The Outsider

First episode watched, oh man...

i was engagingly glued to the screen. and i am left - unlike with true detective s1 where i was clever and waited till i have the whole season in front of me - impatient, anxious, longing for more, nervous.

acting, pace, cinematography..everything good. good-good! i have n o t h i n g to criticise, address or wish for, except to please give me all episodes now. (& mendelsohns voice is the s*** ) (additionally, what made a difference to me & i hope that doesn't change is the use of music/sounds. it's perfect how it is now.)

check it out, i think this could really be a diamond. i hope i'm not leaning too far out but this could be as good as True detective S1. Seriously.

First 2 episodes were very promising and intriguing, directed by Justin Bateman who also performed as a main character. Then the next 8 episodes feel so long, dragging along the story with slow development and minor characters mixing it up.

The reason I kept watching was because of Cynthia Erivo's wonderful performance as Holly. Positive note to Ben Mendonsohn acting too.

In the end, I feel this could have been an 5 episode series or a 2h movie.

In Cherokee City, Georgia, young Frank Peterson is found brutally murdered. Police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) leads the investigation. All evidences point to amiable kids' baseball coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman). His wife Glory (Julianne Nicholson) is shocked when he gets arrested on the field. He maintains his innocence and has an indisputable alibi. This case has overwhelming evidences on both sides. With such conflicting clues, Anderson resorts to peculiar private investigator Holly Gibney.

This is like True Detective with a splash of supernatural from by Stephen King. It's got great actors like Ben Mendelsohn doing good character work. It has good atmospherics and great crime drama feels. It's a limited series. I do get frustrated with Ralph as he keeps his denial for too long. The start is addictive. It has its fun surprising weirdness.

Ben has to be the best Australian actor we've had in a very long time. From Bloodline to this... the diversity of his roles and the way he goes about them. He is just brilliant and this may just be his best work yet (Bloodline is tough to beat).

I just completed the first season of this dark and suspenseful detective/horror series an have to say that it's saving grace is a great cast of veteran actors, including Justin Bateman who also serves as executive producer. Without getting too mired in the details I'll just point out some areas that didn't work for me: 1] Holly, played by Cynthia Erivo left me wondering why her character wasn't developed fully. She literally used the same furrowed brow expression throughout. As for her role, she is intuitive, but is she also clairvoyant? Is she a supernatural? A medium? No one really knows. The show only suggests powers beyond what she showcases, like an eidetic memory and a belief in the supernatural. 2] The creature itself is not interesting. Shape shifting is old as the hills and usually just as boring. It has this weird little encampment in a cave which borders on ridiculous and it also has to eat to survive which is even more ridiculous. Why does it choose to take children? Oh, because they're "sweeter" tasting? 3] Then there are the endless stretches of filler that compelled me to fast-forward because there was no reason to be invested in the character's relationships as they never really furthered the plot. Worth a watch but don't expect True Detective season one.