Warning! Spoilers for HBO's The Outsider
The Outsider episode 9, "Tigers and Bears," ends with a bang, making it clear not everyone is going to survive facing off with El Cuco. The biggest question is: who will live and who will die?
The episode ends on a brutal cliffhanger, similar to the Holly, and other team a story about how the boys and the search party were not able to get out and died in the caves, which helps them figure out that El Cuco is hiding there.
With this knowledge, the team heads out to track down and face El Cuco. Meanwhile, Howard stays behind with Claude and Seale Bolton because the team knows El Cuco can read Claude's mind. Unfortunately, Seale tells Claude about the team's plans, thinking his brother has a right to know El Cuco is after him. This gives El Cuco time to prepare for the team's arrival by sending Jack out into the woods with a sniper rifle. In the final moments of the episode, Jack begins to fire, striking Alec in the head and splattering Ralph with blood. The screen goes black and several more shots ring out.
The Outsider: Who Could Survive The Finale?
With Jack being a trained police officer, it's clear he is highly skilled with the weapon he is using. For this reason, it's easy to assume Jack will be able to kill several of the team before they are able to duck into cover. Then they'll need to root Jack out if they stand any hope of going into the caves to confront El Cuco. In the last moment of the episode, Ralph is frozen, shocked at Alec being hit in the head and splattered with blood. He may even have some idea that he was the intended target. Will he be able to react in time, or is he the next to go?
Since Ralph reacted by stepping behind a tree just in time, he is likely to survive. Plus, he and Holly are seen in the season finale's preview searching the caves, so Holly is also likely to make it through. Other may not be so lucky, such as Andy who, having just shared a tender moment with Holly in the car, is a likely candidate to be marked for death. Another possibility is for Jack to turn the gun on himself so he can finally end the control El Cuco has over him, just as others have done when in similar positions. With this set-up, the season one finale of The Outsider is poised to deliver some major payoffs for this slow-burn series, which could end up making it one of HBO's best crime-mystery dramas to date.
