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They say Robert Kirkman is the current king of television. With the ratings The Walking Dead gets and his brand new series Outcast, it’s easy to see why. Travis and I first saw Outcast at a special screening at Amazing Hawaii Comic Con. The great Jimmy Jay snagged us some passes so we could check it out. We talk about it on the show, but I was heavily critical of the show the first time around. I’m not sure if it was because of how many people were there, the hunch that Kirkman and Azaceta were waiting around to see the audience jump, or what, but I looked at the show far more critically than I would’ve otherwise.
Right before this podcast, I made sure to give it another shot. I’m sincerely glad I did. As a huge fan of the Exorcist, the plot of the show intrigues me. I’m getting to a point in my horror movie adulthood where gore and slashers just don’t do it for me. Psychological horror is far more effective because it is such an intangible presence. You can put a bandaid on a cut, there are no bandaids for your psyche
I have hope that this show will rise above The Walking Dead in the sense that there is a definitive end goal in mind for it. Kirkman has said of TWD that he has a goal in mind for it but not for a long time. The nature of television, generally, dictates that if you overstay your welcome fans will get tired of the content. Take a look at the Simpsons or Dexter. This all leads to a discussion of the need for a definitive arc in a narrative, but for our purposes, I hope that Outcast delivers on that end.
Overall, it is a spot on show and I look forward to checking out the rest of the first season.