Outlast Recap of Episode 3: Man Down

By Dibs Baer

Published

03/14/2023

When we last left off, the four teams on Outlast were racing each other to an Alaskan island on makeshift river rafts to score five crab traps. Nobody had eaten in three days and the prized pots would not only bring them back to life nutritionally but could change the balance of power to win the game – and $1 million.

DELTA team’s Jordan jumps out to an early lead, but he’s an arrogant SOB, so he stops to do pushups on his raft to taunt CHARLIE’S Angie, who is trailing not far behind. Angie has something to prove because her sexist teammate Nick questioned her abilities. She catches a swift current and flies right by Jordan. In yo’ face.

“She read the current better than I did,” Jordan admits sheepishly.

There’s nothing to stop Angie from taking all five crab pots, but she only grabs three — enough to cripple the other teams but not kill them. “I ain’t even ashamed,” she beams. Angie heads back to her grateful team, and Nick sincerely apologizes for not believing in her. “I feel bad Angie,” he says. “You made us proud,” Angie says he sees her in a whole new light now.

The tide rolls in and it’s too late for the other teams to snag the remaining two crab pots. Jordan returns to shore and cries for totally blowing it and coming back empty handed. DELTA inexplicably forgives him with hugs.

Fishy behavior

The other teams are infighting because they’re starving and exhausted. On team BRAVO, which is down to two players, Brian yells at know-it-all Javier to shut up from his raft. Over at ALPHA camp, Jill and Justin are bickering over the fact that he never even got their raft in the water because he was being a perfectionist building it. Nobody got time for that!

There are still two crab pots out there. Jill looks at her map and figures out that there is more than one way to get to island. If they wait until low tide at 6:20 am, they can actually walk over and grab them in 20 minutes. It’s clear that Jill has impressive survivalist knowledge and skills, and that Justin and Amber are totally riding her coattails.

The next morning, Jill and her lackey Amber sneak over to the island and procure the remaining two crab pots. But they take too long to find them, and the tide rolls in. They have to walk through icy water back to their camp. There is a real risk of hypothermia, which could lead to slipping into a coma and/or freezing to death.

When they get back to their camp, Justin doesn’t even have a fire lit and Jill is furious. She threatens that he might have to find another team because he’s so selfish and useless. Luckily, Jill and Amber are able to get into dry clothes and they survive. Barely.

Later that day, CHARLIE and ALPHA set their crab traps. The pots can hold 12 Dungeness crabs, the narrator explains, and one crab per person is a satisfying meal. Justin finally finishes building his boat — it’s very well made and probably the best boat — and paddles out with the pots. ALPHA is the first to acquire crabs, they get a whopping twelve crustaceans. The hearty amount of shellfish will replenish them easily.

Staying true to their deal with BRAVO from the last episode, ALPHA shares their generous crab haul with their neighbors Javier and Brian. There is such a thing as a free lunch apparently. It’s a little surprising that ALPHA honors their agreement because Jill, Amber, and Justin are getting kinda sketchy, in a Deliverance vibe kind of way.

Across the river, Angie hauls in six, 3-pound crabs, which will feed team CHARLIE for the next two days. Her ecstatic teammates Nick and Seth are treated to a roasted Dungeness crab feast. “We eat’n tonight!” Nick cries with joy.

“I’m not used to being told I did good,” Angie says tearfully.

Running on Fumes

Emotions are running high. DELTA is the only team left who hasn’t had crab. They are no longer the top dogs, and they are literally starving to death. Paul goes hunting for deer but returns with nothing. They can’t make it much longer.

“I feel like dogshit,” says Jordan, who is now seeing black spots. “I can play my ribs like an instrument.”

Paul, sensing that his team dynamic is breaking down rapidly, makes the decision to secretly talk to his neighbors over at CHARLIE about ditching DELTA and joining them. The rules state that players can switch teams at any time. Paul knows in order to win the million bucks, he has to be on a team.

By Day 13, DELTA’S bodies are eating themselves. Seven more days without food, and they will die of starvation.

“I need some fucking food,” Jordan says woozily.

He collapses face down.

Medics are called in and find Jordan unresponsive. He is rushed to a helicopter, as his terrified teammates wonder if he, and they, will make it out of this punishing Alaskan frontier alive.