It’s almost as though Outlander has listened to the Television Gods. You know, a year in advance of me complaining about it, but we are dealing with time travel, dearies. After the strain the narration took us away from the action and into the damsel - not in distress, but certain in hot water. Now, in brand-new episode "The Way Out", they stick to talking at the beginning and talking at the end like some anecdotal bookends which makes the viewing a rather pleasant one as Claire battles against medieval ways with her medical acumen.
Outlander, from a distance, looks set to prove it’s got as much mettle and brutalities as Game of Thrones, but it can’t quite seem to handle it well enough for it to hit properly. In some ways, they are unashamed - this week nailing a child's ear to a post and not handling it delicately at all. But it seems to hold a little bit back, like, “welp, one scene with boobies and possible sexual violence” and “here’s some whippings” and then it stops and becomes somewhat light and fluffy. I’m not saying it should be over-saturated with gore and gyrating sex scenes, but it should find a great balance between the romanticism and the rough ‘n’ tough.
Embroiled in her modern struggle versus that of the new period, it’s clear why there is a bigger fan-base overseas and a gradually growing one on UK soil (and yes, these reviews are taking it week by week since the UK release. And yes, we know there is some furore over episode nine, so bear with us). The series is broiling between the different times, and it is tantalising to watch because there are no clear paths to follow unless you read the books. So, for first-time viewers, it’ll be interesting to see how Claire continues to find her way home.