The Outsider Episode 8, ‘Foxhead’ was the episode of the series that I actually feared the most. It was the reveal episode — where we would most likely see “El Cuco” for the first time, and where the parallel stories of El Cuco’s metamorphosis and the Maitland/Peterson investigation would finally merge into one.
Two weeks ago, in The Outsider Episode 6, ‘The One About the Yiddish Vampire’, my fears were the following:
“A big reveal is coming, but it does not feel like the series has put in the work to position itself for this reveal. With four episodes to go there is an insane amount of story that needs to come together, and if you look at the trailer for the second half of the season — there’s a lot of characters and lore we need to dive into. That’s a lot of work for a small amount of episodes.”
Luckily, last week’s episode, ‘In the Pines, In the Pines’ did a lot of clean-up work on the story. It jettisoned the Tamika (Hettiene Park) storyline, writing it off as her being afraid that her her child be stolen, hence why she’s not helping Ralph (Ben Mendelsohn). [I don’t rule out this scene coming back as an epilogue type moment, though]. Also, the series has moved on, with no explanation, as to why Jack Hoskins (Marc Menchaca) threw lamps and sleeping bags in the woods for El Cuco other than the demon was testing his loyalty. It then laser-focused us on the revelation that the new human vessel for El Cuco is Claude Bolton (Paddy Considine), and they have to grab Claude before things go sideaways.
‘Foxhead’ took us on the journey to get Claude, and it is easily one of the best installments of the series since that gripping premiere. There were a real sense of urgency with real stakes here. The catalyst for this was Ralph Anderson agreeing to join the group because he knows Holly’s team will lead him to an answer which he still desperately hopes is a logical one.
The episode finally gave decent screentime to Paddy Considine who has spent the better part of the series looking upset, and having small violent outbursts. Giving him work to do as both Claude and El Cuco bolsters this series which is already brimming with brilliant actors. Ben Mendelsohn also got one of his better, less mumbly, performances in particularly in a car scene with Erivo’s Holly. These car scenes with Holly and Ralph, and Sablo (Yul Vazquez) and Andy (Derek Cecil) added levity to this deadly serious series. However, it also was a bit unnerving as you were waiting for this levity to be interrupted by a scene of violence or disaster (especially after Ralph tells Holly about Jack’s sniper skills).
However, ‘Foxhead’ is all about the fact we finally see, and hear El Cuco for the first time in the series. And the big question is — does it work? Well, it does…then it doesn’t…then it really does.
The reveal first works because we only hear El Cuco, and it’s not something we expected. When Jack snipes a hunter in the woods, we assume it’s to take his car as to not be detected by the police. Instead, we hear this guttural, primal sound of something tearing into the flesh and bones of the hunter. Hearing it offscreen sends immediate chills down your spine, and your mouth agape.
The reveal doesn’t when we see El Cuco “feed” in a cave later in the episode. Seeing it in human form was not as frightening. In fact, it was a little lame to see hear him roar and bark and walk paste a cowering Hoskins. It definitely defangs the beast when you see him in the lanky frame of Paddy Considine, but sounds like a demon from a hell scape.
Yet, all sins are absolved, when it finds a potential victim at Cavestock. Donning the titular ‘Foxhead’ it tries to whisk a boy away before being stopped and assaulted by the boy’s relative, and locals alike. We see the reveal that yes, its face is a fully formed version of Claude. The transformation is complete, and its the normalness of its body, and its face, and the sheer evil we know this being can inflict upon this child that is terrifying. We’re reminded of the horror of the being we heard offscreen earlier in the episode. We fear this child will end up eviscerated before our very eyes.
With all this said, the reveal’s true efficacy will proved in the next week, when police, and local townspeople form a posse to hunt it down. This is where things will get sinister, or silly, and this will ultimately determine how we look back at this series once the final credits roll.
