Outer Range – Season 2 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Ode to Joy

Episode 4 of Outer Range season 2 starts with us back in 1886. A very young Royal is told not to be afraid to look people in the eye, as he heads through town with his dad, Levi, to see a guy called J.B. J.B. admires Royal’s dad, telling him he looks like new money, and is actually there to get Royal some new shoes. He treats the worker like dirt, and I guess it’s somewhat of a karmic take when it turns out Levi doesn’t have enough money to pay for the shoes. The rates have gone up, and Royal is forced to hang about in the shop until his pa returns with sufficient funds.

Elsewhere, Joy and Falling Star discuss Michael Jackson’s rise to fame. However, the latter is not doing too well. She’s coughing up blood and has been sick for a while. She’s trying to stay strong for the tribe but Joy warns that Falling Star needs to speak up here. It turns out she has cancer but Falling Star is trying to groom Joy to take her place as the negotiator in the tribe. Joy though, has other plans as she’s still dead-set on making it back home again.

While Falling Star is on the verge of passing away, Joy is conflicted over whether to stay or go. There are hostilities between the Natives and the “homesteaders”, while back in camp, Joy has her picture taken with the family. Falling Star comments how Joy is a different person now and how Martha will see that when Joy eventually does return to her time period.

However, drama in camp sees a big problem hit the Natives. Apparently a bunch of white men (whom we later find out are part of the Shelton Cape tribe) have taken Flowers, the mother to the child shot in the wilderness earlier in the episode. Joy promises to bring her back and races off to try and sort this. Given her sheriff credentials, she’s given a fast horse and packs up her gun before she leaves.

Flowers certainly puts up a fight when Joy shows up at the cabin. Seeing that the poor girl could be raped by these men, she wastes little time in killing them outright. Unfortunately, she’s shot through the leg as the final man runs away. Joy grabs Flowers and the pair take off.

Elsewhere, Levi does manage to pay for the shoes, and he tells Royal back at the ranch that he needs to grow into them and suck it up, allowing the pain to consume him. Unfortunately, the cost of that happens to be their one cow, Daisy. This was supposed to get them through the winter, and seeing the cost of Royal’s shoes, Alice, Royal’s mum, grabs her gun and tries to negotiate a different way.

However, the man who fled from Joy shows up at Levi’s ranch. Levi has an opportunity to make good on his family’s future and he takes it. He brings Royal with him, along with a gun, to head out and track down Joy.

Speaking of which, Flowers returns to the camp… but there’s a problem. Joy is injured and she ends up hanging back in the woods to save her some time. Falling Star is shocked when she finds out and tries to save her. Joy uncovers one of the bison – the one with two arrows no less – passing her in the woods. She sees it as a sign and does her best to try and survive.

Unbeknownst to her, Levi and Royal are on the hunt and try to find her. Levi has Royal flank Joy and “shoot anything that moves” while Levi is to take the front. Joy makes a makeshift splint for her leg but it’s Royal who finds her down by a tree. Joy tries to talk her way out of this, until Levi shows up. He tells Royal to make the kill shot… and he does. He shoots Levi in the chest.

With his father dead, Royal rushes off in shame while the cowboys descend of the Native camp. However, none of them are there. They’re actually on the hilltop, overlooking everything. They ambush Farber and the others, and as a big fight looks to break out, we cut back to Joy and Royal. The hole suddenly appears in the ground before them, and both Royal and Joy jump in. She loses Royal, who descends down further, while Joy finds herself emerging out into the present timeline.

The Episode Review

Aside from seeing how Joy and Royal have made it to their respective timelines, this episode was very slow and lethargic. There’s really not much content to it either, aside from seeing more hostility between the two tribes in the past. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it also means the show is that much slower and is dragged down unnecessarily.

Slow-burns are good but this episode really feels like an unnecessary stop-gap between the first and second half of the season. Hopefully things will pick up from here because all the story here could have been told in a 10 minute flashback tops.