The Time – The show begins with a narration by Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin). Royal explains a storm comprised of molten rock and rock gave rise to soil and granite. He says the earth tremored, split, and grew until it touched the sky. The forests and people repeatedly grew and died. Everything transpired without the sky caring.

Amy Abbott (Olive Abercrombie) while River eats in the dark. She tells him that she is having trouble sleeping. He invites her to sit down for some ice cream. He starts to tell her that he first ice cream when she finishes his sentence, “Ten years old.” She reminds him of how he said it hundreds of times. She asks what happened to his leg when it was bleeding. He says from an injury involving a fence. She boldly admits to not believing his answer.

Deputy Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) is driving down the road listening to sports news. She stops at a convenience store to drop off a campaign poster to Gladys (Mimi Fletcher). After a failed attempt to carry on a conversation with Gladys, she heads back to the beverage cooler. Seeing a reflection of a Tweaker Guy (Clint Obenchain) in the cooler glass, she turns around to find the man standing there. She immediately grabs him while Gladys alerts he is armed. A brief struggle takes place before coming to an end, with her wrestling him to the ground.

As Joy transports her suspect to the sheriff’s department, he complains about being arrested. He points out that he didn’t commit a robbery. She tells him that it is an “attempted robbery.” He assures her that the police have more pressing issues to focus on than him. She asks what he is referring to. He says the locals are disappearing, including his cousin six months prior. She asks if he is a meth user like himself.

She drops the Tweaker Guy off at the sheriff’s office to be processed. Deputy Matt (Matthew Maher) congratulates her successful arrest. She asks him to check with the Tillerson family to see if they have heard an update on Trevor Tillerson (Matt Lauria). He tries to discuss the Lander Chief of Police Trudy Cole (Grayson Berry) when she spots him telling a group of deputies a joke. She catches the deputies off-guard by asking them to give a comparison of her and Trudy’s K9 plan. Officer Mark (Zach Rose) tells her both of their K9 plans are “pretty good.”

Trudy and Joy discuss Trevor’s disappearance. He gives her an account of Luke Tillerson (Shaun Sipos) and Billy Tillerson’s (Noah Reid) account of what happened when Trevor went missing from the Pit Bar. He says the two brothers went to the Abbott Ranch looking for Trevor. She tells him it is perfectly okay to search for him in Lander. Before he leaves, she sarcastically says she is eager to work with him after she is elected sheriff.

Luke tells Wayne Tillerson (Will Patton) that no sightings of Trevor have been reported in four days. He explains how the credit card company denied him access to Trevor’s transaction activity. Wayne assures him that Trevor is an adult. Billy supports Luke’s concern. Wayne suggests making an offer for Abbott’s west pasture. Stunned by his comment, Luke says he is sure the property accessor will award them the land. Wayne demands he offer a $1M for the west pasture. Luke points out that the hearing is scheduled for next month. Wayne goes on a rant about animals, with superb hearing. He repeats his order to offer $1M for the land.

Approaching Luke, he tells him that he wants the west pasture. Luke asks why. He accuses him of sounding like his mother.

Out of earshot, Luke accuses Wayne of caring more about Abbott’s west pasture than his own flesh and blood. Billy tries to assure him that Wayne does care. Luke boldly refuses to make the offer.

Autumn Rivers (Imogen Poots) discovers a strange object in the dirt while digging. She spots the buffalo, with two arrows in its flank feeding in the grass. She removes one of the arrows before the buffalo jolts. She hitchhikes on the side of a highway. The driver drops her off at Wagang Drugs, where she speaks with Pharmacist Jennifer (Kate Chavez). She tells Jennifer the purpose of her visit is to pick up her first prescription for Lamotrigine. When she notices Royal’s truck sitting along the road, she enters The Handsome Gambler. She asks the Bartender (Melissa Chambers) if she has seen Royal. Perry Abbott (Tom Pelphrey) identifies himself as Royal’s son. He asks about her plans for hanging around the Abbott Ranch.

She tells him that her plans are unsure because she is waiting for her sign. Seeing his wedding ring, she asks about his marriage. He claims to have been married for about 10 years, but she went missing nearly 9 months ago. She explains her experience with depression.

A school bus drops Amy off beside the road when Billy pulls up. He jokingly tries to give her some dipping tobacco. Out of the blue, he suggests her mom and Trevor are together. She asks what he is implying. Not responding to her question, Billy sings a song.

As Cecilia Abbott (Lili Taylor) emerges from a local store, the Bag Boy (Ken Thong) catches up to give her the groceries she forgot. A truck horn gets her attention a short distance away. As the truck approaches, she believes the driver is Rebecca.

Royal and Rhett Abbott (Lewis Pullman) are working on a fence. Royal pricks his finger on barbed wire. Rhett questions if he is okay. He tells him to focus on his bronco riding competition, as it is his last opportunity. Rhett asks about his strange decision to move the cattle from the west pasture to the east pasture for no reason. They argue about his protecting Perry who Rhett describes as “fragile.”

Cecilia is trying to pray when Royal approaches to ask if she is ready to go. She tells him about her thinking she saw Rebecca driving a pickup truck. She goes on a rant about his not believing in God.

Rhett has his wrists taped up for his bronco ride. Royal tells him about having a better ride when Cecilia was in the stands. When he tries to talk to him about Maria Olivares (Isabel Arraiza) he jokingly tells him to stop. Joy approaches to speak with Rhett alone. Royal tries to convince her to wait until his ride is over, but she says it is about Trevor. He asks did he finally make an appearance in Vegas. With Royal out of earshot, she tells him the blood on Trevor’s belt buckle was determined to be his. He denies knowing how it got there. He relays the information to Royal.

Rhett moves into the bull pin while Royal takes a seat beside Cecilia. Joy watches as Rhett and his bull enter the arena. After the ride is complete, his name appears on top of the list.

While Rhett and Maria have a drink at The Handsome Gambler, they discuss Maria’s short tent at graduate school. She believes her mom’s bitchiness is an attempt to pressure her to re-enroll in graduate school. He assures her that she is in the right place in Outer Range. When he pops a few painkillers, she warns him to be cautious. She asks why he didn’t ask her out in high school. He says it was from fear of her saying no. As they prepare to hit the dance floor, a Drunk Guy (Bruce Holmes) bumps into Maria. While he apologizes, Rhett is not satisfied with it. A verbal altercation nearly turns into a physical altercation until a drunken Rhett falls to the floor.

She escorts him outside, where they kiss. She leaves before they get too deep. Rhett is taking pee near a car when the owner jumps out. Recognizing Rhett, Officer Mark points out he is urinating on his vehicle.

Joy informs Matt that she has a meeting with Frank Harlan tomorrow. He questions what the meeting is about when Mark brings Rhett in. Joy drops the charges against Rhett. Before she sets him free, she informs him that all Pit Bar patrons on the night Trevor went missing will be interviewed by the police. She assures him what led to his disappearance will eventually surface. He tells her about the physical altercation between him and Trevor at the Pit Bar. He claims after the altercation, Trevor went one way while he returned to the bar. She asks why he never informs her about the altercation. He gives her a lowdown of Luke’s reaction to Trevor’s disappearance.

Matt alerts her of Royal’s arrival. She asks if there were any witnesses to the fight. He says, “No.” While Royal waits for Joy to release Rhett, Royal peeps through a window to see Rhett’s Detainee Release Form on a computer screen.

On the ride home, Royal fills Rhett in on his childhood. He admits to telling everyone his parents died when he was young. He says his mother was alive, only his father died. His father’s death bore on his mind terribly, so he decided to run away from home. It was the last time he saw his younger sister and mother. He lays a plastic bag, containing Trevor’s belt buckle on the dashboard of his truck. Rhett stares at the belt buckle in disbelief and at Royal.

Royal tosses Trevor’s belt buckle into the hole.

Joy drives to meet with Frank Harlan (Barry Del Sherman) to inform him of her bit for sheriff. He tells her about one of his workers hearing a wild animal-like noise near the caves on his ranch. He says the worker got a closer look when he heard a rumbling. He mimics the noise. He claims his worker told him that the rumbling emitted from the mouth of a cave. The worker lit his torch before venturing into the cave, where he saw a prehistoric mastodon. He explains how prehistoric elephants inhabited the area in the Pilocene epoch until they all died out in the Pleistocene epoch. He says the sighting is not the first of its kind in the area. He asks how she plans to address it if she is to be sheriff. She is speechless.

Royal visits Autumn to ask if she would like to start over. She tells him that she would be happy to start over. He reminds her of a statement she made during their previous conversation in the barn. He asks if she remembers anything about her life before the age of nine. She blames her memory loss on an accident. He questions why she shoved him into the hole. She suggests her decision was to ensure he knew what would happen. He asks her to make him a promise to keep everything a secret.  He promises to let her stay on his ranch if she agrees to avoid his family. Refusing his offer, she asks him to tell her about his experience in the hole.

He tells her the hole is a portal to a different place in another time. She says he traveled through time before asking if she was there. He repeats his offer again, adding they will continue to talk about it. When they shake hands, Royal sees the mountain disappear, leaving a cloud of dust.

Joy laughs about Frank’s mastodon story while driving down the road. When she witnesses the same thing Royal saw, she jams her foot on the brake. When Royal lets go of her hand, the mountain reappears. Autumn asks if there is something wrong. He says no before turning and walking away.

Amy informs Cecilia that she is going outside for a hike.

As Joy enters the sheriff’s office, Matt asks about her and Frank’s visit. She describes it as “weird.” He tells her about a lot of complaints from the public about a disappearing mountain. She asks what he is talking about when Luke arrives to speak with Joy. Amy scales a mountain. Luke demands to know the results of the DNA from Trevor’s belt buckle. She begins to say they are waiting for when he cuts her off, swearing the DNA is Rhett’s.

When Amy reaches the peak, she discovers Trevor’s lifeless body lying on the ground. She stares at it in horror before running back home. She informs Perry, Cecelia, and Royal about seeing Trevor show she believes is no longer alive.

Joy asks Luke what grounds there are to arrest Rhett. She opens her desk drawer to discover the belt buckle missing. He assures her that blood is on the belt buckle. She receives a call from Royal to alert her of Trevor’s body. She blankly stares at Luke when he says Trevor is dead. Royal stands quietly as the episode comes to an end.

 

Outer Range Review

Now, we know the hole is a portal to another place and time. Autumn’s purpose is still questionable. If it weren’t for Amy and Perry, one would question if she was a figment of Royal’s imagination. She is obviously connected to his past in some form or fashion.

The biggest complaint I have is the poor lighting. The night scenes are virtually nothing but shadows. I struggled to identify the owner of the vehicle that Rhett urinated on until he was transported to jail.

It was no big surprise when Trevor’s body was discovered on the mountain. After all, Royal successfully time traveled. The only difference is Royal survived, and Trevor didn’t.

The Abbotts are in for a reckoning, now that Luke knows Trevor was on their land. There is no way, he will believe they weren’t involved in his death. If any of the others discovered the body, Royal would have probably tried to dispose of it again. Amy, finding it pushed him to get the police involved.

The temporary disappearance of the mountain was cringeworthy, thanks to poor editing. The scene was plausible up until that point.

The episode deserves a 6.5. The show deserves a 6.5. Get more Outer Range recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking on the link to learn more.