- Actors: David Morse, Joe Anderson, Gillian Alexy, Ryan Hurst, Kyle Gallner
- Producer: Larry Rapaport
- Disc Format: AC-3, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: French, English
- Region: Region 1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: May 23, 2017
- Run Time: 594 minutes
“Outsiders” is a
show that is as frustrating as it is addicting, mostly due to the complete
inconsistency of its quality and characters. There are more plot holes than
beards and it often feels as though the writers and show-runners are changing
mid-season, with the direction of the narrative and the personality of each
character shifting at the drop of a hat. Season two made this more apparent
than ever, quickly killing off the protagonist from the first season, only to turn
two of the main villains into good guys. This is not even taking into
consideration how one of them was seemingly resurrected from the dead after
being shot in the season one finale, which is accomplished by conveniently
changing the location of a point-blank gunshot by at least a foot.
But at the same
time that “Outsiders” is frustratingly asinine, I couldn’t help but continue
watching. Every so often there is the promise of an exciting development, and
occasionally it even pays off. The rest of the time, characters suddenly change
their stripes completely, teaming up with sworn enemies in order to back-peddle
and avoid conflicts that would lead to resolution, once again making this a
frustrating guilty pleasure. They apparently tried too hard to drag out the
narrative ridiculously in this season, to the point that it was not renewed for
a third season.
“Outsiders” follows an isolated clan
with the one-the-nose name of Farrells, living in the hills of Appalachia undisturbed until a coal company decides that
it wants the bounty beneath their home. The impoverished town below is split on
the decision, some of which are eager for the jobs while others resist the
environmental destruction that it would bring. The first season followed one of
the Farrells who had returned home after a decade in the real world, but he is
senselessly dispatched in the first episode of season two, just as the
villainous leader he killed (David Morse) is inexplicably brought back to life
with a humble attitude. Instead, the show’s second season shifts focus to the
other supporting characters as a way of distracting from the fact that it has
undone much of what was established in the first season. Any time they want to
make a bad guy good, they just introduce someone worse, like the all-female
clan that is led by a woman with an inexplicable (not to mention inconsistent)
Irish accent.
The only good thing about the
splintering of “Outsiders” narrative is the fact that it allows for some
variation as a distraction when one or more of the storylines aren’t working.
The season begins with Li’l Foster (Ryan Hurst) being arrested for a murder
committed by his father (Morse) in the first season, and his incarceration
provides one of the season’s more interesting stretches until an outlandish
escape cuts it short. Hasil (Kyle Gallner) also leaves the clan when he
discovers that his town girlfriend (Christina Jackson) is pregnant, which
eventually leads to a ridiculous MMA subplot. But at least Hasil remains
consistent, whereas the rest of the characters seem to switch between being
good guys and bad ones, depending on the episode. If the show were only to
focus on Hasil and the small-town sheriff, Wade Houghton (Thomas M. Wright), it
would be far stronger.
I could continue to harp on all of
the problems with the second season of “Outsiders,” though I think the fact
that it was not renewed for a third season says it all. Even with another
cliffhanger of sorts ending the season, I was not eager for it to continue. Try
as WGN might have to join other stations in the effort to make binge-worthy
original programming, “Outsiders” only works as a poor rip-off of shows like
“Justified.”
The DVD release includes all 13
season two episodes on four discs. The special features have a whopping 29 deleted
scenes, for anyone actually lamenting the end of the show or longing for more
silly material.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 6/10
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