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.
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