Outcasts

TV, Outcasts (2011) TV series, 8 episodes

I was initially resentful of this programme as I suspect it was the replacement for 'Survivors', a series I was enjoying quite a lot when its third season was cancelled, leaving with a cliffhanger. I hoped this would be a worthy successor, but after watching the first episode and almost falling asleep from the lack of explanation and interest, where you had to guess what was going on, not particularly hard as the characters had a habit of telling their story in the most banal way possible. Everyone was either serious and dull or cheeky and annoying, and there was nothing in it to make me think this was going to be a good series. I stuck with it anyway as I like to give things a chance, not to judge a series by its first episode, but I was not rewarded for my patience as the next two episodes were equally as dull so that I actually didn't look forward to watching it on the Monday and Tuesday evenings it was shown. The characters continued to irritate, the bad guy was so obviously the bad guy, and while much of the time the opposite of what might have been expected was the route chosen, the story remained deathly dull.

Episode 4 rolled around and for the first time I actually enjoyed an episode, the one with the 'AC' with mental problems. I began to care about some of the characters. President Tate's constant frown no longer bothered me, I liked Cass and Fleur and the story, while hardly gripping, did engage my interest. Sadly, most people don't have that level of patience to allow them to reach episode four when three have been so poor, so the ratings dropped and after episode 5 the series was shunted into the graveyard slot of Sunday evenings at 10:25, from the prime time 9:00pm slot on Mondays and Tuesdays. This was a shame, as episodes 5, 6 and 7 continued the enjoyment factor begun in episode 4. The mystery of the planet began to make sense, there were some nice scenes, such as the first pilot who had been living alone on this planet and had appeared in Fort Haven, then ended up walking into the sea in a sad death scene. Cass had become a fun and sympathetic character and the bad guy was being stonewalled and under suspicion by some, so that the irritation 'he's behind you!' factor was vastly decreased.

It may be that because people were savaging the series (when they were bothered to comment on it at all), saying mainly negative things, this attracted me to it even more. It had gone from being a flagship BBC series to a niche sci-fi show, relegated to a late slot that few people except those interested in finding out what was going to happen, would watch, and somehow this made it seem like a better proposition, as those still watching were the chosen, patient few, rewarded for sticking with it. I'm not going to say it was better than 'Survivors', (although it scored over other recent BBC sci-fi, such as submarine drama 'The Deep' and 'Paradox'), or that it was original, or even that it contained many strong science fiction ideas. But I will say that it was worth watching, remained pretty tasteful (little harsh language or innuendo, unlike, say, 'Life On Mars'/ 'Ashes To Ashes'), and made me want to see each new episode. I'd even like to see more of these characters, which is a big turnaround from my early impressions. Of course that's never going to happen now that it is officially a failure.

The series continued to take surprising turns even into the last episode where President Tate chose Jack, head of the expeditionary force, as his successor, over Stella. A wise move, as this allowed Julius Berger a chance to show what he really thought of the soldier man, leading Jack to realise where his true loyalty should lie. The last episode ended on a cliffhanger, something which shouldn't be attempted unless a second season is guaranteed or it becomes an annoyance to those still interested. I can guess that the new ship, crashing down towards Port Haven might have taken a few people out, meaning they didn't need to bring back all of the characters (thus saving money), and that Berger probably would have escaped in the chaos to cause trouble again.

The 'host force' of the planet was interested in seeing what the humans did next, which was a weak way of continuing the tension between them, since they would be more likely to just find another way to wipe out the population rather than effectively concede a temporary defeat. And with Fleur revealed to be an AC and joining her fellow enhanced men, she might have been a catalyst for detente between them and the humans. Regardless of the way it ended there was plenty still to tell about those characters - I'd have liked more flashbacks to their lives on Earth, as Tipper experienced - the 'mind machine' never came into it again for some reason - such as Cass' guilty actions for the cartels. Sadly, with such a weak opening gambit the series was doomed and it's about as likely of returning as 'Survivors' is of getting a Season 3. Having seen all eight episodes I would have to say that I'm disappointed it won't be coming back.

***