After spending a couple of weeks setting up our characters and the universe they inhabit, Outcast finally decided it was time to go for broke and unleash hell upon us because man, last night's episode, 'All Alone Now' was an hour long rollercoaster ride that set up a couple of new plot lines, added to the mystery surrounding Kyle Barnes and quite frankly...brought the terror with one disturbing story.

But before we get into the scares and chills that came along in this episode, let's take a moment and discuss a burning issue right away...what is the deal with the Chief of Police and what does he know about what is really going on? Think about it for a moment, he tries to stonewall Mark in processing the camper, and after Mark got back from a day of collecting evidence, he took the whole mess over. He's been pretty aloof about all the weird things happening in his town and well, it's hard to gauge if he's trying to simply keep a lid on horrible things from the public, or if he's somehow involved with the darkness that's spreading. This wasn't a gigantic plot point from this story, but it's one that seems to be slowly building week in and week out and it's intriguing to say the least.

The terror however, that's really the true highlight of this episode and holy cow...the show went all out to make things uncomfortable for us this go round, by introducing us to a police officer named Blake who just so happened to be discovered and possessed by the darkness. Now, the show deserves some serious credit for the opening sequence of the episode where the evil finds Blake for a couple of reasons. For one, possession stories often introduce us to the poor soul taken over by a demon well after the possession happens but this episode gave us the raw beginning of Blake's nightmare and it was something fresh and unique to watch, but it was all downhill from there and the other incredible moment we were privy to last night...is when the show went all out in demonstrating what kind of powerful evil claimed Blake when he went after his partner's wife with violent and brutal impunity.

It made the meeting between Blake, Reverend Anderson and Kyle Barnes all the more chilling as the two holy men did their best to free Blake from the evil within and well, it's quite stunning after a couple of episodes where they were successful with their exorcisms, to see them fail in their mission to free Blake's body and mind from evil. It would seem now that there are some people beyond saving, which is scary to say the least and well, it seems that Blake and the darkness within enjoyed the violence bestowed upon it. It kept pushing and pushing to get a fist slammed into its face, which now begs the question...is this how the Darkness finds new victims, by breaking down the loved ones of the possessed and filling their hearts with anger and fury to the point where they are ripe for the taking? 

The bottom line is that this was a damn good episode. There was not one wasted moment in the story and there are honestly too many skin crawling, spine tingling moments to discuss in one single recap. But, despite the scares, this is a show that loves to build more mystery every single week and last night was no exception to that rule. After all, one has to wonder exactly what happened in Megan's past with the man that has clearly come to town to find her, and the only thing we learned last night about Brent Spiner's Mystery Man is that he is a simple, well groomed creature that just so happens to be filled to the brim with the darkness. Either way, this show is getting better every single week it is on the air and who knows what kind of horrors await us next week. Until next time.

Within each and every one of our minds is a moment from days gone bye that in many ways, was a defining point in our lives. These are the kinds of moments where you look at the world differently, and decide to change your life forever because of it, and oddly enough those spectacular moments, the kind you are reminded of daily...are often negative through and through. 

Sure, sometimes a positive moment can illicit great change from us as well, but in reality, it's terror, fear and the thought of never feeling that way again that moves us toward a different kind of lifestyle. It's not a story concept we often see explored in depth, but Outcast decided it would be the focus for its second episode by taking us deep within the one memory that essentially defined Kyle Barnes' future...the moment he finally fought back against his possessed mother and well, it made for a decidedly different kind of episode in '(I Remember) When She Loved Me'.

In fact, what made this story so unique is that in essence, a vast majority of the scares we were privy to last week on the show all but disappeared this go around. Sure there were creepy and eerie moments which we will get to in a bit, but this episode focused on that dark and fateful day for Kyle where his life would never be the same, but with a wonderful twist. It wasn't enough for the show to make sure he was haunted everyday by this traumatic event...why not allow him to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could rescue his mother from the evil that took her so long ago? It led to a heartbreaking sequence where Kyle brought his mother home in the hopes of exorcising the evil from her in the same manner he did young Joshua. 

Of course the attempt fails and well, Kyle is left having to face the fact that he has to let go of the past or let it forever consume him, but as he dealt with this mess, the show didn't completely stay in drama land, making sure to remind us that evil is lurking out there and it has some kind of a plan. If anything the surprises this go round when it comes to dark forces were subtle and disturbing ones to say the least. Animals splayed open in ritualistic fashion were discovered on one man's property deep in the woods, as was a camper that looks like animals tried to escape it but uh...it could be people that went mad in there as well. But the centerpiece surprise from this episode was Brent Spiner popping up with a mystery character yet to be named that delivered our final heartbreaking moment of the night.  

He visited Sarah Barnes in the nursing home and spoke to the fact that Kyle's mother failed in her attempt to protect him or resist evil for that matter and we were treated to one last flashback this go round, where it turns out that Kyle was unconscious when the evil did indeed leave Sarah in the same manner it did Joshua. It was her injuries that left her in this state and there's just something awful in the fact that Kyle has no clue that he actually saved her. Either way, what a lovely little episode. It gave us quality insight into Kyle's life and why he is so broken and alone inside and to top it off, it set the stage in subtle fashion to what appears to be a battle brewing between good and evil and perhaps Kyle letting go now is perfect timing, because he'll be able to focus on the battle ahead, which no doubt involves the mystery man that visited Sarah. Should be interesting to see where next week takes us, until then.

Horror is perhaps one of the most versatile genres out there when it comes to finding ways to terrify us. It can use gore and splatter to get under our skin by showing us things we never quite wanted to see. It can take pain and suffering to the extreme to leave us squirming in our seat. But regardless of what device it uses, one way or another Horror's goal is to flat out leave you uncomfortable on some level or another or straight up send chills down your spine. 

With all that in mind, it's time we talk about Robert Kirkman's newest foray into horror themed television; Outcast. Based on the comic of the same name, this is a story that introduces us to Kyle Barnes, a man with a past that few will ever understand since it seems that evil follows him wherever he goes. Kyle has dealt with demonic possession since he was a boy, first seeing it manifest itself in his mother and then later in his beloved wife. His dealings with these wild matters have left him a recluse and posed questions in people's minds about his sanity and stability and despite the relative peace he has enjoyed in solitude...it seems the evil that lurks in the darkness of the world has found him once again.

So really, there's only one question that needs to be answered quickly when it comes to this show...is it scary? The answer is, terror is truly in the eye of the beholder because while at no point did it outright terrify me, it certainly left me disturbed, which is a win in its own right...because it accomplishes the goals we discussed a moment ago, by way of the possessed. There is something primal and raw about those possessed in this show and when they appear on screen in any form or fashion, these beings are robbed of their humanity and because of that...you never quite know what they will do. The sheer existence of these creatures instantly draws you into the story because well, we're fundamentally curious and want to know more and Kirkman is equally aware of that. 

It's why this pilot episode gives us just enough to know that these evil beings want Kyle for something, we just don't quite know what yet. There's references to a "merge" coming and Kyle is carrying some kind of power that the evil wants. But the mystery and the chills aren't the only things that catch your eye when it comes to this show. There's a strange sense of claustrophobia that hangs over every moment of the show, one that leaves the audience feeling trapped to say the least and to top it off, the visuals take you back to the classic era of horror, paying tribute to all of the greats every step of the way. 

Either way it's safe to declare this series premiere a success because, there's some serious potential here. The possessed are genuinely creepy and disturbing and it's interesting how Kirkman knows how to strip down what makes us human to allow these beings to instantly transform before our eyes. More importantly however, I like the fact that Kirkman and company have clearly built a grand world, one complete with rules for both good and evil...and a mysterious story that will unfold before our eyes and if this is where the series starts, there's nowhere to go but up and I'm curious to see what awaits us in the darkness and to see if the story can go from the basics of horror, to terrifying us in legendary fashion. Until next time.