'NOTHING LASTS FOREVER': THE OUTPOST, SEASON FINALE REVIEW

No. Nothing is forever, and The Outpost is no exception either. On Thursday the last episode of Talon's story was finally broadcast, between nerves, excitement and a certain sadness at having to say goodbye to these friendly characters who have been accompanying us for four years. No one was prepared to say goodbye, not even the actors, some of whom struggled to find a gap in their schedules to stay with the fans during the live tweeting that took place in parallel to the season finale.

The Outpost ended the Blackblood saga with an action-packed episode, much like the series, in which Talon, Garret and Zed went head-to-head with the Masters, putting them in a tight spot on more than one occasion. Golu gave us the odd scare when he began to manipulate the bodies of Garret and Zed as if they were mere dolls, and Luna came into action to suddenly help Talon and counterattack them with arrows. Beyond that, the rest of the episode seemed more predictable, with the victory of our friends and the coronation ceremony of Talon as the new queen of Gallwood, in which her union with Captain Spears was also celebrated.

The action permeated this latest episode was in stark contrast to the drama and pain the characters had experienced in previous episodes. If Season 4 of The Outpost has stood out or differentiated itself in anything from the previous ones, it's precisely because of the dark aura has colored the succession to the Gallwood throne, between the political conspiracies of The Three, the macabre resurrection of Tobin and the invasion of the Masters with their kinjs that seemed to prophesy the apocalypse. The season began with political ups and downs that later have given way to a more supernatural plot with several significant deaths that have allowed to address a more intimate and sentimental plane of the characters, who saw how their loved ones were murdered in cold blood by a race not of this world. That psychological dimension has not been perceived as intensely in Nothing Lasts Forever as in previous episodes, but it'a been slightly present.

Instead of choosing for a more realistic, pessimistic and bittersweet closure, in tune with the prevailing fashion in the TV series of this decade, scriptwriters have dared with a much more traditional and customary conclusion, heir to the nineties fictions, I mean, a happy ending. An entertaining and popcorn closing in its first half sweetened with a wedding between the protagonists as a final culmination. Yes, perhaps a little sweeter than you might expect, as most of us had our eyes fixed on Zed and his dubious future, given that the main ships were already fully defined and there were not two "black sheeps" in the herd.

Some more difficulty has also been missed when defeating the Masters, as the process was simpler than expected, and a fierce duel between Garret Spears and Tobin's murderer, especially for the symbolism the actor Jake Stormoen had impressed this dynamic between both characters in episode 411, which he himself was directing. The most tragic moment undoubtedly occurred when Talon had to deal the mortal blow to his great-great-grandfather Aster to obtain his kinj, given that there was no other alternative, and that this meant ending the life of the last member of his family, the direct ancestor of her parents and her people.

It's an ending more similar to that of a fairy tale and princesses stories, although no less deserving of praise, because if something has done well The Outpost has been not to leave fans with a bad taste in the mouth, something that rarely happens in series which are more commercial or expensive to produce, those which focus on surprising the viewers, sometimes even getting fed up, because they forget that what interests them are the stories of the characters and their evolution.

Surprise and fascinate is fine, but you still have to know when to back off. If you indiscriminately kill the characters with whom the public has empathized, you will lose that audience forever, and in that issue The Outpost can give many lessons to some of its juvenile television cousins, such as The 100, The Magicians or Teen Wolf - We'll see what happens to Motherland Fort Salem next year. Even the great hits, like Vikings or Game of Thrones, and their fanbase, would envy The Outpost. Unlike many of them, The Outpost has not tortured its audience with premature, absurd or unnecessary deaths, since all its fallen characters left with dignity, giving meaning and enriching the development of those who have survived until the last day on screen.

We must add to this that here they have even noticed the kind of ending that the series was asking for. It would have been inappropriate if Talon and Garret had not kissed, or if one of them had died on the way, because they have been the central couple of the series, the "head and the heart", from the beginning. Sometimes it's convenient to reduce bitterness so as not to spoil the trip, a pending issue that Game of Thrones, for example, suspended with the worst possible mark, since the end of a series should serve to culminate and honor the journey of the protagonists. And let's not mention The 100, which uselessly claimed the life of the second character of the main cast, almost as a revenge against the actor who played him just for having requested less screentime, or Teen Wolf, who ruined the natural closure of the series lengthening it to offer a conclusion that seemed more like another insipid chapter. The Outpost has offered an ending at the height of the series, a less surprising ending or with less plottwist than usual, something sweetened, but without going off the script or staying at half throttle. Just, ideal and necessary. It's a good idea to go for more traditional endings than to risk one that completely ruins the series experience, and that's the path The Outpost has walked on. Its epic conclusion breaks the mold with respect to what commercial tradition dictates in the series market.

The Outpost has given enough to satisfy the fans while also knowing how to close and put together the puzzle of plots spread throughout its four seasons, and without the typical inconsistencies of a series which has run out ideas. The Gallwood universe still had matter to extend at least one or two more seasons taking advantage of some other detail that was left in the pipeline, such as grayskins. However, and as we already know, the grayskins lived in a reddish rock environment located in Utah that was impossible to transfer to Serbia, which caused them to be dispensed with in the long run, not only because of this but also because of the criticism the CGI technique used to recreate them, and for the heavy costumes.

One can always stop to fantasize about how a hypothetical Season 5 would have continued, and it's true  there would still be hot topics, but the question, at this point, would be whether, after seeing the lavish outcome -that image so diaphanous, memorable, and worthy to be framed as an oil picture- which boasts of incorporating the only flashback sequence in the series, an even better one could be proposed. And I think the answer would be no. The Outpost ended in a good time and thankfully it won't end up on the lists of the worst ending TV shows ever. It's a fiction that has not been characterized by a massive fanbase, although it's international, which in turn has resulted in a closer contact between actors and fans, an experience that I wish I could have enjoyed with other TV series.

If I think that we are facing the most appropriate ending for the epic of Talon, it is because, although she belongs to the blackblood race, by cutting her ears as a child, that transformed her into a kind of mixed breed, the perfect character to rule a fragmented and lawless world in which only a few scattered powers are glimpsed. Also, obviously, because she is the heroine of The Outpost, and her journey, in narrative terms, has always progressed from less to more. It's the narrative line imposed by the fantastic genre both in literature and on TV, from which it's difficult to unmark, although with nuances, since most of the time the story has been developed in Gallwood's outpost.

It's not a journey in the strictest and most literal sense, but an inner journey, of discovery, in which Talon has finally found out who she really is and what her destiny is. The same could be said considering the evolution of the rest of the characters: Garret was the knight of noble ideals, always devoted to the cause, but eager to take revenge on the Prime Order for the damage they had done to his family; and Janzo, the foolish brewer and adopted son of the Nightshade Tavern's Misstress Eleanor, whom no one took seriously. Talon defied Garret's mind and tested his vows as a loyal knight over and over, and thanks to her, Janzo stopped being the timid and shy guy in the neighborhood, unleashing his passion for science and medicine. Not only Talon, but also her friends, have taken an intimate journey in which they have discovered who they wanted to be.

Friendship has been a recurring sub-theme in the series, but not the most important. Unlike in other fictions, there hasn't been a single theme working as a common thread, but several that have been intertwined in a context of adventure, magic and discovery, such as plagues, survival, family and politics. Probably, and underlying all of them, we could point out the tolerance and racial difference, with the human-blackbloods conflict involved, a struggle that, unfortunately, I don't think has been well reflected in the series, because the consequences of that war and that exile were already the cover letter for the pilot episode. Talon's origins may be well explained, and the prophecy ("dragman is coming ...") linked to the Vex Rezicon has been resolved and completed with the addition of Luna's character, but one feels that there is a whole story behind we've still not heard about. We understood why the kingdom of Gallwood seems like a winter wasteland, anarchic and almost uninhabited, full of wizards, thugs who worship colored substances that grant supernatural powers or who worship terrifying demons, and of ancient books written in an immemorial language that almost no one can decrypt: the yindrium. We'd have liked to know how the Prime Order managed to prevail over other powers and how the reigning dynasty to which Gwynn belonged fell, which is just one of the many invisible brushstrokes on this canvas that could be the subject of a spin-off.

The series has found a perfect balance, without artifice, between pure fanservice and the commemoration of important characters who didn't survive to tell, and the dated proof of this is Talon's Gwynn protrait, which it's being drawn by her hands right before being crowned by Zed. Queen Rosemund's legacy is manifested through her best friend; It seems  there's a symbolism between the very beginning of S4 and its end, since the most solid season of The Outpost began with Falista and Tobin walking up in the royal room stairs, and ends with Talon and Garret on the throne.

There's clearly an air of maturity in the series, parallel to the growth of the characters. Throughout S4 we have been able to see how Garret's hair grew, giving him an air of wisdom, maturity and responsibility that reflects the obstacles he has had to overcome to prove to himself that he deserved Tobin's realm. Garret kept his word and we have witnessed his redemption as a knight. He, Janzo and Munt are probably the most unrecognizable characters at the end of this stage, the ones who have grown and changed the most. At first neither of the two brothers knew how to take care of themselves, but little by little they have become independent and have formed their own family.

The Outpost has been a great fantasy, action and adventere series and, like its protagonist, the only survivor of a genre almost forgotten, but that will leave an important legacy for those who come behind. It's been a completely undervalued fiction and very unfairly criticized, but it's not what it seemed to be. Unlike its older cousin, Game of Thrones, The Outpost is not based on any famous novel, something that hardly happens nowadays, in a cinephile market where originality is conspicuous by its absence and in which scriptwriters solve any plot easily by turning to the pages of some recognized best-sellers. That's probably what hurt The Outpost the most: being born into the GoT empire. But not every epic fantasy is GoT, nor does it have to look like it. The fantasy and the science fiction genres are two of those that must be revisited and vindicated, and for which I predict better times after the defeat of the pandemic. Let's not focus just on it's limited budget and resources; Let's stay with its best, with its current message, with James Schafer's emotional soundtrack, with its charismatic characters and their storylines.

WARFIRE, HOPE SPARKS: REVIEW FROM THE OUTPOST, EP. 412

In this penultimate episode of the Blackblood saga, Talon, Luna and their companions must forge a new alliance with Aster the Betrayer to put an end to the misdeeds of the Masters, something didn't fit their plans at all.They continue to twist, because too complicated is walking two steps ahead of the devil. In the midst of this fragile, uncertain climate, too many questions arise about who Aster really is and what he wants.

The episode in question focuses mainly on him, his purposes and his relationship with Talon and the rest of those who remain in the Gallwood outpost. Both adventurers take advantage of the endless kilometers of forest that separate them from the fortification to get to know him more thoroughly and to understand his plans, not always so explicit, a journey in which Talon fills in one more page of the history book of her ancestors, as Aster is nothing but her great-great-grandfather and father of all blackbloods, who are genetically human with some physical characteristics typical of the Masters race, something that fascinates and astonishes the warrior herself, who doesn't quite believe it.

Throughout her life she has carried the knowledge of Aster and his descendants through her kinj. It's as if she suddenly realized that she was never alone, because all her experiences, feelings and experiences remain alive in Aster. The walk in the company of his ancestor is a journey and a dialogue with her inner voice, with her own conscience, a conscience that, by the way, Talon doesn't know at all, because if that were the case, she would think better  before doing, and Talon is not a particularly thoughtful or meditative blackblood. She has always been an introvert. You have to understand her. It's difficult to trust someone you don't know, no matter how well are his intentions, and it's not easy to accept that throughout your life you have been sharing even the most intimate with another mind embedded in your brain, spying on you even when you slept.

This episode is beautiful and wonderful in itself, not only because of its photography, but also because it reveals many enigmas that help to fill in gaps and tie up loose ends, something that happens in a careful atmosphere infused with subtlety. The Masters are not gods, as we have known for some time, but they wandered from universe to universe in search of immortality, which they achieved by sucking the life out of other living beings. This fact would open numerous continuation doors to The Outpost, either in the form of new seasons or spin-offs. The Plane of Ashes was once probably a virgin planet teeming with life. At this point it's incredible to think about how the writers have created a medieval fantasy world so porous that at times it gracefully immerses itself in science fiction, riding between genres, and how all the pieces of the puzzle begin to magically fit together to lead us to the season finale.

We cannot forget the magnificent view of the first blackblood city, reminiscent of The Capital in its architecture. Although ephemeral and unknown, the intervention of this element allows Talon to reconcile with the legacy of her ancestors, discover and accept who she is and, ultimately, make her peace with Garret, something that was predestined to happen and without what the series should never close their respective narrative arcs. Maybe that first blackblood town will become the new home for the Gallwood refugees after the war to come, because I refuse to believe it was a serendipitous device expressly designed to get Talon to start trusting Aster.

Talon had many doubts about the advisability of being with Garret given that her species was on the verge of extinction and that the resulting baby of Janzo and Wren would be a half-breed. Now, there are no more races. They are all one, and the series seems to want to teach us a lesson because, as Luna affirms, it was the struggle between blackbloods and humans that almost led them to disappear. That explains why the universe of The Outpost seems so apocalyptic and devastated, why there's a kind of conglomerate of lawless kingdoms: humans are a threat to themselves and it's necessary to end tribalism to face a threat doesn't distinguish between ethnicities. Once Aster reveals that both blackbloods and humans share genetics and traditions, Talon is ready to say 'yes, I want' to Spears, causing a cascade of romantic reunions, hugs and greetings throughout the episode.

The hug was necessary from the narrative point of view, but it happens precisely in the penultimate chapter and that makes it a bit artificial. Of course, as it happens with practically all the TV series, the ships end up forcing and precipitating as the final conclusion approaches when what they need is to cook over low heat, especially in case of a previous rupture between the bride and groom. The gate marshall, for his part, accepts Talon's forgiveness better than her great-great-grandfather, from whom he doesn't seem willing to accept the pre-marriage blessing. He has plenty of reasons, for in a matter of hours he has been treacherously attacked from behind and even Marvyn was plotting against him. For all these reasons, drawing the sword is more of a reflex action, an instinct, than a justified reaction.

However, Aster is not as accommodating an old man as he seems. The fact that all the races in the series are closely linked prompts Janzo and Wren not to abandon the kahvi to their fate, for whom the countdown has only just begun: if the Six don't fully awaken them, they will die. However, Aster refuses to save those creatures who, according to him, were unwillingly raised as war slaves by his six other siblings. They are not intelligent life to him worth even giving a chance, and Wren has no choice but to insist. Both she and Janzo have been able to verify that Marvyn acts the same as any of his friends would, loving and protecting his own family, which suggests that the kahvi are no less human than any of them, since what previously enslaved them were the naviaspore, Vorta's kinjs also employed by Yavalla in Season 3. What motivated Aster to betray his brothers was love, which in The Outpost shapes the world and serves as a tool for the scriptwriters to shape the characters and give them a perspective of the world. In his case, it's an irrational love that directly opposes him to Janzo who, as a scientist, would not have empathized with the kahvi if he had not been able to demonstrate that they had feelings just like humans and they could be educated in their free will.

Although the first part of the plan, consisting of the causing of a fire and the evacuation of the residents of the outpost, seems to be well defined, it's not so well defined how they are going to get rid of the Masters without counting on Aster, who won't be able to escape the collective will of the Seven when all together activate the altar to awake the kahvi. Aster considers Talon to be the linchpin of her strategy, but before they team up, she must take the Asterkinj to open the portal and send them inside.

And if one of them is to be killed with the al-khora dagger, the only weapon that can separate their bodies from their souls, who will it be? I think that, somehow, the situation will turn and that, finally, Talon will have to plunge the dagger into the chest of her ancestor to recover the Asterkinj. However, why not use it against Janya once she has resurrected the army from the crypt? Or against Vorta? Difficult dilemma, considering that Aster is not totally in agreement with Janzo's plan.

I would dare to say the best asset in their sleeves will be to let the Masters think Aster is going to betray them a second time, which will not happen if he submits to their will. If Vorta and her kin get overconfident, and are caught off guard by Talon and the others, they'll be one step closer to victory. But let's face it. The plan has only the appearance of simplicity. My intuition leads me to think the most logical thing is Janya and Vorta manage to fulfill part of their mission, and that Garret, Zed and the rest of the soldiers of the fortification should take care of containing a part of the kahvi, since that would allow end the series with an epic battle and high doses of television action, very much in keeping with the essence of The Outpost. 

It's also my wish Garret takes revenge once and for all on Levare, Tobin's murderer, because that would honor his memory and Spears would finally fulfill his promise. I honestly believe we will attend a third duel between both of them. The one that takes place in this twelfth episode I loved it, although I must also say that it seems too short. They say that the third time is the charm, and I hope so, because if something bothers me this season it's, despite the great skills of Captain Spears, in most sword duels he has not proven to be up to the task, having his ass got kicked more than I would have liked. I don't think it's necessary for him to have to see another one of his allies die in order to react furiously and deliver the coup de grace to Levare, but it would be naive to think that there won't be victims in this war.

Zed would have given his life for Nedra and, of all the main characters, he is the only one left alone. The rest of the ships are correctly channeled: Talon-Garret; Janzo-Wren; Munt-Warlita… but what about Zed? I have a terrible hunch about him: I imagine him being stabbed with a sword through the heart while battling Tera, who threw away Nedra in the ep. 410. Then he succumbs to Levare, who appears unexpectedly from behind to finish him off, at which point Garret realizes the misfortune, cries out against the heavens, and finally lashes out at Levare. Let us pray for him...

THE GUARDIAN OF THE ASTERKINJ: JAKE STORMOEN'S DEBUT AS DIRECTOR IN THE OUTPOST EP. 411

Guardian of The Asterkinj is a very special episode for fans of The Outpost, as it has been directed by our beloved captain Garret Spears, played by actor Jake Stormoen, who has taken the reins of the direction by joining in his debut to his classmate Imogen Waterhouse (Gwynn, for friends), who has also been behind the cameras in another previous episode of this season. Stormoen thanked both the casting and the stuff team hours before the episode was streamed for having given him this brightful chance, which will allow him to face the direction of other projects in the future. There have also been no shortage of words of appreciation for the community of fans that supports him through his social media and his streaming channel on Twitch, as the decision to cancel the series was officially confirmed a week before his debut, while he was enjoying a family vacation.

'Make no mistake', he recalled through a recent post on Instagram, 'I am sad, but also terribly grateful': the renewal of the series for four consecutive seasons is already a great feat in itself, especially when after the hostile criticisms poured out during Season 1 didn't bode well that the project would prosper. However, The Outpost has a small, yes, but solid base of fans who gather on Thursdays to celebrate by tweeting live during the streaming on The CW of the corresponding weekly episode, among which I include myself. 

There may only be two more episodes left for the captain to permanently sheathe his sword and hang his gate marshall leather jacket in the closet, but The Outpost has allowed Jake Stormoen to fulfill his childhood dream and, if anything, that doesn't means the series cannot be bought by any platform; maybe it could continue still in not too far future either on Amazon, Netflix, Freeform, Skye or similar, or simply through crowdfunding. Whatever the series may hold, Jake Stormoen is convinced this journey, which for him began almost four years ago, has been worth it, and the season finale, scheduled for October 7, won't be the end of the road but, rather, the closing of a chapter of the book of his life that will begin a new stage, as happened years ago when Dagen, the character he usually played in the films of the Mythica saga, became a pleasant memory for him.

In Guardian of the Asterkinj we have been able to observe how the director has tried by all means to preserve the essence of the series, maintaining internal coherence with the episodes previously viewed, while he printed his own personal brand. The eleventh episode of this season is featured by its cinematic beauty and the drama flooding all the sequences. Jake Stormoen, who is also a main actor at the same time, has shown us his own point of view, his personal perspective, of this overwhelming transition into the dark abyss that the main characters start, who suffer from their mistakes and bad decisions, an agony and existential anguish that Stormoen has tried to catch by using original resources and techniques rarely seen before. This is clearly seen in the scene starring Zed, as he struggles to drag, limping through, the wounded and almost unconscious Munt on a cot made of dry branches and leaves. The camera focuses on Reece Ritchie's face until it almost borders on distortion, a resource used when trying to underline the psychological dilemma experienced by a certain character, emphasizing his intimate emotions rather than narrative action. Normally this use of the camera occurs more frequently in series or films belonging to thriller, suspense or psychological drama. However, Jake Stormoen always keeps his mind open and lends himself to exploring multiple possibilities, especially when they let him do it in his favorite genre, where he feels at home.

The director has not only played with the cameras, but also with the colors, the landscape, the effects and the transitions, some really striking and sentimental like those that immediately precede the end of the episode, with Wren's song as an invisible backdrop, and Nedra's ashes dissolving into a passionately apocalyptic sky, presided over by a bleeding moon whose incandescent veins burn in lava, like an erupting volcano. These final sequences are of the utmost importance to the story, as they reveal a hidden facet of Talon's ancestors and must be cared for down to the smallest detail. Everything unfolds in a showy, emotional and solemn atmosphere. There is beauty and many subliminal, ethereal details that make this episode truly memorable and sublime. James Schafer's music is empathetic and exquisite and contributes to enhancing the narrative rhythm, much more leisurely than usual. Anyway, I must congratulate Director Stormoen for his impressive work. He is truly commendable.

The suffering and pain of the characters is truly remarkable from beginning to end, as circumstances have led them to follow the same strategy as their adversaries, who also intend to awaken Aster, albeit with malicious ends. And for that, the noob director has also had a very good eye. Doubts attack them everywhere and any decision can mean many deaths. Janzo and Wren have suddenly found themselves with a child as misunderstood and disconcerting as 3-1-3 who they have had to learn to educate and re-educate, which is a challenge for them as parents, especially considering that he is part of the enemy race of the Masters. Garret is determined to protect Gallwood with his life and questions everything that Wren and Janzo do for the well-being of 3-1-3, who to him is only a murderous and merciless monster, while Talon and Luna run into each other an strange resurrected Aster who promises not to harm them and who they don't trust at all after the genocide perpetrated by his own kind. And we are not finished yet, because we cannot forget the tragedy that took place in the forest, and the internal sorrow that Zed is going through, from whom the only two things he possessed have been taken from him: his kinj and Nedra.

For 3-1-3, events represent a turning point. Levare teleports with an order that the kahvi wipe out everything in his path at Gallwood, while Janzo goes out of his way to teach him why helping his own kind is a mistake. 3-1-3, or Marvyn, as he is later baptised, apparently had a duty to protect the children of his kind, and only that makes him finally reason, precisely when he realizes Janzo and Wren are acting on behalf of their future baby. Killing children is forbidden, but if he does as Levare asks, he will make the same mistake as Janzo by accident, prompting him to rush to Garret before Levare skewers his body on a pike. Everything ends in harmony between the two parts, after a powerful scene in which Levare corners Garret between a wall and a blade, with the edge brushing against his throat.

At that moment, Spears unleashes all of his strength to push the weapon away from him, which he unexpectedly achieves thanks to the ring that Tobin entrusted to him before dying, an area from which he begins to flow blood. It's a confrontation to the death with the murderer of a very dear friend, the person who took him out from behind bars, gave him a second chance as gate marshall, and the one who personally entrusted him with the realm. The ring symbolizes Tobin's spirit and is the seal of a promise that Garret must fulfill with sweat and blood. It's a scene that stands out for its narrative force, more for what is not seen than for what actually happens on screen.

The episode itself is full of powerful and symbolic scenes like this one, with Nedra's blackblood funeral being very noteworthy as well. Zed is the one who intends to honor her, but in his personal way and not under the supervision of the High Priestess, as would be mandatory. In a way, Zed is not only angry with himself for not having died in Nedra's place, but for having revered monstrous beings throughout his life who simply turned every surface on their feet to ash. He feels deeply deceived, as he has been fighting to perpetuate his culture and race, which has ultimately only brought death to a world whose beauty he can't appreciate because he feels it's not his home. Wren tries to shed light on his mind: religion is based on myths, legends and rituals that help to understand and explain the world. In many cases they only have a psychological utility, providing existential comfort where science can't go. And that's why she and Zed celebrate Nedra's funeral ritual in the woods. Obviously that's not going to immediately heal his wounds, but it will make him feel better about himself. He lacks the sensitivity that Nedra had to perceive the beauty of his surroundings, but, as Wren says, he will be able to teach it and pass it on to blackblood children. Ultimately, Zed now has a legacy to keep fighting for. He and Wren are both on this mission together.

The solemn ritual, accompanied by Wren's song, blends slightly with the sequence starring Talon, Luna and Aster as in an infinite cycle of death and life. Aster is the one who shows them through an ancient epigraph the names of the guardians of the Asterkinj, who are nothing but Talon's ancestors. Both she and her ancestors are descended from Aster and the first inhabitants of Gallwood, confirming the theory that had been brewing for weeks that the blackblood are a hybrid race between humans and Masters. It's a crucial moment in Talon's life that will greatly influence what happens to him in the final two episodes. Talon has never known where her place was, and dialogue with Aster helps clear the fog. It's likely Talon plays a major role in the final conflict with the Masters, for perhaps she is the one who fulfills the will of this ancient being, who regrets not having erased his brothers when he had the opportunity.

The end of the series thus becomes sharper. It would mean that the kinjs were either destroyed, or buried somewhere they could never return. That would give Talon the opportunity to be that heroine who needs to reconcile with her fate. However, not only is she destined to be the key to saving humanity, as Marvyn, or 3-1-3, is the key that could allow them to fight the Masters if they manage to convince those who still remain in their cocoons of they have been used as slaves in the service of their gods. In any case, for Talon, Garret and her friends there is no going back. They have no more cards to play. They must have faith and trust in themselves. The truth is, now, their best asset.

CARPE DIEM, LIFE IS NOT FOREVER: THE OUTPOST, EP. 410 REVIEW

 

In Something To Live For everything happens at the speed of lightning. Every moment is so ethereal, so ephemeral, that it deserves to be lived, appreciated and enjoyed and, precisely that's the central theme of this unpredictable episode splashed with persecutions in which Talon, Luna, Zed, Nedra and Munt set out towards the tombs of Aster and Golu in order to prevent Tera, Vorta and the other Masters from recruiting them to lay waste to the little remaining life of this untamed wilderness. Something To Live for presents an interesting reflection to the viewer: life passes so quickly that the brevity of the moment is imperceptible, so that, no matter how impossible it's to catch it, because it runs like sand through your fingers, it's important to live it to the fullest, enjoy every moment, so unique and unrepeatable, as if it were the last, something to which Zed seems indifferent. 

The warrior maintains a selfish attitude by thinking only of himself, for nothing seems to distract him or make him forget that, as long as he possesses the Golukinj, he will be hunted day and night, without the possibility of seeing a single hint of happiness and serenity. Everything has to be said: Zed has spent half this season absorbed in his own thoughts; he has rarely participated in the council meetings summoned by Garret. The slaughter of his species on the Plane of Ashes has made him feel expendable and has virtually erased any long-term goal. Zed has dug not his own grave, but his own doomsday himself. He agrees to carry out orders, desires and wills of others, but doesn't feel master of his own destiny. He doesn't know what he wants. He's made progress with Nedra, but both of them have a hard time understanding each other at times, and while there seems to be true chemistry between them at times, some conversations indicate just the opposite, although, they say, polar opposites attract each other. Munt is the adhesive that both of them needed because, thanks to him, the trip becomes less sour.

When the trio stops to rest to stock up on water, Munt jokes about urging them to think about what it means to hunt. Hunting is an activity that is best done in pairs or in a group, which requires coordination and that members know both their strengths and weaknesses. Hunting is an activity that promotes social cohesion, according to Munt's deductions and that, in his personal case, helped him to know the late King Tobin better. However, Zed, so killjoy, is not at all trying to play along, eventually turning the conversation into more of an absurd discussion. Nedra accuses him of being superficial, as he is unable to value the beauty of the moments that both of them shared when, while they were still young, they hunted in the Plane of Ashes, which for Zed are only a vague meaningless memory.

Nedra is much more transparent and deep. Her virtue is to see beyond what her eyes capture, and it's only thanks to her that the three of them find the sanctuary of Golu. Nedra can perceive the spirit of the world, which she conceives as a living, beautiful and organic entity. She tries to encourage Zed to practice carpe diem, which he rejects in order to purposefully focus on the mission, something that she greatly dislikes, given that Zed is experiencing sensations or, rather, living life from the outside in, but not from the inside out. This kind of vital renunciation bothers her, although it's not the only thing. Zed doesn't stand out as a particularly empathetic or understanding man; the very naive, so short-sighted, he doesn't even excel in eloquence or dialogue; words, the fair ones. Perhaps his greatest virtue is obeying orders to the letter like a good soldier. Yet in this game of hide and seek, Zed has learned the hard way what it means to not enjoy the opportunities and rare pleasures this world has to offer. Both Nedra and Zed experience serious difficulties to agree on who should wear the kinj, and the blackblood warrior also fails to imagine that burning Golu's body is not going to be enough to stop Vorta's henchmen in their tracks, that while possessing Janya's helpful ability to restore corpses, they will continue to absorb the souls of all living things around them, no matter how many times they are skewered with their swords.

Tricking Tera and Levare into doubting who to pursue in search of the purple kinj seemed like an excellent plan, although  it was actually a suicide mission that ends with Zed suffering from an uncomfortable limp and, worse, with Munt deadly wounded; indeed that seems trivial compared to what happens to Nedra though. Not even she, despite her dexterous and agile legs, manages to get away from her pursuers. When Zed catches up with her, there is little he can do to help. Tera catches her off guard and, after a forceful blow to the belly, makes her drop to her knees to delight in the suffering of the powerless blackblood, who watches him reduce his beloved's body to ashes, shortly after they have both consumed their mutual love with a triumphant kiss, an epic kiss that, translated, would have meant "see you later." 

Zed offers her eternal goodbye between tears and cries, picking up the blue flowers that she liked so much to place them on her remains. It's a truly emotional scene with beautiful cinematics, with Zed sinking the edge of his sword like a tombstone for the woman he once fell in love with.

With the death of Nedra, there are already four characters who have succumbed to the Masters. Season 4 of The Outpost has chained more deaths in four or five episodes than The 100 or Game of Thrones in an entire season, and it does so in the knowledge that there will be no Season 5 waiting for us next year. However, it's perhaps the most desirable, because, in the few remaining episodes, we don't know who else we will lose. Like Tobin, who perished shortly after seeing Falista fall, Zed has all the ballots not to tell this story. With only three chapters on the horizon, it's impossible for a new ship to emerge that fixes his life, so he will most likely die later, sacrificing himself to save Talon or Garret, so that Talon and Wren become the last survivors of their race.

Leaving for a moment the plot that revolves around Zed, the rest of the episode allows little footage to advance what happens to those who remain in Gallwood or the adventurers who go to Aster's sanctuary. For the first time in a long time, Talon confesses to Luna she rejected Garret's marriage proposal, which is, to date, the only show of sincerity on the part of the chosens towards whom she considers her friend. It's not surprising that Luna doesn't understand why she did it, since her confession denotes that she still loves him and that she regrets that decision. At the end of the day, she didn't think that they might never meet again ... however, she has Luna by her side, which is like having a version of herself to talk to, a girl who reminds her in many ways also to Gwynn, especially for her ability to cheat in the octor.

I have found Gallwood's narrative unremarkable compared to the others, especially because of the way the writers have treated certain characters and the resources they have used to drive the action. Garret sometimes acts impulsively or incredulously, but I am not entirely pleased or satisfied with the fact that, being aware that 313 had escaped from his cell, he is so unwise as to end up hitting the ground with a blow to the ground because of the Kahvi. It seems to me a redundant narrative element, because it seems that no one is a match for 313, the creature who, not many days ago, barely understood who he was or what choosing or deciding consisted of, and who knocked out Janzo by striking him with a wooden plank as well. I think the writers have been carried away by the simplicity and the lack of new ideas, at least as far as that portion of the ep is concerned. 410. Nor do I understand how, suddenly, the Kahvi goes out of his way to awaken the children of his own species ... it's as if, in the blink of an eye, a mysterious rational spark had reminded him that they existed ... and that, even though Janzo mustn't have told her about Wren's pregnancy.

But that wouldn't the only weakness I have noticed. As far as I know, Talon and her friends were already well aware of the Janyakinj's powers. Wouldn't it have been better to come up with a plan to kill Janya and thus stop the so-called gods from continuing to slaughter villages? Without Janya's help, the others, namely Tera, Vorta, Kultor, and Levare, would not be able to regenerate themselves or rise from the dead. I just wonder that...

THOUGHT, REFLECTION, CHOICE, LOVE... THE OUTPOST: EP. 409 REVIEW

 

The Price of Immortality is a purely emotional transition episode, as moving as it's crucial to the plot that surrounds the race of the mysterious Masters and their slaves, the kahvi, as we already observe some slight brushstrokes related to the historical puzzle of the origins of the Blackbloods, who have a lot to do with the invaders. The time has come to make difficult decisions in difficult times, but this chapter is, first and foremost, an emotional meeting between our friends. 

They are preparing to toast for their deceased colleague, since they had all been apart for a long time, without having the opportunity to discuss and share the information they had gathered during their latest misadventures. Reinforcing ties of friendship and courtship, too. However, the latter seems inconceivable between Talon and Garret, as she continually evades him, leaving the young captain with the word in his mouth, who, on the other hand, assumes without question all the responsibilities and tasks that Tobin used to perform, although since prudence and lies, a theater of behavior that can be useful to pacify the ignorant peasants of the outpost, but which is useless when used as an argument or as an excuse to a friend who is well known: Munt. Munt is about to make the most important decision of his life, and it's thanks to him that he discovers Garret's lie on Tobin.

The bartender realizes that something strange is happening, because everyone should be celebrating the return of Talon and, on the contrary, there are only tears. Munt has always been treated like a chump and worthless since the days when Miss Eleanor ran the Nightshade. His adoptive mother always ordered him to do the dirty work because, even if The Outpost didn't tell us about it, Munt is a man with an obvious psychiatric disorder. He is a kind of retard, a sick man who unfortunately possesses the mentality of a child. And, like any child, they will always try to spare him the pain of the loss of a loved one. In a way, Tobin, as king, was the father of everyone in Gallwood, at least from Munt's point of view, because both he and Janzo had a mother, but never a father. 

Tobin borrowed security on Munt and honored him by making him his personal servant and adviser. His duty was to advise, help and protect him, and for that reason he must avenge him, because for commoners of humble origins like him, a king means political and legal security, peace and sustenance. The king stands at the top of the pyramid of power, acting in the same way that a father would do as the head of the family defending the members of his household. Also, those horrible creatures could kill Warlita and the rest of her friends. Munt just got tired of being the madman on the hill. They always keep him out of the big events, but now more than ever he needs to set himself a new goal, and that's why he chooses to leave together with Zed and Nedra, who have already forgiven each other their sins, to the sanctuary of the Heptagram, the place where Zed acquired the Golukinj in Season 2.

But not only Munt has been decisive; each and every one of our characters must reflect and make vital decisions during the making of a strategy to defeat the Masters. The amazing thing is that none of us expected the seemingly innocent 313 to move token to pursue his own happiness, treacherously lash out at Janzo to escape, and activate the Skevikor in the crypt to awaken his companions. 

At first, we would all have supported Janzo's diplomatic attempt to find out more about the intentions of the Masters through the gradual and mutual trust between him and the creature, but it's no less true that our doctor has exceeded his enthusiasm for instruct the kahvi, who looked like nothing more than a baby lacking self-awareness, will, and reasoning. Let's not kid ourselves, we just have to look back to see how the brewer's eyes were sparkling with illusion when 313 began to speak. It looked like he get a new toy.

 Janzo has always surprised us with his intelligence, but he screwed up by showing 313 what it's to decide, since even knowing that his greatest desires were the Naviaspore (golden kinjs) and to join the mental hive with his kind, instead of avoiding it, he put it on a silver platter. He forgot who they are fighting against, and that has ended up proving Garret right, who did the right thing by caging him in right time, however much it gives us the impression that his methods are disproportionate and violent. Spears is not a violent guy, but rather restrained and sober and, if we have noticed him more irascible and irritable lately, it's because of Talon, who continually evades him as if he had committed some heinous and unforgivable crime. 

Garret feels Talon is pulling away from him for no reason, because if Janzo is the priestess's boyfriend, what's wrong with the two of them being lovers? Janzo doesn't stop Wren from playing her role as an educator; Rather, together they solve all mysteries by unrolling scrolls and diving through dusty, threadbare pages of ancient codices. Talon can perfectly combine his Blackblood duty with Garret's love, and that confuses the latter because, in addition to not giving him answers, Talon doubts even what she feels herself.

We have been claiming the scene in which Garret tries to talk to her for weeks. It's moving and rewarding, but with a sad ending. It needed to happen, and we don't have a sequence, but two because, at the end of the episode, Garret tries again, to end up even more open-mouthed. He throws into the pool does when it seems there will be another dangerous quest on the horizon that is going to take them along different paths, at the prospect of not knowing what will happen tomorrow, if they will survive or not, or if they will meet again. So he hastily decides to declare himself in marriage to Talon who, unable to assimilate or accept it, slips away without even saying goodbye. 

Actually, anyone can see that it was neither the time nor the place to do such a stupid thing, as Talon's priority is that everyone is safe, something that won't happen until they defeat the Masters. But you also have to understand Garret. He just wants to know if she is still in love and, consequently, tie up, set future plans, think about starting a family one day ... which, in essence, is the same thing that Tobin and Falista yearned for themselves. The difference is the inexperienced monarchs had a common goal, while Talon and Garret don't, because neither agrees with what the other thinks and, moreover, they don't share responsibilities.

In truth, the two act for the welfare of the people, but the Gallwood command knocks on Spears' door, while ethnic duty does the same with Talon, who has discovered through the altar's memories that the holder of the Blue Kinj, Aster, nicknamed The Betrayer by the other six, developed a close bond with a human, preventing her from murdering her baby, something she was about to do unconsciously, controlled by Golu's kinj, which is the one Zed carries. There's no doubt Aster must have been one of Talon's ancestors, and his union with a human was what gave rise to the Blackblood race, as a similar passage reads in the books consulted by Janzo and Wren. Aster's descendants, the first Blackbloods, were the ones who received the Asterkinj, who kept it and passed it on from generation to generation, as Talon's mother did with her daughter. 

The flashes of their memories perplex both Zed and Talon. They are aware that they will have to travel to the locations pointed out by Luna's medallion on the map to find the last two tombs, but even so, they are not entirely sure about to kill Aster is the best choice. If he betrayed the Seven, he could become a future ally. However, Talon's desire to find more answers about the enigmatic traitor of the Seven induces her to choose more to murder him, because he was who owned the ability to open portals to other worlds, who informed the rest of the Gods to invade and absorb the energy of all living things that inhabited their land in the past. Thus, Talon plucks up the courage and tells herself that she will be in charge of ending his existence as soon as he is awakened, something that has inevitably had a fatal outcome for Garret's plans, and that will take her further away from him in the next episodes. Talon is stubborn by nature and she always achieves whatever she sets her mind to. If she destroys Aster, she will avenge those who paid the price of his life for the immortality of the Seven.