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Outer Range - Season 1
A Wyoming ranch owner discovers an incomprehensible phenomenon on his Outer Range land. And that's just the beginning of his troubles.
In my review of the first part of this series, I was quite positive. As I wrote then, I am a fan of the western genre. I grew up with it and always felt connected to the simple, hard life of the cowboys. Working hard in the great outdoors, camping wherever you want, eating hearty meals by a campfire, sleeping under the starry sky.
The invention of barbed wire in 1867 severely restricted the cowboy's freedom. You can read the effect of this on cowboy life in 'All the pretty horses', a masterful book by Cormac McCarthy. The barbed wire has tamed the wild west, even more than laws and civilization could.
In the past 150 years, this pure existence has changed even further. Today, a modern ranch is no longer possible without quad bikes, drones, computers and other inventions. Rancher Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin, Into the West) longs for those days without electric and motorized aids. A man, a saddle, a horse; that's all you need to move a herd of cows.
Much of the first season focuses on the battle between the Abbotts and their neighbors, the Tillersons. Will Patton (Yellowstone (2018)) plays the role of patriarch Wayne Tillerson in his usual, slightly maniacal way. He stars as the über-macho rancher who has fully embraced modern farming. His sons tear around on quad bikes and everything shows that the money is running out.
Wayne Tillerson knows something special is happening on Royal Abbott land. With the help of a corrupt official, he tries to shift the borderline between their lands. This is how he hopes to get possession of the western meadow and the secret of Royal.
These events result in some bad blood. The fathers are not friends, but their discussions have never escalated. The mutual sons are young hotheads who like to put up a fight. When such a fight gets seriously out of hand, tensions threaten to destroy both families.
In the meantime, Royal has a strange guest on his land. An impressive role by Imogen Poots (I Know This Much Is True). At first, she seems like an innocent camper interested in Native American mystical culture, but it gradually becomes apparent that she has a hidden agenda. Royal grows increasingly sorry that he didn't send her away right away.
And then there are more stories playing in the background. Like the story of Rebecca (Kristen Connolly, Evil), the mother of little Amy Abbott (Olive Abercrombie, DC's Stargirl). Nine months before the start of the series, she has disappeared without a trace. The somewhat unstable husband Perry Abbott (Tom Pelphrey, Ozark) is seen as a possible suspect. There is no evidence, but the doubt remains.
It doesn't take long before all those different storylines intertwine. This makes the series quite chaotic at times. It is unclear to the viewer whether Outer Range wants to be a drama series about a farming family with adversity, a crime drama, a mysterious science fiction series, or a supernatural mystery.
For each question answered, the viewer receives a new one. The stiff, sometimes illogical behavior of various characters does not make it any better. The rather slow pace doesn't help either. Only in the last two parts does the pace pick up and a few things become a little bit clearer. Of course, with each answer, the mystery only deepens.
The reactions on the various forums show that most viewers drop out halfway through. To be honest, I also had to bite the bullet to watch the entire season. It kind of felt that way. The key question is: was it worth it?
That's a tough question. I got the feeling that the writer(s) made up the story per episode on the set. A mystery that is meant to remain a mystery. That's an old trick that I really hate. All logic then vanishes and the plot has holes that make a piece of Gouda cheese look solid. As a lover of an intelligent story, I feel cheated.
Since October, the series has been renewed with a second season. We will see. In the meantime, I've revised my grade to a measly 7. As far as I'm concerned, only the excellent acting of the cast of Outer Range kept me from going any lower.
Follow Outer RangeIn my review of the first part of this series, I was quite positive. As I wrote then, I am a fan of the western genre. I grew up with it and always felt connected to the simple, hard life of the cowboys. Working hard in the great outdoors, camping wherever you want, eating hearty meals by a campfire, sleeping under the starry sky.
The invention of barbed wire in 1867 severely restricted the cowboy's freedom. You can read the effect of this on cowboy life in 'All the pretty horses', a masterful book by Cormac McCarthy. The barbed wire has tamed the wild west, even more than laws and civilization could.
In the past 150 years, this pure existence has changed even further. Today, a modern ranch is no longer possible without quad bikes, drones, computers and other inventions. Rancher Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin, Into the West) longs for those days without electric and motorized aids. A man, a saddle, a horse; that's all you need to move a herd of cows.
© Prime Video
Much of the first season focuses on the battle between the Abbotts and their neighbors, the Tillersons. Will Patton (Yellowstone (2018)) plays the role of patriarch Wayne Tillerson in his usual, slightly maniacal way. He stars as the über-macho rancher who has fully embraced modern farming. His sons tear around on quad bikes and everything shows that the money is running out.
Wayne Tillerson knows something special is happening on Royal Abbott land. With the help of a corrupt official, he tries to shift the borderline between their lands. This is how he hopes to get possession of the western meadow and the secret of Royal.
These events result in some bad blood. The fathers are not friends, but their discussions have never escalated. The mutual sons are young hotheads who like to put up a fight. When such a fight gets seriously out of hand, tensions threaten to destroy both families.
In the meantime, Royal has a strange guest on his land. An impressive role by Imogen Poots (I Know This Much Is True). At first, she seems like an innocent camper interested in Native American mystical culture, but it gradually becomes apparent that she has a hidden agenda. Royal grows increasingly sorry that he didn't send her away right away.
And then there are more stories playing in the background. Like the story of Rebecca (Kristen Connolly, Evil), the mother of little Amy Abbott (Olive Abercrombie, DC's Stargirl). Nine months before the start of the series, she has disappeared without a trace. The somewhat unstable husband Perry Abbott (Tom Pelphrey, Ozark) is seen as a possible suspect. There is no evidence, but the doubt remains.
Deputy Joy Hawk (Tamara Podemski, Coroner) is busy investigating the disappearance of Rebecca and one of the young ranchers. In addition, she is also trying to be elected as the new sheriff. That's hard enough, but for an Indian woman, it's almost impossible. The fact that she openly has a lesbian relationship does not make it any easier.It doesn't take long before all those different storylines intertwine. This makes the series quite chaotic at times.
It doesn't take long before all those different storylines intertwine. This makes the series quite chaotic at times. It is unclear to the viewer whether Outer Range wants to be a drama series about a farming family with adversity, a crime drama, a mysterious science fiction series, or a supernatural mystery.
For each question answered, the viewer receives a new one. The stiff, sometimes illogical behavior of various characters does not make it any better. The rather slow pace doesn't help either. Only in the last two parts does the pace pick up and a few things become a little bit clearer. Of course, with each answer, the mystery only deepens.
The reactions on the various forums show that most viewers drop out halfway through. To be honest, I also had to bite the bullet to watch the entire season. It kind of felt that way. The key question is: was it worth it?
That's a tough question. I got the feeling that the writer(s) made up the story per episode on the set. A mystery that is meant to remain a mystery. That's an old trick that I really hate. All logic then vanishes and the plot has holes that make a piece of Gouda cheese look solid. As a lover of an intelligent story, I feel cheated.
Since October, the series has been renewed with a second season. We will see. In the meantime, I've revised my grade to a measly 7. As far as I'm concerned, only the excellent acting of the cast of Outer Range kept me from going any lower.
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