Matt B. Roberts did an excellent job of transforming the Outlander wedding

One of the questions Outlander book fans had was how the 200+ pages for one day would be transformed. Matt B. Roberts did an excellent job.

The Outlander wedding was everything we needed and more. For fans of the books, we did wonder how the 200+ pages would be transformed in the show. Would it take two or three episodes to finally deliver the wedding? We put our trust in Matt B. Roberts to write the Season 5 premiere, and it was certainly worth the wait.

In my opinion, Matt B. Roberts did an excellent job transforming the 200+ pages of the Gathering into the wedding of the century. Most of the side storylines that happened throughout the Gathering were dropped from the story, focusing on the wedding and then the call to arms.

This was an excellent decision. While I missed the storyline that involved the baptism of Germain, Jemmy, and Joan, that was more due to the personal love of this storyline. We didn’t actually need it in the episode, with a quick mention that Jemmy had been baptized by a Presbyterian minister. In helped to bring in the discussion of Roger’s faith and Jamie’s view of him being a heretic.

With the focus on the wedding, we were able to see Roger and Brianna’s relationship transform. The two were able to go an entire episode without an argument, which is something Season 4 certainly missed.

Then there were the moments between Claire, Jamie, and Brianna. This was another thing Season 4 couldn’t deliver all that much, but there’s so much hope already for Season 5. Sure, we know that Jamie will head off to build his militia, but he’s not leaving in anger and disappointment. He’s leaving Brianna behind with love.

The Outlander Season 5 premiere focused purely on the moments that were important. This episode focused on the love between the various characters, but also brought in the teases of problems that could happen down the line; of storylines that will become important later in the season.

At the very end, the call to arms was one of the best ways to combine multiple moments throughout “The Fiery Cross.” There are two moments in the book where there’s an explanation of what the fiery cross represents and why it’s used. The show did this with just one moment as Jamie stood in front of the men, asking them to follow him.

Of course, this came with a moment not in “The Fiery Cross,” but something fans had waited for throughout Season 4. We got Jamie back in his kilt, sending shivers down our spines.

Finally, it was another storyline not in the books. Jamie had to ask Murtagh to get out of dodge and be hard to find. By keeping Murtagh alive after Culloden, the show writers would always have to create a storyline. I wasn’t sure how I would feel seeing Jamie and Murtagh on opposite sides, but already part of me is excited to see where the show will go, and it’s all because of the writing at the very end.

There was so much that had to be cut out. It doesn’t mean that these moments are going to be completely cut out, but reducing the storylines to what was included in the Outlander Season 5 premiere was perfect. We got the love and some of the heartbreak, with plenty of hope and drama promised for the future.

What did you think of the Outlander Season 5 premiere? Did something else from “The Fiery Cross” need to be included? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 5 continues on Sundays on STARZ.