Swiss Army Man might just go down as one of 2016’s most ambitious, inventive, and surprisingly engrossing films. Powered by a simple yet surreal screen story and memorable performances from both Paul Dano (Love & Mercy) and Daniel Radcliffe (the “Harry Potter” films), it’s a film that never shies from the unorthodox in terms of what you get on screen.
Yet for all the weirdly wondrous action played out in the course of its 95 minutes, at the heart of Swiss Army Man are nothing less than the very basic questions of human existence. It’s thoughtful, heartfelt, and occasionally hilarious entertainment that needs to be seen in order to be truly appreciated.
What’s it about?
Marooned alone on a remote island in the Pacific, Hank Thompson (Dano) is just about ready to end it all by hanging himself when he spots something curious wash up on the beach. The body of a man (Radcliffe), dressed in a grey suit and tie, presents Hank with the sudden hope that at least his solitude might be at an end, at least until Hank realizes that it’s the body of a dead man.
Except the body isn’t quite as dead as it looks. Specifically, the body is very, very flatulent. In fact, the body has so much gas to expend that it can propel itself through the water.
Being a rather inventive fellow, Hank puts the body’s capacity for flatulence to amazing use in getting them both off the island, across the ocean, and back on dry land. As he begins traveling back to civilization, however, Hank discovers that flatulence is just one of his new companion’s abilities.
What else can it do? Well, perhaps most important to the film’s story is that it can talk, and it has a name: Manny.
Manny, as Hank discovers, has no memory of his life before he became a corpse. He knows nothing of what it means to be alive, to live among other people, to feel emotions or even to die, and the more time Manny spends with Hank, the more he wants to know.
And so the very unlikely pair of man and corpse begin very different but parallel journeys — one of them back to the world he never truly fit into (hence the running away that got him stranded on an island in the first place) and the other to a world and an existence he’s never known.
Innovative direction
Directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively and professionally known as “Daniels”, were awarded “Best Director or Directing” in a U.S. produced film at 2016’s Sundance Film Festival for Swiss Army Man, and its easy to see why. When the script calls for such things as using a flatulent corpse as a jet ski, a wood chopper, an outdoor showerhead (not what you think) or even as a mechanism to fire a makeshift grappling hook, a great deal of inventiveness is needed, and Daniels brings what’s needed and more.
Is there something disconcerting or off-putting about all that plot mileage off of bodily function? Arguably, yes, but in Swiss Army Man it never feels gratuitous or cheap. The farts and bodily function jokes aren’t just there to be funny in that middle-school, farts-are-always-funny sort of way — they’re there to provide almost MacGyver-type inspiration and problem-solving. To make all that work on screen at all, much less to give it the aura of magic realism that it exudes as the film unfolds, is nothing short of an extraordinary achievement on the part of the directors.
Existential questions, earnest emotion add heft
But for all that weirdness (and there’s no denying it’s weird, for all its artfulness), Swiss Army Man has at its core a story filled with heart, and aims to be truly introspective in its exploration of its characters and the nature of humanity itself. To keep audiences engaged in such such heady stuff while at the same time keeping it relatable, the film demands exemplary work from its leads, and that’s exactly what it gets.
Paul Dano has proven exceptional in the past decade, going back to roles in 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine, 2007’s There Will Be Blood, and much more recently 2013’s Prisoners and 2014’s Love & Mercy, when it comes to delivering tangible, relatable fragility in memorable characters. Whether the character happens to be inspired, fanatical, or simply awkward or damaged, the emotional fragility is always palpable and immediately arresting. Here, in Swiss Army Man, he’s at the top of his game, called upon in just about every frame of the film to convey that quality as well as the kind of on-screen charisma necessary for a leading man to carry a film.
Meanwhile, Radcliffe, who of all his one-time “Harry Potter” castmates has been the least shy about tackling unorthodox roles and acting challenges both on the stage and screen, certainly gives his all to playing Manny. In many ways, his is the more challenging role to play in terms of physicality and physical expression. There’s not a great deal of reference material out there for portraying a corpse coming to life in a way that’s not horrifying, so what Radcliffe accomplishes here just in terms of screen presence is memorable in and of itself.
Worth seeing?
All that said, Swiss Army Man may just be a little too out there for audiences who prefer to spend their time at the movies with films featuring more conventional storylines and structures. It’s also a film that by design doesn’t necessarily demand being seen on the big screen.
But if you look forward to films that fall outside of the norm, that dare to tell unusual stories in visually innovative ways, and you’re fortunate enough to live in a area where the film will be released, then you should see Swiss Army Man at the earliest opportunity.
Swiss Army Man
Starring Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rated R for language and sexual material.
On this episode of the Telly Buddies Podcast, we talk all about the latest season of Game of Thrones. Has Cersei crossed the line to become The Mad Queen? Will Jon’s secret challenge his new role at Winterfell? Does Dorne finally matter in the world? How many people pies can Arya bake in secret?
FAIR WORD OF WARNING: The Telly Buddies Podcast often contains spoilers, as this is an up-to-date podcast talking about new developments. This episode contains TONS of Game of Thrones spoilers. Literally, tons. Print out the transcript and weigh it. The math checks out.
Telly Buddies podcast is hosted by Jon Barr, an avid TV fan and writer on Monkeys Fighting Robots (if you didn’t guess). Guests this week are Bryn Gelbart and Simon Johnston. Artwork created by Scott Ginsberg, and intro/outro music is “Nevermind the Books,” as performed by Mourning Todds.
Do you have any topics you’d like to hear about? Send any television-related questions to tellybuddiespodcast@gmail.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @TellyBuddies, subscribe to our SoundCloud feed, and subscribe/rate/review on iTunes!
The stage is set (for now) for WWE Battleground on July 24 when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose defends his title in a triple threat match against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
With Reigns out of the picture, Ambrose and Rollins won’t have any problem setting the stage for the main event in July.
As for Roman Reigns, it’s a chance to turn a negative into a positive (no pun intended).
For as long as Reigns has been a singles competitor, WWE has tried to make him the next top babyface and to this day it’s yielded mixed results, where depending on his opponent, Reigns has actually garnered more boos than cheers.
Those boos are likely to get even louder when he returns from his suspension.
I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.
Why not give the WWE Universe a reason to boo him?
Reigns isn’t likely to get the title back anytime soon but his quest to regain the title will continue. Whether it’s at the conclusion of Battleground or sometime during Raw the night after, Reigns should attack and decimate Dean Ambrose. Reigns has an opportunity to embrace the hate and use it to fuel a run as a legit heel.
And as backwards as it sounds, a run as a heel is just what Reigns needs to get the WWE Universe back in his corner, something that hasn’t happened since his days with The Shield.
WWE has tried everything to get the fans on his side but Reigns has been met with resistance each time out.
That won’t change when Reigns returns at Battleground.
And there isn’t a narrative beyond Battleground that will get the majority of fans to change their stance on Reigns.
With Seth Rollins and AJ Styles still getting cheered despite being heels, Roman Reigns can be the superstar WWE can lean on to generate the type of reaction it wants from a heel.
Roman Reigns can still be “The Guy” when he returns from suspension.
He would also be “The Heel” and a very good one at that.
The Season Two finale of Outlander is only days away, ye ken? Viewers are preparing for the vicious Battle of Culloden prophesied by Claire as the figurative end of Highland culture. Last Saturday’s episode of Outlander, “Hail Mary,” featured the inevitable return of the complicated villain Black Jack Randall. “Hail Mary” also cleared up a question viewers may have had about Claire’s 20th-century husband Frank‘s lineage. And, viewers said goodbye to two recurring characters in this episode, one who’s been around since Season One and one who appeared in Season Two.
“Hail Mary” – My Recap
Claire, Jamie, and their entourage of weary Scotsmen arrive in Inverness, and after Charles Stuart arrives the Scottish chiefs have a war council. Jamie’s plan, he assures Claire, is to discourage Stuart from fighting at Culloden, and he makes his case to Stuart. The Jacobite Quartermaster Sir John O’Sullivan says that Culloden is the perfect place to fight. Jamie and Lt. Gen. Lord George Murray, though, disagree. They think that a fight at Culloden will benefit the English’s cavalry and firepower since Culloden is a flat and open area.
But, because Stuart is a pretentious ass trying to impress his dad’s old buddies, he sides with O’Sullivan. Stuart describes himself as a soldier and says he wearies of retreat. He once again entreats his war chiefs to mark him: they do God’s work and God will provide for them (just the level-headed rhetoric you’d hope to hear from a man you’re going to follow into battle).
Meanwhile, Claire heads over to the apothecary shop to get some supplies. There she meets her old friend, Mary Hawkins. Living as a fugitive from justice seems to have helped Mary gain some autonomy and self-confidence. That said, things don’t appear to be going too well for Frank’s grandmother. Mary is at the apothecary shop purchasing a variety of things, among them her second bottle of laudanum this week.
Mary rightly guesses that Claire is in town with the Jacobites and reports that she is in Inverness with Alex Randall. Mary reports that Alex secured a position as an overseer’s assistant in town and that she and Alex are engaged. Claire congratulates the young bride-to-be but Mary accuses Claire of having tried to convince Alex to leave her. Claire apologizes and explains that her position was complicated (as in you’re supposed to marry his brother or my future husband won’t exist complicated). When asked about Alex’s health, Mary assures Claire he is fine. But, Mary eventually accepts Claire’s offer of assistance and tells her the boarding-house they’re staying in.
Claire’s visit to Alex and Mary’s room proves an interesting one. It becomes apparent to her that Mary was lying: Alex’s health is very poor and getting worse. Claire does what she can: she tells Mary to stop giving him arsenic tea and begins working on a poultice. Then we hear a surprised Alex say a name we were all waiting to hear, “Johnny!” Claire turns around and sees her husband’s tormentor Black Jack Randall in the doorway.
Claire and Randall stare at each other for a couple of moments until Alex breaks the tension, saying he didn’t expect to see his brother again so soon. Claire makes a break for the door but Mary stops her. Mary explains how generous Black Jack has been: Alex has been unable to work for weeks and his brother has been paying the bills. Mary asks Claire when Alex will be healthy enough to work again. Claire, a bit dumbfounded, replies that Alex will not be returning to work ever since there is no cure for his illness. Mary is distraught. She symbolically grabs her tiny belly and says he must be cured (cue very mixed emotions in Claire).
Claire manages her escape when Mary returns to Alex’s sickbed. Black Jack catches up with Claire in the street and, after violently grabbing her by the arm, asks for her help to cure Alex. Telling Jack what she told Mary, she says she cannot cure the young man. He then asks Claire to ease his brother’s suffering but she refuses to help unless Black Jack provides information on the whereabouts of the English army. Black Jack remarks that he’s impressed that Claire would barter for information over a young man’s suffering. Claire replies that she has changed.
Back at the Jacobite encampment, Jamie is raving about Black Jack’s unwanted return to their lives. That said, he’s happy to get Black Jack’s information: Cumberland’s army is nearby and his army will be throwing a birthday celebration for him shortly, during which they may be taken by surprise. Jamie is a bit skeptical but very hopeful: he will investigate the truth of the claim shortly. Claire also says that she intends to keep her word and help Alex but agrees to take Murtagh along in case Black Jack gives into his darker side.
A surprise guest shows up at camp that night. Colum MacKenzie arrives but his business isn’t to join the Jacobite rebellion. He asks for a bed and to see Jamie and Dougal. Dougal, currently following up on Black Jack’s information isn’t available but Jamie and Claire find “the MacKenzie” in his room. Claire gives Colum an examination but Colum tells her there’s no use in continuing to poke at him: he knows he’s dying. When Jamie explains why Dougal isn’t there, Colum compliments Jamie on his shrewd leadership in giving Dougal just enough responsibility to keep him happy, but not enough to cause a problem.
After asking Jamie to leave them, Colum asks Claire for something to end his life. And, after some discussion, Claire provides Colum with a potion that she instructs him to take when he’s ready, saying that death will be like falling asleep. Colum then tells Claire that her friend Geillis Duncan‘s child is alive, having been born before Geillis was burnt at the stake. The child is safe and living with William and Sarah MacKenzie, a formerly childless couple.
Claire seeks to lessen Alex’s suffering back at the Inverness boarding-house. Things aren’t looking good. Black Jack doesn’t make the best nursemaid and this is made obvious when he nearly refuses to allow Claire to treat his brother’s cough. A somewhat refreshed Alex starts making his case: he wants Black Jack and Mary to marry. Jack, his brother tells him, can provide a position in society for Mary better than anything Alex could ever provided. But, Black Jack coldly refuses his brother’s heartfelt plea and leaves.
Dougal tells Jamie, back at the Jacobite camp, that Black Jack’s information is good. Cumberland’s army is indeed camped nearby and, based on the food and drink they’re purchasing, it seems they plan on throwing a party soon. Jamie tells Dougal that his hunger will have to wait, Colum has called them to a meeting.
The meeting is a tense one. Colum tells Dougal that he has chosen his own son Hamish as successor to be Chief of the MacKenzie clan. Dougal asks Colum who will advise the boy and guide him into adulthood. Here’s the big blow, Colum chooses Jamie rather than Dougal even though Dougal is the boy’s biological father. Colum explains that the key difference between Jamie and Dougal, though they’re both Jacobites, is that Jamie wouldn’t sacrifice his men to a lost cause where Dougal may.
Outside the boarding-house, we see Claire and Murtagh Frank-ly discussing Mary Hawkins’s future. Murtagh is offended that Claire is parceling Mary off to Black Jack in an effort to ensure the continued existence of a “mythical prick”. Claire assures Murtagh that Frank is neither mythical nor a prick (Yay, Frank!). Claire also explains that above all else Mary needs a husband. Murtagh manfully steps up and says that he will take Mary as his wife then. She may not be the kind of woman he pictured sharing a life with but he wants to help.
Claire reminds Murtagh that, as a soldier, he may be dead in a couple of days and unable to provide much stability to young Mary. And, though Randall is also a soldier, at least Black Jack’s pension could provide for Mary if Randall dies. Murtagh as a Scottish rebel has no such pension. Eventually Murtagh concedes. He waits outside a tavern while Claire tries to talk some sense into Outlander’s de facto villain.
Black Jack has drunk himself into quite a state: hair mussed he makes his argument to Claire. He asks her to tell Alex that he will care for Mary as her brother-in-law, but not as her husband. Claire reminds Randall of his imminent death (she whispered it to him earlier in the season), only days away. She suggests that Mary would be taken care of as Black Jack’s widow but not as the sister-in-law of a dead Captain. Claire asks Black Jack if he ever hurt his brother. He replies that he hasn’t.
Randall takes another tack, asking Claire if Jamie ever told her what Black Jack did to him. Claire replies nervously that he did, and Randall asks if she’s comfortable sending Mary to bed with a man who reveled in her husband’s pain and fear. Claire replies that she trusts that the love Randall has for his brother will overcome his baser instincts. So, back they go to the boarding-house for the worst wedding ever. Black Jack and Mary join in marital ennui while Murtagh and Claire look on as witnesses.
MacKenzie clan matters dealt with, Jamie brings the news of the English encampment to Charles Stuart. Jamie explains that a surprise pincer attack could negate the need for a battle at Culloden. Jamie outlines a plan to surprise the English during Cumberland’s birthday party, himself at one side of the pincer and Lord Murray at the other. Stuart and Sir John both agree to the plan with one exception. The Quartermaster demands that one side of the pincer be led by Jamie and Murray, the other by him and Stuart. There being no use to argue with a Pretender to the throne, Jamie agrees to the Quartermaster’s change of plans.
Later that night, Dougal, drunk as usual, returns to his brother’s chamber. Dougal, feeling maudlin, sets upon his ailing brother. Dougal subjects Colum to a well-planned diatribe in which he blames his brother’s boyhood injury and subsequent weakness for Dougal’s own fear of weakness. But, when Dougal gets no response to his unfounded abuse he finds that Colum has died, an empty poison bottle in his hand. And, continuing to make everything about himself, Dougal accuses his dead brother of again leaving him alone in the dark.
With Colum dead, we return again to Mary Hawkins and Alex Randall’s boarding-house room to watch another death. Alex, Mary, and Claire hover around the bed awaiting the inevitable. Alex looks around, Mary steps closer, his eyes rest upon hers, and he expires. Choked sobs, silence. But then, Black Jack leaps upon his freshly deceased brother and starts pummeling him. Claire looks on in horror while shielding Mary from her deranged groom. But, after getting his bizarre beating in, Black Jack climbs off the corpse, composes himself, and walks out of the room.
Jamie is surprised that Claire supported Mary’s marrying Randall but Claire reminds him that Black Jack will die at the Battle of Culloden so Mary will be fine. Jamie responds that if the attack they’ve planned for tonight goes well, there won’t be a Battle of Culloden. Claire says that if Black Jack avoids his historical death, she will keep the promise she made to Jamie in France: she’ll help Jamie bleed him. Like Jamie says, don’t get on her bad side.
Jamie and Lord Murray, in the forest with their men, await the arrival of Sir John and Charles Stuart. It is the night of Cumberland’s birthday party. The Scots are primed to attack but Stuart and Sir John’s forces are nowhere to be found. They see a couple of riders approaching. One of the riders is Murtagh who tells Jamie and Lord Murray that the bonny prince has turned back. Stuart’s forces got lost in the forest. Jamie still wants to attack the English, knowing that fighting tomorrow at Culloden will mean their deaths. Lord Murray, though, says an attack without the other troops is out of the question. He signals his men to retreat to Inverness. As Murtagh points out to Jamie, the prince and Sir John will have their battle tomorrow at Culloden Moor … (dun-dun-duh!)
“Hail Mary” – My Critique
On Season Two
Although I’ve enjoyed the journey for the most part, Season Two of Outlander has been a bit strange to watch, “Hail Mary” included. The Battle of Culloden is a dramatic event that the show has stressed the importance of. So, it makes sense that Season Two would end with the historic battle that’s been a focus of Outlander’s narrative so far. If this is the case, why start Season Two with Claire’s return to her own time to find that the outcome of the Battle of Culloden remained the same?
This season’s presentation as a kind of months-spanning flashback of Claire’s has made it feel plodding at times. “Hail Mary,” like a couple of previous episodes in Season Two, has a kind of stop-gap feel. We know Claire will return to a relatively unchanged Frank so why worry about Mary Hawkins? We know the English will defeat the Scots at Culloden so why worry about the surprise attack during Cumberland’s birthday party?
I suppose that a good response to these questions would be that there’s still a lot of room for great acting and complicated tension between characters once something’s ending has been spoiled. We generally know that the villains will fail (spoiler!), but if a story is good enough and if that story’s told well, the knowledge of that outcome can improve the experience of interacting with the story. Season 2 of Outlander seems to have tried this tack but failed. I’ve felt impatient more than anything else.
On “Hail Mary”
Aside from having a stop-gap quality, “Hail Mary” is a good episode. “Hail Mary” gave Graham McTavish as Dougal and Tobias Menzies as Black Jack Randall chances to shine. It was also good to see Gary Lewis cap off his portrayal of Colum MacKenzie. “Hail Mary” was chock full of dramatic tension. Black Jack and Claire’s interaction at the tavern reminded viewers who the bad guy is. Randall’s choice to assault his brother’s corpse reminded viewers that Black Jack’s not evil, he’s perverse.
On top of the good acting, “Hail Mary” was a well-conceived episode. The parallels between Dougal’s and Randall’s stories was a good touch. Dougal and Randall have lived similar lives, each resenting his brother’s weakness. The different but similar paths they’ve taken and each man’s vastly disparate reaction to his brother’s death provided insight into both characters’ motivations. Aside from character development, though, thematic parallels like the ones in “Hail Mary” improve episodes by giving them episodic appeal. When episodes are without themes, like brotherhood or revenge, they fade into a season’s background. “Hail Mary,” stop-gap though it may be, is under no threat of fading.
We got a reported Suicide Squad runtime a few days back, which was eventually denied by the film’s director, David Ayer, on his Twitter.
Now, according to a Collider report, Suicide Squad clocks in at 130 minutes with credits. If this turns out to be true, it is the shortest of the three DC Extended Universe films, after Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel.
After the financial underperformance and bad critical response to Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad has a lot of pressure to not only get good fan and critical response, but also make a profit at the box office.
It feels good to be bad…Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
As the DC Cinematic Universe takes shape, it seems there is room for several characters to grow. Suicide Squad is set to be released this August. Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie is reprising her role in a female-centric film, which she will also produce. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice alluded to Jason Todd, the second Robin and future Red Hood. Still, the rest of the Bat-family has yet to make their way onto the silver screen.
An Interesting Concept
Nicolas Winding Refn says he would like to direct a comic book movie. In an interview with Business Insider, the Neon Demon filmmaker is asked which character he is interested in adapting, and the answer is quite surprising. “You know the one I want to do? I want to make Batgirl,” he says. “Let’s get Warner working on it.”
The Danish-born director is clearly a fan of the comic book movie genre. However, he remains doubtful whether he’d get the chance. “God, I would love to make one, it would probably be great fun,” Refn explains. “I just don’t know when it’s going to happen.”
Could Nicolas Winding Refn bring something to the comic book movie genre?
TRADEMARKS
As a director, Refn is known for his character-driven films and visual aesthetics. He makes extensive use of electronic, pop and rock music to set the mood of his stories. Refn can get great performances out of actors, such as Tom Hardy in Bronson and Ryan Gosling in Drive. He is no stranger to action movies- see the Pusher trilogy. His directoral style might be a challenge for Warner Brothers, given the subject matter of his films is mostly R-rated.
Nevertheless, Refn remains optimistic about working on a comic book movie. He added: “I very much enjoy my freedom creatively, but I also would love to make one of those big Hollywood films that costs a lot of money and has a lot of people running around with cell phones and all that insanity.”
One of the big mysteries in the post-Secret Wars Marvel universe is the whereabouts of Odinson, née Thor. He’s remained mostly absent, save for one panel in The Mighty Thor where he was seen captured by unknown assailants.
But now the Thunderer has resurfaced alongside Miles Morales in the latest promo for Marvel NOW! – the company’s upcoming branding initiative. Though fans may find him hard to recognize…
This is a very different style for the Norse God of Thunder – what’re your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
San Diego Comic Con is nearing, and Funko has been periodically releasing their lineup of SDCC exclusive goodies. Starting with wave 1 of merchandise a few weeks back, the company has been showing off all the products that will only be available for purchase at this year’s Con in different waves, with this new Batman figurine being included in wave 7.
In a Periscope livestream done by the official Funko account, a glimpse of the Suicide Squad Batman Pop! figure was shown. This “underwater Batman” was seen in the most recent Suicide Squad Blitz trailer, and is sure to be a high-priced collectible for fans of Pop! figures and DC fans alike.
If you’re going to Comic-Con, are you planning on buying this exclusive Pop! figure? Let us know in the comment section down below.
About Suicide Squad : It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
Netflix updated its social media icons on Facebook and Twitter last week. The change is to establish an identity on mobile as more and more viewers use their smartphones and tablets.
“We are introducing a new element into our branding with an N icon. The current Netflix logo will still remain, and the icon will start to be incorporated into our mobile apps along with other product integrations in the near future,” Netflix Statement to TNW.
What do you think of the new logo?
Netflix established in 1997, is an Internet television network with more than 81 million members in over 190 countries.
What little step back ‘Outcast’ took with episode three, ‘A Wrath Unseen’ takes a giant leap forward to progress the series.
The intrigue in Rome intensifies as Anderson discovers shocking information about someone close to him. Megan conceals a secret. – ‘Outcast’ A Wrath Unseen
The cat and mouse game between the demons and Reverend Anderson blindsides the man of the church. This episode provides back story on Megan and Kyle’s relationship and also establishes how messed up the town of Rome is. Chief Giles reminds us that animals have a better sense of who the demons are then the humans. Mark Holter did what any man would do to protect his family but at what cost.
Grace Zabriskie had the performance of the week as Mildred. She pulled all the right strings to pit the Reverend against his faith. Wrenn Schmidt also shined this episode as all the terrible memories of the past resurfaced in Donnie Hamel. Megan is forced in several directions as she tries to protect her family and Kyle.
Brent Spiner introduces his character Sidney to the Reverend and Kyle. To say this has been a slow burn to the evolution of Sidney would be a massive understatement. To keep the audience interested there needs to be more of a reveal of Sidney’s intentions.
Reg E. Cathey brings a charisma to Chief Giles, and the development of the unsolved case in the woods has progressed well. The back and forth between Giles and Ogden is interesting and gets your mind thinking about the mystery and who or what is involved. Charmin Lee, Rose Giles knows how to state the obvious about Rome, Georgia.
Director Julius Ramsay does an excellent job setting up the episode and then tying it all together in the final scene. ‘A Wrath Unseen’ had a Twilight Zone feel that builds a tremendous amount of angst leading into episode five.
Now that ‘Game of Thrones’ has ended, ‘Outcast’ could be the top show to watch this summer.
