Outcast (2016) - General Discussion

[formerlyfreedom]

Discuss Outcast (2016) Here!

[formerlyfreedom]

The AVClub talks about the new trailer.

 

This short trailer for Outcast, the new Cinemax series based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series of the same name, is heavy on fleeting imagery, but awfully short on explanations. (Although it has been explained that Cinemax already renewed it for a second season, months before it even airs.)

 

The trailer;

 

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Kyle Barnes confronts a possession case and begins to delve into the secrets of his past.

[formerlyfreedom]

Per Deadline;

Quote

On May 20, at 10PM Central European Time, episode 1 of the series from creator Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) will run on Facebook Live across the region including in the UK, Italy, Spain, Poland, South Africa, Germany, Sweden and Turkey.

So CAUTION! Entering this thread before June 3 WILL spoil you if you have not seen it!

[formerlyfreedom]

From Deadline;
 

Quote

 

Fox is scaring up a new experiment with the simultaneous debut of horror series Outcast in 61 countries via Facebook Live. This is the first time a broadcaster in Europe and Africa is using the service to launch a new drama.

...

The series begins airing in the U.S. on Cinemax on June 3 and has already been renewed for a second season. It originally had its world premiere at SXSW.

 

[ApathyMonger]

This pilot was so, so long. It felt like it went on for about two hours. Repetitive too.

I'll wait and see if people say it gets better later in the season, but I won't be tuning into Ep, 2 for now.

[Guest]

It was...OK? I guess I don't see the point of the show yet -- is he going to be the exorcist's assistant? Are they going to travel around looking for possessed people to save? Are we gonna find out all about his backstory the whole season? And since we know he can cure the possessed by putting his own blood in their mouth, the solution to any future possessions seems pretty cut and dry.

I'll watch another couple episodes and see how it starts to develop. But so far, meh.

Oh! And his sister's kid is totally on the "Who's Next to be Possessed" list.

[numbnut]

Not bad. I'm guessing the hook has to do with why Kyle is being targeted. Didn't the demon kid say something about a "great merge"? I'll watch another ep, but what's with all the demon shows lately? Penny Dreadful, Preacher, Lucifer and now this.

[Primetimer]

Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman's new exorcism series is one you should get behind (Satan!).

View the full article

[AimingforYoko]

Ok, so normally this type of horror is not my type of hype but this wasn't half bad. I liked that they didn't explain everything. I liked that they made the preacher a (somewhat) normal, decent guy. I liked the swerve that t Kyle didn't hurt his kid trying to exorcise her, his wife was actually the one possessed and he took the hit for her. I'm in for now.

[Constantinople]

And that's why you don't let your teen aged son go on tour with a rock band while working for Rolling Stone.

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Kyle has questions concerning his family history.

[RedheadZombie]

The pilot was okay for me.  I wasn't particularly scared by the little boy (other than the opening bug smashing and then finger chewing), but then this is a favorite genre of mine, and I've seen much scarier efforts.

The guy playing Kyle is good and I'm willing to stick with it for him - for now. 

I must admit I'm already irritated with the fake Southern accents, but then I watch TWD.

I thought the special effects were pretty weak, which surprised me for a premium cable show.  I realize they don't have the budget of TWD, but I expected more.

I don't like dropped story lines like the kid eating his fingers, then his fingers are apparently all intact later.

I don't like how his wife treats him like the plague after he took the fall for her.  But then it would seem the demon is following Kyle, so it did happen because of him.  I'm sure we will find out more about the story, but I don't like that everyone believes he abused his daughter.  And how odd the church ladies in the store had no idea about his horrific abuse.  There must have been a big scandal when his mother ended up in an institution and he was adopted.

[Happytobehere]

I agree that there is much room for improvement but I think the show will improve, I mean something had to give the network enough confidence to renew it before the first episode even aired.

Where was the disbelieving sister when Kyle was being terrorized by demon mommy?  I kept being pulled out of the show by this seeming discrepancy.  Was she away at camp? Is she a half-sibling who was living with her  mother? Is she a sister because he was taken in by her family once his Mom was no longer able to care for Kyle?  There must be a reason why she doesn't believe in the possessions.

I love Reg E Cathy, so I hope his talents aren't wasted here.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Happytobehere

[lanter]

3 hours ago, Happytobehere said:

Where was the disbelieving sister when Kyle was being terrorized by demon mommy?  I kept being pulled out of the show by this seeming discrepancy.  Was she away at camp? Is she a half-sibling who was living with her  mother? Is she a sister because he was taken in by her family once his Mom was no longer able to care for Kyle?  There must be a reason why she doesn't believe in the possessions.

 

Kyle is her adopted brother. He was adopted by her parents after his mother went....demonic.

[AimingforYoko]

So what the hell did that thing do to Kyle at the end? 'Cause it kinda looked like it killed him. Obviously not, but something.

Overall, this wasn't creepy like last week, it was just very sad.

[Primetimer]

Kyle's poor mother has been through much more than we could have imagined.

View the full article

[sjohnson]

Obviously, this is a genre mash up: Demonic possession and zombie. Kyle was killed and he's been a zombie ever since!

[laprin]

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Obviously, this is a genre mash up: Demonic possession and zombie. Kyle was killed and he's been a zombie ever since!

Interesting theory, although it doesn't explain how he was able to live a normal productive life for several years before the incident with his wife and daughter. 

[RedheadZombie]

My DVR recorded the encore episode, and when I started it I watched what I assumed was a season preview.  Oh that looks good, I thought.  It looks so much like Sinister.  Then the preview ends with the notice Sinister 2 was premiering the seventeenth.  OK.  I was a little disappointed.

Oh look, it's Lois from Big Love.  I love Grace Zabriskie.  She can portray sinister so well, then turn around and break my heart.  She looks more like a woman from a fundamentalist Mormon polygamy compound than her character on BL.

How uptight do you have to be to scold your pastor for using the "blue" word butt.  It's things like that keeping me from attending church.  Yes, let's worry about using salty language when there's an outbreak of demonic activity.  Priorities. 

Whoever said Kyle looks like Joshua Jackson hit the nail on the head.  It's all I can see now.  He looks just like Cole going through his self-pitying arc in The Affair - minus the drunk driving.

So are we supposed to surmise that this thing has been living in Kyle all these years?  If so, why was his adopted family unharmed? 

[AuntiePam]

I'm in.  I adore Reg E. Cathey, and I like Kyle's character.  He's not a whiny little bitch -- he just wants to fix things.  I also like the minister, and Kyle's neighbor.  I like the way these people accept what's going on, without standing around asking useless questions. 

In the "It's that guy" category -- took me awhile to recognize the brother-in-law as Pam's bad boyfriend from The Office.  Has he ever played a likeable person? 

The guy in the black hat is Brent Spiner?

[Happytobehere]

On June 5, 2016 at 9:20 PM, lanter said:

Kyle is her adopted brother. He was adopted by her parents after his mother went....demonic.

Thanks.  

[Happytobehere]

11 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

I'm in.  I adore Reg E. Cathey, and I like Kyle's character.  He's not a whiny little bitch -- he just wants to fix things.  I also like the minister, and Kyle's neighbor.  I like the way these people accept what's going on, without standing around asking useless questions. 

In the "It's that guy" category -- took me awhile to recognize the brother-in-law as Pam's bad boyfriend from The Office.  Has he ever played a likeable person? 

The guy in the black hat is Brent Spiner?

I agree with your entire post.

Yes, that was Brent Spiner (he's actually among those interviewed after the end credits), yet another reason to watch.

[placate]

The pacing of the show felt off.  It was also really short, after some intro promos for other things on the channel, it only clocked in at 46 minutes on my dvr.  I get that the experience with his mom is important backstory but when the show alternates child abuse and a guy moping, I don't find it entertaining.  I get that this is an adaption but we're two episodes in and only about 10 minutes of this episode were interesting. 

There are too many unanswered questions about this show.  Why is Kyle's blood capable of exorcising demons?  Where was his sister when his mom was possessed?  Why would he stay in a house that causes him to have flashbacks of his abuse at the hands of a demon? 

[AuntiePam]

placate, the sister is from the family that adopted him, so she wasn't around when Kyle's mom was possessed.  I suspect he stays in the house because he has nowhere else to go.  And maybe he thinks the answers are there, that being in the house will trigger his memories, that he'll learn something from the flashbacks.

I agree about the repetition -- we don't need to keep seeing Kyle's mom toss him into that closet.

No clue about the blood, except that in religion, blood has power. 

[formerlyfreedom]

Kyle and Reverend Anderson confront an unusual possession.

[AimingforYoko]

So did Lee Tergeson have to go on a cleansing fast after chewing all that scenery?

[Primetimer]

It may be time for Kyle to take a closer look at his relationship with Rev. Anderson.

View the full article

[sjohnson]

There is a secret password among a tiny minority that say: The director is the one who screws up the script. No doubt it made sense on paper that the Reverend would get frustrated when he couldn't find the pic of his son. But the director who thought that we could watch Philip Glenister morosely kick at tufts of grass for a half minute and really get this...was wrong in my case. 

Reg Cathey's character is either grossly arrogant or conspiring to cover up something. 

The adoptive sister's dislike for her husband and her difficulty in admitting she wants another man don't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the series. 

No, I didn't believe JR Bourne's character would want to help the man who killed his wife, nor do I believe that a nonbeliever would opt for an exorcism nor do I believe anyone really thought exorcising the demon would help this particular person out of prison. Even more, it is not altogether clear that a person who is possessed is morally responsible for being possessed. 

But really, most of all it isn't entertaining watching Patrick Fugit beat on somebody, again. Nor are his Objectivist rantings about what's in it for him.

[candall]

Watching now, tentatively.   I like my evil in a tidy two-hour chunk format where there's a chance the good guys might triumph.  I don't understand a serialized version of The Omen, where Damien is guaranteed to keep on going.  (I still think Gregory Peck can beat that bullet if I just send enough energy his direction.)

And poor Kyle's deck is really stacked against him, which is kind of depressing.  What if Rick Grimes couldn't rally a team because all the non-zombified people believed he was a child molester?

Good cast, though.  I guess the kindly neighbor who regrets not helping young Kyle is doooomed.

[RedheadZombie]

I got the distinct impression that the sister is afraid of the other man.  She surely doesn't seem to "want" the other guy.  And she was into sex with hubby until she had some sort of negative flash back. 

I liked the actor playing the murdered woman's husband.  Some good subtle acting without over the top grand standing. 

Surely the old guy neighbor was made to kill himself to further isolate Kyle. 

[sjohnson]

The thing about the fear vibe (which I must admit I got as well,) is that in cliche TV, that means rapist. But, what kind of a woman sneaks into her rapist's motel room without telling anyone and without a weapon to finger his condom and sit on his bed? If the dude is a rapist it's character assassination I think. Also, in the marital sex scene earlier, before she knew the guy was in town, she was probably wanting her husband to have an orgasm real quick so she wouldn't have to put up with his nastiness any more. (No, if she was just thinking about the daughter interrupting she'd have said so.) Which is why she hinted she wasn't doing it that night. 

[raven]

I don't think it's character assassination - we don't know a lot about the situation.  I didn't see it as her fingering the condom - she dropped it like a hot potato.  More like she picked it up without realizing what she was doing and dropped it immediately when she saw it.  She wasn't just sitting on the bed, she was trying to keep from freaking out.  My theory (I haven't read the comics); based on the negative flashback is that the guy raped her and there was some agreement..something that he wouldn't return to town, maybe to avoid prosecution, maybe he was possessed when he attacked her.  She was pretty shocked when she saw him in the parking lot.  She goes to his room to see WTF he's doing there - doesn't want to tell her cop husband, who may freak out.  She may be thinking he's there for some innocent reason, then she sees he's basically stalking her online and she freaks and sits to try to get a grip on herself, rather than have people see her crying or whatever in the parking lot.  I like Megan so could be I'm more forgiving.

The morning sex scene - I just a got a vibe that they weren't on the same wavelength.  Maybe she just wanted a quickie.  I didn't really get any negative vibes about their relationship from that scene.  I like that her husband is trying to actually do police work and isn't a local yokel.  He seems to have brains and sent the growling dog away with food rather than violence.  His boss is obviously hiding something/on the take and/or evil/possessed.

I caught up on the eps and I like the show so far.  Gene Hunt!  Nice to see you.  I took this ep more of a character study - the Reverend became so obsessed with evil that he gave up or lost his family and he's not the usual calm, saintly man of God - he's prickly, angry and he let the demon in this case get to him, hence his continuing freak out over the picture.  I like the mini-banter with Kyle.

Not happy to lose the nice neighbor - kind of expected; this is Kirkman after all, note the endless villain monologuing this week.  Shut up already!  I do wish it were set somewhere other then the south, I get enough of that atmosphere on the Walking Dead.

Surprisingly, the child actors are pretty good.  The boy in the pilot and the kid playing young Kyle both stood out to me.  Possession scenes when the body contorts and whatnot usually just seem silly to me but were effective in the pilot, not too much contorting and the lighting helped to set the mood.  Good performances help also.

I'm in for now, will see how it goes.

[Maum]

I didn't get bad vibes between the husband and wife either. I like fact that she joked he deserved to get laid for making pancakes and the way he immediately stopped and wanted to make sure she was ok when she freaked out during sex, rather than being grumpy and frustrated.

I also got rapist/stalker vibes from 117 guy. She seemed really freaked out when she found her FB profile on his laptop.

I like the show- the characters work for me (although agree police chief was acting odd and dismissive re the trailer) and I am intrigued to see where it goes. 

I watched all three episodes in a row and really want to watch the next one.

Edited June 23, 2016 by Maum

[sjohnson]

How can you get freaked out by people reading the FB profile that you yourself have put online?

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[AimingforYoko]

I kinda figured what happened to Megan, I just didn't know how young they both were when it happened. And even though Donny deserved it, I was rooting for Mark not to give into the darkness.

Grace Zabriskie does good evil. So to speak.

[RedheadZombie]

I'm liking the show more.  I find that I sometimes enjoy a show more when I just go with it, and try not to make too much sense out of it right away.   So while I still find it confusing, I'm trying not to get too hung up on things.  And it helps me dismiss why a demon or the devil (whichever he is) needs to shave  

I love Kyle and Megan, and Megan seems to be a strong character in her own right.  It now seems like it's her story as well, rather than being an extension of Kyle's experiences.  I also like her husband well enough, and just googled and discovered he has a BFA from Julliard.  

I like the pastor, but something isn't quite clicking for me. I think he's too much of a dichotomy.   I'm sure there are plenty of pastors who swear, but this one's dropping F-bombs left and right, and they're blasphemous.   Like - God fucking damnit, which any man who's good enough with God to be performing exorcisms is not going to be saying, IMO.  It's like mocking God while fighting the devil.  And if you do have a pastor this unconventional and irreverent, it seems unlikely he'd be welcomed and tolerated in a small Southern town. And why in hell does he keep these contact objects?  It's like inviting the evil into his home. 

I'm glad Sheriff Dumbass bought a clue.  Maybe he will be a good guy. 

Two things that strike me as wrong:

That sweet old man who probably lived his entire life in that town doesn't get one mourner other than Kyle or the devil?  

And then it seems silly that a guidance counselor married to a cop find it difficult to afford an occasional date night.  They have one child and a modest home.  Maybe it's to finance the antique glass objects Megan destroys. 

[sjohnson]

It has been reported that there is an amazingly high break down rate in dashboard cameras, where they just don't work any more. By the way, simply turning it off leads a record itself and always raises the question of why they turned the thing off in the first place.

Yes, it is damn peculiar that a young girl afraid of being accosted wouldn't wear more than a towel. It's probably meant to titillate the audience. Don't appreciate the compliment to my taste.

Megan may be demon possessed. Her confession to Mark that she married him for protection (cunningly couched as a denial, albeit to an unasked question) and prodding him with odd and passively aggressive behavior were well calculated to prompt Mark to murder Donny. The modern cliche where sensational scenes are abruptly terminated so that the writers don't have to make their consequences plausible. If Donny's not dead but just maimed, when does Mark expect to get arrested? If he's dead, what did Mark do with the body and how did he get away with it? Fade out as cop out, not something I appreciate.

The show is randomly switching between demons as literal and metaphorical. So far I'm not convinced that doesn't make it muddled instead of richer. It's certainly making it seem as if being possessed by a demon is the same thing as being a bad person and a mentally disturbed/neurologically impaired person. That strikes me as awfully reactionary.

Edited June 26, 2016 by sjohnson

[candall]

Show:  You'd better give us a good reason mysterious possible-rapist man from the past looks so much like the husband. 

I thought she'd spotted her husband getting a clandestine local hotel room.  Then I thought she hallucinated the husband switching from regular sex to rage sex.

I finally figured out there were two different men, but I didn't care enough to go back and rewatch.

 

Neighbor's gone.  Called that one in the premiere, so I'm not a total derp. 

[candall]

4 hours ago, sjohnson said:

Fade out as cop out, not something I appreciate.

Liked your whole post, but this in particular.  I deplore the conversational bomb fade--a huge revelation/accusation, followed by a tight shot of the listener looking stunned, followed by fade out.  It's the next few minutes that would be critical, IRL.  I guess we're to assume there's just some awkward paper shuffling, then everyone stands up and goes home.

*************

Yes, your funeral's a dud when only your killer(?) and your shitty neighbor show up.

"Did you know him well?"

"Well, I borrowed his car every day, but I blew him off that one time when he wanted to have a cup of coffee."

*************

This show is losing me; I find it somewhat of a chore.

[patty1h]

Wow, is this show tedious.  Mopey Kyle is so low-key that he hardly registers.  His "power" is a big snore.  There is no excitement watching him and the swearing reverend make their weekly visit to someone who's got a demon in them.  

His sister, her husband and the police captain's stories are not holding my attention.  And they still have not explained the man in black (Brent Spiner).

[raven]

On 6/25/2016 at 7:44 PM, RedheadZombie said:

I love Kyle and Megan, and Megan seems to be a strong character in her own right.  It now seems like it's her story as well, rather than being an extension of Kyle's experiences.

I like them both as well (and their relationship) but I think their stories will end up being connected.  Lots of stuff going on in Rome - why is Donny back now?  demon attacks seem up, why?  the Reverend finds out he may not be such a successful exorcist after all, then there's whatever went on with the creepy trailer...evil is apparently up in Rome right now.   It was always there but now it's becoming more active.  Dogs mysteriously going after neighbors, etc.

So the sheriff is actually investigating, though why he didn't stop the guy burning the trailer I don't know.  Was that the neighbor that was visiting him, the one with the ex-vegan wife? 

Still liking Kyle and the Reverend - "there's a job I didn't do well"  I'll get my coat"  Ha!

Aw Mark, disappointed in you, not just beating on Donny but leaving the camera on.  Maybe it's the evil vibes in Rome.

[meep.meep]

The guy that the dog went after is the neighbor who was visiting the sheriff and his wife.  He's the guy who burned down the trailer.  It was his watch that was found in the trailer.

I'd like this better if it was clear what Kyle's special power actually was.

[raven]

On 6/26/2016 at 8:30 PM, meep.meep said:

It was his watch that was found in the trailer.

Oh that's right.  Nice of the Sheriff to give away a key piece of evidence.  Maybe he's dirty after all, though he did send the other stuff to be analyzed. 

Edited June 28, 2016 by raven

[placate]

I just read the first TPB of the comics it has issues 1-6.  In an hour of reading, I've had more questions answered than watching four hours of this show.  If you want to know why the shows pacing seems really sluggish, it's because there are only 18 issues of the comic out.  The first four episodes seem to cover issues 1-6 excluding the few panels that explain what happened to his wife.  Now there's only 12 more issues out and 6 episodes left.  The comic is very good I'd highly recommend reading it as opposed to watching this drivel. 

[AimingforYoko]

I can't believe Kyle would take the rap for Allison, only because it leaves Holly in peril. But I suppose if he truly believes he beat the devil out of her (literally, it would seem)...

Heh, Giles was shocked the B.S. theory he fed Mark actually turned out to be the case. He almost showed his hand too early.

[sjohnson]

Kyle's refusal to talk to his wife destroys any credibility to his belief he loves her as far as I'm concerned. 

Since demons can fly out of people's mouths and toss bodies around, plainly the only reason they haven't taken over is God fighting them (even if he's taking a break, part of His mysterious ways, I guess.) Kyle's nihilism is just stupid. 

Kyle also seems to dislike demons, who surely are incarnations of evil, primarily for causing him problems. I'm not so invested in the character this attitude seems appropriate. 

And there's not really any point to a continuing story that drops story lines. What happened to the dead (or bloodied) body?

[AimingforYoko]

I love Grace Zabriskie and all, but if that face was the one I woke up to inches from mine, a whole lot of therapy would be in my future.

So Sidney moves from implied menace to actual menace. I think his 'warning' is going to backfire though. The Rev. thought he was useless, now he knows he's perceived as an actual threat. In a weird way, his work has been validated.

[briochetwist]

I guess I'm alone here, but I totally loved it. Time to binge watch.