Outer Range Season 2 Review: Do We Finally Have Answers?

When Outer Range’s freshman season culminated in 2022, it left audiences with more questions than answers. It has been an intense wait, filled with theory after theory. Have we finally gotten any semblance of an answer?

If there is one thing Outer Range has established, it is that it will take its time to reveal the purpose of the hole. As we saw in Season 1, it is a portal between different times. As of the end of Outer Range Season 2, it is all that has been revealed, the hole still remains as mysterious as the day it appeared on the Abbotts’ land.

The mystery of the hole and what it means is carefully crafted, with the stakes getting higher and crazier. One of the biggest questions established in Season 1 — and that we have yet to address — is the future that Royal saw when he first fell through the hole — the one where he is dead.

There have been numerous explorations of the past, but the future has yet to be revisited. One aspect of the hole that remains unclear is its effect on the future since multiple explorations of the past have been conducted, but not its effects on the present.

There is a slight hint of the effects of Joy’s time in the past. When she meets young Royal, she remembers what really happened to him, but the events are sort of muffled in his mind. There is no clarity when the past is changed.

This is also seen with Wayne Tillerson, who slightly realizes something has changed. Therefore, its functionality is still a lingering mystery. And honestly, at this point, there are more questions than answers. 

Why does it disappear and reappear? Does it communicate with those who have fallen in it previously? How long has it existed? Is it connected to Royal?

Probably the least surprising part of the season is that everything leads back to Royal. The Abbott patriarch has always given the impression that he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

And if there is anything that we learned is that it’s true. Who he has become stems not only from killing his father and being displaced in time and space but also from having been forsaken by everyone in his life.

The first season ended with all the Abbotts separated a contrast to their unity at the beginning of the series. It is no different on Season Two.

Once the Abbotts are separated, they are never back together, which destroys Royal and the life he has so carefully crafted.

Cecilia, who has thrown herself into the church to cope, is losing that peaceful demeanor and realizing how nothing they’re doing is working. Slowly, the Abbott matriarch is no longer a kind woman; she is bitter and willing to do anything to save her family, especially her granddaughter.

Both she and Royal have seemed to grow apart, but by the end of the season, they have started to reconcile.

Joy’s relationship with the Abbotts also evolved. After traveling back to the past and reconnecting with her ancestors and heritage, she is now more understanding of Royal and his past.

On season one, she wanted to bring justice to the Tillersons, but now she wants to help the Abbotts keep their land and make sure that the hole does not fall into the wrong hands.

Royal’s footsteps are being followed by none other than Perry, who also jumped into the hole to avoid the repercussions of his actions. The eldest Abbott son is not able to cope with how he destroyed his family and will be responsible for them losing their land.

However, rather than traveling to the future like his father, Perry finds himself in the past. Instead of trying to return to his family, he sees it as an opportunity to start over and create a new life free of the mistakes that led to their downfall.

He tries to seek validation in the past about his choice to doom his family in the future but finds none. However, Perry’s final moments of the season showcase his selfishness since he chooses his own peace of mind over the future of his family.

The repercussions of Perry’s actions, both before and after jumping into the hole, have yet to be seen. If there is one thing to be learned about Perry, its that he keeps making the most reckless decisions out of everyone in the show.

He is too blinded by his mistakes to find a proper solution. He sees the hole as an opportunity to be saved and fully takes advantage of it, not thinking of the consequences.

While Perry is off doing what he needs to be at peace with himself, Rhett is not around as much, despite his missing brother and niece. Rhett didn’t really have much to do this season, and it is unclear where his character is heading other than a doomed relationship with María.

Rhett’s story on the first season was intriguing. He was trying to keep the family’s legacy with his bull riding career, and he seemed to be the only one to be thinking clearly about how to handle the Tillersons.

Yet, this season, he was gone most of the time, which is disappointing. But, at the same time, leaving is what he desperately wants.

Autumn is the wild card of the season. As usual, the reveal that she is an older Amy is shocking, and for a moment, I thought it was a lie. It turns out it’s not; she is Amy, and we do get an idea as to what happened.

Amy’s “transformation” into Autumn, triggered by Joy, is a twist that I don’t think anyone expects. Autumn’s true nature, much like the hole, is still a mystery.

In the end, Outer Range delivered yet another thrilling season, managing to keep its rich world-building and complex characters. With its high stakes, there is no doubt that the Abbotts will not return to their normal lives anytime soon.

Still, we desire more answers about how their world works and what lies ahead with Royal’s connection to the past, present, and future.

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Outer Range is streaming on Amazon Prime.

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