Every episode of Outlander season 5, ranked worst to best

Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ

7. “Free Will” Season 5, Episode 3

The thing that makes this Outlander episode so interesting is also the stuff nightmares are made of. Yup, this is the “let’s visit the Beardsley house of horrors” episode. Jamie and Claire’s reason for going there is noble — to release Josiah and Kezziah from the ownership of one Mr. Beardsley — but it ends up being a horrific experience.

This episode is all sorts of disturbing because of the state of the Beardsley home, and the still-alive rotting body of Mr. Beardsley, but it also serves as an interesting turning point for the season. Upon arriving at the house, Claire and Jamie are greeted by Mr. Beardsley’s wife, who is very pregnant and ends up having her baby while Claire and Jamie are there. That’s after this woman tries to strangle her dying husband to death because he was pretty awful in his prime.

It doesn’t take long for her to leave this life behind, and Claire and Jamie must handle the situation. I enjoyed this quick glimpse into Jamie and Claire as temporary guardians.

You have to remember, Jamie has never been around to raise his actual children, and seeing Claire with a baby in her arms has him in his feelings. This side of Jamie is something Outlander fans live for, and I’m glad that despite the horrifying nature of the episode, we got to see him experience a sliver of fatherhood.

I know this isn’t the purpose of the episode, but it is what I got out of it. The horror and fright was the biggest part of it, and well-executed, but it helps set up what comes next. And it rids us of the horrible Mr. Beardsley — good riddance, sir, you will not be missed.