Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Outer Range.
The first two episodes of Amazon's Outer Range revolved around a mysterious sinkhole that appeared on the Abbotts' ranch - and it looks like the mystery surrounding the so-called Void will continue throughout the entire show. Amazon's newest show sees Josh Brolin in the role of Royal Abbott, a rancher with a dark past and a family to protect. Outer Range mixes elements of western and sci-fi in a thought-provoking narrative that promises several twists and turns. In addition to Josh Brolin, Outer Range also features Lili Taylor (The Conjuring), Imogen Poots (Green Room), and Tom Pelphrey (Ozark, Iron Fist).
The very first scene of Outer Range already puts the viewer in the middle of a strange and mysterious situation. Josh Brolin's character is seen carrying what appears to be a body towards a mysterious black hole, and the series then flashbacks to a few days earlier. The discovery of the weird sinkhole raised new concerns in the already turbulent life of Royal Abbott, who is having to deal with the disappearance of his daughter-in-law and a legal dispute over land on his family's ranch.
Although the first two episodes of Outer Range offer more questions than answers, it's already possible to find some clues and develop some theories about the true nature of the mysterious void. Aside from the scenes in which Josh Brolin's character Royal effectively interacts with the sinkhole, there are a few bits throughout the first two episodes that could fuel various theories. It remains to be seen whether the truth behind the void is something more of a science fiction element or if it is something more in the metaphysical realm of things, but either way, the narrative of Outer Range has already proven that it will be quite complex.
Outer Range’s Greek Mythology References Explained
The first line of dialogue heard in Outer Range already indicated that the show would be about something mystical or sci-fi. Josh Brolin's character narrates in a voice over the story of Cronus, king of the titan according to Greek mythology, and how the god of time always carried a scythe. In Greek mythology, Cronus is said to have used the scythe to castrate his father, Uranus. In the Amazon Prime Video show, a fable is told about how Cronus used the scythe to dig a hole in the cosmos and create a connection between heaven and earth to separate this world from the next. Everything suggests that the hole in question is the void that Josh Brolin's character found on his land.
In Greek mythology, there are also mentions of a void, which would be the state of Chaos before the creation of the Cosmos. Chaos is essentially described as a black hole or infinite space, very much like what is seen in the Amazon series. Chaos can also be seen through the lens of Christian theology as the idea of a gap between this world and heaven. Outer Range seems to mix all these elements in creating its mysterious plot.
Outer Range’s Void Is A Time Travel Portal
Aside from the reference to the god of time, the first indication that Outer Range is a show about time travel was the childhood flashes that Josh Brolin's character had while touching the void. There was also a hint about something going on with time early in the episode when Royal believed it was eight in the morning when it was actually after ten o'clock. Royal may have already ed through the portal unknowingly, and time-traveled to about two hours earlier. The character's backstory also seems to be related to time travel, as he doesn't seem to much of his life before a certain age.
The biggest proof that the void is some sort of time travel portal is in Outer Range episode 2 when it's revealed that Royal character has transported himself to what appeared to be two years in the future by falling into the hole, in an anguishing that features a great performance by Josh Brolin. The ranch had become a construction site, and Royal's wife said he had died two years ago. The mysterious poet was also around and working with the mining team, confirming that a age of time had indeed occurred.
The mystery remains whether that portal can only move a person between those two points in time, or whether each jump can have a different destination. Either way, someone at some point in time may have discovered the body Royal dumped. It's also possible that only Royal can time travel through the portal, as it seems the void was calling to him in a certain way.
Outer Range’s Void Could Be The Key To Perry’s Missing Wife
One of the mysteries introduced early on in the Amazon Prime Video series Outer Range is what happened to Royal's daughter-in-law. It is said that Perry's wife has been missing for a long time, and that is why the police will end the search. Perry doesn't believe that she would have abandoned her wife and daughter, so something must have happened to her. The explanation, however, could be that she fell inside the void. If that's the case, then there's a good chance that Perry's wife was alive at some point in time. This would add an interesting conflict to Perry's story, whether his wife in is the past or the future. The void would also explain Royal's two missing cows, which in some ways was the first hint that something weird was going on at the Abbotts' ranch.
Outer Range is the kind of show where the answers viewers are looking for should only come by the end of the season – if at all. Although the franchise frames itself as a western drama, it's clear among all the sci-fi, mythological and metaphysical elements involved in the series lies the truth about the void, and it won't be easy to uncover it. Each week, two more episodes of Outer Range will help the viewer in this difficult mission of finding out what the void really is, how Royal is connected to it, what Autumn's role is in all that, and how the disappearance of Perry's wife connect to it all. Marketed as a simple western drama, Amazon's Outer Range is much more than meets the eye.
Prime Video releases new episodes of Outer Range every Friday.