REVIEW: ‘The Tale of Outcasts,’ Episode 8 – “Something in the Rainy Night”

With Snow captured by demons looking to start a war among humanity, Wisteria takes it upon herself to find her missing brother. But with Marbas unable to aid her directly in her search, Wisteria is on her own in her search for help in The Tale of Outcasts Episode 8.

Wisteria’s search for aid in finding her missing brother brings one of the oddest surprises this series has delivered so far. As she walks the streets of London calling out for help, we find her asking for help locating the famous Sherlock Holmes. At first, I thought she had confused fiction for reality, but no, Holmes does indeed exist in this world. I have no problem with this. It was just not where I was expecting this story to go. While she is unable to meet the famed detective, she does get to explain her story to Dr. Watson who, as luck would have it, is the doctor Snow knows from the war we met in the last episode.

While this meeting feels like one that is important to the larger narrative, at the moment, it’s just fine. Some information is exchanged, but nothing really new comes out of it. But while the meeting itself is fairly forgettable, the encounter afterward picks the episode back up.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 8 hits the ground running when Sitri shows up looking to kidnap Wisteria. With Marbas absent, the situation looks dire. Watson shows his strength in this sequence as he refuses to abandon the young girl as he desperately tries to escape from the trap. Watson’s presence at the moment delivers the bulk of the sequence’s tension and emotion. As someone who is not versed in the world of demons, his horror feels genuine, which only accentuates his courage for refusing to leave Wisteria behind. The visuals augment this energy as much as they can. The camera is consistently well placed, utilizing the chosen point of view to lend to the energy of the moments.

Eventually, the chase comes to a head and The Tale of Outcasts Episode 8 sees a larger fight ensue. This tussle delivers a conflict that brings the mix of action and plot it is meant to. We see another element of the villains’ plans, one that is greatly helped by a solid visual design that allows the twisted nature of the reveal to land well. While this reveal delivers well, the actual action in this sequence is less than impressive. While not strictly bad, it feels overly simplistic compared to what we got in the last episode. Granted, this is not a full fight to the finish, but it still feels a bit phoned in.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 8 ultimately delivers a tale with a bit of tension, some plot reveals, and some lackluster action. While some of the individual elements don’t always land, how the story continues to grow and come together continues to be enough to keep me engaged.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 8 is streaming on Crunchyroll.