The WGN America drama series Outsiders tells the story of the Farrell Clan and their continuing fight to defend their land and way of life from the town below the mountain they live on. G’Win (Gillian Alexy) has risen as the new Bren’in (or leader), after Big Foster (David Morse) was shot and left for dead, but her ability to lead the clan is being questioned by those who are unsure about whether she’s up to handling the task. As the conflict between the clan and the town escalates, and the Farrells are becoming more isolated than ever before, everyone will be tested.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, co-stars Kyle Gallner (“Hasil”) and Christina Jackson (“Sally-Ann”) talked about what they were most interested in exploring in Season 2, their characters’ sweet but highly complicated relationship, being torn between the mountain and the town more than ever, the consequences that come with them choosing to be with each other, whether Hasil will continue to struggle with his decisions, being skeptical about Big Foster’s true motives, the clan’s new leadership, and what Jackson would want for Sally-Ann. Be aware that there are some past spoilers discussed.

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Image via WGN America

Collider: When you guys found out that you’d be returning for Season 2, were there things you were most interested in knowing about and getting answers to?

CHRISTINA JACKSON: Yeah, for me, Sally-Ann was left, at the end of Season 1, with nothing. She had no home, no job, and nowhere to go. She can’t go back up on the mountain, and she’s burned her bridges in town. So, I was very interested to know where she would pick up at. When I got the script for Season 2, I was like, “Oh, okay, she’s back at home. Got it!” So then, I was interested to see what the relationship between her and James would be like, stepping back into that very heated dynamic of Sally-Ann and James.

KYLE GALLNER: I was curious to see where Hasil wound up. He left Sally-Ann up on the mountain, at the end of Season 1, and I was curious to see where he went. I wondered if he’d chase right after her, or decide to stay home and work with his family. I wanted to see where that whole dynamic would go. And you had the big questions like, what happened to Big? What would happen, after the police came up? There were a lot of unanswered questions, so it was exciting to see where it would start going. And it picked up immediately after the events of Season 1, so the questions were answered very quickly. You didn’t have to wait too long.

Where would you say the relationship with your characters is at, this season?

GALLNER: That’s the big question. The big question the two of them have to start asking themselves is, what’s good for them? Is being together good for them? Does Hasil need to stay up on the mountain with his family, or does he need to go down and try to make things work with Sally-Ann? Is this a good thing? Should we do this? Is this smart? Can we do this? They have to start asking themselves really big questions, and things only get harder for the two of them. They have to just keep fighting harder and harder to really answer those questions and to do what’s right for the two of them.

JACKSON: I feel like, especially on Hasil’s end, Season 2 is very much about love or family. I think that both sides make a very strong argument, and I think, for Sally-Ann, it’s very much that she was swept up in a whirlwind romance, but real life has settled in and it’s about, are you the best person for me? Are we supposed to be here? Should I be doing this? It’s about asking these really hard questions that I think are going to be agonizing for the fans because they think Hasil and Sally-Ann should get married and live in a treehouse.

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Image via WGN America

GALLNER: It was fun for awhile, but all good things come to an end for some people.

JACKSON: And now they have to ask themselves some serious questions and figure out if it’s worth it.

They both live very different lifestyles, and the reality of those lifestyles may be more than they can overcome.

GALLNER: The potential consequences of them choosing each other are pretty big. There’s isolation and complete disownment, on both sides. If Hasil chooses Sally-Ann, his family could choose to say, “No, she can’t come up here. She’s not welcome here.” And if Sally-Ann chooses Hasil, James could say, “You need to get out,” and that’s the only family she has. It’s hard, either way.

At the start of the season, Hasil chose his family over love. And then, he chose love over his family. Is he going to continue to question his decision?

GALLNER: I think he has to. I don’t think Sally-Ann is something that he can just let go. He sees her in town and I think he’s under the impression that she’s okay. Probably in the back of his mind, he’s assuming they’ll revisit it, at some point, but right now, he doesn’t know if he can do it. His hand gets forced, both ways, so he’s in a tough spot.

Sally-Ann went to see about getting an abortion, and we really got to see the reality of what that’s like. Are you surprised that this show is taking on such modern, everyday issues?

JACKSON: Am I surprised? No. Speaking for me, I think that you have a responsibility to do that. I think that there’s a lot that you can do and create and embellish on the mountain ‘cause there’s nobody to sit here and tell you, “That wouldn’t happen up there.” But when you start dealing with people in a town and in a setting like rural Kentucky, you have a responsibility to show that. If this is what’s happening, what are their options? When you start talking about abortion, then you get into health care and lack of health care. There was a line in the original script about putting the father on child support, but Hasil doesn’t have a social security number, so that’s not an option. You have a responsibility to get as close to the truth, in dealing with those kinds of situations, as possible. So, am I surprised? No. Am I happy? Yes. I’m happy we get to have that conversation.

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Image via WGN America

GALLNER: There was that line when Houghton is talking to Myers, and Myers says, “In order to not fire two of your policemen, I shut down the free clinic.” That’s a big deal. These people now can’t get the health care they need, and they have to travel, or they may not have the ability to travel. It definitely hits on some pretty relevant topics, right now.

JACKSON: You want to be able to look back on a situation and say, “Okay, we handled that the best way possible.” There’s a happiness that comes with it when it’s a real situation that would happen and it’s a variable of what the solution to that could be.

There’s a really interesting dynamic this season, with Big Foster seeming like he’s a different guy who just wants to help. Can anyone actually buy that?

GALLNER: That’s a huge question. It’s that question of, is it an act, or is it not? I think Big Foster is coming from a place of almost having died. You start asking yourself different questions, when that happens. What’s important to me? Are the things that I used to care about as important as the things I should care about now? I don’t want to answer for him, but there probably is something that is true, and maybe there’s also a power grab. I don’t know. That’s a huge part of the story. It leaves you wondering, can I trust this guy? It’s a big thing for us, as Farrells, too. We have to ask ourselves those same questions. Can we trust him? What do we do with him? How do we handle him?

JACKSON: At the end of the day, what’s very important is that family is family.

GALLNER: But, we also have rules.

JACKSON: That’s a pretty real situation to be in. When you start talking about a character like Big Foster, it would be natural for the other characters to question motives and thoughts, considering how he was in the season before.

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Image via WGN America

GALLNER: You’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Kyle, how does Hasil feel about having new leadership on the mountain?

GALLNER: There’s definitely in-fighting amongst the family. There are people who stand by G’Win, and there are people who question G’Win and who believe that Big Foster having a stronger hand may be the answer. They’re in a very tricky spot. She was thrown into the place of becoming Bren’in, and she doesn’t really know what coming. We also don’t really know what’s coming. There are so many what ifs, and people want answers when there are no answers to give. It’s a tough spot on the mountain right now, and it’s very stressful.

Christina, what would you like to see happen for Sally-Ann?

JACKSON: Overall, I want Hasil and Sally-Ann to move to New York and just start a life, separate from everybody else. I’m not even kidding. I really mean that. Realistically, you come into Sally-Ann at a point where she’s not in school, she’s working all of these jobs, her brother is out of work, she has no other family, and her life is at a stand-still. Hasil coming in just brought so much more than she ever would have imagined. I want her to be able to have Hasil and have time where they can just breathe and be okay, and not have to be in the midst of all of this craziness. I just want peace for Sally-Ann. That’s really it.

Outsiders airs on Tuesday nights on WGN America.

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