Outer Range is a combination of two of my favorite TV series. Its second season is now streaming on Prime and it’s reported to be the number one show.
What it is is: a SiFi contemporary western drama/thriller. The two shows it borrows from are Yellowstone and Outlander. Can you guess the story? Let’s get into it.
Here we are again
but this time in Wyoming instead of Montana. There’s a working cattle ranch with a tough, hard, family, a missing mother, a grandchild – all with mental health “issues”. Of course, there are villainous others’ looking to get hold of their land. Additionally, there is the Indian (first peoples) component, too.
At first, I thought it was a total rip-off of Yellowstone; but then came the Outlander twist. Which drives the story and is the big issue, or main idea/theme of the show. I was hooked.
The Story Is
about the universal terror of “What the hell is going on?” And how that, in subtle ways, drives us mad. It’s about the “great unknown”. Moreover, how that unknown drives irrational behavior. To include lying, stealing, all kinds of emotional and psychological abuse, religions, cults, and even murder.
The science fiction part is about time travel. The characters, unknown at first, travel back and forth through time. But to a specific time – the 1880s. It’s pretty far-out. A real stretch. There’s a hole on the ranch, a portal to the earlier time. Pretty soon the folks start popping back and forth. I’m not sure how. There’s also some kind of “fairy dust”, actually a mineral, that when ingested has magical powers.
The Characters
are straight out of Yellowstone. However, for me, far less endearing. In fact, there’s not one I like! Even the “hippie chick”, Autumn.
A clear take-off of Summer in Taylor Sheridan’s fantasy. But here, Autumn has a “High Noon”-like gunfight with Royal Abbott (John Dutton’s character) instead of balling him. It’s a crazy scene.
Then there’s Autumn’s bear encounter. Juxtaposed with Cecilia’s (The matriarch of the Abbott Ranch.), the affect is heavy-handed.
The Setting and Voice
fall short, too. It’s clearly CGI. Don’t get me wrong, I love the iconic Grand Tetons as background.
But … ? Even the horses, bison, bears, cattle, bulls, rodeo scenes – it’s all a little? Too fakey?
The music score and camera-work, also, don’t work for me. The song selection switches between Classic, Western, and Heavy Metal. Furthermore, regarding the filming – there’s way too much dark screen for my liking.
Dialogue
borders on unreal, too. However, maybe that’s all purposeful? A part of the theme – the not knowing thing that drives us mad.
It’s all part of the chaos and disorder that is the world we live in. The real world.
[Hey, Psych-girl, how’s your Crystal Ball’s repair coming along? (There is a black & white photo of the iconic Tetons in her waiting room.) Hmmm?]
In Conclusion
I can’t give this five stars. However, it did hook me and reel me in. For a while. But it dragged on too long, I thought. However, the big-idea is worth thinking about. Additionally, I think a lot of people buy into it. I’m just not one. But I’ve known a few. 🙂
Have you watched it? Let me know what you think in the comments.
On further reflection … . In my previous post “Smile”, I reference Eleanor Roosevelt. Whose wisdom was, “If it isn’t mentioned, it didn’t happen.” But that seems to be the source of much of the trouble the characters experience in “Outer Range” – keeping secrets and repression (and suppression) of the trauma they experienced because of the time travel; and events that happened in the previous world.
~ And that is, in fact, the source of much troubled behavior in the real world. Which, for me, makes the show worth watching – the subject matter. Even though it’s dealt with clumsily.
~ Season Two ends open-ended. Leading me to think there’s more to come. Hmmm?
Mark, I haven’t seen the show (yet), as I’m probably one of two people in the country that haven’t seen Yellowstone. But I certainly will put it on my summer viewing list. Now that we’re slowing down the vacation schedule for a few months, it gives me time to be home and just enjoy what’s going on around me, rather than partake of a fictional world called “vacation”!
It’s been awhile since I watched Yellowstone. However, I think it’s going to resume soon. There’s good reason it’s so popular. But my favorite is Hell on Wheels. I wish everyone would watch it because it’s the closest to “The way things actually were” in the making of America. Hell on Wheels is historical fiction – the building of the transcontinental railroad after the Civil War.
~ All three shows are really violent, so there is that. Lots of swearing, too. I guess I’m a good ole cowboy story lover, when all is said and done.