Every episode of Outlander season 5, ranked worst to best

Outlander — Courtesy of STARZ

6. “The Fiery Cross” Season 5, Episode 1

The Outlander season 5 premiere ended the Droughtlander and gave us something huge to celebrate: Roger and Brianna’s wedding! It was a joyous event that fans had been waiting for, and it was as perfect as we could have imagined.

I have a soft spot for seeing Jamie and Claire revel in moments as proud parents, and this episode had that in spades. Despite not having raised Brianna together, they’re able to come together over her happiness. Seeing Jamie’s excitement and pride had me ugly crying all the way through. He truly does make a great father, doesn’t he?

But the wedding festivities are just one part of an emotionally packed premiere. It didn’t take Outlander long to remind us that Jamie still has the whole Murtagh situation to contend with. This is why I particularly loved the first scene of the episode, a flashback to a young Jamie being comforted by Murtagh after his mother’s death. It shows how special their bond has always been, which is what makes the end of the episode so heartbreaking: Jamie asks Murtagh to run, and run fast because the hunt is on, and he needs Murtagh to keep himself alive.

Sam Heughan plays this scene with so much emotion. The nature of this complicated situation is very apparent on Jamie’s face, and it stayed with me through most of the season.

The season 5 premiere did a wonderful job setting the stage for the season as it touched on all the major storylines we’d have to deal with: Murtagh, Stephen Bonnet, Roger and Brianna’s desire to go back to their time, and of course, the love between Claire and Jamie.

We really couldn’t have asked more from a season premiere.