For those of you who are just joining us now, Outcast is a hot new horror show from the creative mind of Robert Kirkman. A Cinemax Original Series, it is based on the comic books of the same title. (Please check out a non-spoiler review of the pilot episode here).
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! Photos courtesy of Fox International Channels (Outcast)
In Episode 2 entitled (I Remember) When She Loved Me, Kyle continues to struggle with his past as he recalls his first taste of demonic power at the hands of his mother, Sarah. There are numerous, frightening flashbacks involved that show us how Kyle ultimately managed to subdue Sarah. She survived but was never the same again, a body which seems to be devoid of a soul.
Kyle Barnes struggles with his past.
Highlights of Episode 2:
- Kyle realized that his blood is effective in keeping the demons at bay. It worked well with Joshua in the previous episode so logic dictates that it should also work with Sarah. He suddenly decides to take her from the hospital and asks Reverend Anderson to help her become herself again. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned and Kyle is forced to return Sarah. Kyle is obviously not accepted by society, and he’s not making it easy with his random ideas. Churchgoers and Police Chief Giles don’t think he is a good influence on the Reverend, and we can’t really blame them. After the failed attempt with his mom, Kyle is more anguished than ever. On the bright side, he does smile every now and then, and actually got to fix the water faucet in his kitchen, so I guess there’s hope for his recovery.
- Reverend Anderson delivers a powerful sermon, showing us that he cares deeply for the community. He seems to have a position of influence since people actually listen to him and his opinion is greatly valued. Giles even said that Anderson is able to do things that someone with a badge can’t. He is currently the closest thing Kyle has to a parent right now, and it’s really a gamble on Anderson’s part to keep helping him out. We’ll know how their dynamic will evolve later on in the season.
Reverend Anderson knows what’s coming.
- The only happy part of the episode was the gift Kyle was able to give to his daughter c/o his foster sister, Megan. His ex-wife Allison somehow realizes in the end that the gift was from Kyle. We did not see any flashbacks this time around about how they became estranged, but surely, Allison should remember being possessed, right? It’s not something you would forget. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s just compartmentalizing the terrifying incident and projecting her sins to Kyle just to keep her sanity.
- There’s a mysterious man in a suit who visits Sarah in the hospital at the end of the episode. He says Sarah put up a good fight but it doesn’t matter since they will have Kyle no matter what. Who is he? Is the man a servant of the demon, or the demon himself? Is he the one who nailed all those raccoon carcasses on the trees? Is there some sort of council that propagates demonic possession? Is Kyle supposed to be a vessel to bring about the devil ala Penny Dreadful? I know, I know, we have too many burning questions for now and we’re getting waaay ahead of ourselves. This is really exciting though!
Cops find poor raccoons butchered.
- Despite the past tense used to name this episode, you see that Sarah still loves Kyle. She is actually aware of what’s happening but is powerless to defend her son. Is it possible Kyle got possessed before and her mother sacrificed to contain the demon? The reason why she’s unresponsive might be because she’s using all of her life force to protect Kyle. I hope we have not seen the last of her as it seems she would have many answers as to why the dark forces are after her son.
BEARDICT: Although not as striking as the pilot, (I Remember) When She Loved Me is still a solid episode as it delves deeper into the relationship of Kyle and his mother Sarah, and also gives us a preview of this mysterious man in a suit.
Note: Outcast is distributed internationally by Fox International Channels. They have been extremely generous with this since they’ve made the first episode available for streaming on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Outcast.Asia/?fref=ts
Catch it every Saturday on Fox (Philippines)!
