‘The Outlaws’ Recap: ‘Episode 6’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season one finale of ‘The Outlaws’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Often times in storytelling, explorations revolving around redemption are quite grand and inspiring in nature. Wherein a character that has either done people horribly wrong or fallen from grace because of their ignorance, do everything within their power to set things right again and well… that journey is what brings about the inspiration in question. Because there is something quite powerful about watching a person that has screwed up royally and hurt people in the process, stand tall and admit they are wrong and do whatever it takes to finally set things right again and we love this type of story, because it reminds us that we can always come back and we can always make things right if we truly dedicate ourselves to doing good in the world.
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But what you don’t see in stories in that vein, are people who have committed crimes. Simply because in our modern world, the only ways to redeem oneself after taking part in such an act… is through jail time and probation and community service. And through surviving the stigma that people will throw one’s way when they learn, that person broke the law. But that is a silly way to think about folks that have crossed that line, because everyone is capable of redemption, and everyone deserves it and even folks that broken the rules can do so in an inspiring manner, and the season one finale of The Outlaws is a story that hammers that reality home. For the group figured out how to enjoy redemption in this particular tale and they made that happen... by risking everything to help one man, have a proper shot at a normal life.

That man of course… was Christian, whom we learned was actually named Ben Eastfield. And the reason that Ben harbored a different name, was because the longtime nemesis he’s been toying with all this time, needed Ben to take his namesake to say out of jail. So, he could continue to care for his family and deal drugs and Ben was eager to do so… in the hopes of keeping his family safe and well, armed with the knowledge that Ben desperately needed help, the Outlaws hit the road and began to quite literally search every corner of the city to find him. Which brought them to Ben’s old stomping grounds, wherein they met his mother and saw the rough shape she was in and sadly, Rani had to resort to rough tactics in order to get an idea of where Christian might actually be hiding, and those tactics worked and eventually brought everyone back together. 

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But even then, the joy of re-assembling the group was short lived. Because while they could likely offer Ben and Esme safety, the gun and the law in general had to be dealt with, and that was going to be a difficult task, as would dealing with Christian and his cronies. Especially when one considers that they were tailing the group all this time in the hopes of getting revenge, and that led to quite the chase sequence when Christian showed up. One that forced the Outlaws to scatter about the city to shake Christian and his people, so that they could safely reunite at the work site that brought them together in the first place and sadly… there was no safety to be found there. For Christian had his spies keep an eye on the place and that allowed for him to close in and threaten as only he can and well, that’s really when this group came together and truly enjoyed a genuine taste of redemption.

For they stood up to Christian and made it clear that harming Ben would cause him great harm and seeing that he’d lost the fight today, motivated him to back off and once that victory was in play, the next real opportunity to do the right thing arose. Because the police scooped everyone up and tried very hard to tie Ben to the gun and criminal activity, and that motivated everyone, even Diana, to take the high road and go the extra mile to exonerate Ben. A move that worked, since the police could not bring charges against Ben without any corroborating evidence and he was allowed to go free and pick up his own Community Payback time for a change and well… life went on for these intrepid Outlaws and they went back to work to clean that ol’ rec center up, with growth in their hearts of course.

Because for the first time in a long time, they were selfless, they were kind, and they were courteous. And they truly banded together and did something wonderful for a person that was in genuine need and gave Ben and his sister a chance to thrive in a society that would prefer the cycle perpetrate and that is, a wonderful way to bring this season to a close. Because this episode brings everyone’s journey about full circle and allowed for them to complete their growth and accomplish wonders in the process and you really cannot go wrong with a story that teaches both the audience and the characters some important lessons, all while finding new ways to move these fictional characters forward in life. Nor is it a bad thing that these ‘criminals’ were showcased as the everyday people they are, who really did find themselves in a pickle and forged a unique path forward in a realistic manner, one that both inspires and satisfies, and it will be interesting to see where this story goes next, when season two rolls around. Until next time.   

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