'Outer Range' Finale Review: Loose ends all tied up but enough to explore in Season 2
What does one expect from finales? Closure, reconciliation, some action sequences, and a whole lot of drama? The season finale of 'Outer Range' is sprinkled with all of the above, but it also leaves us with enough questions that can only be answered with a second season. We'll get to this in a bit once we take a look at the finale (split over 2 episodes).
Titled 'The Unknown' and 'The West', Episodes 7 and 8 of 'Outer Range' ties up loose ends and gives us a peek into the past. Beginning with a flashback in which Perry and Trevor get into a fight (as children), the finale episodes soon transition to the present where Perry is arrested for the murder of Trevor after the former ended up confessing to Deputy Sheriff Joy. He's soon bailed out by Royal and Cecilia, who use their land as collateral for the bond.
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However, Perry isn't entirely content with making it back to the Abbott Ranch and has a somewhat heated conversation with Royal. Shortly after, he discloses that he's aware of Royal being privy to more information about Rebecca's disappearance. Elsewhere, Autumn is seen manipulating Billy Tillerson into siding with her against Royal and she also manages to get to Perry, who eventually makes yet another hasty decision. Cecilia, Rhett, and Luke aren't in the best of shapes either, with each of them facing the heat in their own way. All of these singular issues snowball into one major climax with a payoff that's worth the wait as 'Outer Range' started off as a slow-burner.
By the end, we get to see everything that's mentioned in the first two lines of this review, with a standoff between Royal, Billy, and Autumn that serves as the cherry on the cake. A bunch of queries that we all had from the get-go are addressed but we're also left with some more questions that can only be answered with a continuation of the series.
Directed by Lawrence Trilling and written by Zev Borow and Brian Watkins, the finale episodes are a thoroughly engaging watch with all the necessary elements put together in the right mix. Director of photography, Drew Daniels, has an eye for how to bring the script to life and not a single shot seems out of place. Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans come up with a background score that complements the visuals and have outdone themselves at certain parts.
A suggestion for those who are yet to watch the series would be to watch it all in a stretch if you can as 'Outer Range' is the ideal binge material for the weekend. We had to wait it out but you don't have to so go for it if you have the time. In all, the Josh Brolin starrer is so worth it!
All episodes of 'Outer Range' are available for streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video