The Outpost – Two Heads are Better than None

By: Patience Kapfer

After the intense conclusion of last week’s episode, in which Talon (Jessica Green) brutally killed Toru Magmoor (Richard Ashton) and was carried off by a mysterious stranger, we find out more about Talon’s black blood and the people of The Outpost. We pick up this week with Marshal Withers (Andrew Howard) examining Magmoor’s body and the residual blood from Talon in the ally. The sword used to kill Magmoor belonged to another man, which Withers brings to the ally to question. Withers notices the words written in blood by Magmoor’s body and asks the man what it means, but the man says he doesn’t know how to read, which rules him out from committing the murder. Withers tells the man that the black substance on the ground is merely oil from a broken lamp and releases him. However, once the man leaves Withers explains to his compatriot that the substance is actually blood, but he doesn’t know what type of creature produces a blood like that. He notices that whatever was stabbed was shanked at least twice and clearly the body is missing. Without knowing who killed a covenant agent, Withers says, “The watch doesn’t sleep until he knows who or what is responsible.”

The mystery of Talon’s body is soon solved when we see that the old man (Kevin McNally) from the bar the night before is the one who carried her away. When she wakes up in his living quarters, he tells her that she lost too much of her black blood, which causes her to use her instincts and attack the man. He tells her that her black blood is the reason he saved her and she can’t afford to lose any more blood and at that moment she passes out from loss of blood. When she wakes again, the man makes her a tea to drink to stop the bleeding and explains that he sewed up her wounds but she desperately needs to rest, especially because he’s a blacksmith and not a seamstress. The blacksmith then explains that he studied the Black Blood prophecy, which states that “when the moon is aflame the black blood summons slayers of men.” This is the reason Magmoor and people like him want Talon and other Black Bloods dead. With Magmoor dead, people will come looking for her, which makes him much more dangerous dead than alive. Before she leaves, the blacksmith gives her something that belonged to her people – words that she is instructed to study, but never say out loud.

Meanwhile, Gwynn (Imogen Waterhouse) meets secretively with Garret (Jake Stormoen) despite her father’s orders. She asks Garret if it’s true that Magmoor is dead and if he knows who could possibly have killed him. Garret says that he suspects it was Talon and Gwynn insists she owes Talon since she saved her life by killing Magmoor. Gwynn’s father, General Calkussar (Michael Flynn), asks Garret if he’s responsible for Magmoor’s death since Garret is the only one Calkussar knows could kill Magmoor. After denying the murder, Garret explains that new Greyskin camps have developed and they need new recruits that are loyal to The Outpost if they plan to defeat them and win the war. The General also explains to Garret that he knows he’s been seeing his daughter, but she isn’t meant for him.

After leaving the blacksmith’s, Talon has to find her way back to her room at the bar, despite all of the people that are looking for her. She finds a way to climb into the bar’s basement where all of Janzo’s brewing supplies are located. As she’s creeping through the basement she encounters none other than Janzo (Anand Desai-Barochia) who notices that she has a wound and insists she needs a medic. Instead, she convinces Janzo to take her up to her room. Janzo begrudgingly takes her to her room and explains that he’s an alchemist and can help her, especially since he already knows she’s a Black Blood. He promises he won’t tell a soul as all he wants to do is stitch her up since her stitches aren’t done very well. Janzo explains that he knows she’s the one who killed the covenant office, but he doesn’t like the killing saying, “Killing just leads to more killing.”

Talon is eventually able to sleep but awakens when she has a nightmare from the day her village was destroyed. In the nightmare her mother says the words that are on the paper the blacksmith gave her right before she’s shot with an arrow. When Talon jolts awake she grabs the paper and recites the words aloud causing a mystical portal to open inside her room. From the portal emerges a large creature that is reminiscent of a scorpion. The creature walks towards her bed until she shouts at it to go away and it bursts through the wall and into the night. When Talon wakes in the morning, the first thing she notices is a giant hole in the ceiling of her room and that she’s completely healed. After summoning the creature during the night, Talon goes to see the blacksmith about the words he gave her to study. When she explains that she said the words out loud, the blacksmith tells her that she summoned a demon and further explains the Black Blood prophecy. In the prophecy the Black Bloods are a bridge between the demon world and the human world. Talon is the only one who can banish the demon and she has to banish it back to the portal or it will soon start to kill. Talon doesn’t want anything to do with the blacksmith or his stories of Black Bloods so she tells him she plans to kill The Wolf and leave the Outpost. However, the blacksmith tells her that a long time ago he witnessed something that changed him and made him dedicate his life to studying the prophecy and waiting specifically for her.

When Talon returns to her room she is met by Withers and his men who discovered she was the one with the black blood after Janzo not so subtly tried to cover blood spots on the stairs while Withers was eating breakfast. Withers insists that Talon surrender and instructs his men to attack her, but she fights back overpowering many of Withers’ men. Talon is able to gain the upper hand and hold a knife to one of the men’s throats, instructing them to all put down their weapons. Unfortunately, Withers emerges with reinforcements and thanks her for proving she was the one to kill Magmoor. Talon throws her knife to the ground as they arrest her.

While the drama continues at The Outpost a new shipment of weapons and a green power substance arrive at one of the camps. One of the soldiers snorts some of the green substance in order to stay awake since he’s been getting such little sleep. The other soldiers explain to Garret that there have been new Plagueling infections, but it is imperative that they avoid another outbreak.

Once Garret returns from delivering supplies he is told that Withers has arrested Talon and goes to see her. Withers has Talon tied up and cuts her cheek to prove that her blood is black and plans to execute her at first light. When Garret arrives he insists that this isn’t how they do things at The Outpost and he doesn’t want another innocent person to die because Withers is wrong again. After threatening to pull rank, Garret is allowed a moment alone with Talon in which he asks why she killed Magmoor. She explains that Magmoor killed her family and her whole village, but someone like Garret who is part of the Prime Order wouldn’t care about that. He says that “things aren’t always as they appear” and they may still have time to save her life. However, as soon as Garret leaves Withers decides to proceed with the execution instead of waiting for first light. As the punishment for murder of a covenant agent is beheading, Withers has Talon placed in the guillotine. While Talon is being prepared for execution, Garret quickly tells Gwynn what’s happening but after Talon saved her life she cannot allow them to put her to death so Gwynn quickly rushes off. When Withers allows Talon to have her final words she admits that she regrets nothing.

At the last moment when Talon is about to be executed, Gwynn rushes in declaring that Talon is innocent and that she only killed Magmoor in self defense because he attacked Gwynn. Withers exclaims that the sentence is irrevocable as he pushes his assistant out of the way so that he can perform the execution himself. Just as the blade falls, Garret throws his sword and manages to stop it before it hits Talon’s neck. They take their discussion to Gwynn’s father, the General, who stands up for his daughter and says that Magmoor wanted to overtake the outpost and his death is best for all of them. Even so, Withers makes the case that they need to give Talon over to the Prime Order as they will be looking for her, but Gwynn insists since she made the bond that she won’t allow them to take Talon. Gwynn absolutely forbids her father from allowing the execution to continue and finally the General tells Withers to set Talon free.

The episode concludes with another terrifying realization. The man who had been snorting the green powder is found in a corner having difficulty breathing and coughing incessantly. When Garret asks if he’s alright the man tells him to leave him alone, but follows him out of the corner. As the man continues to wheeze, he suddenly lunges at Garret and knocks him to the ground and at the moment, when his mouth opens and his tongue emerges, we realize he’s become a Plagueling. Luckily for Garret, Talon shoots the man in the mouth before he is able to infect Garret, but unluckily it seems that green powder is tainted with the Plagueling infection.