Outlander season 5 episode 5 review: An underwhelming reunion

This week’s episode of Outlander sees Jamie’s militia reunite with the Redcoats, but the conclusion is not as dramatic as it should be.

We’re five episodes into this season of Outlander and, overall, it feels a bit lackluster to me — a bit slow and boring. That said, this week’s episode seems to be a return to form, though still underwhelming for the most part.

We begin by checking back in with Doctor Claire’s mold experiment and discover it’s a success — Claire has invented Penicillin! Just in the nick of time, too, because the creepy twins need their tonsils removed. It’s always fun to see Claire in her element, even when it’s a bit gross.

This sets up an odd flashback (flash forward?) to the ’60s, during which Claire is treating a Scottish patient for a gallstone infection with Penicillin. (Connection, see?) More than the medical, though, Outlander wants to connect Claire’s future past with her past present by showing us that, even when she was away from Jamie, fate conspired to make her remember him, in the form of a friendly Scottish man in need of gallbladder surgery.

This structurally works just fine, I suppose, and it’s fun to see Sixties Claire again, but it takes up a large portion of the episode, dominating the action and slowing the pace way down. What should be propelling the pace and driving the action — Jamie’s reunion with Lieutenant Knox — is instead buried under Claire’s voiceover and writing that hits us over the head with its metaphor.

This season thus far has put all of its energy into Jamie being forced to hunt Murtagh. In this week’s episode, Jamie’s militia finally catches up to the Redcoats in Hillsborough, bringing him back face to face with Knox again.

Jamie is stunned to learn that Governor Tryon is planning to pardon all of the Regulators. However, Knox still isn’t giving up on Murtagh. They did just get Murtagh’s wanted poster printed, after all. Knox is getting the list of inmates from when Jamie and Murtagh were imprisoned together.

Jamie and Knox are pretty tight after all of their traveling and the fact that Jamie helped Knox cover up his extrajudicial killing, so they, of course, enjoy a nice private meal together. While they’re eating, a Redcoat delivers the papers to Kno, who discovers Jamie and Murtagh are related.

Again, this should have been a huge, emotional, and suspenseful moment, built up to throughout the whole episode. Jamie has been playing both sides for his own survival throughout the entire season. But when Jamie finally tells the truth, that he’s loyal to Murtagh and his family over any oath to Tryon, it feels underwhelming.

Knox respects Jamie, even if he’s horrified (I mean, who wouldn’t?) and makes a move to arrest him, pulling a knife on him. But few men can match Jamie Fraser in brains or brawn, and Jamie quickly overpowers Knox, putting him into a chokehold and killing him.

Jamie apologizes to his corpse for the less than honorable death, but then covers his tracks, putting Knox in his bed, burning the prison roster, and opening the flue so the fire takes over. He crawls out the back window and listens as the Redcoats deal with the chaos he created.

Chill as ever, Jamie grabs Fergus — and an adorable stray kitten! — and heads home to Claire. Again, this all should have been played up with more gusto, and instead it all felt pretty flat. I should have been pumping my fist when Jamie stood up to Knox, but instead, I was largely unmoved.

Most boring of all is Roger and Bree, and Outlander is taking their storyline where I feared most. Instead of helping Bree deal with her trauma, Roger is such a narcissistic baby that any news of Bonnet forces him to lash out at Bree and only think about himself.

Claire keeps having to give him advice on how to be a person, and honestly, she’s way too charitable. I understand that she has to occupy the kind, motherly space because Jamie is occupying the skeptical dad space, but it’s all just annoying to me. Roger needs to shape up or ship out.

The question is, has Outlander lost its way entirely or is this season just off to a rough start?

What do you think of Outlander‘s fifth season so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below!