Episode 7 of Outer Range opens with a flashback, where Royal converses with Perry at the vibrant Roller Disco. His face bearing the marks of a recent altercation, Royal admits to having lashed out at the Tillerson boys. Perry, perplexed by his father's anger, seeks explanations. Royal hints at a deeper, shared history, yet just as he's poised to unveil the secrets, he hesitates, leaving Perry and the audience in suspense.
In the present, Joy interrogates Perry, who insists on Rebecca's possible survival despite his cryptic statements. However, his assertions fail to sway the authorities, and the Abbott family stands on the precipice of disintegration. The bail is set at a staggering $500,000, and with Perry's court date looming, the Abbotts are sternly warned to ensure their son's appearance. Failure to do so would result in the forfeiture of their ranch, a devastating blow.
Returning home, Perry finds Amy scribbling in her journal, her pen tracing the familiar insignia that has been a recurring motif in Autumn's journal and etched on the cliffside. Amy embraces her father, inquiring about Rebecca's fate. Perry swears ignorance, yet Royal's similar assertion falls on deaf ears when he repeats it to Perry.
As the Tillerson boys galloped towards the mysterious hole, Rhett filled Autumn in on the latest developments concerning Perry. As she bid farewell, Autumn stumbled upon Billy, who confessed that he had a vision of her, envisioning her as the guiding light of Mother Earth. Billy made a firm decision, vowing to follow Autumn, come what may.
As the two embarked on a passionate embrace, Billy pledged his unwavering loyalty to Autumn, etching the familiar insignia onto his chest. She entrusted him with a critical mission: to halt Royal's schemes, regardless of the obstacles.
Billy eventually came across Royal, stranded by the roadside with car troubles. Without hesitation, he offered Royal a lift, driving him straight to the abandoned roller disco, a haunting reminder of the episode's opening scene. There, Billy confronted Royal, pointing a gun at him and issuing stern warnings. After a series of menacing threats, Royal relented, promising to steer clear of Autumn. Before Billy departed, he muttered a cryptic warning, "I sense darkness looming over your granddaughter."
Meanwhile, in Billy's absence, Luke, consumed by a mysterious rage, began choking his father with a pillow. Just as the situation escalated, Billy arrived, intervening in the nick of time. He demanded an explanation, echoing the same perplexing question echoing in every viewer's mind, "Why do you sing, boy?"
Perry, having heard enough, decided to follow in Royal's footsteps and leap into the hole. Little did he know that this impulsive action would trigger a series of calamitous events.
Royal recounted his encounter with the hole as a child. It was 1886, and during a hunting trip, he accidentally shot his father. Desperate to escape the aftermath, he stumbled upon the hole and jumped in, hoping to vanish. Miraculously, he emerged in 1968, transformed. This revelation shed new light on Wayne's visions of the charred-black boy, revealing that the blackened figure was, in fact, Royal himself. Having fled, he was taken in by the Abbott family and became one of their own.
However, Perry was unfazed by Royal's tale and jumped into the hole, unaware of the devastating chain of events he was about to unleash.
