Outer Range TV Review

Plot: A rancher fighting for his land and family stumbles upon an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness, forcing a confrontation with the Unknown in ways both intimate and cosmic in the untamable American West.

Review: Genre mash-ups are not anything new, but Westerns remain one of the genres that has been blended most frequently. Whether it be horror, noir, crime, adventure, or comedy, the western has long been able to adapt to whatever story that could be dreamt up. But, the success of westerns with science fiction has been the trickiest combination of genres. While sci-fi films and series playing with western conventions have worked (Star Trek, Firefly), the inverse has not always been the case (Cowboys vs. Aliens). Prime Video’s Outer Range is unique in that it takes the harder and more realistic sci-fi elements of films like Arrival and blends them with the family dynamic of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone. The resulting series is engrossing as a story with complex characters that keep you wondering what is going to happen next as it heads towards a truly bizarre and wonderfully surreal finale.

The trailer for Outer Range does not do the series justice, making it seem far more conventional than it actually is. Over the eight-episode series, Outer Range struggles a bit with maintaining a focus on its narrative, with the pacing deliberate across the first six chapters before ramping up for the final two. At its start, the series focuses on Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin), the grizzled Wyoming rancher who lives with his wife Cecila (Lili Taylor), his sons Perry (Tom Pelphrey), and Rhett (Lewis Pullman), and his granddaughter Amy (Olive Abercrombie). Perry’s wife, Rebecca, disappeared nine months earlier which has held Perry in a state of depression as he hopes for her return. One morning, Royal comes across a massive hole in his western pasture that defies physics and logic. Royal experiences some phenomena that he cannot explain and soon after, a drifter named Autumn Rivers (Imogen Poots) arrives with ulterior motives of her own.

The Abbotts also must contend with neighboring family The Tillersons, led by patriarch Wayne (Will Patton), who have their eyes set on claiming the acres where the hole is located. When a murder implicates the two families, a game of cat and mouse begins between the clans as they try to outmaneuver each other. Royal, who shares a connection of some sort with Autumn, must also do what he can to protect his family and his ranch. As the series progresses, you will likely wonder why the hole and what lies at the bottom are even necessary to tell this story. With the missing Rebecca, young Rhett’s rodeo career and a love interest, Royal’s hidden past, and subplots involving local Sheriff Joy Hawk (Tamara Podemski) running as the first Indian police chief in town, there is more than enough to make this story a worthy addition to the Yellowstone-inspired renaissance of the small-screen western. But, that is where the sci-fi adds a unique twist to this tale.

I will not spoil the twist of just what the hole is or how it factors into the story, but it serves as both a metaphorical and physical element of the plot that takes this series in a direction I did not anticipate. Series creator Brian Watkins sets a very somber pace over the course of this story that doesn’t have very many moments of levity. Most of the laughs are generated by Will Patton’s performance as the terminally ill Wayne Tillerson and Noah Reid as his youngest son, Billy, who breaks into song frequently over the series. There is also an ethereal and artistic feel to the show that makes great use of the sweeping Wyoming landscapes and mountains that are made haunting by the score from Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans. Using as much natural lighting as possible for the outdoor sequences, the show is sometimes so dark you may have trouble making out the action on screen. But, aside from the hole itself and some related sequences, there is very little CGI work in this show which makes it all the more tangible and puts the focus on the actors who all do really solid work here, especially Josh Brolin.

As I watched Outer Range, I was immediately hooked by the central mystery set up by the first episode. By episode two, I was more intrigued by the various family members and the fallout of where the premiere episode ended. By episode three, I was confused and impressed that the 54-year-old Josh Brolin was able to play a character that is seemingly a decade older than the actor. By episode four, I was confused as to how some characters fit into the overall story. Episode five left me frustrated as to why elements of this story were included at all. Episode six began to shift the story in a different direction while the reveals in the penultimate seventh episode sucked me right back in. By the time I watched the eighth and final episode, I felt everything I mentioned from the preceding seven episodes hit me all at once. The direction from Jennifer Getzinger, Alonso Ruizpalacios, Amy Seimetz, and Lawrence Trilling keeps the mystery elements of the story closed guarded, only parsing out slight reveals from hour to hour, all in a way that would make J.J. Abrams proud.

It is important to note that Outer Range is designed as the first season of an ongoing series which means that there is no narrative resolution to the overall mystery by the final episode. In fact, the eighth episode brings some confrontations to a head that escalate very quickly over the last couple of chapters in ways that are confusing and that some viewers may feel do not fit the story. By taking such large swings, Outer Range does set up some truly bonkers story elements that shift this tale away from a meditative western to something else altogether. Should Outer Range get picked up for a second season, I hope it sheds more light on what the hell is going on because the answers we get in this first season are vague but fascinating enough to warrant coming back for a second. As odd as this show is, it is beautiful to watch and engrossing as hell. You may not fully know what is going on as you watch this show, but it is worth sticking around to find out.

Outer Range premieres on April 15th on Prime Video.

Outer Range

GREAT

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