Peace proves difficult to keep when Spears’ killing of Blackbloods is brought to light. Wren and Janzo work together to unlock the mysteries of the box which apparently holds the key to the end of any conflict between Blackbloods and humans. Rosamund, distrustful of the Blackbloods and their motives, hatches a plan.

It was crushingly predictable that within moments of Rosamund promising Yavalla that her people would behave and cause no problems that someone would immediately cause some problems, and if there’s one person that could be relied upon to act first and think later it’s Garret. This time out, his nefarious deed (killing someone who tried to kill the Queen) results in the even more predictable sentence of death for his crimes. Gee, a main character gets sentenced to execution in The Outpost, I wonder how that might turn out? *looks to camera*

Let us dispense with that one because anyone who’s followed the show long enough knows exactly how these things turn out, though kudos to the writers’ room – if you’re going to lift a plot idea from anyone, the Bard himself isn’t a terrible source of inspiration, I suppose. At least try and inject some freshness into the idea though, eh?

Elsewhere, Wren is still struggling to work out exactly how to unlock this mysterious box her mother Yavalla has entrusted her with. Given that (as I pointed out last time) she’s literally a female Blackblood Janzo equivalent, I failed to be entirely shocked that they end up working on the issue together to no small success. I guess my bet that these two at least end up locking lips by the end of the season as Wren is moved to discover whatever Janzo’s charms actually are under the creepy demeanour and constant whining is looking safe enough.

Rosamund isn’t about to take the subjugation of her people lying down though, and engages in a positively Amidala-esque bit of subterfuge with her handmaiden in order to speak to Tobin and communicate a plan it’s not clear why she couldn’t just write down to be given to him. That is, right up until the final bit of contrivance which allows for the role reversal moment of the episode which is so ham-fisted I’m surprised it doesn’t actually oink. Fair’s fair, seems to be the message of the show, even as we the audience sit thinking ‘but this isn’t fair, for very obvious reasons’. Ah well,

There’s also some attempts at throwing in more random ad-hoc backstory for Talon.  Munt suddenly being made into an actual character for no apparent reason. Oh, and Zed continuing to enforce a totalitarian regime but at least having the decency to look a bit grumpy/sad about it. Yep, it’s very much business as usual at The Outpost.

Verdict: Combines the same tropes it’s been using from day one with recycled plot ideas from better source material and some painfully telegraphed story points. Unimpressed. 4/10

Greg D. Smith