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.