The second episode of Outcast aired last Friday night to extremely low ratings. I'm not sure how much weight a premium cable station like Cinemax gives to live ratings, but a 0.193 cannot be good in any circumstance. I currently read the comics the show is based on and have seen a bit of Season 1 to know that this story of demonic possession and Kyle figuring out what is going on in and around his life is a slow burn, but with enough answers given each episode to keep the audience interested. It is one of my favorite stories currently running and I would love for anyone on the fence about this amazing show to give it a chance.
The latest installment of Outcast showcases Kyle and his mother's tragic relationship. It utilizes flashbacks to help the viewer see the exact moment of inflection where Kyle's mother takes a turn for the worst. While we don't actually 'see' the moment the demon possess Sarah Barnes (played wonderfully by actress Julia Crockett) body, we can infer from flashbacks that it happened in a seemingly random moment when Kyle was just a little boy. This show does an exceptional job at revealing the emotions that go along with losing loved ones during their downfall and what happens years after the fact.
There's a scene in the second episode of Outcast where we saw Kyle as a young kid having fun outside with his mom nearby. In a flashback, he carefully rolls his bike and softly leans it up against a tree. In a scene later in Kyle's life, we see that same bike consumed by the bark of that tree. Year after year, the bike lay stuck in the same spot clearly showing its age as it had been exposed to the elements. He obviously had not ridden his bike since his mom was first possessed by the demon. It was the day he lost his childhood. These scenes sum up what the episode, and probably the first season, is all about; Kyle loses his innocence as a child the day his mom 'left' and the demon 'entered'.
This episode shows us two things about what is important to Kyle at this stage in his life. He cares deeply about his mother and wants to be able to do for her what he did for Joshua in the first episode. It is only until the Rev convinces him that Kyle realizes that maybe he has done all he can for his mom on that fateful day when he was younger. The other thing in Kyle's life is the love he has for his daughter, Amber. This relationship is mirrored somewhat in Kyle's fractured relationship with his own mother from childhood. A demon is responsible for the current state both relationships are in at the moment.
Thoughts and Discussion
- Did you notice...Mildred stares at Kyle with evil intent as he approaches the Rev and the church. Later we see her with the Rev during his meeting with other church ladies and she says something very strange, which I thought was interesting. She says, "One of my little secrets", which makes me think she is hiding something, like she is possessed by a demon herself since she looked so scared of Kyle and questioned the Rev's involvement with him. We will just have to wait and see.
- Who is this mysterious character, Sydney, that we see speaking to Kyle's mom at the end of the episode and was in attendance at the Rev's sermon? He clearly knows Sarah very well and is involved with the possession that seems to be plaguing the town and apparently the world. What does he want with Kyle and what did he mean when he said in the end he got him anyways? There is clearly a little bit of Sarah inside as we see her tear up at the sound of this.
- Did you notice...there were five songs played throughout the episode. Four of the songs referenced 'light' in one way or another, symbolizing Kyle's need to get out of the darkness and find his 'light'.
- Mark and Chief Giles' story line is interesting and it is something that is not in the comics. I am intrigued to see where this story leads us and how it relates, if at all, to the main story arc. Why would someone hang up dead animals in a sacrificial way?
- Did you notice...Megan looks out the window to see Amber learning to ride her new bike. The song playing in the background is "Deja Vu" by Angela Lee Sloan. It's like deja vu because we see Kyle rides his bike for the last time when he plants it next to the tree outside his childhood home.
- The big mystery of the episode was Kyle being choked at the end by the black ooze that came out of Sarah. It didn't inhabit Kyle's body as it only appeared to raise him off the ground and choke him in a noose like fashion. What was the purpose of this? What did that do to Kyle? We will just have to wait and see.
Thank you for checking out my Review of the second episode of Outcast. Look for my Advanced Preview of the third episode later today. Have a great weekend everyone!
