The Outsider (HBO series)

Looks good... but boy, so FEW King stories translate well to the screen. I'm cautiously semi-optimistic.

__________________
Linda's Author Website
Linda's Amazon Author page

Looks bad, that cops approach is ridiculous, the over dramatization thing they actors have in there face, don't often like crime investigation series with this elements. If I ever watch this it will be because of Ben Mendelsohn and because the story is by Stephen King, author of some adaptions that I like Carrie, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Secret Window that I totally loved.

I agree with you on those adaptations. Some of the few good ones. But so many are a hot mess that I'm not sure which side this one will fall on. I recently watched yet another bad adaptation, In the Tall Grass. Kept thinking this would have been so much better on paper.

So... we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Watched e1 last night and Ben Mendelsohn's lisp(?) is the star of the show. It kinda drives me crazy, but that's my burden to carry.


I enjoyed it, even with nothing extraordinary taking place. There is a lot presented and seemingly everything is figured out, so it was a different experience. My main gripe is the one reveal that kinda ruined things.

View Spoilers

WARNING: spoilers below

When the police are serving the warrant at Marty's Terry's home and the disfigured hooded figure is standing there. It made me think that no could see him, because it was just to obvious in the daylight with all the detectives detecting and stuff. Then I think about the little girl saying the man was talking to her and you didn't see anything.

When the police are serving the warrant at Marty's Terry's home and the disfigured hooded figure is standing there. It made me think that no could see him, because it was just to obvious in the daylight with all the detectives detecting and stuff. Then I think about the little girl saying the man was talking to her and you didn't see anything.

I would have preferred to not have seen the character and left things ambiguous. It doesn't really seem like there is a good reason for showing that, when we could have just let the mystery swirl a little more.

When the doctor asked him about medication I turned to my wife and said "Lispitor." And he said "Lipitor" right after and it was probably the best moment of my life.

Anyway, tons of thoughts about this one. Interesting that they're making some of the supernatural explanations so evident right away, maybe just because people are going to assume that stuff with Stephen King's name being attached, so there's not much point in doing the usual build-up to it.

The hooded figure seems to feed off of the rippling destruction of the act more than the act itself. There are several nods to Storm of the Century, too (maybe my favorite of King's stories), with the pigs and with Roanoke, though whether this is just King self-referencing, or teasing out bigger connections, is hard to say. The latter seems like something he'd do without ever being explicit, for that matter, even though he loves to have powerful and mysterious figures show up over and over, often with totally different names and forms, only to reveal in one of the The Dark Tower books that it's actually the same person.

View Spoilers

WARNING: spoilers below

April 5th? Was that not the day of the Dayton vacation? Same day that Derek Anderson was born?

April 5th? Was that not the day of the Dayton vacation? Same day that Derek Anderson was born?

Dayton was early March, I believe.

Yeah. I just got to the part in e3 where they reference the trip as March.

My spider-sense is going off about the dead son.

Watched the first 2 eps of The Outsider. I was reluctant because I'm not a horror fan. But so far it seems more of a crime thriller, which will have supernatural parts.

It's really a well done production. Ben Mendelsohn is first rate as the detective, as is the veteran Bill Camp as the attorney. It's a very strong cast. The story is well written, but what makes it for me is the excellent photography and the phenomenal music score, both of which set the feel and atmosphere.

I agree that the hooded character is so far a little questionable, especially since he's so obviously threatening that others would certainly notice the guy! And I'm assuming he's actually visible...

~Doc

After three episodes I'm liking this quite a bit. Actors are good and uncharacteristically for King, all of the adult characters aren't complete pieces of crap. For some reason, I've been getting serious Us vibes from the start (haven't read the book so I'm just guessing).

__________________

Really got freaked out when our new friend was sitting at the computer and the shot was almost all background.

I've watched an episode a night and have really enjoyed this. Ben Mendelsohn has been great---a very nice complement to Bateman, I think. And the directing is getting impressive. Similarly to Ozark.
I dig it.

The other day at work I reached back to scratch the back of my neck and noticed there was a dry patch with little bumps. Did I inner monologue, "I'll do anything, just make it stop"?

Whether it's Bateman's aesthetic or my mental picture, I feel like I can describe Ozark and the Outsider with the same word.


Overcast.


Even if the shot is inside, everything "feels" grey and gloomy.

That's great. I'm definitely stealing that and calling them "Overcast dramas."

The transitions are always dynamic and smooth. Before one scene ends, the voice of the next one is already starting, effectively creating a sense of momentum but this feels more restrained and mature compared to Ozark's pacing. Or the use of lights (camera flash in the case of a transition in ep4, tonight). I'm also noticing really nice layering when framing a lot of compositions. Often times a scene starts with some out of focus object between the camera and subject. Loving the shallow depth of field and close-up crops. The shot of the mother stepping out of her house to drive off is gorgeous.

Or starting from odd points of view (from under a car as we hear action out of frame leading us into the scene; it's all so mysteriously curious). It feels as though we're in their environment rather than observing them through a screen. That can be overplayed but it all feels so natural 3.5 episodes in. As was the case for me, again, by referencing Ozark. Finally the soundtrack, I think, is just as soft and subtle as the lighting DD mentioned. Both really keep this tonal consistency that help glue all the scenes together. I am REALLY impressed by how all of this is working together.

Edit: maybe it's unfair I've compared this to Ozark. I assumed Bateman was directing. Looks like he's just a producer.

I've just started this. And it is very promising. Great cast.