‘Outer Range’ Recap: ‘All the World’s a Stage’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Lily Taylor and Josh Brolin as Cecilia Abbott and Royal Abbott in Episode 205 of ‘Outer Range’ – ‘All the World’s a Stage’. (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Outer Range’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It wasn’t that long ago, that we talked at length about a central theme that was popping up in the second season of the fascinating Prime Video series, Outer Range. In that, season two was starting to talk about the power of the truth and how we face it and process it in our darkest hours, and yet, for a brief moment there… it seemed as though that would not be the central theme of this season. For the last episode took us for one hell of a ride in the 1880s, one that was indeed incredible, and saw Joy play the hero and play an integral part in Royal’s arrival in the 20th Century. Leaving one to wonder what season two wanted to focus upon. Well as mentioned, that was a brief break from the fact that truth is indeed the core idea this season wants to dive into, as evidenced by the next episode in this story.

For ‘All the World’s a Stage’ pondered deeply upon the importance of telling the truth alongside an exploration of facing hard truths with our head held high and it accomplished that latter exploration through Cecilia and Autumn. Who spent a lot of time together in this tale and learned that lesson the hard way. Because Autumn’s best efforts to save the farm failed horribly and she had to figure out how to handle that with grace. Because the good Padre in town made her failure ugly and Cecilia, well she too had to figure out how to stand tall over the fact that she failed to bring Amy home, even though she knew she was on the right path in bringing her back and accept that the farm was toast. And well, the importance of showcasing that was to teach them and us that failure is part of life and that sometimes failure comes from elements we cannot control and when that happens… all we can do is accept the truth in front of us and move into whatever lies ahead bravely.

As for the importance of telling the truth, well that was explored by Royal and Joy. Who were heading for medical care on the reservation in this particular tale, when they encountered some of the local deputies. Who of course spotted Joy and laid in pursuit. Which at first meant little for the truth, since Royal and Joy did their best to deceive both Reservation Police and the Sheriff’s office to just get Joy the healthcare she needed for that bad ankle, and they of course… kept the truth from both entities once Joy’s ankle was fixed up. Despite some hard pressing to talk about what happened out there and how Joy sustained such a wild injury, and of course… everyone wanted to know where she was over the past few days. 

But when the dust settled, Royal talked to Joy about what lie ahead. Because his secret was out to her, she now understood more about time travel than most folks and well… she had a decision to make. In that, she could hide it all as they did on this day and as Royal did for most of his life. Or she could tell the truth. At least to her loved ones and that was what Royal told her she needed to do. So that her life wasn’t filed with lying since that could lead to more lies and guilt untold. Because he harbored some hard regrets about keeping his past a secret and knew how much better he would feel if he had a single confidant ages ago, and well, his regrets and his musings over what lying makes us become, informed us all we need to know about why the truth must be told and it was nice to see Royal, live up to his own desires.

Since he did take Cecilia out on the range, to show her the hard evidence of how he got here and where Joy had been. For the hole was still there and questions still surrounded it, but there were no questions surrounding that central theme. For now, we know that truth is the focus of season two and why it should be a core tenet of our lives and that season two will explore all kinds of details regarding it and that made, for one fascinating tale. One that truly did give Joy and the audience a lot to chew upon, alongside more unique moments revolving around the hole and its power. Since Autumn also enjoyed a taste of its incredible power, and well, simple lessons aside, this episode does indeed leave us eager for more of this tale. To see if the truth will help Royal and Cecilia save the farm and to see if Autumn’s journey here will bring about the truth regarding her identity. Until next time.

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