Abhiroop Das
Created by Ramón Campos, Netflix’s ‘Oasis‘ begins with Dani hoping for a fresh start with his family during a summer vacation at the famous Oasis Infinity resort, which boasts luxury and vistas like no other place in the country. Though Dani doesn’t have many expectations at the start, that changes when he befriends Celia, one of the attendants, who also happens to be the daughter of the owner. As the two bond over their mixed feelings about growing up, the events of a single night change their fates forever.
When Celia is reported missing, the police put the entire hotel into a lockdown, determined that Celia is still somewhere in the premises, and no one can be allowed in or out till she is found. Dani, however, has a different plan entirely, and teams up with Celia’s friend, Helena, to solve the mystery before things can get any worse. As the teens sneak through the hidden nooks and corners of this vast resort, the Spanish mystery series questions whether friendship can truly prevail against the darkness that lurks within the world.
Oasis is a Fictional Story Centered Around the Teenage Experience
‘Oasis’ is a work of fiction penned by a Ramón Campos-led writing team, which also includes Javier Chacártegui, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea. While the show’s premise, that being the disappearance of a girl in a packed luxury resort, does not seem to have any real-life antecedents, Ramón had a specific purpose in mind when developing this story. In an interview with Netflix, he expressed that this is a series for his young daughters and that it aims to connect to the broader lived experiences and anxieties of teenagers all around the world.
It is why the show specifically picks up the themes of friendship, secrets, and first decisions, and reimagines them under the garb of a mystery narrative. In his own words, the show is Ramón’s way of saying to his younger audiences: “I see you, I understand this moment, and I want to tell a story that truly speaks to you.” While numerous comparisons have been made between ‘Oasis’ and ‘White Lotus’ — two mystery shows set in a hotel and featuring a stellar cast — the former’s youth-centric storytelling makes it stand apart. ‘Oasis’ pushes the locked-room subgenre to its very limits by simply expanding the scope to an entire resort and thus unlocking many creative possibilities that a biographical tale could not have captured.
The Mystery of Oasis Has Loose Parallels to a Real Disappearance Case
Though ‘Oasis’ does not have any direct real-life events serving as its inspiration, one case that seems to be loosely reminiscent is the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. On May 3, 2007, 3-year-old Madeleine disappeared from her holiday apartment in the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, where she was staying with her parents and younger siblings. As per reports, Madeleine was asleep in the apartment while her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining at the nearby Tapas restaurant with their friends. While Kate and Gerry periodically took turns checking on their children that evening, at around 10 p.m., Kate walked into the apartment to find her daughter missing. Though the police were soon notified, and several people volunteered to search, Madeleine wasn’t found that night.
Celia, who gets kidnapped in ‘Oasis,’ is notably much older than Madeleine during her disappearance, but the vague similarities in their cases largely emerge when we consider the surroundings. Madeleine’s disappearance took place in a busy holiday destination, with guests and staff moving through the complex during the evening. Reportedly, the resort activated its missing-child protocol at 10:30 pm, and as many as sixty staff and guests searched until the next morning. To this date, however, Madeleine hasn’t been found, and her disappearance remains one of the most widely investigated and discussed cases in history.
While the premise of ‘Oasis’ may not have referenced the true story of Madeleine McCann, its approach to a resort becoming the site of a missing-person investigation might have involved research into such real-life cases. For series creator Ramón Campos, however, the mystery itself is secondary to the deeply human stories of interpersonal relationships. In the conversation with Netflix, he described Celia’s disappearance plotline as a vehicle for the themes he wanted to expand on, so that the story resonates with teenagers, first and foremost.
Read More: Oasis Ending Explained: Who Kidnapped Celia? Is She Found?
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