Outlander
Season 3 Episode 5: “Freedom & Whisky”
Directed by Brendan Maher
Written by Toni Graphia
Created by Ronald D. Moore
Based on the books by Diana Gabaldon
Starring Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Duncan Lacroix, Richard Rankin, Sophie Skelton, Grant O’Rourke, Romann Berrux, John Bell, Steven Cree, Laura Donnelly, Greg Esplin
Starz
Air Date: Sunday, October 8th, 2017, 8:00pm

Warning! Spoilers below for Sunday night’s episode of Outlander!

Last week on Outlander, Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) grew closer as the trail to Jamie grew hotter then hit a dead end. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) gave up and went back to Boston, a sad Brianna in tow. In the past, Jamie went to work for the Dunsany family where the youngest daughter blackmailed him into taking her virginity before she married an old man. It was eventually found out and Jamie (Sam Heughan) saved the baby, his baby, from being killed by the crazed old man. He stayed on to be near the boy, leaving only when the resemblance could no longer be hidden. He asked Lord John Grey (David Berry) to take care of his boy, who considered it an honor, and went back home to Lallybroch.

Spoilers below.

Outlander 4.5 “Freedom & Whisky” review: Claire is performing surgery and taking chances, but is successful. Joe tries to talk to her about her haunted look. She tells him a believable version of her lost love story.

Brianna sits in college, listening to some lost history (it will be relevant). “Fictional prose can alter the facts of history.” She’s failing Harvard. She’s missing her dad, going through photos and smelling his pipe. I can relate. That’s what we do with the loss of a father.

Roger shows up in Boston in the middle of a fight between mother and daughter. She tried to go back to her life and can’t. Brianna leaves her (and him) standing there.

Roger found Jamie. An article quoting a poem that hadn’t been written yet from a printer with Jamie’s 2 middle names – Alexander Malcolm. Claire cannot abandon Brianna. “Don’t tell her. It will only confuse matters.” But Claire is despondent.

Brianna asks Roger on a sort of date after hanging out. She shows him Harvard and they talk of fathers. At an event honoring Frank, his former mistress told Claire that she should have let him go. Claire finally tells Brianna about that, and assures her that she was loved. She confesses that Roger found Jamie, but that she won’t leave. Brianna tells her to go.

“If I go, I may never be able to go back.” Brianna wants her to go and tell Jamie everything about her. Claire is a little insecure about her age. I would be too, but she looks fantastic.

At Christmas she gets some time travel appropriate gifts and makes a “batsuit.”

Claire (on Roger): “He’s a good one.”
Brianna: “I know.”

Their parting is heartbroken yet happy.

“To Freedom and whiskey.” Claire leaves. Brianna and Roger start a new Christmas tradition.

Claire arrives in the past and slowly walks towards the printer. She enters. The bell rings, and Jamie’s voice rings out mistaking her for “Jordy.” They see each other and Jamie faints. Yes!!!!! I love that he swoons!

I loved the Batman theme this episode while Claire was making her time traveling costume, but the scene that all fans have been waiting for was the printer scene. You’d think it would be the reunion sex, but really, it is that buildup of true love being kept apart. I expect lots of nakedness next episode.

Skelton and Bale play mother and daughter so believably, whether fighting or tearfully saying goodbye. I don’t know if I could have left my child, no matter how adult she is, but then again, if I had the possibility of Heughan waiting for me, I might be tempted.

Great episode, as expected.

Outlander airs Sunday nights at 8:00pm ET on Starz.

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Outlander | Season 3, Episode 5 Preview | STARZ

As Brianna grapples with the life-changing revelations of the past summer, Claire must help her come to terms with the fact that she is truly her father’s daughter–her 18th century Highlander father. To complicate matters further, Roger brings news that forces Claire and Brianna to face an impossible choice.

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