Summary
“Mirror Mirror” has its tragic moments, but it feels dull, laborious and almost a filler episode of the story.
This recap of The OA Season 2 Episode 6, “Mirror Mirror”, contains spoilers. You can read the recap of the previous episode by clicking these words.
I understand why The OA wants to explore those left behind in the original dimension, due to the emotional connection of it and the issues arising from Prairie Johnson’s (Brit Marling) “death” from the school shooting, but Episode 6, “Mirror Mirror” felt like a filler episode only to serve some breathing space from the original story, which is getting crazier with each progressing chapter.
If you remember what happened in “Magic Mirror”, Betty Broderick-Allen (Phyllis Smith) and the group went on a road trip to try and speak to Rachel from the mirror, but all of the teenagers conveniently didn’t tell their parents. Naturally, the media have picked up the story of an adult with a group of children forming a cult. Betty could be criminally charged, and as soon as she sees the news, the horror on her face is apparent.
The group has to move quickly, as they believe Betty is the only one that can cross over, although Steve Winchell (Patrick Gibson) has his ideas, despite his partner’s annoyance at his eagerness to be a hero. The group resides at a friend’s house, who seems trusting not to call the police. The friend tells Betty her worries and starts asking if she has started a cult while consuming alcohol. Jesse (Brendan Meyer), meanwhile, is very quiet, tending to an elderly and ill man that is sleeping in the house. Betty thanks him for being by his side.
During the night in “Mirror Mirror”, Betty has a nightmare where Jesse needs help. She rushes out to the beach where they are all sleeping in tents, and the group finds Jesse dead. He overdosed on painkillers; he had become dependent on drugs to numb the pain and anxiety born from the school shooting. Buck Vu (Ian Alexander) and Steve attempt to do the body movements over and over again to try and bring him back to life, as taught by Prairie, but after attempting it all night, they realize it’s a lost cause. Jesse is officially dead.
“Mirror Mirror” turns into a manhunt for Betty who is on tenterhooks, doubting her mind and wellbeing. In the hideout, there is a knock on the door, and Alfonso ‘French’ Sosa (Brandon Perea) lets in a man with an FBI jacket. Betty fears the worst, but he then reveals he has arrived to help, and his reasons for support is because of Prairie.
You can read the recap of the seventh episode by clicking these words.
