WiC Watches: Outlander season 5

Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ

Episode 505: “Perpetual Adoration”

Ironically, this week’s Outlander deals with penicillin and treating disease, topics that feel all too familiar right now. This season, so far, has been focused a lot on Claire’s early meddling in medical advancements. She’s eager to find a way to create penicillin so she can make the world around her a safer place.

The problem with that is that it’s about 100+ years too early, and it’s going to be disastrous for the space-time continuum as we have already learned from Back to the Future. It’s not going to end well, but the ambitious medical practitioner inside of Claire can’t stop herself from doing what she can.

This week, we were lucky enough to get multiple flashbacks to the 1960s and to see Claire in her element as a surgeon. I’ve always loved this version of Claire, and as much as I love her with Jamie, there’s just a certain allure about 1960s Claire.

I loved that the series took some time to explain why Claire is so eager to find a way to make penicillin. The flashbacks explain that Claire once had a patient that came in for gallbladder surgery. (Side note: The patient’s name was Graham Menzies. Was this on purpose? Perhaps a shoutout to previous cast members Graham McTavish and Tobias Menzies? I know there’s a character named Menzies in the book, but I still loved that little touch either way.) This patient was allergic to penicillin and died before the operation. Heartbroken, Claire decided to take a sabbatical to London. Bree joined her, and the rest is history: this was the trip that included Reverend Wakefield’s funeral, where Bree met Roger.

Doesn’t that feel like a lifetime ago?!

The reason for the Boston flashbacks is to help viewers understand why Claire decided to return to the past. She was reminded, thanks to Graham, of the power of love, and as soon as the opportunity came up, Claire didn’t hesitate to return to Jamie.

It’s a very beautiful way to make the story come full circle and put into perspective what Claire’s mental process has been through a lot of this.

Meanwhile, things are getting complicated for Roger and Bree, who end up fighting about Bonnet. Roger finally learns that Bonnet is alive and that Bree has been fearful for her life as well as Jemmy’s. I think over the last couple of seasons, many of us have come to the conclusion that Roger can be a major jerk. And he sort of was again.

I just don’t think that him pushing her about the whole Bonnet situation and the paternity ordeal is fair anymore. He came back to her after supposedly working through all of this, so why are you freaking out now, bro?! Maybe you guys can explain this to me, but Roger ticks me off sometimes.

Thankfully, there is someone Roger can talk to about this sort of situation. Who knows better than Claire, who had to hide a secret like this from Brianna? She knocks some sense into Roger. Unfortunately, he’s under the impression that as soon as they find out if Jemmy can travel through the stones, they’ll go back home. I’m not sure he saw Brianna’s face after he said that…

Meanwhile, the Regulator drama is still ongoing, and while Governor Tryon is considering pardoning them, the hunt to find Murtagh is still on. The situation worsens after Lt. Knox admits to Jamie that a list of Ardsmuir prisoners is on its way.

The problem with this is that Jamie’s name is very much on that list, and Jamie confesses to it. And that Murtagh is his godfather…

Awkward.

It’s a jarring revelation for Knox, who has entrusted Jamie with a lot up until this point. But Jamie has to take matters into his own hands: he kills Knox, and burns the list and the room with it. He has to sneak out before he’s caught and play ignorant about everything that just transpired.

Despite all that took place during this week’s Outlander, there’s something book (actually all) fans should be EXTREMELY excited about.

Introducing…

Adso is here, and we couldn’t be happier.