The Outpost

If you are like me, you will most likely give this show away after watching the dreadfully amateurish acting in the first episode, all I can say is DON'T.

I can thank my partner for getting so much enjoyment out of this show and going back and binge watching the first season so we could watch the second season together. I did initially give up before even finishing the first episode, but she didn't.

This is one of those shows that gets better with each episode, the actors, mostly if not all, unknown, seem to grow into their parts as the show goes on, very similar to other low budget shows that start out with the acting a bit amateurish and get much better if you persevere. As I have been told over and over by my partner you have to stick with it past the first couple of episodes to really get entertained.

I now have a much better appreciation of low budget shows like this one, it has really grown on me and I look forward to season three.

The people making this show love what they are doing and it comes through in their performances. Fantasy, adventure, heroics...they are doing their best to make it interesting. Looking forward to further development of the characters as the series progresses...

The Outpost and me - it wasn't love at first sight. After episode 1 I thought: I knew after the huge success of 'Game of Thrones', a lot of low budget fantasy series would follow - but did it have to look that cheap? Like 'The Outpost' was shot in somebody's barn or shed? Also I disliked the story premise (bad guys killed the heroine's family and destroyed the entire village, many years later she became a trained warrior and wants revenge) because that was used in countless movies since 'Conan the Barbarian' (1982). Boring!

But I gave it another try in episode 2,3... and by episode 5, I realised I really enjoyed the series. The characters are developing well. Marshal Wythers, for example: he isn't just out to kill Talon, because he's a baddie. He has reason and logic on his side, when he wants to protect his outpost at all costs; that just happens to include the removal of Talon. Talon, on the other hand, makes mistakes and learns from them. She may be an accomplished fighter, but knows she has a lot to learn about the supernatural powers she has access to, due to the black blood. It gets more and more interesting, and I'm looking forward to the remaing episodes and seasons.

It really confuses my why this show has such low ratings. I get that the outpost is no match for something like game of thrones or westworld to which some reviewers compare it, but I liked it. Like (most) arrowstorm productions it shows a slightly cliché high-fantasy plot that tries to make the best out of a small budget and focuses on storytelling instead of huge cgi battles. Really looking forward to the second episode to see where this is going.

Low Budget - Check

Charming Lead - Check

Quality British Supporting cast - Check

Ok it's not game of thrones here but it has the feel of an old School D&D adventure. Loving it!