A lot of people are still talking about Conformity Gate, although those who firmly believe it’s still happening seem to be dwindling in number. However it has created a whole new seemingly strange community of the fandom.. But if you want to know just how long Conformity Gate might last as a theory, look no further than the fans of the late, great Netflix series The OA.
The OA was perhaps one of the most magnificent shows ever produced for streaming, and maybe even television itself. Brit Marling, who co-created the series with Zal Batmanglij, gave us unforgettable characters, and she herself delivered an unforgettable performance as Prairie Johnson.
Unfortunately, Netflix canceled the series after just two seasons, leaving viewers dangling from one of the most remarkable cliffhangers imaginable.. We had so much more to learn.. It was a cliffhanger that begged for answers, and those answers never officially came..
It’s hard to believe, but we’re approaching a decade since The OA first premiered in December 2016. If you’ve never watched it, you should. And for those stalwarts who have yet to give the series a try, we’re not going to spoil anything.
We’ll simply describe it as something of an adult version of Stranger Things, perhaps with a much deeper meaning. A meaning that, even today, many people are still trying to figure out.
Much like the Stranger Things fans who believe in Conformity Gate, The OA developed a devoted following that simply refused to accept that the story was over. Fans have spent years looking for signs of a continuation, whether through Hollywood press reports, cryptic social media posts, interviews with former cast members, or occasional rumblings from the show’s creators.
But there’s another, particularly fascinating sect of OA fans that runs deeper in the land of fans of the series..
There are people who believe, even today, that The OA is still happening.
And we don’t necessarily mean happening sometime in the future. We mean happening right now, in real time. Like… the real deal right now in life!
Some fans developed a theory that the show’s cancellation was itself part of the story and that Prairie Johnson was still out there somewhere, that the narrative had crossed over into our own reality, and that what appeared to be the end of a television series was actually the beginning of something much larger.
For these believers, Marling’s appearances in other productions, references in unrelated shows, peculiar social media activity, and even seemingly ordinary real-world events could represent clues that The OA never really ended. Some believe the story is continuing right in front of us, hidden in plain sight, and that one day the truth will finally be revealed.
Of course, none of this establishes that the series secretly continued. Netflix canceled The OA in 2019, and no hidden continuation has been confirmed. But that hasn’t stopped some fans from searching for connections, finding possible clues, and occasionally discovering what could just as easily be confirmation bias. It is a fun ride on forums and Reddit threads still alive with people hunting for clues..
Which brings us back to Conformity Gate.
Conformity Gate is still relatively young. The theory, which emerged around the ending of Stranger Things, suggests that what viewers witnessed wasn’t necessarily the real conclusion and that a secret ninth episode, sixth season, or some other continuation might eventually reveal that the ending was an elaborate deception.
As time goes on without such a revelation, the number of people firmly believing in the theory appears to be shrinking. Some have moved on, others have accepted the ending, and still others continue examining virtually everything Netflix and the Duffer Brothers release for signs that something bigger is coming.
But if the OA fandom teaches us anything, it’s that these theories can have remarkable staying power.
For both shows, and both fan bases, the passage of time will likely thin the ranks of true believers. People will lose interest, new shows will arrive, and the theories will become increasingly difficult to sustain.
But there will almost certainly be those who remain, especially with these two series..
The people who believe Prairie is still out there, trying to figure out what her experiences meant, what reality she’s living in, and where her journey will ultimately take her.
And the people who believe Mike Wheeler is eventually going to wake up from his Vecna-induced trance and reveal that the ending of Stranger Things wasn’t really the ending at all.
Maybe that’s the greatest similarity between The OA and Stranger Things. Both created worlds that some viewers simply weren’t ready to leave. And when a story leaves enough unanswered questions, the fans sometimes begin writing the next chapter themselves, whether the creators intended it or not…
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