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Stephen King, also known as the King of Horror, has written many bestsellers that have been adapted into feature films and television shows. One miniseries, HBO’s The Outsider, was adapted from the 2018 book of the same name.
Starring and produced by Jason Bateman, the 10-episode series refuses to waste a scene as it delves into the harrowing concept of grief. Never before had there been a series as tightly constructed as The Outsider, which elegantly hammers these themes home.
HBO's The Outsider Episode 1 Is Riveting
In a limited series, there is no time to waste, and The Outsider takes that to heart. The first episode of Stephen King's best adaptation introduces the devastating crime that sets these events in motion. It does so in a way that makes the first episode feel like it is already halfway through a movie thriller.
A small town in Georgia is rocked when the body of a boy is found abused and discarded. The case quickly comes together as Detective Ralph Anderson zeroes in on local Little League coach and teacher, Terry Maitland.
Jason Bateman stars as the accused whose life quickly spirals out of control. There is irrefutable evidence that Terry is the murderer, and, triggered by his own son’s untimely death, Ralph arrests the suspect in front of the entire town. What seems like an open-and-shut case is actually the opposite when a private investigator discovers evidence that Terry was actually at a conference out of town at the time of the murder. Both pieces of evidence seem undeniable, and in any other series, that may lead to a lengthy investigation.
Instead, the series takes a surprising and brutal turn when Terry is murdered outside the courthouse by a family member of the deceased. In one fell swoop, the prospect of exonerating Terry is gone in an instant. With his dying breath, he still proclaims his innocence, making this case become something completely different.
Terry’s death mucks up the works in a town consumed by grief in a shocking turn of events. At breakneck speed, The Outsider turns from what could have been a typical crime drama to a confounding world of the supernatural.
All of these pieces come together so perfectly that there is not even time for the main character to make her appearance yet. Holly Gibney is a fan-favorite Stephen King character who becomes the emotional crux of the series. She is instrumental to untying this knotty narrative, and comes in just as soon as the story needs her.
Each Episode of The Outsider Flows Seamlessly Into the Next
Terry Maitland’s demise is just the first section of The Outsider needing to be addressed. As soon as one catastrophe befalls the characters, the series wastes no time following it up. Terry is a cog in the machine of grief, though only one part of the story. The authorities behind the scenes understand that, and there is only one option to forge ahead.
Holly Gibney’s introduction is exciting, particularly because she is so unlike the other law enforcement officers. Implied to have some level of the Shining, or just being extremely astute, Holly can put together connections that no one else can.
Open to the possibility of the paranormal, she and Ralph make an unlikely pair who eventually come to understand that this strange series of events is due to an entity sometimes known as El Cuco. A sort of Boogeyman and a villain scarier than Pennywise, this shapeshifting entity feeds on pain and suffering, which is why it turned into a visage of Terry to frame him for murder. The titular outsider waits around in a town and feeds off the emotion it creates to devastating effect.
These emotional stakes also make each subsequent episode come about naturally and make fans desperate for more. Even in the slower moments where Holly investigates other victims of the outsider, the desperation and sadness of the characters make for gripping television. This all comes together in an explosive finale that wraps everything up — though not everyone is happy.
The Outsider’s Final Episode Was Horrifying
The Outsider doesn’t ever really stop, culminating in the 10th and final episode, “Must/Can’t.” The limited series proved that 10 really was the magic number as Holly and her ragtag group of heroes rush to stop the outsider before it kills again. This leads to a dramatic and tragic final shootout that takes the lives of almost everyone involved. That is the way of El Cuco. It creates emotional terror wherever it goes, and the relationships the series builds over its course make that all the more tragic.
Every episode is a must-watch, but the series finale brings it all to a satisfying if heartbreaking close. Virtually every character in the finale dies, save for Holly and Ralph. After episodes of the outsider controlling Jack Hoskins, he kills most of the team before killing himself. Holly’s lover, Andy, the Maitland lawyer, Howey, and even the brother of the entity’s new target are all shot and killed in Jack’s deadly shootout. These events ensure that fans tune in for every disturbing moment and that the story wraps up as a whole.
Ralph successfully kills the outsider and, in doing so, exonerates Terry posthumously. The huge body count just proves how much of a terror the outsider was and why it wasn’t killed before now. It took the efforts of so many people from different walks of life to put these clues together, and even then, El Cuco does not go down easily.
The finale is so satisfying, particularly because it is so hard-won. In a world where Stephen King content is largely criticized for its endings — so much so that it’s a joke in It: Chapter Two — The Outsider comes out on top. It uses the landscape of episodic television to tell the story that deserves to be told in an emotionally resonant and tragic series.
