The Land – The show begins with Luke Tillerson (Shaun Sipos) and Billy Tillerson (Noah Reid) speeding across the ranch. Autumn Rivers (Imogen Poots) hurriedly disassembles her tent. Cecilia Abbott (Lili Taylor) demands to know if they drove their vehicle through her fence. After wiping dirt off Billy’s face with finger spit, she suggests they go home. Luke prevents her from shutting the door while asking where Rhett Abbott (Lewis Pullman) and Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin) are at. She repeatedly tells them to go home before asking for an apology. Billy quietly apologizes. Rhett and Perry Abbott (Tom Pelphrey) sit at the dining table when Cecilia asks about Royal.

A buffalo, with two arrows in its flank appears on the screen. Royal lays unresponsible on the ground. As the rain falls upon his body, he is startled awake. As he reaches his hand out to his horse, three large scratches are visible on his back.

Rhett, Perry, and Cecilia sit at the dining table when he arrives home shirtless. He refuses to tell anyone about his experience. Perry asks about Trevor Tillerson’s (Matt Lauria) body. Rhett interrupts to say he doesn’t want to know. Perry promises to accept the blame, so no one else gets into trouble. Cecilia reminds Perry that everyone is involved in it. She attempts to convince Royal to give them some pointers, but he refuses. He says all they need to know is the body is gone. Perry asks if it is on the ranch. He suggests they return to work. Rhett reminds him of Autumn. Cecilia asks what they are talking about. He tells her about Autumn camping in a tent on the west pasture. Perry warns him of which could happen if Autumn witnessed the disposal of Trevor’s body. Raising his voice, Royal asks them to trust him.

Cecilia orders him to get rid of Autumn. Perry suggests they find Autumn to determine if she saw something. Royal promises to take care of it. They scold him for losing his shirt because it could be utilized as evidence. He claims to know nothing about what happened to his shirt. Amy Abbott (Olive Abercrombie) points out that Royal’s leg is bleeding.

Cecelia sutures a laceration of Royal’s leg. She asks who is responsible for shooting him. He claims it was Luke. Dipping his hand in the sink, he watches the water wash the blood away.

Rose Hawk (Ofelia Garcia) draws on a campaign poster that reads, “Elect Joy Hawk For Sheriff). Deputy Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) encourages Rose to eat her cereal. Martha Hawk (Morningstar Angeline) prepares food when she asks Joy who is contacting her. Joy says it is Luke looking for Trevor.

On the way to the Tillerson ranch, Joy drives by Rhett on his horse. He appeared to be heading in the same direction but immediately changes his mind. Luke gives her Trevor’s belt buckle. He explains how it was lying on the ground behind the roadhouse. She asks him what she is supposed to do with the buckle. He tells her to conduct an investigation into Trevor’s disappearance. He points out that the buckle has blood on it. When she refers to herself as the sheriff, he corrects her by saying “acting sheriff.” She promises to monitor the situation, not investigate. He makes a sarcastic comment about her campaign for sheriff. He says her opponent, Trudy Cole, has a massive support system. He reminds her of the town never having an Indian sheriff. Laughing, she tells him there hasn’t ever been a gay sheriff. When he offers her Tillerson family support, she agrees to take Trevor’s belt buckle to the Sheriff’s Office.

Rhett visits the Bison Valley Bank of Wyoming to speak with Maria Olivares (Isabel Arraiza). She informs him of the bull rider who knocked him out of the competition testing positive for illegal substances. He invites her out to dinner. She accepts his invitation. He apologizes for his behavior at the local roadhouse. She admits to not being fond of Trevor. He asks her to not say anything about their fight. She agrees.

Cecilia informs Royal of a call from Tillerson’s attorney. He admits to already knowing about it. She scolds him for not telling her. Before he leaves to speak with Todd Barney (William Sterchi), she pleads with him to take Perry along.

On the drive, Royal assures Perry that what happened was an accident. Perry says he no longer believes in accidents. Barney describes the 600 acres the Tillerson family claims belong to them as a “topographical fu** job.” Pointing out the west pasture, he explains how it is impossible to see who owns it by looking at the map. He suggests they give Wayne Tillerson (Will Patton) the land. Royal scolds him for being a coward. As they walk to their vehicle, Perry agrees with Barney about handing the land over to Wayne. Royal tells him about Wayne having a bull that gored his ranch hand. He refused to kill the bull because it was an asset to his ranch. He suggests staying clear of the Tillerson family.

Royal visits the Tillerson ranch to speak with Wayne who asks about his leg. He claims to have pulled it while getting out of bed. Billy sings a song while standing in his underwear in front of a mirror. Royal finds a business card for Dr. Nia Bintu (Yrsa Daley-Ward). He asks Wayne if they are still searching for Trevor. Wayne assures him that Trevor is passed out drunk somewhere. They verbally argue about who stole the land and who was paid off. Royal offers him 200 acres of the south pasture, but Wayne refuses. Wayne explains how he was intrigued with erotic art in the 80s. To achieve the right painting, he kept acquiring land. Laughing, he admits to just having a desire to own the west pasture. Wayne accuses him of being “shifty” since they first met.

Autumn walks through the woods. While she stares up at a unique rock formation when Amy approaches. Amy questions why she is there. She says it is just meant to be. Pointing at a drawing on the rock formation, she claims to have been sketching it forever. Amy tells her the drawing is the Abbott brand. She starts to ask about Royal when Amy asks if she knows him. Amy describes Royal’s behavior at breakfast as “weird.” Autumn asks if it was at breakfast this morning. She admits to being happy about Royal. Autumn stares at the Abbott brand on the ranch entrance.

Royal rides out to the west pasture, where he finds Autumn’s tent and his bloody shirt hanging on a makeshift clothesline. He jerks the shirt off the line before searching her tent. He stares down at the hole before tossing the shirt in.

At dinner, Royal alerts the others of his desire to pray. He gets irate while praying about a space between them and God. He prays for it to be filled. He demands that God come to earth to explain what he is going. He admits to hating God for the void. When Amy arrives, she tells them about meeting Autumn. Royal orders Amy and the others to never speak to Autumn. They are shocked when he says the cattle will be relocated to the east pasture. Perry reminds him that the cattle haven’t been grazing on the west pasture for more than a few days. Rhett complains about there not being enough help. Raising his voice, he tells them it will be done tomorrow. He slams both hands down on the dining table, “There’s a great void.”

They move the cattle from the west pasture to the east pasture. Royal takes off after a cow. Cecelia questions where he is heading to. Rhett says he is going loco. He ropes the cow before it reaches the hole.

In the barn, royal removes a drawer to access a photo hidden deep inside the shelf. While he stares at the photo, Autumn asks what he is doing. When he tells her to leave, she says that is not what he wants. He asks why she feels that way. She tells him that he needs her to protect his secret, tossing Trevor’s body in the hold. He reminds her that she did the same to him. She claims her money is from a trust fund. He asks if she was ever a cult member. She acknowledges being in a cult. He demands to know what yellow represents. She says, “Power.” She asks if he has any recollection of being nine years old and younger because she didn’t until now.

She assures him something is going on that only they know. She suggests they work together to figure it out. A flashback of her shoving him into the hole appears on the screen. He wakes up on the ground, with bright lights glaring. A timer reads 00:00. As he looks around to see an oil derrick in operation. A large tank, with the brand BY9, can be seen in the background. A woman who looks like Autumn, Deputy Joy, and other people stare at him. When Cecelia approaches, he asks if they still own the land. After saying he is dead, she orders him to run. Luke shoots him in the leg. A group of people takes him down. Royal jumps back into the hole as the episode come to an end.

 

Outer Range Review

The background song “My Prayer” made it difficult to focus on the show. There is a time and place for the song, but this is not it.

I found the show a bit confusing, which is probably the point. Character development and onscreen relationships are slowly progressing. I haven’t noted any strong connections, even with Amy. They are too preoccupied with covering up a murder, which is somewhat understandable.

No improvement was noted in the lighting, as the night scenes are still like watching a blackout. Nothing about the acting stands out in my own opinion. It is difficult to have empathy for any of the characters, as they put themselves in this predicament. I will say, the Abbotts seem determined to keep their secret no matter what.

The episode deserves a 5.5. Get more Outer Range recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking on the link to learn more.