Rani’s mother is a shopkeeper and she tells her daughter that she can’t buy the dress because it’s not allowed in the mall. Rani is frustrated and decides to steal the dress in order to spite her mother.
The group meets at the Avon Valley Probation Center, where they discuss their plans for the future. Frank Sheldon, the shifty old-timer; John Halloran, a right-wing blowhard; Myrna Oke, the left-wing militant; Gregory Dillard, a disproportionately tall simpleton; and Christian Taylor all agree that they will work together to overthrow the government.
The group of celebrities is having their first day of work when another member joins them. She arrives in style in a car chased by paparazzi and wearing expensive designer clothes. She is Lady Gabriella Penrose-Howe, the celebutante of the group.
The seven new employees of the community service group work their first day under the supervision of Brenda. The group socializes and Brenda pulls Rani aside to make a pact: snitch on the group and get the recommendation letter to stay in college. Gabriella smokes a puff, which results in a tussle between John and Christian. Gabriella makes a video of them fighting as Brenda intervenes. After work finishes, the focus shifts to each of their personal lives beyond the community service.
Frank is estranged from his daughter, who he abandoned during her childhood and neglected through adulthood. His time with her is limited to the service getting over.
Rani is an Oxford student on a full scholarship, whose hard-working parents are not happy with her situation. Christian is revealed to be a former gang member, trying his best to keep his younger sister safe from his former gang mates. John is a family man behind the tough exterior. He has an important business meeting with Chinese investors, whose investments will be able to get his family’s enterprise out of the woods. The Chinese investors are impressed with John’s presentation and agree to sign the deal, conditional on a fiduciary understanding. ..
The next day, Christian is bothered by his former mates at work. They force him into retrieving a phone line for them, in exchange for leaving his sister out of the mess. They hand him a gun, which Rani notices. After the work is complete, Brenda stops them from leaving as a heat gun is missing. During the checks, Brenda does not find either of the guns. Rani took the gun from Christian’s bag and after a tense scene, Rani’s brevity is able to pull her out of trouble at the security check.
John is surprised to find a video of him fighting with Christian on his computer the same day that he signs the papers to cancel the deal with the Chinese group. He is in a precarious situation because he doesn’t know how to get out of it.
Christian arrives at Lawrence Hill to steal the phone. Unknown to him, Rani arrives just in time to save him and the thugs take a picture of her van. The episode ends with Christian dumping the stash in the community center; John returning home a dejected man and ruminating about what he will do next to save his family; Frank, possibly reconnecting with his family, helping with his “borrowed” heat gun; and Rani, ecstatic after a wild night’s adventure. ..
The Episode Review
The first episode sets the tone for the rest of the series. The characters are diverse and will make for an interesting watch as a unit. The writing is endearing, mixing funny moments with the grim realities of life as a member of a group. ..
Since the show’s inception, the producers have made an earnest effort to keep the story dynamic and introduce a compelling subplot in the first episode. The Rani-Christian partnership looks like it’s going to be a thrilling development for the series. ‘The Outlaws’ starts on a promising note by making the choice to make the show about the characters as much as its central setting.
We get to see the lives of all the characters in this show, which provides much-needed diversity. The police taking a whiff of Christian’s robbery will further add tension to the narrative in the coming episodes. It will loom like a hanging knife over Rani and Christian’s heads.
The Outlaws Episode 1 was a big hit with viewers. It struck the right chords and barely gets anything wrong. Excited for the upcoming episodes.
