Do you love movies and shows about demonic possession?  Sure, who doesn’t?  However, it seems like television series centered on this are fading left and right.  Shows like Ash vs Evil Dead, The Exorcist, and Constantine have all been canceled.  South of Hell hasn’t aired a new episode since 2015 either, which leaves us with one flickering light to submerge us back into the darkness…Outcast.  Outcast is currently airing season 2 on Cinemax and there are only 2 episodes left this season.  You still have plenty of time to binge-watch seasons 1 and 2, however.  The show is created by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and is based on the comic series of the same name.  It follows Kyle Barnes, played by Patrick Fugit, who is surrounded by misfortune, as his close family members are possessed by demons, leading him on a path toward self-discovery and justice.  Kyle soon discovers that he has the ability to exorcise demons with merely his touch.  There has been a gap of time since we have seen new episodes, as season 1 aired on Cinemax in 2016 and season 2 just started airing in summer 2018, which can sometimes lead to a slower pace or a need to refresh our memories on who’s who in the demonic possession game.  However, the show does have many redeeming qualities and is definitely worth a watch and hopefully a pickup for season 3, which has yet to be determined.  Please note spoilers are ahead.  My top 5 reasons to watch Outcast are: 

5

Kyle Barnes is a hero you can truly relate to.

One of the things I love about Outcast is that the character of Kyle Barnes seems like an everyday guy that you would actually meet and want to be friends with.  There is nothing truly extraordinary about him and he has a humble presence.  Kyle always tries to do right by his family and frequently visits his mother in the hospital.  He also has a wife and young daughter who he loves very much.  You can immediately detect that Kyle is genuine and a good person.  This makes you truly sympathize with him when we see the people in his life getting possessed by demons.  To make matters worse, it seems like the blame always comes in his direction.  Even when Kyle discovers his abilities with the help of Reverend Anderson, played by Philip Glenister, Kyle is still the same man he has always been.  Only now, he is able to exorcise demons with merely the touch of his hand.  This is definitely more of a burden than a blessing, as Kyle realizes that he will continue to attract the attention and focus of those lurking in the darkness, targeting his family as well.

4

There is a formidable villain.

Meet Sidney.  While we still have a lot to find out about him, it appears that Sidney is the big bad on this series.  Whether he is the devil himself or something else, I’m not entirely sure, but he is always at the center of any darkness in town and sets his sights on Kyle and the Reverend, recognizing them as potential threats to “the merge,” which would give the demons a permanent home in the human vessels they are currently residing in from my understanding.  Part of what makes Sidney such a great villain is that he is so mysterious.  You are immediately drawn in and want to know more.  In season 2, Sidney is shown as more vulnerable, as his human host begins to fail on him, but Sidney is not someone to be taken lightly.  He is responsible for carving a pentagram into Reverend Anderson’s chest to demonstrate his power over him and he is fixated on shifting Kyle over to his side to use his abilities to further his own agenda.  If we think about the classic idea of good vs. evil, Sidney definitely embodies the epitome of evil.  Has he finally met his match with Kyle, however?  We’ll have to stay tuned to find out, but this is a battle I am absolutely looking forward to.

3

Strong female characters refuse to sit on the sidelines.

Even though a lot of the show is centered around Kyle and the Reverend, the strong female characters on the show don’t merely sit by and let them steal the spotlight.  Kyle’s wife, Allison, played by Kate Lyn Sheil, ends up attacking her own daughter when she is possessed, which is horrifying to watch.  In season 2, Allison is in some kind of psych ward or rehabilitation center and is being told that she needs to accept that she had some kind of psychotic break and that only she is responsible for what happened to her daughter while in a “dissociative state.”  While Allison initially seems weak and vulnerable, she has now become a supporting force to both her daughter and husband.  When Kyle is taken away in the hospital, she demands to see his body and refuses to let other people tell her what to do.  It’s about time Allison found her voice and inner strength.  Rose Giles, played by Charmin Lee, is the wife of the Sheriff and ends up witnessing quite a lot about demonic possession, as her husband joins in on the fight and is possessed himself in season 2.  In season 2, Rose takes matters into her own hands and lures in people who were possessed so that she can eliminate the threat herself.   Finally, let’s talk about Megan, played by Wrenn Schmidt, the foster sister of Kyle.  Megan was possessed at the end of season 1 and in the beginning of season 2, it’s like she is completely broken and a shell of her former self.  She completely blames herself for her husband’s death and even jumps into the water, contemplating drowning herself.  While under the water, Megan has a change of heart and realizes that she needs to live.  We soon learn that Megan is pregnant and some view her unborn child as a potential threat, recognizing that the seed of the demon could still be present.  While I’m interested to see how this story plays out, Megan is trying her best to believe in and support her brother and be strong for her family.

2

Megan’s possession.

Since the show is on Cinemax, we get to see quite a bit of blood and gore along the way, but the scariest moment of the show for me was when Megan was possessed at the end of season 1.  The vacant stare in her eyes was so convincing and creepy.  She killed her own husband and her actions afterwards are so incredibly disturbing.  Megan begins peeling the skin off her own hand and then starts pushing on Mark’s eyeball with no reaction, which is something that still haunts my nightmares.  This is the scariest possession on the show for me and it also created a major cliffhanger as well.

1

Amber steals the show.

The best part of the show for me is Kyle’s daughter, Amber, played by Madeleine McGraw.  It’s safe to say that Amber has been through quite a lot.  Her own mother tried to kill her and she watched her father be accused of pretty much everything.  She also witnessed her Aunt Megan’s possession, which is enough to send her straight into years and years of therapy.  But Amber is not afraid and turns out to be an outcast herself, revealed in season 2.  Amber has the same ability as her father, but she is a lot less timid with it.  While Kyle tends to warn the demons, Amber just goes right up to them and burns them, proving that she is courageous and strong.  When they are told that her father is dead in the hospital, Amber keeps looking for him, refusing to listen to these lies.  She is the one who finds Kyle and tells him that “fireflies can see other fireflies.”  Amber has a lot to learn about her own abilities, but it seems like she may end up more powerful than her father.  Kyle knows that he has a huge responsibility and burden already, but he needs to ensure Amber’s safety at all cost.  Either way, Amber is a character you can absolutely root for, constantly reminding us just how capable and strong she is.  Ready to watch?

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I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on Outcast in the comments section below.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

@TV_Fanatic_Girl

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