The Outpost Review: Bones to Pick (Season 1 Episode 5)

After a slump over the last couple of weeks, The Outpost Season 1 episode 5, “Bones to Pick,” brings the show back to form. Action, adventure, and a few surprises, go a long way in restoring my faith in the show.

Now don’t get me wrong, there was a bit of action in the last few episodes, but it seems like half of it was for training purposes between Captain Garret Spears and Talon. Needless to say, there wasn’t anything at stake during these “battles” — except the slight threat of a stolen kiss.

The trend ends here, with nearly nonstop action that propels the plot forward. I especially enjoy the scene where Talon’s creature grabs Marshal Withers by the throat. I really dislike the guy personally, but I find myself holding my breath anyway.

The suspense in this moment when the confused beast actually starts listening to Talon, is quite effective. Although I am watching this at 2 AM, I can’t bring myself to blink — let alone fall asleep.

I feel a sigh of relief that they don’t let Talon master the art of commanding the beast right away. So many times I’ve seen this happen — curiously often on the CW — that I expect it to happen here as well. She still has 5 episodes to get the hang of it, so hopefully they build up to a turning point, and not the flipping of a switch.

“You have to let me go!” -Talon

And it seems like Talon might have a bit of free time, now that her original mission could be complete. Defeating — and probably killing — the man who led the assault on her village years ago was unexpected.

Only halfway through the season, and sending off the “big bad” in a casket seems like a gamble. This could cause the show to lose purpose and direction — something I feel the first season of Black Lightning did.

Between his death and the murder of the blacksmith, I can’t help but wonder if we will get very few answers to our many questions about Talon’s past. Hopefully, they will be able to pull somebody from the background, and set up an unknown connection to her youthful years — bonus points if they make it Janzo.

The other major shocker of the night is Gwynn turning on Talon to protect her family’s secret.

First off, I find it slightly confusing what the secret is. I’m not sure if I’m failing to connect the dots, or if they are being vague on purpose. I really feel like the guy in the movie theater whispering to his friends — trying to figure out what I have missed.

I assume they will touch on this again later. But if this is just a way for them to advance the plot — I’ll be one angry viewer.

Secrets for the sake of gossip always bother me on television. This isn’t a murder mystery, so we don’t need red herrings.

Then again, maybe this will be the thing that blows the entire village open from the inside out. One can only hope.

Back to Gwynn’s betrayal.

Her rolling over on Talon feels like a real stab in the back. Gwynn’s loyalty to Talon throughout the first handful of episodes was delightful. When she throws her friend under the bus, you can practically feel the tires scrap her backside.

Gwynn’s willingness to lead her friend to death, establishes depth to the character. I love when a show doesn’t make everything black and white — this is why I am such a big fan of The 100.

It is no surprise that Garret warns Talon of the coming attack, but I wish it would have been Gwynn instead. This could show her being torn between her family and friend. It would show a possible pathway back to reconciliation, that I’m sure is bound to happen before the season’s end — what a missed opportunity!

Once again, this episode is a great reminder of how the series began. I can’t help but be curious why they didn’t take a few of the major plot points and sprinkle them into the previous couple of episodes. The pacing would have worked better and made for a lot less disappointment.

I know that TV show scripts are often written by the seat-of-the-pants, so I guess that can be used as an excuse. But, excuses are lame and hardly hold water. I’m just going to hold out faith that this episode is used as a trajectory for the rest of the season.

I’m sure there will be at least a few more minor pitfalls along the way. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t fall in face first — to a steaming pile of plot holes.

What did you think of this episode of The Outpost? Did you find any surprising moments? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Outpost airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the CW.

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