The Outsider: Jason Bateman’s underrated Stephen King series is a 91% Rotten Tomatoes hit

While The Outsider proved there was even darker water for him to tread, Ozark showcased Jason Bateman's dramatic depth. HBO's 2020 limited series, set in a seemingly quiet Georgia town, begins with the grisly murder of a young boy, and slowly descends into a nightmarish blend of supernatural horror and crime thriller.

The show became a critical success with 10 episodes, and Bateman starring in the first half of the series, it gained a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, it remains overshadowed by Bateman’s better-known projects.

With the sharp focus on the first three episodes, The Outsider is some of the best TV available. Young children and Big League coaches seem to bask in positive spirit, however, the opening scene reveals otherwise.

The son of that Big League coach, Terry Maitland (Bateman), is found chopped to bits, and he appears to be the main suspect. But things become far more convoluted when endless puzzling details come to the surface, such as the fact that Terry seems to exist simultaneously in supremely exceptional surveillance footage.

Not only does Bateman star in the early episodes, but he also directs the first two. This gives them a cinematic, tightly wound feel. Dread creeps in slowly and methodically, which aids the pacing, although purposefully slow, to work in the show’s favor. It’s not simply a whodunit; it’s a “what is happening?” story which masterfully toys with reality, doubt, and paranoia.

Together with the performances and moody visuals, the opening episodes are a master class in atmospheric storytelling. Add King’s trademark horror elements, albeit in restrained form, and the result is astounding.

Even though Bateman ends his arc early on, the rest of the series is propelled by the foundation he lays. The show introduces a compelling ensemble led by Erivo and Mendelsohn, who play characters dealing with grief alongside the unfathomable. But it’s those first three episodes that grab you by the collar—and never let go.

Bateman’s haunting pivot from comedy to true crime horror

In light of Bateman’s Ozark performance, his casting in The Outsider as Terry Maitland seems rather intuitive. He is gentle and unassuming. He is the last person you would think of when picturing a savage killer, but that’s precisely the idea.

Bateman performs the character with such grace and quiet determination that it makes you rethink your stance: does this man actually have the capability to kill? His arrest during the Little League game is, without a doubt, one of the most disturbing moments in the series, and it’s all due to Bateman’s convincing portrayal of innocence and guilt—at the same time.

As for the production side, Bateman’s direction style includes an unsettling lack of visual flair, which brings a sharp aesthetic to the series. The framing seems both personal and suffocating, documenting the grief of the victim’s family and the sheer shock of the community.

He determines the pace and the feeling for what happens thereafter; slow, measured, disquieting. Those episodes portray a performer and filmmaker who were so in control of their craft, casting a new light on Bateman’s reputation that extends beyond serving cold calculations as the character Marty Byrde.

The Outsider’s early episodes thrive on ambiguity and dread

Everything you believe the plot set forth in The Outsider to be is challenged the very moment doubt is cast upon the murder mystery. Terry seemingly has an ironclad alibi, which proves that he could not have committed the crime. However, there is striking forensic evidence against him that suggests otherwise.

Over the first three episodes of The Outsider, the audience goes through cognitive dissonance, which creates a narrative fog of uncertainty to engulf both viewers and characters. You are put in a position where not only are you suspicious of the suspects, but also reality itself.

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The mystery grows ever more tangential with the introduction of Cynthia Erivo’s Holly Gibney, as she embodies Holly with a quiet ferocity enough to hold the audience in therapy. Although not the main character in Bateman’s arc, she suggests there is something cyclical within what is transpiring on screen beyond the realm of the normal.

The shift in the tempo of The Outsider is baffling; it goes from supernatural procedural criminal investigations to paranormal occurrences, all while portraying raw human emotion. These episodes emotionally captivate the audience by not utilizing scary moments, but rather comforting sensations mixed with haunting explanations.

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