Talon, Zed and Wren cross over into the Plain of Ashes on their quest for the Black Kinj. Yavalla’s forces gather outside the Outpost. Tobin makes a big decision.

Every week I tell myself that I should be easier on The Outpost. Nobody ever sets out to make something bad is an adage I try to cling to, and I acknowledge that whatever my feelings on the show, it’s got a dedicated following and it’s doing well enough for its network that they renewed it for a fourth season before this one had even begun to broadcast. But every week it tests me, and this one was no different.

Let’s start with the journey of Zed, Talon and Wren into the Plain of Ashes. Recall that Talon can’t pinpoint a precise location in the Plain of Ashes to open a portal into, it’s all just random, and they are looking for Zed’s brother somewhere in the whole place. Well, let’s just say that they aren’t looking all that long. In fact, it probably took me longer to write that sentence.

And while we are on the subject, the Plain of Ashes is more like the Plain of Confetti with a few Fan Machines. And for that matter it’s less a plain and more the same collection of rocks and paths that they have the actors navigate multiple times, shot from various angles and perspectives to attempt an illusion of a journey.

That’s before we even get to Corven, Zed’s ‘mad’ brother who changes his mind about things he feels very strongly about in even less time than the end of this sentence. First he definitely isn’t going to take them anywhere, then he is and so on and so forth. Ross Ritchie was obviously given the brief to play the character as broadly as possible, and he valiantly chews every piece of scenery in sight but none of it can distract from how poor this all is.

Back at the Outpost, Tobin is all mopey because Gwynn and Garrett seem to be getting along famously, despite the fact that his wife last week told him he was released from his vows and could go off with Gwynn if he likes. Except that’s not why he’s mopey at all, and his decision, delivered to Gwynn, is about as surprising as water being wet.

Of course, Yavalla is now standing outside the Outpost with a whole army of followers, and the place has been infiltrated so we have the setup for a big action scene and the chance for a character to do some derring-do and then die heroically. And this actually seems to be a bona fide permanent death, although given it’s The Outpost they may well wake up and turn out to be their own father or something by the next season.

Things are certainly set in place for some sort of finale next time out, but it’ll be a rushed one and given we know more is coming, I suspect there’ll be some sort of cliffhanger, which is as close as I ever want to be to a cliff when watching The Outpost at any rate.

Verdict: Is it too late to sign up to be one of Yavalla’s mind-slaves yet? 2/10

Greg D. Smith