The OA has a woke score of 36/100, which means it is not especially woke compared with higher-scoring titles. The OA is a Netflix mystery drama series about a young woman who returns home after seven years missing, now able to see despite prior blindness. She tells five strangers a story of captivity, near-death experiences, and special dance-like movements that can open portals to other dimensions, recruiting them for a shared mission. The narrative centers on belief, trauma, connection, and spirituality, with only minor visible elements around one character's gender transition and a creator-noted contrast between feminine ritual and male violence in the finale.

Is there DEI in The OA?

The biggest factors in our score are Identity-driven story themes, Representation / casting choices, Institutional / cultural critique. Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission.

TV Show review

The OA

Woke Score

36/ 100

Lower is better

DramaMysterySci-FiFantasy

Release Date: December 16, 2016
Age Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: N/A

Availability country

Where to Watch

United States · Last checked 5/13/2026

Stream

Netflix

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7.8 / 10IMDb↗

Breakdown

Factors & Ratings

These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The OA.

Representation / casting choices

Includes a transgender character played by a transgender actor and a visibly mixed group of ages and ethnicities among the recruits; fits the misfit-ensemble premise without clear mismatch to the modern suburban setting.

25 / 100

Political / ideological dialogue

Very little explicit politics; occasional creator-linked comments frame feminine ritual against male aggression in the finale, but on-screen talk stays personal and story-driven.

10 / 100

Identity-driven story themes

One recruit's gender transition forms a small personal arc amid broader themes of trauma and belonging; the main plot follows mystical experiences and group purpose rather than identity as the core driver.

40 / 100

Institutional / cultural critique

The ending contrasts dance movements (tied by creators to feminine energy) with a school shooting linked to male isolation and rage; offers a subtle narrative observation on gender and violence without systemic or anti-conservative analysis.

The OA

Factors & Ratings

Summary

Main Cast

Director & Crew