The Outpost Review: The Betrayer (Season 4 Episode 12)

Within the first ten minutes of The Outpost Season 4 Episode 12, “The Betrayer,” Marvyn poses one of the toughest questions known to mankind.

So far this season he has been presented with clear-cut decisions, but what can he choose when there are no good choices? The rest of the episode goes out of its way to show examples of how to proceed. 

As the episode begins, Wren and Janzo are brainstorming ways to help the still imprisoned Kahvi. One of Marvyn’s brethren has recently awakened and has already met a breathless demise. They fear this may be the inevitable outcome for all of the Kahvi.

With no way to resuscitate every being, they must decide whether or not to continue to wake the Kahvi. They could be valuable allies in the battle against the gods, but they could also become deadly weapons forged against them.

Even more importantly, this newly discovered species may be killed off before they can reach their full potential — causing them to be of no use to anybody. 

Assessing each fact before them, Wren and Janzo deduce the most practical thing to do is to put the Kahvi back into stasis until a more definitive answer extends itself. This presents yet another problem, how can they reverse the cycle that has already begun?

Sometimes it isn’t until we are in the thick of our dilemmas that we see the whole picture. Here we can predict the most likely outcomes — underlining the best path forward. 

Saving the Kahvi is the most important decision because it is the right thing to do. It may not give them the leg up on the enemy that they want, but it is the moral high ground. 

Wren and Janzo do everything in their power to stop the awakening of the Kahvi, taking every logical step to reverse the process that has already begun. They try and fail, just to try again. As it says in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right.”

Although they never quite come across the absolute answer, Wren and Janzo do their best to convince the others that putting themselves in extreme danger is the right thing to do to save the Kahvi. It is a hard truth but one they decide is necessary.

Aster also has an impossible choice of his own.

He feels the guilt of introducing his kind to the world. Their disdain for human life is unquenchable and will cease at nothing less than the destruction of Blackbloods and humans alike.

Years ago he chose to put them asleep, making reparations for all the damage that has been done. This included putting himself in a constant state of slumber, keeping him from the woman and child he loves, but it was a necessary action.

Now that this act of sacrifice has been proven unfruitful, Aster must make a more conclusive one. He must end the lives of the other six gods — what a difficult choice!

His soul is connected to these other beings in ways unimaginable. They have been with him since the very beginning, and now he must bring them to their end. Although he sees their actions as truly evil, that doesn’t make his actions less weighty.

Imagine being betrayed by your own family. The results would make you feel hurt, saddened, fearful, and angry.

That doesn’t mean you would feel good about dealing back a dose of their own medicine. A tinge of remorse would still resonant in your soul along with a fear of doing the right thing. 

Garret, the temporary king of the Outpost, is backed against the wall as well. The gods are making their way to them, and only Aster knows the plan of how to defeat them. With key elements still missing, Garret must buy his people some time to escape. 

Aster: There is nothing more powerful than well-placed hope.

With the number of people the Outpost has, they could stand and fight the gods hoping to overpower them eventually. But this would cause many casualties with no guarantee of success. 

Instead, Garret makes the wiser decision of evacuating everyone from the Outpost. It may not appear to be the bravest of acts, but this isn’t the best time to worry about keeping up appearances. After all, bravery and stupidity often look similar.

With this difficult choice made, Garret has to also set fire to the forest as a means to evade capture.

Take this into perspective, a forest is a major contributor of resources to those who live close by it. Wildlife and vegetation are key elements to life in the Outpost. Burning the forest down means destroying all of these wonderful elements for years to come.

But then again, if no one is alive to enjoy these resources, then there is no sense in obtaining them either.

Although Garret and Zed’s action only buys them a minuscule amount of time, their heroic deeds save countless lives and give them a slight advantage. The only people left in the Outpost are warriors of might and wisdom. This leaves them very little liability. 

Of all these impossible decisions, Munt’s may be the hardest. 

Munt feels the need to stay behind and fight for the fallen king, Tobin. Warlita is not happy about this decision. She wants Munt to flee with her to safety.

Unfortunately for Warlita, Munt’s heart is in the right place. His sense of duty guides him during even the most trying of times — something we should all strive for.

Warlita just finished nursing Munt back to health. It is fair for her to desire to keep him out of harm’s way. He almost died only a few episodes ago.

As much as it hurts Munt to go against her wishes, he chooses what he knows to be right. He understands that honor is one of the greatest attributes of the human spirit.

With his decision set in his mind, Warlita attempts to sway him by offering to stay as well.

Oftentimes we know what is right, even when it is extremely difficult. We see the vision of how it has to be and do our best to obtain it.

That is when someone we care for swoops in and hopes to save us from ourselves. They don’t have the same vision we have. Although they mean well, they’re misguided. 

That is when have to lay the facts out before them. 

This is the path that has been laid out before me. For better or worse, I need to travel it. 

With a broken heart, they part ways praying they will see each other again. Their parting kiss is the most beautiful scene of the entire episode.

Warlita is needed with the people of the Outpost, while Munt is meant for the frontline attack. They are on two different paths at the time. Neither of them is wrong in their decision-making — no matter how hurtful the choices seem to be.

This brings us back to Marvyn’s question. How do we choose when there is no right choice? The answer is as simple as this — do whatever you can to right the wrong.

Follow your heart. Let your morals guide you. And don’t forget to reassess along the way.

What did you think of this episode of The Outpost? Will all our heroes survive the series finale? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

 

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

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