The Outsider

Discuss TV shows old and new.
Post Reply
Message
Author
terabin
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:43 pm
Contact:

The Outsider

#1 Post by terabin » Mon Jan 27, 2020 1:50 pm

Anyone else tracking with the show? Is it horror? Is it a procedural? Is it a supernatural procedural? Is it HBO trying to find the next True Detective? Probably. Whatever it is, I'm very much enjoying it. Excellent acting from Jason Bateman, Ben Mendelsohn, and Cynthia Erivo. The latter drives one of my favorite hours of TV in recent memory in episode 4. I love love love the research portions of horror movies. Give me all the research. Watching PI Holly Gibney start to piece it together is so much fun. She's the yin to Detective Ralph Anderson's yang. Who's with me on The Outsider?

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: TV of 2020

#2 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Jan 28, 2020 11:14 pm

I like this a lot too. Mendolsohn has been a favorite of mine to watch for awhile now, so seeing him channel his talent into a story like this makes it instantly fascinating for me. The cast frankly is an embarrassment of riches. I'm not a Stephen King expert by any means but I've seen enough of the movies and television based on his work to suss out that this feels different from his work. I guess he's been doing more straight-up crime novels lately and this is somehow a meeting of these new avenues he's exploring with more of his horror work.

User avatar
jazzo
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:02 am

Re: TV of 2020

#3 Post by jazzo » Wed Jan 29, 2020 1:25 pm

I'm also enjoying the series quite a bit.

Like Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep film (and other recent King adaptations like Gerald's Game, 1922, 11.22.63), I would offer that The Outsider does a very good job of smoothing over the rough patches and silly plot or thematic notions of the novels they stem from. They take their subject matter fairly seriously, and what seems absolutely ridiculous on page, somehow seems less so onscreen.

This new renaissance of competent-to-excellent Stephen King adaptations can be likened to the overall quality of the Marvel cinematic universe; where the studios and producers realize that, by not farming out the options to whatever hack is within their sight-lines, and seeking out filmmakers who may or may not have a voice, but at the very least, understand tone and texture in their craft, they can create works that are, at their height, extremely palatable entertainment like the best pulp always is, and at their worst, at least not a massive embarrassment.

That being said, (and removing Carrie, The Shining, The Dead Zone and Stand by Me from the mix, because they're just good goddamn films), I'm still a huge fucking fan of Christine. And Cujo. And Creepshow. And Misery. And the 'Salem's Lot mini from '79.

But I also hate every second of popular favorites like The Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile, and love the unbelievable idiocy of Darabont's The Mist, one of the worst films I've ever seen, so what the fuck do I know?

User avatar
therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: TV of 2020

#4 Post by therewillbeblus » Wed Jan 29, 2020 1:34 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2020 11:14 pm
Mendolsohn has been a favorite of mine to watch for awhile now, so seeing him channel his talent into a story like this makes it instantly fascinating for me.
Mendelsohn’s performance in Bloodline is one of my all-time favorites in any medium and I think he’s probably our most underutilized working actor, so I’m glad to hear positive praise for this. I may check it out just for him though I’m curious as to how you mean he uses his talents here but I realize that might necessitate spoilers

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: TV of 2020

#5 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:57 pm

He passed the "watch him in anything" test with The Land of Steady Habits.
jazzo wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 1:25 pm
This new renaissance of competent-to-excellent Stephen King adaptations can be likened to the overall quality of the Marvel cinematic universe; where the studios and producers realize that, by not farming out the options to whatever hack is within their sight-lines, and seeking out filmmakers who may or may not have a voice, but at the very least, understand tone and texture in their craft, they can create works that are, at their height, extremely palatable entertainment like the best pulp always is, and at their worst, at least not a massive embarrassment.
Under The Dome came immediately to mind. Good god that was bad. I didn't see A&E's Bag of Bones but heard that was pretty awful too, which is a shame because I read the book in high school and thought it was effective.

User avatar
jazzo
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:02 am

Re: TV of 2020

#6 Post by jazzo » Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:38 pm

Oh, I agree. I couldn't make it past the first episode of Under the Dome.

They ain't all winners, that's for sure, but compared to the junk that came out of his source material in the 80's and 90's I have to admit that I've been pleasantly surprised by a good number of them.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: TV of 2020

#7 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:21 am

The final episode of The Outsider was on Sunday and as a whole I was really impressed with how scary it managed to remain without ever getting too gory or relying on more obvious cliches. Dramatically it all didn't quite land but overall quite worthwhile.

User avatar
Roger Ryan
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city

Re: TV of 2020

#8 Post by Roger Ryan » Tue Mar 10, 2020 2:36 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:
Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:21 am
The final episode of The Outsider was on Sunday and as a whole I was really impressed with how scary it managed to remain without ever getting too gory or relying on more obvious cliches. Dramatically it all didn't quite land but overall quite worthwhile.
I agree. Not being much of a fan of Stephen King adaptations, I thought this one was pretty good. The show aspired to a True Detective-style atmosphere with similar pacing, but with an actual supernatural element. I don't know that I'm optimistic about a second season (which the final episode hints at) as these initial ten episodes fleshed out the story and character arcs just fine.

User avatar
therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: TV of 2020

#9 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Mar 10, 2020 2:44 pm

All I need to know is: How much scenery does Ben Mendelsohn chew

User avatar
Fiery Angel
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:59 pm

Re: TV of 2020

#10 Post by Fiery Angel » Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:07 pm

Mendelsohn is actually fairly subdued (for him)

User avatar
therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: TV of 2020

#11 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Mar 10, 2020 3:12 pm

Yeah for some reason no one has been using him in a way that taps into his strengths in the last 4 years or so. 2010-2015 was prime Mendelsohn giving performances on fire, culminating in Bloodline which contains one of the best perfs I've ever seen in my life in that first season. A shame that the world saw that and decided this was the point to tame him with restricting roles.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: TV of 2020

#12 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:07 pm

I'm not sure this show needed any kind of over-the-top performance to get across to people. The story is creepy enough, that maybe to strike the right balance between the horror and the more emotional side, it was perhaps more appropriate that the actors be a bit more subdued.

And now it appears a 2nd season is possible. The article states that the ratings jump from the premiere to the finale is the largest gain of that kind for any HBO series.

terabin
Joined: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:43 pm
Contact:

Re: TV of 2020

#13 Post by terabin » Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:40 pm

An excellent end to the series. I could hang out with these characters all day investigating the spooky stuff. Which is why I’d be in favor of Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, and the other writers doing a second season.

Also, two spoilery things:
SpoilerShow
1. I was surprised how emotional I was when we lost Andy. Turns out I was really invested in him - his loyalty, his affection for Holly, their relationship - and that’s a testament to the acting and the writing. I didn’t see it coming but I shoulda seen it coming. Poor Andy! And sad for Holly too.

2. I found it haunting, uncanny, and sad all at the same time, when Ralph Anderson’s son and the Peterson boy help Ralph realize that his work isn’t done by materializing in front of Ralph on his way out of the cave, blocking his path. It evokes the best kind of mix of emotions in me. The dead helping the living. A dead son, helping his dad from beyond the veil, helping him resolve the case currently haunting him and perhaps also helping him resolve in part the case he will forever be solving: why his son had to die so young. Perhaps a moment of healing traumas past and present.

User avatar
The Curious Sofa
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:18 am

Re: The Outsider

#14 Post by The Curious Sofa » Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:04 pm

I thought this was by far the best of recent Stephen King adaptations. What worked for me was how much more it rooted the supernatural in a realistic context than other recent King adaptations, or at least in a more grounded noir/crime context. This starts as a moody murder mystery with a great hook and the horror elements slowly seep in. Unlike with the more fantastical worlds of Dr. Sleep or It where anything can happen, when an investigating character presents their theory that the perpetrator may not be human, the outrage and disbelief of the other characters makes sense. The supernatural feels invasive and shocking here. Great cast, nobody looks glamorous, all great character actors who look like real people. I felt invested in the characters and I too felt sad when
SpoilerShow
Andy gets killed. A supporting character but his sheer decency comes through.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: The Outsider

#15 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Thu Mar 19, 2020 6:16 pm

SpoilerShow
I liked Bill Camp as the lawyer, and his PI too. I think it was a bit overkill that they had to die as well. You could kind of see it coming with Andy, whose motives are romantically motivated but he somehow still seems pure in his willingness to go along with it. I really liked Derek Cecil in this performance, and thought he was okay on House of Cards. Hopefully he can find a more stable gig on a big show like this became.

Post Reply