Grading the Outlander Season 5 episodes

I like to give each episode of Outlander a grade. Today is when I share the Outlander Season 5 grades per episode based on the first watch.

Throughout the seasons, I give Outlander episodes a grade. This is something based on the first viewing and only on that episode. Now it’s time to share the Outlander Season 5 episode grades.

I know this isn’t for everyone. For me, it’s a chance to see which episodes I enjoyed the most when first watching. Then I can go back and reassess the grade. What held up with subsequent watches? What failed or was better once the full season was viewed?

When I do grade the episodes, I keep in mind that I haven’t seen the full season. I try not to get too disappointed about some character development—like the lack of it for Brianna early in the season. There’s always a chance that the development will be there in the future. However, I try to keep the episodes self-contained for writing, cutting, storytelling, and foreshadowing.

Episodes 1 to 4

The first block of episodes I got relatively early through screener. I watched them as I was recovering from an infection after having my wisdom teeth removed, so my mind wasn’t really on assessing all that much. I was also really glad I had the chance to binge-watch the first four episodes.

However, this is based on first thoughts. Since watching again, I do admit some thoughts have changed. Here we go.

Episode 1: The Fiery Cross

The first episode of the season certainly set us up for things to get excited about. It gave us the focus of the plot for the next few episodes while delivering on a beautiful wedding. We got reminders of the 20th-century traditions while fitting it into the 18th-century lifestyle.

The off-white dress did throw me off a little on first viewing, but I loved the attention to detail with the thistles. Overall, it was a good episode. Not one of my favorites but great for a premiere. Much better than Season 4’s premiere!

The addition of the gathering at the end with Jamie calling the men to arms certainly made this episode stand out. I loved bringing back the kilt.

Episode 2: Between Two Fires

The second episode gave us the start of building the militia. Well, more importantly, it gave us the reason for Jamie to start building his militia.

One thing that I enjoyed about this episode was the development of Lieutenant Knox. He could have been a friend to Jamie but it was always clear that they would end up on opposite sides. At the end of the day, Jamie had been part of the Jacobite rebellion and Knox would never understand that.

We also saw the Regulators forming more and the damage they were willing to do. Murtagh’s involvement meant the Regulators’ fates matter more to me than without him.

Episode 3: Free Will

I certainly enjoyed the Stephen King-esque horror element to this story. The Beardsley homestead is one of my favorite parts of “The Fiery Cross,” so I was very glad to see that it was part of the episode. However, I ended up with a lot of questions—questions that I had to go back to the books to remind myself of some details to get answers for.

In a way, though, this episode wasn’t necessarily needed. In a longer season, certainly. But with the shortened season, maybe something else could have been chosen.

But first thoughts are that it was a strong and intriguing episode. I appreciated a little time focused just on Claire and Jamie.

Episode 4: The Company We Keep

I will admit that this is one of my least favorite episodes of the season. First impressions weren’t great.

One thing that I adored was seeing Roger not really cope all that much as a leader. I don’t buy that he would immediately know how to cope in the 18th century. Nor do I accept that he would just choose to make the most of it. This is a man who has to think before taking action, especially Show Roger. His actions were completely in person.

However, things didn’t sit well after that. The Browns accepted Jamie’s proposal too quickly. It was clear they would never fully follow orders and they would expect something in return.