The Loss – The show begins with Pablo (Sebestien Soliz) alerting Wayne Tillerson (Will Patton) of his discovery. When he holds it out, Wayne identifies it as a “rock.” Pablo tells him to look closer. He asks where the rock was discovered. He says on the Abbott Farm near the west pasture. Pablo questions if he is familiar with the rock. He acknowledges seeing it as a child. A brief flashback of Wayne standing near what looks like the hole pops up on the screen. He orders Pablo to bring him any other similar rocks directly to him. Pablo agrees. With the rock cupped in his hands, Wayne begins to dance and sing.

Deputy Sheriff Joy (Tamara Podemski) contacts Deputy Matt (Matthew Maher) over the police radio to ask if he removed Trevor’s buckle from her desk drawer. He denies taking it. She asks if he can estimate how long Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin) was hanging around her office. He tells her it isn’t a good idea to leave criminal evidence when she cuts him off. She assures him that she is fully aware of that. Joy, Matt, and EMTs arrive at the Abbott Farm, where Royal is waiting.

Joy asks about the damaged gate. He sarcastically says he should make him pay for the damage. She suggests waiting until Trevor Tillerson’s (Matt Lauria) funeral is concluded. They walk up the mountain to Trevor’s body, where it lay lifeless on the ground. Someone briefly holds up Royal’s left hand that is covered abrasions. Joy suggests his body has been there away because rigor mortis is gone. Matt points out that his body doesn’t generate a decaying odor. She identifies a contusion on his throat. He suggests it may be from a wild animal. She doesn’t think so because his body is intact. He makes another suggestion about him falling. She questions if they are standing on Abbott land, but Royal says no.

Joy meets with Cecilia Abbott (Lili Taylor), Royal, and Perry Abbott (Tom Pelphrey) at their home. Rhett is away on an errand. Joy sends a text that reads “Go to Taylor’s. Get eyes on Rhet.” She tells Amy Abbott (Olive Abercrombie) she is a “hero.” Royal offers her coffee and banana bread. She claims to have an allergy to bananas. Joy starts with Amy, going through the events that led up to her discovering Trevor. She asks the last time she utilized the trail. Amy says it was several days prior. When Perry tries to give input, Joy cuts him off. She asks Amy if she noted anything strange on her last hike. Amy denies seeing anything.

Joy asks Amy about the previous visit from Billy Tillerson (Noah Reed) and Luke Tillerson (Shaun Sipos). Amy describes their behavior as “weird.” Cecilia and Royal say they were “drunk.” She asks where Royal was when they were there. Amy hesitates before saying he was asleep in bed. When Joy asks about Rhett’s whereabouts, Amy admits he wasn’t home. Before Joy leaves, Perry tells her Rhett Abbott (Lewis Pullman) was with a woman on the night of the Tillerson brother’s visit. Joy questions if Rhett is aware the body was discovered. Royal claims they have been unable to get in touch with him.

As Joy and Royal walk to her vehicle, she informs him about locals calling the sheriff’s department to report the mountain behind them disappeared. She asks if he remembers rumors of UFOs in Montana. He denies knowing anything about the sightings. She blatantly asks him if he removed anything from her office. He denies the allegations. She dispatches Matt who claims to have located Rhett. She orders him to interview Rhett about the night of his fight with Trevor. She demands he prohibit Rhett from utilizing his cellphone because he is aware of Trevor’s body.

As soon as Royal enters the house, he demands Perry to call Rhett. He is already on the phone. Rhett’s phone can be heard ringing inside his truck, which is empty. He loads a few things in the back of the pickup before ignoring the call. Matt watches from his police cruiser. He enters the bank, where Bank Manager (Cindy Lippert) is teaching Maria Olivares (Isabel Arraiza) how to open a new account. Rhett pecks on the window of the Bison Valley Bank to say hi to Maria. She smiles at him. Perry continues to call Rhett’s phone. Matt approaches as Maria emerges from the bank. Rhett says to wait until he answers Perry’s call, but Matt asks him to ignore it. Maria and Rhett argue that he has the right to answer his phone.

Matt blatantly asks what he did after he and Trevor fought. Ignoring his request, he accepts the call. Perry informs him that Trevor’s body was discovered. Matt repeats his previous question. Matt him to identify the girl. Maria admits he was with her. The bank manager reminds Maria that she is working. She leaves without saying anything.

Billy sings while making sandwiches. Luke raises his voice, asking him to please stop. After apologizing, Luke offers him a sandwich that he made especially for him. He looks outside to see Joy pull driving toward their house. Luke has a concerned look on his face. Joy removes her hat before telling them about Trevor. Wayne removes his clothes standing in front of the buffalo mount.

Perry is walking around when he encounters Autumn (Imogen Poots). He informs of Trevor’s body. She denies having any knowledge of Trevor’s death. She asks if his body was found in the west pasture. He acknowledges that is where it was discovered. She points out that she is tenting there. When he offers her whatever she needs, she requests a photo of his missing wife. Confused, he asks why. She claims to have traveled all over and may have encountered her somewhere along the way. He removes a photo from his wallet and gives it to her before walking away.

Cecilia receives a call from Todd Barney (William Sterchi). Perry offers Amy a drink, which she refuses. He asks Cecilia what the phone call was regarding. She says the land dispute with Wayne. He argues that Royal should have delayed contacting Joy about Trevor. She assures him that it was the right move for Amy’s sake. He questions how the body ended up there.

Cecilia alerts Royal of the land hearing scheduled for the latter part of the month. Royal says the hearing cannot take place. She asks what’s his option. He agrees to visit Wayne. She questions the location of Trevor’s body. He claims to have no idea. She suggests it was Autumn, but he denies the allegations. He reminds her of what he did for Rhett and Perry. She goes on a rant about him refusing to open up about what he knows.

Royal assesses the crime scene. He discovers a strange rock.

Joy visits Maria at the bank to request an interview. She asks her if Rhett took her home after his fight with Trevor. Maria acknowledges it was between 1 and 1:30am. She questions if her parents can confirm her story. She claims her parents were in the bed upon her return. Joy informs her about Trevor. She warns her of the case being considered a homicide. She suggests being honest to avoid getting pulled in. She asks who was behind the pub.

Royal is examining the rock from the crime scene. He crushes it into pieces.

Rhett is having a drink when he receives several text messages filled with apologies and promises. Joy enters the bar.

Perry leaves without alerting Royal after he receives a phone call. He arrives at the sheriff’s department, where he sees Rhett in the interrogation room. Joy interviews Rhett and Perry. They both claim Rhett left to be with Maria after he dropped Perry off at home. Joy informs him of Maria’s confession. She asks them if Royal is keeping something from her. A flashback of the night Royal disposed of Trevor’s body shows on the screen. Joy demands to know who Rhett was with after he went back out. She reminds him of his career in the rodeo. Perry tells her that he is pretty sure Rhett is being truthful. Joy tells him that Maria claims he was the last person she saw in the parking lot. Perry tears up when Joy assures him that she is out to put his family through another tragedy. He denies knowing Rhett’s whereabouts after he left him at home.

Joy grills Rhett about his whereabouts. She reminds him of his blood being detected on Trevor’s buckle. Rhett has a flashback of Perry beating Trevor. Royal and his attorney burst through the doors, ordering Joy to release Perry and Rhett.

As they leave the sheriff’s office, Rhett demands to know what Perry told Joy. Royal demands they wait until returning home to discuss the case. Rhett warns him to think about it before “throwing him under the bus.” Perry is shocked by his behavior. Royal threatens him while Rhett walks away. He asks, what are his options. Royal orders him to stay quiet. Royal offers Rhett his help. Rhett asks him to “turn back time.” Royal flips on the radio.

Patricia Tillerson (Deirdre O’Connell) lands in a helicopter to meet Billy and Luke. Billy readily greets her with a hug while Luke reluctantly hugs her. She scorns Wayne for not forcing the police to investigate Trevor’s disappearance sooner. He says he just wants to morn Trevor. She reminds him of how long Trevor had gone missing. He tells her if she really cared, she will have never left their sons. She accuses him of prohibiting her from taking them. Raising his voice, he says their home is not Aspen, but Wyoming. She asks him what he thinks about Perry and Rhett being the killer. He assures her they are keeping something hidden. He tells her the land belongs to him. She describes his west pasture story as “nonsense.”

He orders her to pick up the rock he previously found. When she asks what it is, he says, “It is what we’ve all been looking for” before singing a song. She promises to find Trevor’s killer and help Luke save the Tillerson Ranch while he goes loco and dies.

Royal visits Karl Cleaver (Kevin Chamberlin) to discuss the land dispute. Karl assures him the decision will be made at the hearing. Royal assures him Wayne’s dispute is not real. Laughing, Karl repeats the rumors floating around about the neighbor confrontation and dead body. Royal asks his opinion of Wyoming. He says it is questionable why the locals tolerate the immigrants, Indians, and buffalo running around. Royal says the locals keep to themselves. As Karl continues to stuff his mouth full of Fritos, Royal gets in his face. He tells him that he is aware of his taking a bribe from Wayne. He threatens to introduce him to a large black hole if the land dispute hearing is not canceled.

When Joy runs into Patricia at the corner’s office, she apologizes for her loss. She tries to explain how she understands her frustration. Patricia informs her that she requested Gary (Patrick Burch) to speed up the autopsy. Joy tells her the laws prohibit the family from being present during the autopsy. Patricia asks her to overlook it this time. Joy asks why she wants to be present. She admits to not being confident she knows what she is doing. She suggests not to forget her constituents. Joy assures her that she serves Amelia County residents. Before leaving, Patricia orders Gary to complete the autopsy quickly.

Gary explains the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the trachea. He points out that Trevor’s body is “clean,” with no marks. He tells her Trevor hadn’t been dead 10 hours when Amy discovered him. She questions if the test results are correct. He assures her it was repeated three times. He asks when Trevor was last seen. She says, “Eight days ago.”

Billy breaks down while singing a song at Trevor’s funeral. While the priest (Richard Lippert) conducts Trevor’s funeral, Patricia walks over and opens his casket. After watching the Abbott family’s reaction to Trevor, Patricia says Perry is the killer. Autumn compliments Billy on his singing. Wayne asks her to identify herself. Joy asks Martha Hawk (Morningstar Angeline) where Rose Hawk (Ofelia Garcia) is at. She comments about the Abbott family coming to the funeral. She suggests they may be telling the truth. Joy suggests they are being truthful, or Royal is a “good con man.”

At the Weil & Grady Saloon, Rhett apologizes to Maria. She admits to liking him but refuses to get involved in their activities. Joy takes a seat beside Royal. He asks if she ever located whatever was missing. She denies finding it. He suggests she “trace her steps.” She assures him that it is disappeared. He asks if she ever considered the world being different than it is. She questions what he is referring to. He says, “No law, no order just chaos all the way down.” He suggests she look around at the people putting away alcohol after a man is buried in the ground. He says they are “fending off the dark, fending off the end.”

Karl informs Cecelia the land hearing has been rescheduled for next week. When he asks her to tell Royal that he doesn’t respond well to threats, she suggests he likes bribes instead. After emerging from the restroom, Royal enters another room, where Autumn and several men are playing cards. They agree to play cards but not before he orders her to show him her feet. He tells a story about a “tall pale man” taking a seat at a table to play cards. After one of the plays drops a card on the ground, another man utilizes a lantern to light up the area underneath the table. It turns out the tall pale man’s feet are hooves. Removing her shoe, she slings her foot upon the table. She tells the other patrons that Royal is mad at her because she shoved him into a black hole.  When he asks what she would like to play for, she tells him that she wants to remain at the Abbott Ranch for eternity. He agrees but only if she tells him the truth about her rock necklace when she loses.

When Royal sees he has a good hand, he asks for her rock necklace. She questions why he wants it. He suggests it is like she said, something strange is going on around there. When she refuses his offer, something is flapping back and forth. A wood door swings open, exposing a buffalo. He offers to trade his west pasture for her rock necklace. Agreeing, they lay down their cards. After emerging from the pub, Royal gets into his truck. He lays Autumn’s necklace down before removing a deuce of hearts from the inside of his sleeve.

Wayne watches Gunsmoke. He reaches out spilling his drink on the rock. The liquid begins to bubble. He struggles to get out of bed.

Wayne is driving recklessly, demanding to be shown something. He drives straight through a barb-wired fence and directly to the black hole. Getting out of his truck, he gradually approaches the hole. Royal grabs him from behind. A struggle ensues. Royal headbutts Wayne, knocking him to the ground. While Royal stares into the hold, Wayne knocks him out with his rock. He hops in the truck and drives away, leaving Royal laying on the ground as the episode comes to an end.

 

Outer Range Review

The actors came together to deliver the best episode by far. However, I will say the voice frequency seems to be off. Some of the actors’ voices are louder than others, which is a result of poor audio engineering. There are also some who are reading their scripts. All in all, this makes the show uncompelling.

The singing is inappropriately interjected into most of the scenes. I believe the excessive singing overshadows what is really going on. It is utilized as filler instead of relevant content.

Wayne removing his clothes in front of the buffalo was a turnoff. I, for one, do not want to see an older gentleman in the buff. There is no purpose for it.

Autumn and Royal’s relationship is strange. I’m not a fan of the character. What woman could travel and live alone? I question why she hasn’t been pulled into Trevor’s death investigation. Now, that she is putting herself out there, Joy may very do just that.

Cowboy boots and Stetsons are not enough to make a good Western.

The episode deserves a 6.8. Get more Outer Range recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking on the link to learn more.