From the moment Autumn Rivers steps foot on the Abbotts’ land you know something peculiar is at play. It might be in her manic smile, her awkward exchanges, or the fact that she seems to always be there, lurking in the shadows as an unwanted guest. There are many mysteries surrounding Autumn and the shock reveals Outer Range delivers upon in that outstanding finale are some of the most unprecedented in years of great TV.
Autumn Rivers
You can tell Imogen Poots is having a lot of fun playing Autumn, this is after all a role of a lifetime for the British actress, who has starred in the likes of Green Room, The Father, and V for Vendetta to name just a few of her many credits.
And Autumn is an intriguing character to play. The mysterious poet appears upon Royal’s land in the opening episode, asking for a place to camp for an unspecific amount of time. Royal agrees, taking an instant liking to her, which is fully clarified later with the earth-shattering revelation to come.
Autumn spends her time investigating the many landscapes of the Abbott ranch and is stunned to find a crude symbol on a rock face. Royal’s granddaughter Amy explains to her that this is the Abbott family emblem and Autumn says she’s been drawing this logo for years now, creepy stuff!
Again, this all aligns in the end, the writers are cleverly laying the groundwork with these morsels of clues peppered throughout the eight-episode series.
As the show progresses Autumn becomes more unhinged, leading to some extreme behaviors. Her constant battles with Royal take their toll on the hippy, with tragic consequences, although Autumn does start the conflict when she pushes Royal into the never-ending hole in the first place.
From then on Royal and Autumn are locked in a brutal feud. He even leaves her for dead in the wilderness and burns down her campsite. She retaliates with gun power and a sordid alliance with Billy Tillerson, together they engage in a shootout with the rancher, and her lover is killed.
Autumn’s mental breakdown is beautifully crafted in its escalation, she paces erratically, begins some cult-like self-harm, and rants gibberish. It all kind of clicks in the finale when Royal joins the dots and realizes that Autumn is Amy, his granddaughter.
They both have the same scar on their forehead and the insane notion actually works out perfectly when you analyze the facts. The hole involves time travel, Autumn is in the future visions and she has an otherworldly connection to the ranch.
It is a spine-tingling twist that adds another dimension to the show, pushing a kooky drama into prestigious television. If the show is renewed then this insanity can be explored in much more detail and hopefully creator Brian Watkins has it all mapped out.
