‘Outlast’ Season 2 Netflix Review: Far Darker And More Realistic

Outlast is the Netflix Original survival reality show that aired its first season in the year 2023. The show is all about surviving the wilderness of Alaska, and the rule is to get in sync with nature and get adjusted to a new way of living. The second season is out on the streaming platform, and it was released on 4th September 2024. The second season of Outlast is about sixteen people of different age groups and walks of life living in the wilderness of Alaska again, with minimum supplies to survive on. These people are placed in groups of four, with each team having a leader. There are no rules as such in the survival show. All four groups have to survive on the food, fruits, meat, and water found around the forest. Bears and wolves also inhabit the forest, which makes the place dangerous for humans. The last team standing would win USD One Million, which will be split amongst the members of the team. All participants, regardless of team, are given a flare gun, which could be used if any of them wanted to leave the game. The participants from one team could choose to join another team at any given point. 

Outlast is easily one of the best survival reality shows on Netflix right now, even though this show has a camera crew following the participants and does not have any footage taken through GoPro or hidden cameras placed inside the forest. Despite all of this, the direction of the show and the cinematography are impeccable. Most of the survival reality shows are faux at best, with unnecessary plotting and drama that makes them come across as cringe. The same reality shows focus so much on male and female bodies that it comes across as objectification of them, which distracts the audience from the actual premise. The makers of those kinds of shows hardly put any effort into making the drama or the rules or the premise interesting. The attention is given to interpersonal romance and feud. 

Outlast, however, stays true to the genre, and there is little time given to unnecessary drama. The show has released only six episodes so far, and having been through them, it is easy to point out all the good and bad things of the show. Outlast does a good job of expanding on the kinds of health issues and other concerns all of them face after they start camping, as none of them have ever lived away from their family or civilization. Some of them have hunting proficiency, but that does not make them good at killing wild animals and making the meat palatable for consumption purposes. All kinds of situations are added to this show, and it becomes too real after a point as the only rule given to all the participant’s to survive till the end. Survival of the fittest is the diktat, and all of them are trying their best to keep themselves active and alive as the supplies only dwindle in the cold wilderness of Alaska.

The direction and the cinematography capture the tension and the anxiousness of every participant very well, as many begin quitting the show half way through. They either leave their group or they face the issue of poor health as the cold begins to get into their skin, affecting their ability to work. The tension created by such obstacles only makes the show even more interesting. A good soundtrack and sound design add to the aura Outlast is trying to create. The wilderness may come across as boring initially, but the struggles make the narrative very effective and emotional. However, my only concern with the show is that it is too male-centric. Hear me out, there are more men in the show than women. Five women and eleven men is not a fair game. The makers of the show automatically chose four men to be the group leaders without any democratic process and without giving the women a chance. The show is basically watching men doing what they love but at the same time falling into the trap of overworking to keep themselves in the game for as long as they can. 

Outlast has been made in the mold of Scandinavian cinema, as the visuals and the treatment given to the narrative is eye-pleasing for the most part. The narrative, however, beats around the bush a lot as many scenarios are repeated for no reason. This made each episode roughly close to fifty minutes long, making it exhausting in many parts of the show. There is nothing new that the participants experience throughout the show. It is usually a lack of clean water or food or some dispute in the team about how to solve a given problem that dominates an episode. 

The first part of the second season of Outlast ended on a good cliffhanger that would make the audience wait for the season finale to find out which team will survive the difficult ordeal. Outlast is an interesting watch because the realistic element in it makes the journey of every participant a lived experience for those who watch it. It is a good watch and distinct from the array of reality shows that are released on Netflix.