Tremendously written, acted, and shot, it’s hard to make sense of the events of Outer Range through two episodes, but it’s easy to see its quality. The new Amazon Prime series comes from the mind of creator Brian Watkins, and it’s steeped in an effective blend of the familiar and the unknown. It combines common themes of grief, faith, and fighting to hold onto something with unexplained, supernatural elements. There is clearly a connection to be made over the course of the series, but to this point we are left in a cloud of confusion, watching the Abbott family try and find their way out of a hole – some of their own making, and another in the west pasture that is quite inexplicable.
Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin, Avengers: Endgame) finds himself losing hours of his day, hearing strange noises nobody else does, and seemingly losing his grip on reality. His odd behavior could be explained by a recent tragedy that’s befallen his family, but it also couldn’t come at a worse time as he becomes involved in a land dispute with the neighboring ranch and as his sons, Perry (Tom Pelphrey, Ozark) and Rhett (Lewis Pullman, Catch-22), find themselves in a dire situation of their own.
The human drama is really at the forefront of the series to this point, with Royal openly doubting to his wife Cecilia (Lili Taylor, The Conjuring) the existence of a God that could allow recent events to transpire, Perry struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of the mother of his child while still being a father to their daughter Amy (Olive Abercrombie, Stargirl), and Rhett doubting his dream of becoming a professional bull rider. The last thing they needed was a conflict with Wayne Tillerson (Will Patton, Yellowstone) and his sons Trevor (Matt Lauria, Friday Night Lights), Luke (Shaun Sipos, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Billy (Noah Reid, Schitt’s Creek) over property rights. Then there is the giant elephant in the room, in this case, a literal black hole that engulfs and transports things to the unknown.
With the black hole, Watkins wants to provide a denotative illustration of the state of mind that the Abbots find themselves in, but at the same time, he’s incorporated it into the story in a way that allows the science fiction element to take precedence for those more captivated by it. It also allows for the immensely talented Imogen Poots to appear as Autumn, a drifter who is oddly drawn to the ranch, much like Royal was as a young man. Autumn and Royal clearly share a host of similarities as evidenced by their odd line of questioning with each other, and their relationship is certainly one that will become much more entwined as the series continues.
The casting seems like a no-brainer, with Brolin bringing a similar energy as his character from No Country For Old Men, Taylor serving as a perfect matriarch of the family, Pelphrey playing someone you desperately root for to overcome their inherent sadness, and Patton being a veteran of the successful western drama, Yellowstone and science fiction show Falling Skies.
Outer Range brings together some of the most talented up-and-coming directors, cinematographers, and composers to further elevate an idea that conceptually alone could seem like a ploy to capitalize on the success of shows like Yellowstone and Lost when in reality its inspiration seems to stem closer to the works of David Lynch and the Coen brothers. It’s interesting enough on the surface level alone, but it’s also provocative enough to keep you at arm’s length at all times.
There is a lot to be explained and fleshed out over the duration of the show, which will release two episodes each Friday, but early on it’s a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the talents of all those involved and get completely enveloped in a narrative you can only relate to partially. There is a certain satisfaction an audience gets when a cliffhanger leaves them completely dumbfounded, and odds are Outer Range will continue to provide that feeling weekly.
Outer Range airs new episodes Fridays on Prime Video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MzAFrTEWSQ
