'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...