'Outlander' Season 5 Episode 12: Glimpse of Brown-Fraser feud, American Revolution and Montauk 5 for Season 6
If you have somewhat recovered from the brutal finale of 'Outlander' Season 5 to even think about Season 6, we have some nuggets for you. The show's Season 6 is already officially confirmed and will be back on Starz.
It will be based on Diana Gabaldon's sixth book of the series 'A Breath of Snow and Ashes'. However, both the leads, Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, have confirmed that this time the 'Droughtlander' might be longer than usual because of the lockdown.
While Balfe wrote: "I was due to start filming Season 6 of Outlander, but due to the shutdown we have been postponed to an as yet unknown date," Heughan tweeted on May 4: "We were supposed to start this week. We have scheduled for Fall. Will just have to see..." followed by a 'fingers crossed' emoji.
It is small mercies that the Season 5 finale did not leave us on a cliffhanger — like the Season 4 finale that had Jamie Fraser (Heughan) being ordered to hunt down his own godfather, Murtagh Fitzgibbons. There might have been rioting, pandemic notwithstanding, if the season ended with Claire Fraser ( Balfe) still in Lionel Brown's (Ned Dennehy) clutches.
We also had the satisfying death of Lionel at Marsali Fraser's (Lauren Lyle) hands. Both Roger Mackenzie (Richard Rankin) and Marsali dealt with their first intentional killings. Marsali collapsed in a panicked heap, wondering if she was going to hell or worse if Lionel was going to haunt her. Roger told Bree to put off the bedroom candle before confessing in the dark to her — "I killed a man".
As a Catholic, murdering a man in cold blood, no matter what his crime, is a grave sin for Roger. It is good to see the show spend those brief moments to show how killing for Claire has affected 'innocents' like Marsali and Roger.
Jamie already knows the pact he has with her. Since Claire has taken an oath as a doctor to never harm another human being, Jamie will kill for her when necessary. He amply demonstrates this in this episode. Young Ian (John Bell) and Fergus, no strangers to violence, take similar vows for Claire — they will be her angels of death if anyone dares harm her.
These vows may come in handy in Season 6 as Richard Brown promises Jamie that he will avenge his brother's death. "Lionel reaped what he sowed and you did what you had to do," he tells Jamie when he delivers Lionel's corpse so Richard can bury him. Jamie nods at him, relieved that the feud is finally at an end as he walks out the door. And then Richard says his final words, "And I will do what I have to." The feud is far from done and Richard is only waiting for when the time is right.
However, Richard and his men do let Jamie leave unharmed and he returns to Claire's side. She is acutely aware of what lies ahead and tells Jamie to enjoy the peace of an "ordinary day" as she stands on the porch to watch Bree, Roger, Young Ian, and Jemmy laughing and playing together. Foreshadowing the events of the American Revolution, this peaceful family scene of happiness is framed by rumbling, ominous and dark thunderclouds at a distance. War is coming and there will be no avoiding it.
This episode also lays some groundwork about the "Montauk Five," the Native American activists from Claire's time. Claire was already aware of how the now-dead Otter Tooth traveled back in time to warn the tribes of what the 'white man' had planned for them. Wendigo Donner, one of the Five, reveals to Claire that he and Otter Tooth were fellow activists determined to fix history.
Part of Brown's gang, he realizes Claire is from the future like him when she says "Jesus H Roosevelt Christ!" when she is being thrown around. Claire confirms to him that not only is she from the future, she also has the gemstones Donner needs to travel back to their time. All she asks in return is that he helps her escape.
But Donner is too scared of "crazy Lionel" to let her go free or escape with her. When Jamie and his men descend, mowing down Lionel's men, Claire believes he has been killed along with the others.
But, readers will know that Donner will make a comeback and will have a part to play in why Claire and Jamie's house burns down, as documented in that newspaper article. Yup, that same article that prompted Brianna to travel back in time to save her parents.
How the show adapts that tale, we will have to wait and see in Season 6.
