The Outpost Review: Something to Live For (Season 4 Episode 10)

Beauty is reserved for those who look for it. Nedra understands this, and it gives her a more positive outlook on life.

The Outpost Season 4 Episode 10, “Something to Live For,” brings Zed and Nedra’s relationship full circle, highlighting their ups and downs and causing them to speak their true feelings for each other.

Ever since Nedra debuted in Season 4 Episode 4, she has been bickering with Zed, her childhood friend. It is clear from the get-go that their relationship is quite conflicted. They have obvious feelings for each other, but Nedra blames Zed for the death of their people at the same time. 

This is a rather heavy weight to put on to any relationship, let alone one where the two haven’t seen each other in quite a long time.

As Nedra, Zed, and Munt travel together to find and kill one of the gods, they delve into different scopes of conversation ranging from silly to serious. Eventually, they stumble across Nedra’s philosophy on life. 

This may be the first time we get a really good look into the character’s personality. 

Zed rambles on about life on the Plane of Ashes. We all know from Season 3 that life in the Plane of Ashes is the closest place to hell you can get without dying. 

The air is thick and smells of sulfur. Nothing grows on the surface, and the temperature is less than pleasant. This is not the vacation my wife is looking for.

Zed feels as though there are absolutely no positives that have come from their time on the Plane of Ashes. It’s over and done with. Let’s never speak of it again.

Honestly, that doesn’t seem like a terrible idea on the surface. Dwelling on the negatives of the past can only keep you there.

Nedra doesn’t feel the same way though. She chooses to remember things differently.

She brings to Zed’s mind a time where the two were trapped during a storm. They had no clue if they were going to survive the predicament and only found comfort in each other’s presence. 

During that time, Zed offered her a drink of water from his pouch. It was a simple gesture exalted by the urgency of their circumstances. He knew it was his last sip, but he chose to give it to her anyway.

Back in the present, Zed still seems to make no big deal of it. He claims he wasn’t thirsty in the first place.

This small notion is easy to overlook. It was a quick moment in time that didn’t have any life-changing aspects. Yet, that isn’t true for Nedra.

Nedra holds on to this memory as a beautiful thing. Zed sacrificed the little water he had left to satisfy her thirst. 

Clinging to this evocation keeps Nedra in a place of calm and happiness. It helps her to see everything through a different lens. Her ability to do this and encourage others to do the same is truly a gift.

She uses this gift as a tool in many other circumstances as well. 

Nedra is still unfamiliar with the ways of the world outside of the Plane of Ashes. The clothing is different, the food is divergent of anything they ate there, and even the people act differently.

All these situations could leave a person feeling overwhelmed and out of sorts. Instead, Nedra compares her current surroundings of beauty with the harsh reality that was life on the Plane of Ashes.

Zed: I’ve always said that I love flowers!

On the Plane of Ashes, nothing could grow let alone prosper. But in this world, life is abundant. Plants and animals live and expand throughout the territory, enabling people to have a life filled with quality and love.

Seeing the world through these eyes can give one a sense of awe and appreciation. As Nedra says herself, it gives her something to live for.

This admiration draws Nedra to the beautiful flowers growing nearby, flowers that Zed overlooks as just a random plant. You’ve seen one flower, you’ve seen them all.

But if not for Nedra’s eye for detail, they could once again overlook what is right in front of them.

Nedra is quickly able to deduce that these flowers need a water source, which may be an underground stream. 

Zed’s closed-minded view of beauty causes him to often only look at the facts in front of his face. They don’t seem to be in the right place, so they should move on.

Nedra’s viewpoint puts them on the right path.

Things change when you focus on beauty and positivity. We see things other people take for granted, leading us down different paths in life.

More often than not this path can lead us in a constructive direction — building even more hope along the way.

Elsewhere on the episode, 313 creates much havoc in the Outpost. He chooses violence to get his way, repeatedly attacking Wren, Janzo, and Garret when they least expect it. 

His unwise decision gets him the opposite of what he wants, leading to destruction instead of life. 

As Janzo points out, if 313 would listen instead of acting out, things could end differently. However, 313 made his bed, and now he has to lie in it.

The damage is done. Trust is destroyed, and the consequences must be faced.

Although Garret and Janzo judge 313’s actions harshly, Wren can see the underlying beauty in his decisions. All 313 wanted to do was save his family. 

Wren sees his motives very similar to the way Nedra sees the world. Things may not be perfect, but there is always something positive if you only look hard enough. 

Are you focusing on the positive today? Are you counting your blessings during the toughest of times? No matter what, always look for the beauty — always!

What did you think of this episode of The Outpost? What do you hope to see in the final three episodes? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Outpost airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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