There’s a common characteristic amongst crime dramas, and thrillers — the further you get into the story, the vaster and more insidious the conspiracy.
The Outsider’s fifth episode ‘Tear-Drinker’ takes us further down the rabbit hole of the “boogeyman” or “tear-drinker.” The more information we find out about this malevolent being, the more frightening this series becomes. Through Holly (Cynthia Erivo) we come to learn this evil force preys on those who are suffering from loss. It stalks its victims at cemeteries, and won’t stop until it has drunk the tears of all those suffering — often forcing mourning families members into extreme acts of violence (e.g. mass shootings, suicide).
However, we also discover this ‘tear-drinker’ does not like to be out, and like a wounded animal will lash out at anyone coming for him. This is why the young Maitland girl warned Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), and why he confronts Ralph’s wife Jeannie (Mare Winnigham). This is also why he’s intensifying his grip on Jack Hoskins (Marc Menchaca) — who after an outburst in front of Ralph and Tamika (Hettienne Park) he repents and joins Ralph’s investigation.
The physical manifestation of the ‘tear-drinker’ in the “man in the hoodie,” and via his control of Jack, and a man Holly meets at a cemetery, are all absolutely terrifying. We’ve been given no set rules or guidelines of how this villainous being works, and that lack of structure actually makes this character all that more frightening. We never know when or how he will appear, and we never know if he will how he’ll act. Literally every time the camera slowly panned or pulled away from a character, I was prepared for the man in a hoodie, or someone possessed by the tear-drinker standing there with menace and murder on their mind.
No scene is more frightening than when the man in the hoodie confronts Jeannie. This confrontation was revealed in the trailer for this episode, yet the build to it made that moment even more excruciating (in the best way possible). Jeannie knows someone or something is coming for her and her husband — she believes the youngest Maitland girl. So to build to the moment not only do we get the red herring of the man in the hoodie in the waiting room of her office, but also we get a deeper dive into the agony she suffered after he son died. The fear and tears serve as the catalyst for Jeannie to walk into the room where the man in the hoodie is, and it serves as the fuel it needs to terrorize her.
Mare Winningham’s performance throughout the episode was fantastic. Not one character has sold the fear in this series quite like her. Sure, some characters have had moments of feeling tense or anxious, but no one is truly as afraid as she is. Her decision not to look at the man in the hoodie, until right before the scene ends was brilliant. The sheer terror etched into her face was palpable, and it was refreshing to see anyone in this series experience fear, and convey the gravity of the situation to the audience.
For the past two weeks The Outsider has struggled to live up to the excellence of the premiere episodes. It’s been slow-moving table-setting, and necessary, but again, slow character development. ‘Tear-Drinker’ brings us back to the level we were at during the premiere. Mendelsohn is finally given meatier material to work with, the plot is building to a breaking point, and the score and cinematography are once again being smartly, and simply employed as agents of terror.
We’re at the halfway point of the series, and things look promising — let’s hope The Outsider can sustain the excellent found in episodes like this and the premiere.
The Outsider Episode 5, Tear-Drinker is now streaming on HBO NOW, HBO GO and Hulu.
