WiC Watches: Outlander season 5

Outlander Season 5 — Courtesy of Aimee Spinks, STARZ

Episode 512: “Never My Love”

Wow. Wow. Wow. I need a moment to process the season 5 finale of Outlander. This is one of those times where I find myself speechless because there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe what I’m feeling.

Before I dive into this episode, I would like to share Sophie Skelton’s (Brianna Fraser) Instagram post that she posted ahead of the finale for survivors of sexual assault. Those affected or know someone affected by sexual assault, please watch the episode at your own discretion due to the sensitive material. And take care of yourself.

Last week, Claire was abducted by Lionel Brown, the horrible, horrendous, evil man who sought revenge against Claire for giving medical advice to women. The episode is immediately off to a rough start and wastes no time in catching us up on Claire’s whereabouts.

I must warn you that these scenes are incredibly difficult to watch as we see the torture Claire has been subjected to by Lionel and his men. He stops at nothing to ensure Claire feels belittled and “put in her place” as a woman. The way he goes about this is heinous and completely rips apart your heart.

Caitriona Balfe does superb work here. Her portrayal of Claire through the rape and torture scenes is seared into my mind. If she doesn’t get recognized for this episode, I will riot. She 1000% deserves it.

It would be best not to get into the gruesome and horrific details of Claire’s torture and rape. Let’s just say Lionel Brown has managed to get up to Blackjack Randall’s level and surpass it.

It’s all too much for Claire to bear, and as she lies there bruised and bloody, she has to dissociate from the present. She sees herself in the 1960s, with her entire family (Jamie, Ian, Fergus, Marsali, Murtagh, and Jocasta)  for Thanksgiving dinner. If you ever tried to imagine how any of these guys would look dressed up in a completely different attire, now you know.

Missing from the dissociative dream are Brianna, Roger and Jemmy. And the whole thing, while pleasant, feels odd and ominous. If you pay close attention, you will see Easter Eggs from the series scattered throughout the house. There’s an orange Claire picks up that’s a throwback to season 2 when her had to let King Louis have his way in exchange for pardoning Jamie. But let’s not rehash those difficult times, shall we?

There’s also a dragonfly toy that Fergus and Marsali’s kids are playing with, which of course symbolizes the dragonfly in amber Jamie held onto after the Battle of Culloden. He imagined seeing Claire in the trenches as he fought for his life, and it’s what kept him alive. Coincidence that it made its way into Claire’s dissociation? I think not.

Then, of course, there’s that vase that Claire so hopefully looked at once upon a time through the store window. Outlander writers sure know what they’re doing, don’t they?

Whenever the episode cuts back to this dreamscape, we see 1960s Claire staring at a painting of Fraser’s Ridge, and again, something just feels off. But then again, why wouldn’t it? It’s not reality, and Claire’s mind is under incredible stress.

Meanwhile, Jamie and his men to set out and save Claire. I was thankful how quickly this happened, and the search for Claire didn’t drag on.

Also, ahead of the search, we find out what happens to Brianna, Roger and Jemmy. As it turns out, one of my suspicions were right: they didn’t end up traveling at all. Instead, they’re shocked to see Ian.

Why didn’t they travel to their time? It turns out both Brianna and Roger were thinking about home. And as much as the future is their home and where they come from, the past is now where they belong. I found it incredibly poetic and beautiful that even Roger now considers Fraser’s Ridge his home.

Their initial plan is to surprise Jamie and Claire, not knowing that Claire has been abducted. But when Brianna sees the giant cross on fire, they know something horrible is happening and rush back home.

Roger joins Jamie on the crusade to find Claire, and I honestly couldn’t be more proud of him. As a character, he has progressed leaps and bounds, and the season 5 finale of Outlander really shines a light on his development.

Jamie and company quickly find Lionel and his men, and Claire. The men of Fraser’s Ridge show no mercy to the men who have hurt Claire this badly. One by one, all of Brown’s men are killed until he is the only one left.

Prior to Jamie showing up, one of the men approaches Claire as she jerks back to consciousness. She awakes to this man asking her if Ringo Starr meant anything to her. Um, wait, what did he just say?

Remember how in season 4, Claire found a human skull with a dental filling in it? This man is connected with whomever that skull belonged to, and they too traveled through the stones. This new guy picked up on the fact that Claire wasn’t from around these parts after reading her medical column. He’s eager to find gemstones and travel back to the future. Claire believes this will be her way out of this mess, but the guy is absolutely useless and does nothing to help her.

And yes, he is among the men that are killed by Jamie and his group. Thank goodness.

When all is said and done, all of Lionel’s men are taken care of, but Lionel is kept alive. The guy doesn’t deserve an easy death, and despite everything he’s done to Claire, her upholds the Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm”.

But, hey, that doesn’t mean someone else can’t harm Lionel, right?

As an emotionally disturbed Claire is escorted back to Fraser’s Ridge, Brianna greets her with open arms and love and Claire takes a breath of relief to see Marsali is alive and well. The journey from this point on is a difficult one for Claire, but with Brianna and Jamie both having had this experience of assault and abuse, they know how to help her.

It’s heartbreaking to know what Claire has to work through before reaching a point where she can move on. But she’s stronger than most Outlander characters — or most characters period — so she will persevere. Although my heart did shatter when Claire confronts Lionel Brown in the surgery, and instead of taking his life, she walks away and breaks down.

If this scene doesn’t get Balfe an Emmy nomination and a win, it will be an absurdity. She is so amazing in this episode — I can’t say it enough.

In the end, it’s Marsali who takes Lionel’s life. I know that will take a toll on her, but it makes me feel so relieved and proud of the love Claire is surrounded by. These guys are willing to do anything for her, and it reminds you she is protected, even through this.

Lionel’s body is returned to his brother, although I didn’t see any reason he deserved that respect. His brother seems to appreciate the gesture, but he’s definitely coming back for vengeance, which makes me very, very nervous.

As the Outlander season 5 finale comes to a close, there’s a moment of peace and quiet amidst the chaos that Claire has endured. This type of moment is short-lived in their world, and with the American Revolution still coming up, other time travelers running amok (that guy came with a group), and Lionel’s brother thirsty for revenge, this calm won’t last.

Once again, wow, what was a riveting season finale. Not just the finale, but the entire season was absolute perfection from start to finish with nary a dull moment. Emotions ran high, things got scary and impossible, but in the end, for now, the Fraser family is together. We can cling onto that image of peace and happiness, it’s the gift Outlander has left us with as we temporarily part ways.

I don’t know what season 6 has in store for us, but I do know that I am not prepared for this Droughtlander.

Until next season: may it be here before we know it.

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