"A Darkness Surrounds Him"
Outcast is an American horror drama television series adapted from the comics by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and Paul Azaceta, starring Patrick Fugit (Gone Girl, Almost Famous), Philip Glenister (Life On Mars) and Gabriel Bateman. It is produced by FOX International Channels for Cinemax, and debuted in the summer of 2016.
The story concerns a young man named Kyle Barnes (Fugit), whose life has been marked by tragedy and instances of demonic possessions. As he returns to his childhood home of Rome, West Virginia, he finds that something in his past still haunts him and the small town he grew up in.
Not to be confused with the 2014 movie, Outcast.
Tropes:
- Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes Reverend Anderson when he claims that Sidney is the devil.
- Cliffhanger: In usual material of Robert Kirkman, this show has a cliffhanger: Season 1 ends with Kyle and Amber being cornered at a gas station by people who are implied to be possessed, while Anderson knows that Sidney escaped and may have accidentally killed Aaron.
- Domestic Abuse: Everyone (including his wife) thinks that Kyle beat up his wife. In actuality she was possessed by a demon.
- Demonic Possession: Rome is haunted by demonic possessions.
- Disappeared Dad: Kyle is this to his daughter. Until episode 7, that is, when Kyle's ex-wife just leaves his daughter with him.
- Kyle himself doesn't seem to mention his dad a lot.
- Meaningful Name: Nickname to be exact. Kyle's daughter Amber is called by him "Firefly" and Allison calls her "Our Little Light". In the season one finale, it's revealed she too has the "light" Kyle has to exorcise the "demons".
- Messianic Archetype: Kyle may and may not be this. While he has the power to free people who are possessed by the demons, it depends, considering he couldn't free a man in Episode 3 and Episode 5 had him dealing with the after effect of freeing someone, but putting them in a coma. It also seems to by Sidney that this may be a part of his plan for Rome.
- Not Blood Siblings: Kyle was adopted by Megan's parents, presumably after his mother was rendered catatonic due to Kyle's exorcism of her.
- Preacher Man: Reverend Anderson.
- Southern Gothic: In spades.
- Title Drop: Both subtly and later own straight forward. The first episode has Kyle be looked upon with awkward glances from some citizens but he's fully called "Outcast" by Possessed!Joshua. In episode 3 however, Blake flat out calls him the "Outcast", implying there's more to the name. Even Megan calls him that while possessed in the Season one finale.
- Town with a Dark Secret: The aforementioned demonic possessions.
- Undying Loyalty: While most of the residents of Rome except Reverend Anderson are at best uncomfortable with Kyle, Megan is always there for her brother, up to and including serving as a backdoor access to Allison and Amber (albeit reluctantly). This is primarily because he literally put himself between her and an abusive foster brother when they were children on multiple occasions
- Wham Episode: The Season One finale "This Little Light" not only has the death of Mark, Kat and Lloyd doing something to the possessed individuals, and Sidney telling Kyle the "demons" are trying to coexist with people via host bodies but Kyle's daughter Amber has the same abilities as he does, being able to exorcise Megan.
