Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 136

The Outsider Season One Finale: Nearly Happy Ending

So as long as I'm reviewing sicko shows, I might as well say a few things about The Outsider's season one finale, on HBO last Sunday evening.

It started with Jack, under the evil entity's control, killing more of our pinned-down posse, along with some in the reinforcement car.  But a part of Jack responds to Holly, which leads him to stop shooting and allow himself to get bitten by a rattle snake.  One down and El Cuco him/itself to go, and Ralph gets him/it, too.

That was the harrowing action part.  But not the end of the story.  The rest is almost a happy ending, as the authorities move to clear Terry Maitland, while keeping El Cuco under wraps.  Ralph and Jeannie make as much peace as they can with the loss of their son.  Ralph and Dolly hug, and wonder if they might be teaming together again someday.

So why isn't this just a happy ending?  Because there's some evil spirit left in this world, as we see in the last scene with Holly.  Is El Cuco still around, somehow?  Is another evil being taunting Holly?  Is the evil in some way in Holly herself?  I hope not.

But there's talk of a second season, and it would be intriguing indeed to find out what's going on with Holly.  She'll no doubt contact Ralph sooner or later.  Cynthia Erivo and Ben Mendelsohn put in primo performances as Holly and Ralph, and a nearly happy ending is a perfect reason for a new season, and I'm up for seeing that when it comes back on HBO.

See also The Outsider 1.1-2:  Two Places at the Same Time ... The Outsider 1.7: The Tear-Drinker ... The Outsider 1.7: The Guy with the Neck ... The Outsider 1.8: Two Monsters ... The Outlander 1.9: A Bit of Clarity

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The Sinner 3.6: Faustian Bargains

Ok, I now at least understand why Harry doesn't just arrest Jamie, to get him off the street, since Harry knows Jamie murdered at least twice.  In The Sinner 3.6 the answer becomes clear: Harry realizes that Jamie holds a key to helping Harry understand at least some of Harry's troubled soul.

It's the most philosophic episode we've seen so far, with references to Kierkegaard, Aquinas, and, of course, the ever alluring Nietzsche and his ocular abyss.  And it ends with Harry taking Jamie up on his offer to let Jamie bury him, in  return for a written confession which Harry has in his pocket, but agrees to burn, if Jamie digs him up.

Which makes no sense, if you think about it.  What does Harry gain if Jamie digs him up - surely better than letting Harry die - but the price Harry has to pay for that is burning Jamie's confession?  It makes no sense for Harry the detective.  But it does make sense for Harry the troubled soul, which, in a way, is what The Sinner has always been about.

It's not going too far to say The Sinner in the three seasons we've seen so far is not just the psychos Harry hunts down, but Harry himself.   And, just for good measure, we also learn in this episode that the painter that Harry is now sleeping with is somewhat out of her mind, herself.

The philosophers who probe such questions are indeed good accompaniment to such a narrative.  So would Faust and his notorious bargain.   It's only television, but viewers of this series are in effect parties to this bargain as well.

See also The Sinner 3.1: Second Degree Murder, First Degree Detective ... The Sinner 3.2:  The Contractor and the Contractee ... The Sinner 3.3: The Baby Monster ... The Sinner 3.4-5: Why Doesn't Harry Just Arrest Jamie

And see also The Sinner 2.1: The Boy ... The Sinner 2.2:  Heather's Story ... The Sinner 2.3: Julian's Mother ... The Sinner 2.5: The Scapegoat ... The Simmer 2.7: Occluded Past Unwound - Mostly ... The Sinner Season 2 Finale: The Ambiguity of Harry

And see also: The Sinner season one: Wild, Unconventional, Irresistible Mystery

 
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Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.8: Meets Mad Men

Just checking with a review of Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.8, with apologies not reviewing this hilarious show every week as I said I would, but,  hey, given everything that's been going on in this world, I've had a little less time for television, including reviewing it.  Not to mention my new album coming out.

What makes episode 10.8 so appealing and funny was Jon Hamm, playing himself, in a story line that has him playing a Larry David kind of character in some movie or television show (I think movie, but I'm too lazy to look that up).  Larry gives Hamm permission to follow Larry around, and by the end of the episode we get the real treat of seeing and hearing not one but two Larrys in operation.

Cheryl ties this up nicely, as she always does.  She and Hamm go out for a bite to eat, but Hamm is now so thoroughly in Larry mode that Cheryl can't take it and eventually leaves.  A reviewer somewhere said Hamm was "pretty-ay good".  While the Larry-esque phrase works well, it doesn't do Hamm's performance justice, which was flat-out great.

The other stand-out gambit of the episode is the Gotta Go business that Larry and Leon cook up. It's a great idea:  fill in for someone who has to go to the bathroom, but is working at a newstand or shoe-shine or similar service and can't leave his post.  And charge the guy a few bucks.  It works great - until the person being relieved takes unaccountably long to relieve himself.

I'm going to really miss this show, yet again, when this seasons ends after the next two episodes.  I'm still hoping that Larry and Cheryl get together for a little longer at the end.

See also:  Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.1: Reunited! ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 10.3: Garbage Cans and Apples

See also: Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.1: Hilarious! ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.2: Wife Swapping ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.3: Benefits ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.4: "Hold You in his Armchair" ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.5: Schmata At Large ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 9.8: The Unexpected Advocate ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 1.9: Salmon Discretion ... Curb Your Enthusiasm 1.10: Outfit Tracker


just releasing:  Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time  - digital, CD, vinyl


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Homeland 8.5: Is Carrie Another Brody?

One of the most powerful, action-packed episodes of Homeland - 8.5 - in quite some time, with even more deep intrigue hinted at in the coming attractions of what we'll see next week.

This week, we learn both Presidents (of the U. S. and Afghanistan) died in the crash.  We still don't know if the helicopter was shot down or the crash was an accident.  Max needs to retrieve the black box - actually, orange, as he points out to Carrie - and that's where the heart-pounding action takes place, as Max and the unit, outnumbered by Taliban, try to escape with the box.

Back in Washington, the Vice President now President, needs to take command.  The whole series of scenes there were reminiscent of the best of 24 - not surprising, since, as I've mentioned before, there's some overlap in brains behind the series (Howard Gordon).

But the most chilling and provocative part comes in the coming attractions, in just a snippet of a conversation between Saul and Carrie.  Saul knows that it was Carrie who encouraged President Warner to come to Afghanistan.  Is Saul thinking that somehow Carrie did this deliberately, to kill the President and therein the deal to end the war?

Certainly there's no way Carrie would have done this intentionally or consciously.  But was she brainwashed in that Russian prison, with Yevgeny her handler, and his visit to Afghanistan, triggering Carrie to do something this bad, as in The Manchurian Candidate?

After all, Homeland was born with Brody brainwashed, and Carrie trying to break through that.  It would be pretty daring to end the series with the same thing - being brainwashed - driving Carrie.  We'll just have to see.

See also Homeland 8.1: Lost Time ... Homeland 8.3: Ohio ... Homeland 8.4: Helicopter Down

And see also Homeland 7.1: The Worse Threat ... Homeland 7.2: Carrie vs. 4chan ... Homeland 7.3: Separating Truth from Hyperthinking ... Homeland 7.4: Fake News! ... Homeland 7.5: "The Russian Angle" ... Homeland 7.6: Meets The Americans, Literally ... Homeland 7.7: Meets The Americans ... Homeland 7.8: Evenly Matched ... Homeland 7.9: Franny vs. the Job or the U.S. Hacks Twitter ... Homeland 7.10: President Trump and President Keane ... Homeland 7.11: Carrie in Action ... Homeland Season 7 Finale: The President
And see also Homeland 6.1: Madam President-Elect ... Homeland 6.2: Parallel Program ... Homeland 6.3: Potentials ... Homeland 6.4: "A Man with Painted Hair" ... Homeland 6.5: The Attack on Carrie's Brownstone ... Homeland 6.7: The Arch Villain ... Homeland 6.8: Peter's Problem ... Homeland 6.9: The Tide Begins to Turn ... Homeland 6.10: Fake News! ... Homeland 6.11: Quinn and Dar ... Homeland Season 6 Finale: Chilling - and True to Life
And see also Homeland 5.1: Moving into the Age of Snowden ... Homeland 5.2: Who Wants to Kill Carrie ... Homeland 5.3: Carrie and Kerry ... Homeland 5.5: All Quinn ... Homeland 5.6: Saul Wises Up ... Homeland 5.7: Tough to Watch ... Homeland 5.9: Finally! ... Homeland 5.10: Homeland and Homeland ... Homeland 5.11: Allison as Primo Villain ... Homeland Season 5 Finale: RIPs
And see also Homeland 4.1-2: Carrie's State of Mind ... Homeland 4.3: Quinn and Carrie ... Homeland 4.4: Carrie's Counterpart ... Homeland 4.5: Righteous Seduction ... Homeland 4.6: The Biggest Reveal ... Homeland 4.7: The Manifestation ... Homeland 4.8: Saving Someone's Life ... Homeland 4.9: Hitchcock Would've Loved It ... Homeland 4.10: The List ... Homeland 4.12: Out of this Together
And see also Homeland 3.1: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 3.2: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 3.3: Two Prisons ... Homeland 3.4: Twist! ...Homeland 3.6: Further Down the Rabbit Hole ... Homeland 3.7: Revealing What We Already Knew ... Homeland 3.8: Signs of Life ...Homeland 3.9: Perfect Timing ... Homeland 3.10: Someone Has to Die ... Homeland 3.11: The Loyalist ... Homeland Season 3 Finale: Redemption and Betrayal
And see Homeland 2.1-2: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 2.3-5: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 2.6: What Brody Knows ... Homeland 2.7: Love Me Tinder ... Homeland 2.8: The Personal and the Professional ...Homeland Season 2 Finale: The Shocker and the Reality
And see also  Homeland on Showtime ... Homeland 1.8: Surprises ... Homeland Concludes First Season: Exceptional


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Outlander 5.4: Accidental Information from the Future

A really excellent Outlander 5.4 tonight, including a nice time-travel tidbit not often seen in time travel stories.

Deliberate attempts to change history, or doing something in the past that might change history, but it's important enough to do, anyway, are gambits we've often seen in time travel adventures and in Outlander. Claire's attempt to grow antibiotics and "the future be damned" is a prime example this season.

But tonight we get another twist.  Claire's notes about contraception, which Bri warned her were dangerous to write down, indeed get out to the public in the past.  An advertisement was unknowingly written on the other side of the paper with the future contraceptive information, and brought to the printer -- who found the birth control interesting enough to print up along with the advertisement.  I like accidents like that in time travel.

And tonight also featured a really powerful scene in which Jamie talks to Claire about his wish to see the two bring up a baby.  Conversations like that really get to the heart of Outlander, the relationship between this time-struck couple, and are always a pleasure to see.

On the dark side, still unaccounted for is Bonnet.  He lurks around the edges like an evil dream, but he's not a nightmare, he's real, and sooner or later Bri will have to deal with him, which means Jamie and Claire will, too, and I'm looking forward to seeing those episodes.

See also Outlander 5.1: Father of the Bride ... Outlander 5.2: Antibiotics and Time Travel ... Outlander 5.3: Misery

And see also Outlander 4.1: The American Dream ... Outlander 4.2: Slavery ...Outlander 4.3: The Silver Filling ... Outlander 4.4: Bears and Worse and the Remedy ... Outlander 4.5: Chickens Coming Home to Roost ... Outlander 4.6: Jamie's Son ... Outlander 4.7: Brianna's Journey and Daddy ... Outlander 4.8: Ecstasy and Agony ... Outlander 4.9: Reunions ... Outlander 4.10: American Stone ... Outlander 4.11: Meets Pride and Prejudice ... Outlander 4.12: "Through Time and Space" ... Outlander Season 4 Finale:  Fair Trade

And see also Outlander Season 3 Debut: A Tale of Two Times and Places ...Outlander 3.2: Whole Lot of Loving, But ... Outlander 3.3: Free and Sad ... Outlander 3.4: Love Me Tender and Dylan ... Outlander 3.5: The 1960s and the Past ... Outlander 3.6: Reunion ... Outlander 3.7: The Other Wife ... Outlander 3.8: Pirates! ... Outlander 3.9: The Seas ...Outlander 3.10: Typhoid Story ... Outlander 3.11: Claire Crusoe ...Outlander 3.12: Geillis and Benjamin Button ... Outlander 3.13: Triple Ending

And see also Outlander 2.1: Split Hour ... Outlander 2.2: The King and the Forest ... Outlander 2.3: Mother and Dr. Dog ... Outlander 2.5: The Unappreciated Paradox ... Outlander 2.6: The Duel and the Offspring ...Outlander 2.7: Further into the Future ... Outlander 2.8: The Conversation ... Outlander 2.9: Flashbacks of the Future ... Outlander 2.10: One True Prediction and Counting ... Outlander 2.11: London Not Falling ... Outlander 2.12: Stubborn Fate and Scotland On and Off Screen ... Outlander Season 2 Finale: Decades

And see also Outlander 1.1-3: The Hope of Time Travel ... Outlander 1.6:  Outstanding ... Outlander 1.7: Tender Intertemporal Polygamy ...Outlander 1.8: The Other Side ... Outlander 1.9: Spanking Good ... Outlander 1.10: A Glimmer of Paradox ... Outlander 1.11: Vaccination and Time Travel ... Outlander 1.12: Black Jack's Progeny ...Outlander 1.13: Mother's Day ... Outlander 1.14: All That Jazz ... Outlander Season 1 Finale: Let's Change History

   

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The Sinner 3.4-5: Why Doesn't Harry Just Arrest Jamie?

Didn't get a chance to review The Sinner 3.4, so I'll review both 3.4 and 3.5 right here. The question for me which looms ever larger in 3.4 and 3.5 is why doesn't Harry just arrest Jamie already?

Episode 3.4 was actually a great standalone episode, which reminded me a lot of Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), a nightmare night if there ever was one in lower Manhattan.  In The Sinner, Harry goes an escalating crisis of trying to contain Jamie, or get some kind of confession from him, which ends with Harry passed out in his car (he took some strong drug for his sciatica) and Jamie on the loose with an opportunity to kill someone, which he does.

But why doesn't Harry arrest Jamie already?  I know, he doesn't have much evidence, or at least enough evidence on Jamie.  And before the frenzied killing at the end of episode 3.4, Jamie was at most guilty of the weakest kind of murder - letting someone bleed out - if that is even any kind of murder at all.  But all through 3.5, Harry becomes increasingly aware that Jamie has killed and could kill again.  Why is Harry pussy-footing around?

On the plus side of 3.5, it was good to see Harry kiss the artist, and nice to see her say that "was nice".  Long suffering Harry - suffering not only physically but emotionally - could use a little sexual healing in his life, not to mention eventually some love.

Despite my unwillingness to suspend my disbelief about Harry letting Jamie stay on the loose, I'm really enjoying this season, especially the New York City scenes, and the scenes in that fictional upstate town, which is really none of other than Hartsdale, or at least the Hartsdale train station, in our reality.

See also The Sinner 3.1: Second Degree Murder, First Degree Detective ... The Sinner 3.2:  The Contractor and the Contractee ... The Sinner 3.3: The Baby Monster

And see also The Sinner 2.1: The Boy ... The Sinner 2.2:  Heather's Story ... The Sinner 2.3: Julian's Mother ... The Sinner 2.5: The Scapegoat ... The Simmer 2.7: Occluded Past Unwound - Mostly ... The Sinner Season 2 Finale: The Ambiguity of Harry

And see also: The Sinner season one: Wild, Unconventional, Irresistible Mystery

 
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The Outsider 1.9: A Bit of Clarity

So we finally get a bit of clarity about what's going on in The Outsider 1.9, the next-to-last episode of this season, on HBO last Sunday night.

El Cuco the monster is definitely affecting two human beings, Jack and Claude, in two different ways.  Jack is apparently a human who is driven to do very bad things, like ambushing the good guys in the very last scene.  Claude has been duplicated, and his double is an evil being who looks like Claude, and is out to do some horrible things.

And a bear cave seems to be a focal point, or even a modern point of origin, for that monster.   We learn that two kids and their rescue party got killed when the cave caved in in the late 1940s.   Evil Claude is holed up there now.  The good posse was on the way to get him, when Jack opened fire.

Both Jack and evil Claude were tipped off about the approaching cavalry when Claude's brother told good Claude that the good guys were on their way.  Another supernatural quality of the doubles is that the bad double knows everything the good double, or the original, knows.   The lawyer should have tarried over the chicken at Heaven Chicken a little longer - that would have prevented the hell that greeted Ralph et al as they made their way to the bear cave.

Just one more episode to go, and I was glad to see that next week is the finale not of the series but the season.  The Outsider has been a strange narrative, and while I'm not devastated that it's ending, I'm not likely to pass it by if it comes back on the screen some time in the future.

See also The Outsider 1.1-2:  Two Places at the Same Time ... The Outsider 1.7: The Tear-Drinker ... The Outsider 1.7: The Guy with the Neck ... The Outsider 1.8: Two Monsters


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Outlander 5.3: Misery

Well, Outlander 5.3 was a pretty miserable episode.  Literally, as in being reminiscent of Misery, though the Stephen King novel may have been better.

Claire at least did get a baby to take care of, but what she and we had to go through to get there did not need to take up almost all of the episode.  And while we learned the story of the wretch of a man, in such bad shape that Jamie had to out him out of his misery, we got no advancement on most of the other plotlines.

Jamie tells Claire that Bonner is alive but nothing more on that.  Claire tells Jamie that Brianna and Roger want to go back to the their present with their baby, but no motion on that either.  The antibiotic story moved just a smidgen when Claire discovered that none of her growing molds are penicillin.

And while we're at it, nothing new in the impending war between the Redcoats and Regulators, either.   Jamie's still caught in the middle, and the vice is squeezing just as tightly.  So, it's a great series, with an especially great season so far, but this episode was something of an aberration.  At least the scenery was as verdant as always, and the horses ridden in the meadow, across the fields, make for wonderful shots.

See also Outlander 5.1: Father of the Bride ... Outlander 5.2: Antibiotics and Time Travel

And see also Outlander 4.1: The American Dream ... Outlander 4.2: Slavery ...Outlander 4.3: The Silver Filling ... Outlander 4.4: Bears and Worse and the Remedy ... Outlander 4.5: Chickens Coming Home to Roost ... Outlander 4.6: Jamie's Son ... Outlander 4.7: Brianna's Journey and Daddy ... Outlander 4.8: Ecstasy and Agony ... Outlander 4.9: Reunions ... Outlander 4.10: American Stone ... Outlander 4.11: Meets Pride and Prejudice ... Outlander 4.12: "Through Time and Space" ... Outlander Season 4 Finale:  Fair Trade

And see also Outlander Season 3 Debut: A Tale of Two Times and Places ...Outlander 3.2: Whole Lot of Loving, But ... Outlander 3.3: Free and Sad ... Outlander 3.4: Love Me Tender and Dylan ... Outlander 3.5: The 1960s and the Past ... Outlander 3.6: Reunion ... Outlander 3.7: The Other Wife ... Outlander 3.8: Pirates! ... Outlander 3.9: The Seas ...Outlander 3.10: Typhoid Story ... Outlander 3.11: Claire Crusoe ...Outlander 3.12: Geillis and Benjamin Button ... Outlander 3.13: Triple Ending

And see also Outlander 2.1: Split Hour ... Outlander 2.2: The King and the Forest ... Outlander 2.3: Mother and Dr. Dog ... Outlander 2.5: The Unappreciated Paradox ... Outlander 2.6: The Duel and the Offspring ...Outlander 2.7: Further into the Future ... Outlander 2.8: The Conversation ... Outlander 2.9: Flashbacks of the Future ... Outlander 2.10: One True Prediction and Counting ... Outlander 2.11: London Not Falling ... Outlander 2.12: Stubborn Fate and Scotland On and Off Screen ... Outlander Season 2 Finale: Decades

And see also Outlander 1.1-3: The Hope of Time Travel ... Outlander 1.6:  Outstanding ... Outlander 1.7: Tender Intertemporal Polygamy ...Outlander 1.8: The Other Side ... Outlander 1.9: Spanking Good ... Outlander 1.10: A Glimmer of Paradox ... Outlander 1.11: Vaccination and Time Travel ... Outlander 1.12: Black Jack's Progeny ...Outlander 1.13: Mother's Day ... Outlander 1.14: All That Jazz ... Outlander Season 1 Finale: Let's Change History

   


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Homeland 8.4: Helicopter Down

Well, it was obvious that something bad was going to happen to President Warner - why else have him personally go all the way to Afghanistan to end the war?  But in Homeland 8.4, it was nonetheless handled pretty well.

We still don't know what brought his helicopter down.  We don't know if he survived, was taken prisoner, or is fleeing somewhere in that jungle of trees and possibilities.   We do know that the Taliban are on the scene, and at very least shot down one of the choppers that came to find out what happened.

But we don't know, yet, that the Taliban were responsible.  It could be someone in the Afghan government, who doesn't want the peace.   It could be the Russians. Hey, it could be the American Vice President - who, as I mentioned last week, is a Republican and I don't like.

Meanwhile, the synchrony between Homeland and what's literally going on in our reality right now couldn't be closer.  Trump just announced the peace treaty with the Taliban.  All we need is a pandemic and a Presidential primary underway and the parallel would be perfect.

Though I assume there's no one in our CIA as uniquely good as Carrie.   Though, come to think of it, was her character inspired by or drawn from real life?   I'll keep watching the news, and let you know if I see any evidence of her in our actual world.

See also Homeland 8.1: Lost Time ... Homeland 8.3: Ohio

And see also Homeland 7.1: The Worse Threat ... Homeland 7.2: Carrie vs. 4chan ... Homeland 7.3: Separating Truth from Hyperthinking ... Homeland 7.4: Fake News! ... Homeland 7.5: "The Russian Angle" ... Homeland 7.6: Meets The Americans, Literally ... Homeland 7.7: Meets The Americans ... Homeland 7.8: Evenly Matched ... Homeland 7.9: Franny vs. the Job or the U.S. Hacks Twitter ... Homeland 7.10: President Trump and President Keane ... Homeland 7.11: Carrie in Action ... Homeland Season 7 Finale: The President
And see also Homeland 6.1: Madam President-Elect ... Homeland 6.2: Parallel Program ... Homeland 6.3: Potentials ... Homeland 6.4: "A Man with Painted Hair" ... Homeland 6.5: The Attack on Carrie's Brownstone ... Homeland 6.7: The Arch Villain ... Homeland 6.8: Peter's Problem ... Homeland 6.9: The Tide Begins to Turn ... Homeland 6.10: Fake News! ... Homeland 6.11: Quinn and Dar ... Homeland Season 6 Finale: Chilling - and True to Life
And see also Homeland 5.1: Moving into the Age of Snowden ... Homeland 5.2: Who Wants to Kill Carrie ... Homeland 5.3: Carrie and Kerry ... Homeland 5.5: All Quinn ... Homeland 5.6: Saul Wises Up ... Homeland 5.7: Tough to Watch ... Homeland 5.9: Finally! ... Homeland 5.10: Homeland and Homeland ... Homeland 5.11: Allison as Primo Villain ... Homeland Season 5 Finale: RIPs
And see also Homeland 4.1-2: Carrie's State of Mind ... Homeland 4.3: Quinn and Carrie ... Homeland 4.4: Carrie's Counterpart ... Homeland 4.5: Righteous Seduction ... Homeland 4.6: The Biggest Reveal ... Homeland 4.7: The Manifestation ... Homeland 4.8: Saving Someone's Life ... Homeland 4.9: Hitchcock Would've Loved It ... Homeland 4.10: The List ... Homeland 4.12: Out of this Together
And see also Homeland 3.1: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 3.2: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 3.3: Two Prisons ... Homeland 3.4: Twist! ...Homeland 3.6: Further Down the Rabbit Hole ... Homeland 3.7: Revealing What We Already Knew ... Homeland 3.8: Signs of Life ...Homeland 3.9: Perfect Timing ... Homeland 3.10: Someone Has to Die ... Homeland 3.11: The Loyalist ... Homeland Season 3 Finale: Redemption and Betrayal
And see Homeland 2.1-2: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 2.3-5: Sneak Preview Review ... Homeland 2.6: What Brody Knows ... Homeland 2.7: Love Me Tinder ... Homeland 2.8: The Personal and the Professional ...Homeland Season 2 Finale: The Shocker and the Reality
And see also  Homeland on Showtime ... Homeland 1.8: Surprises ... Homeland Concludes First Season: Exceptional


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The Outsider 1.8: Two Monsters

So, if I'm understanding The Outsider correctly - as of episode 1.8 on this Sunday - we now have two monsters at large.  I don't mean the evil spirit and the person whose identity he/it takes.  I mean, we have Jack and now Claude, who now both seem afflicted by the evil.

Claude looks ok, even though he doesn't feel that great and has been seeing shadows or whatever lurking around.  The evil has its hooks in him, and indeed is transforming into him, to the point of almost kidnapping another child, this time a boy, in a truly harrowing interlude.

And then there's Jack, the guy with the bad neck.  As far as I can tell, he has no doppelganger, at least not yet.  But something is, almost literally, eating him up.  What's going on with that?

Meanwhile, Ralph is finally almost there, in accepting Holly's position.  She's still frustrated with him, but in every episode, he's coming closer to seeing the light, or maybe the true darkness would be the better metaphor for this.

The Outsider continues to be a highly effective, stylish horror story.  As I said in my review, it's what you'd expect from Stephen King (who wrote the novel) and Richard Price, who brought the story to the screen.  Both, in their own ways, are known for their surprise endings, or at least the unexpected.  I'm wondering that will be in The Outsider.  I'm guessing it's something that's been right under our noses all this time.  But this story is so different, in its flow and intensity, that all bets may be off about how it will conclude in just two more episodes.  All the more reason to watch them.

See also The Outsider 1.1-2:  Two Places at the Same Time ... The Outsider 1.7: The Tear-Drinker ... The Outsider 1.7: The Guy with the Neck





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