"The Outsider" is More Thoughtful Stephen King

Recently I wrote a post on CBS's hit supernatural procedural "Evil," which I ultimately decided was not for me. It's a well made show, but slick and shallow, and provides answers that I find too easy. This is not the case with "The Outsider," a new ten-episode limited series based on a Stephen King novel I'm not familiar with. This one is also a supernatural procedural, about the violent murder of a child that happens in a small town in Georgia.

"The Outsider" is a very slow burn series, and may vex viewers who are looking for a more exciting piece of horror media. After the initial confrontations between our protagonist, Det. Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), and the chief suspect, little league coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman), the pace of the show slows down considerably. The show follows multiple other characters involved with the investigation, including Terry's wife Glory (Julianne Nicholson), private investigators Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo) and Alec Pelley (Jeremy Bobb), police officers Yunis Sablo (Yul Vazquez) and Jack Hoskins (Marc Menchaca), and lawyer Howard Salomon (Bill Camp). Ralph's wife Jeannie (Mare Winningham) also has a major role, pushing Ralph to be more open to supernatural explanations for the murder, and trying to help Glory weather the fallout of Terry's arrest.

What immediately struck me about the first two episodes of "The Outsider," directed by Jason Bateman, is how bleak they are. We watch events unfold through Ralph, a career lawman whose own teenage son died of cancer. He has a front row seat to the devastation unleashed on the family of the victim, the Maitlands, and other characters. We watch his doubts and frustrations grow as what initially seems to be a cut-and-dried case takes disturbing twists and turns, until he finally has to come to terms with the limits of his own stubbornly held beliefs. The early episodes evoke grief and tragedy, and aren't afraid to venture into deeply uncomfortable, upsetting material. The supernatural elements don't come into play immediately. Instead, the show takes its time, letting us get to know the various characters and their relationships. "The Outsider" turns out to be as much character study as procedural. We watch Glory fight off opportunists and try to keep her life from falling apart. We watch as Terry's legal team and law enforcement eventually join forces against their common enemy. We watch as Ralph and Jeannie become more personally involved and more emotionally invested in the case.

The actors here are the main event. "The Outsider" has a very impressive cast, lead by Mendelsohn and Erivo. Both do very good work giving very different performances. Mendelsohn is more grounded, nuanced and relatable in an everyman role. Erivo, on the other hand, is playing a very mannered eccentric, the kind of larger-than-life figure you expect to see in a genre program. Bridging the gap between them is one of the big thematic arcs of the show. There are also several fantastic character actors in the mix, including Bill Camp, Marc Menchaca, and Jeremy Bobb. Paddy Considine pops up in a crucial role late in the game. However, it's Mare Winningham and Julianne Nicholson that I thought were especially impressive. Wives and mothers too often get sidelined in similar shows, but "The Outsider" keeps Glory and Jeannie in the loop and consequential to the action, even if they're not directly involved.

I also appreciate "The Outsider" for its excellent storytelling, the way the investigation deploys its various twists and turns, and the restraint used in portraying the show's supernatural elements. There's plenty of horror here, but it feels less typically Steven King, and more akin to something from the earlier seasons of "The X-files." The build up to the final confrontation, in particular, is a lot of fun to watch. It takes the time to lay out plenty of history and context that adds immeasurably to the tension and thrills. The two penultimate episodes of the season are among my favorites, because they manage to take a lot of smaller casual conversations, side stories, and typical place-setting scenes, and use them to generate some excellent drama.

As is typical of HBO productions, "The Outsider" looks and sounds great, benefitting from high production values and a roster of strong directors. However, it's the attitude of the show's creators toward the subject matter that makes the real difference here. It takes its time, treats its characters sensitively, and demonstrates real thoughtfulness and care when handling the real world horrors. I find it very gratifying to find a series where the supernatural isn't so sensationalized, and leaves room for plenty of reflection and ambiguity.
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