The Outpost – We Only Kill to Survive

By: Patience Kapfer

After almost a year’s break, we finally have a new season of The Outpost to watch this summer! In the Season One finale Dred (Philip Brodie) was able to make his escape and join forces with Essa (Sonalii Castillo) who thought she successful destroyed The Book of Names. Meanwhile, Garret (Jake Stormoen) put together a team to search for Dred, but Talon (Jessica Green) was unable to go with him on account of needing to take care of Janzo (Anand Desai-Barochia) and his wounds. While taking care of Janzo, Talon unintentionally discovers that the Vex Rezicon is actually The Book of Names after accidentally dropping it in the fire. Perhaps most importantly, we find out that the young girl who had been working with Dred is actually the Dragman.

Season Two not only wastes no time picking up where we left off, but also starts off with a major bang. Garret and his team have managed to track down Dred to a rather dark, creepy, abandoned castle. It is of the utmost importance that the team keeps Dred from returning to the Prime Order or they will send forces to destroy the Outpost.  Dred is hiding inside the dark and very damp castle and nothing is going to stop Garret and company from finding him. One of Garret’s men seems a little scared to enter such a dark place and Garret allows him to stay at the entryway to keep watch. While traversing through the castle’s passages Dred and Essa sneak up on the team. Despite Garret’s demands to stick together, Dred is able to single him out from the group while Essa attacks all of Garrets men. Garret single-handedly fights Dred and manages to get him on his knees. As Garret prepares to kill Dred for Talon, he is unaware of Essa’s presence behind him. Right before he can finish Dred, Essa stabs a sword through Garret’s chest. Garret falls to the ground and the man he left as a guard makes his escape back to the Outpost.

At the Outpost Talon is still attempting to obtain more names from The Book of Names and the Dragman (Elizabeth Birkner). The Dragman continues to only provide Talon with one name, even after days. Talon wants to be able to summon all of the demons from the portal to this realm in order to defeat the Prime Order, but with only one name she cannot do that. Even though we know the Dragman can talk, she will not explain to Talon why she continues to give her the same name and not provide her with others. This particular name is the first one that the Dragman wants Talon to call, so Talon finally gives in and opens the portal, summoning the first demon into their world. When Talon opens the portal, a demon steps through, but not only a demon, following close behind is another individual (Lilli Hollunder). This individual has pointed ears like Talon’s kind and is eerily familiar to Talon.

In a flashback to Talon’s childhood we see her hunting with her human family. Young Talon (Bella Padden) informs her human father that her people said it was wrong to kill, but he tells her she doesn’t need to enjoy the kill, but they only kill to survive. Both the human father and son miss the animal, but Talon’s arrow brings down the large animal, and her human father assures her that they will use every part of the creature. After bringing the animal back to their home, Talon is sent to fetch water for the family. When Talon returns she finds that someone has attacked her human family and is waiting for her. This man has pointed ears and tells her that he knew her mother and wants her to live among her own people again. He wants Talon to pass her gift along to him, but she fights to free herself and kills him so that she can survive. The girl that followed the demon through the portal has the same tattoo near her eye as the man that attacked her human family. He was this girl from the portal’s brother and after finding out he is dead she instructs her demon to attack Talon.

Janzo is still happily in charge of his basement where he can brew beer, but also is now responsible for finding a cure for the plaguelings. While working he regales the plaguelings (even though it is clear they are not listening) with the tales from his journey with Talon – especially focusing on the part where Talon kissed him, even if she did say it was only to distract him from the pain. Since colipsum is an addiction and people will not stop taking it, it is imperative that he finds a cure for being a plagueling. Even though Gwynn banned colipsum, the Mistress (Robyn Malcolm) is farming colipsum of her own and smuggling it out past the wall.

Janzo finds Talon on the floor, with a cut above her eye and the Dragman missing. The blackblood from the portal must have tried to cut her gift out of her, but was unable to so instead she took the Dragman. Now, Talon and Janzo must go out in search of the blackblood to retrieve the Dragman, despite Janzo’s objections. He wonders how much they can really trust the Dragman if she went so willingly with the blackblood out of the Outpost.  They find the blackblood in the forest. It’s clear that she has been waiting for Talon to find her. The blackblood wants to free her people from the prison they were banished to, even though Talon insists the blackbloods were not banished to the other side of the portal. She wants Talon to summon more blackbloods from the portal, but Talon is not ready to agree they are not enemies. It is clear the Dragman isn’t there and will be safe while she is still valuable for a trade.

Gwynn (Imogen Waterhouse) and Marshal Withers (Andrew Howard) are still concerned with discovering the traitor who set Dred free in the first place. Little do they know that Gwynn’s own handmaiden, Naya (Medalion Rahimi), is the spy inside the Outpost. As Gwynn is giving some soldiers to take some time to rest and relax, the guard from Garret’s team wearily rides through the gates. Gwynn, Withers, Talon and all of the townspeople watch as Withers asks where the rest of the team is. To the dismay of the entire Outpost, he tells them that the whole team is dead.  It may have seemed that Withers never cared about Garret the way he did his other son, but it is more than obvious when he attacks the guard calling him a coward – something that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In an especially emotional moment, Gwynn and Withers express their sadness at Garret’s death. Withers plans to go retrieve his son’s body, but Gwynn wants him to remain at the Outpost as she needs him in this difficult time. As she accepts that he must go retrieve Garret, Gwynn gives Withers a hug and tells him to “bring him home.”

Talon wants to go with Withers to find Garret and Dred, but Withers tells her that her place is at the Outpost. She needs to figure out how to defeat Dred and the Prime Order once and for all. Marshal Withers heads out alone to find Garret, waving goodbye to the Mistress as he goes. While Gwynn plans what to do next with Naya, the blackblood tells the Dragman that she plans to take Talon’s gift from her so that it is with a pure blackblood. The Dragman asks what she will do if Talon won’t give it to her. The blackblood says, “She will give it to me. The only decision will be whether it happens the easy way or the painful way.”