TV Show Review 027 Outcast s01e01 (Pilot)

Outcast s01e01 a Darkness Surrounds Him
(Cinemax) [2016->] 4/5

With the same creator behind the inception of the Walking Dead television show, this particular iteration is based on another successful graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, the story started with a single protagonist that instead of dealing with science fiction staple of zombie outbreak, he had to deal with another staple in the horror genre, possession.

 Focusing on the traumatic events happened in his family, the main character, Kyle Barnes, had to deal with the aftermath of the ordeal when it started to affect his own family, forcing himself to get away from them for their own safety and return to his childhood home where it all started. Trying to confront his own old demon, he partnered with priest Reverend Anderson when a series of events revolving possession started to crop up, with the latter handling the exorcism process and the former had the ability to actually cure the possessed individual.

The black plasm coming out of this victim was just the tip of the iceberg and a morbid imagery of what's to come in their direction. Surrounding that main storyline, the small town politics and societal behaviors these two had to manage made the show more engaging, with the fickle nature of the neighborhood and their inhabitants' nosy tendencies forced the priest and the survivor to act normally to not cost a massive pandemonium. 

To them, in their eyes, the priest was simply helping out a former victim of domestic abuse, oblivious to the more sinister nature of the situation. They simply were reacting to Kyle's predicament unfortunately just like human do, ranging from the opposite ends of the spectrum, from forgiveness and empathy to downright disdain and horror. With the not that subtle overtone of religion and faith, it was the experience and consultation with the survivors that ultimately helped Barnes to at least begin to fix his deep psychological wounds. 

- 79%/83% {season} - 8.3 {1st ep} - 7.8 {season} - 70, 7.5 - wiki - official -

- Synopsis - 

A young man searches for answers as to why he's been suffering from supernatural possessions his entire life.

Cast

Patrick Fugit - Kyle Barnes

Philip Glenister - Reverend Anderson

Wren Schmidt - Megan Holter

...

(Director {1st episode} Adam Wingard [the Guest, Blair Witch], Executive Producer Robert Kirkman [the Walking Dead], 10 Episodes, Release 061316, Duration 44-55 mns, Rating TV-MA, Genre - Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural) 

+ Highlights: the opening intro, the shocking scene with the possessed child, the inner struggles of the main protagonist, the dreadfully bleak atmosphere, highlighting the different aspect of the human nature in the believable contentious community, the minute attention to the overall theme and behavioral details, the terrific exorcism scene, the black, incoherent plasm as the physical representation of evil, the excellent cinematography that evokes paranoia and evil confrontation, strong supporting characters (the possessed kid and the sister)

- Lowlights: the slow and steady pace could deter others who are accustomed to more engaging shows, too plain if compared to others in current market

Source: Collider