to hover momentarily alongside our innermost selves and ask how we might question, believe and persevere against the twin undercurrents of acquiescence and conformity.

If we continue to embrace forms of entertainment that change the way we escape, then who knows? We might all be compelled to look up from our daily tasks and consider something greater than ourselves - not in the heavens, but right here, hiding inside us all.

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