‘Outer Range’ S2 Review: The Mystery Deepens

One of Amazon Prime Video’s highest-profile series, Outer Range, has returned for its second season, and it sadly does not surpass the first one. 

Outer Range is the story of a Wyoming rancher who encounters a mysterious hole on his property. After a bit of investigation, it’s revealed the gape has the ability to send things back and forth through time. It’s a concept that is really intriguing regardless of execution, and that’s evident throughout the course of the show, for better or for worse. 

The series picks back up straight after the first season and directly continues the story. I found this a little jarring considering that there is a tonal difference between the first and second seasons, with the latter coming off as more relaxed. 

More Questions Than Answers

After all, a lot of answers were given in the finale of the first season which did disperse a lot of the mystery. That being said, the second season manages to delve deeper into mystery, through means unconventional and unsatisfactory. 

The sophomore series’ mystery is not explained well. Often raising many more questions than answers due to how convoluted the storytelling is. Although it would likely make more sense over rewatches, that should not be the default mode for this narrative, which after all was well-written for its first season. 

They do attempt to explain some of the things they set up but the show takes on a style that’s almost paranormal in nature, coming off more as fantasy than as a sci-fi mystery. And that’s alright. It works for the concept but it is an interesting decision to switch tones in a sophomore season of a series that isn’t an anthology. 

The Characters of Outer Range S2

The quality in other areas, however, still largely holds up. Josh Brolin is as excellent as ever as Wyoming rancher Royal Abbott, providing a sturdy character base to explore that the target audience certainly can connect with. His supporting cast does seem to have slightly smaller roles and, in my opinion, is sorely missed. 

Tamara Podemski’s Joy Hawk has a larger role here and is a welcome new addition, although she comes across as one-dimensional and slightly boring in some of her scenes. Some of the events that occur surrounding her character do stall the pacing as well, further contributing to the messy story. 

Imogen Poots’ Autumn continues to be an uncompelling antagonist although she is slightly better with some of the decisions made towards her character. Her performance is good and she does what is asked of her but I do not care for her in the slightest while on screen. 

Although Outer Range’s freshman endeavour is leagues above its successor, there is still some enjoyment that can be gathered in the second season of the show. If you’re a fan of mysteries with a western twist and don’t mind being clueless, this one is for you. 

All seven episodes of Outer Range Season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video. The series stars Josh Brolin as Royal Abbott, Imogen Poots as Autumn, Lili Taylor as Cecilia Abbott, Tom Pelphrey as Perry Abbott, Lewis Pullman as Rhett Abbott, Olive Abercrombie as Amy Abbott and Tamara Podemski as Deputy Sheriff Joy Hawk. 

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