Hulu’s dystopian rock opera O’Dessa showcases a fearless тιтular character who sets off on an adventure to find her place in the world and ends up changing it in the process. O’Dessa features a talented cast led by Sadie Sink along with Kelvin Harrison Jr., Regina Hall, and Murray Bartlett. O’Dessa‘s soundtrack not only showcases Sink’s talent, but it is crucial to the progression of the plot. The movie’s songs help identify O’Dessa’s feelings as she falls in love and begins to accept her destiny, leading up to O’Dessa’s climactic encounter with Plutonovich.
While O’Dessa has received only middling reviews, its musical performances and stylish visuals have proven very entertaining. O’Dessa journeys across the desolate wasteland and into the downtrodden Satylite City, where she meets and falls in love with Euri. However, when Euri is taken by the evil Neon Dion and sent to perform on The One, O’Dessa must find it in herself to fulfill her destiny and save, not just Euri, but everyone from Plutonovich’s controlling grasp. In O’Dessa‘s ending, the тιтular character is forced to sing for her life, but she makes the shocking choice to ultimately sacrifice herself.
Are O’Dessa And Euri Really ᴅᴇᴀᴅ At The End Of O’Dessa?
O’Dessa Blows Up Plutonovich’s Studio In O’Dessa’s Ending
O’Dessa‘s ending may come as a bit of a shock to audiences as the тιтular character and her love interest are both killed when O’Dessa decides to destroy Plutonovich’s TV studio. After racing to the island to save Euri, O’Dessa runs on stage in an attempt to save him. She tells Plutonovich that she will compete in his contest, The One, in exchange for Euri’s life. O’Dessa chooses to sing “The Song (All Is Love),” effectively waking many of Satylite City’s citizens up from the spell that Plutonovich had kept them under.
After her performance, Plutonovich names O’Dessa “The One,” meaning that she is free to make one wish. Fittingly, she wishes for Euri, but when he comes back on stage, it is revealed that Plutonovich has given him a “facelift” to make him into a mindless follower. While O’Dessa first feels like giving up, she finds the necessary courage inside herself to fulfill her destiny.
Though audiences may be hoping that she somehow survived the blast, O’Dessa‘s ending does confirm that the main character did die while saving everyone else.
O’Dessa sets her guitar on fire and uses the oil-like substance plazma to blow up Plutonovich’s lair, freeing everyone else but killing herself, Euri, and Plutonovich in the process. Though audiences may be hoping that she somehow survived the blast, O’Dessa‘s ending does confirm that the main character did die while saving everyone else. Because of her sacrifice, the rest of Satylite City is finally free.
Plutonovich And The One Show Explained
The Tyrant’s Show Kept Satylite City’s Population Sedated
O’Dessa is from a sparse farm far from any other settlement, so much like viewers, she is unfamiliar with Plutonovich at the beginning of the movie. As she ventures into Satylite City, she sees Neon Dion torturing a man who spoke out against Plutonovich, confirming the leader’s tyrannical grip on the troubled city. As O’Dessa progresses, it becomes clear that Plutonovich is a charismatic and controlling TV personality who has ᴀssumed leadership of Satylite City through a form of mind control.
Plutonovich hosts a show called The One, which the city’s residents watch all night, making them mindless followers. Along with repeating messages of subjugation to viewers, the primary purpose of the show is to allow Plutonovich to torture those who speak out against him. He makes them perform for him and if he does not like it, he subjects them to a “facelift” which turns them into mindless followers. While he later tells O’Dessa that it’s what his viewers want, The One is really about him maintaining control.
O’Dessa’s Lineage And How She Knew She Was The One
O’Dessa Was Following Her Destiny
O’Dessa is set up from the outset as being special, even if she isn’t quite sure how. At the beginning of the movie, we see her mother explain how O’Dessa’s father left them to be a rambler, but only his guitar ever came back to them. This guitar is tied directly to her lineage as the prophesied Seventh Son who will save the world. According to legend, her ancestor made the guitar from the wood of a burning tree where a mysterious eyeless woman gave the prophecy.
With her guitar in hand, O’Dessa finally recognizes that she is the chosen one who will free the world from Plutonovich.
While the prophecy and O’Dessa’s vague idea of her destiny do not seem fully formed or important at the beginning of the film, she learns more about it as the movie continues, particularly when she chooses to go to Plutonovich’s island to save Euri. As she prepares to travel to Onederworld, she meets with the eyeless woman, now elderly, who proclaims that she already has everything she needs to succeed. With her guitar in hand, O’Dessa finally recognizes that she is the chosen one who will free the world from Plutonovich.
Why The Grᴀss Turns Green & How The World Is Recovering In O’Dessa’s Ending
O’Dessa’s Sacrifice Saved Everyone Else
Though O’Dessa and Euri’s deaths in O’Dessa‘s ending could be seen as sad in one sense, it is also hopeful in another, as her actions have long-lasting consequences. Following the explosion of Plutonovich’s island studio, O’Dessa cuts to the aftermath. While people had already begun to wake up during O’Dessa’s song, ending Plutonovich’s show completely allowed people to get back to their lives. The movie shows that people are no longer glued to their TVs and are focused on rebuilding their communities.
However, it is not just the people that are impacted by O’Dessa’s sacrifice. The final moments of the dystopian musical show that plants have once again begun to grow. What was desolate land as O’Dessa made her way into the city is now blooming with new plant life, and the grᴀss has become green again. Without Plutonovich’s show to distract people and drain the plazma from the ground, people are able to use their resources wisely again, showing that O’Dessa saved them in more ways than one.
The Real Meaning of O’Dessa’s Ending
The Movie Explores True Love And O’Dessa’s Journey
O’Dessa‘s ending is actually very hopeful despite the death of the main character. The movie serves as a loose modern retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, examining the same themes of love. As a character, O’Dessa is willing to go to any lengths to save the person she loves and fulfill her destiny. While her true destiny is not fully revealed until the film’s ending, love and humanity, despite unfortunate circumstances, are at the heart of it. Even in death, O’Dessa chooses her true love over all, and that inspires others to take up her mantle.
Plutonovich’s messaging centers on ideas of surveillance and subservience, and O’Dessa serves as a way to counter those with the possibility of freedom.
While the classic features of the mythological story are echoed in the new film, O’Dessa also explores modern culture’s addiction to our screens and the influence of a few leaders on the general population. Plutonovich’s messaging centers on ideas of surveillance and subservience, and O’Dessa serves as a way to counter those with the possibility of freedom. Although not all of the movie’s messages may hit home as hard as they should, O’Dessa‘s fun songs and entertaining performances still leave audiences with something to think about.
