This year marks the tenth anniversary of the premiere of Outlander, Starz’s big-scale, small-screen adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling book series. It’s difficult not to look back on the longtime success of the show with some nostalgic fondness, as a television critic who first watched the show from the perspective of an excited fan before later having the opportunity to cover it professionally. It’s also important to note the rarity surrounding this particular show’s longevity — Outlander just wrapped its eighth and final season earlier this year, a number that feels even harder to hit given the mercilessness of today’s streaming climate. A show like this one being able to go out on its own terms makes the journey to the end much sweeter, and Outlander Season 7 Part 2 seems to be acknowledging that, taking advantage of its time-traveling conceit to welcome back some returning faces while never losing sight of its greatest strengths.
What Is ‘Outlander’ Season 7 Part 2 About?
If you’ll recall, the end of Season 7 Part 1 left off with Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and Not-So-Young-Anymore Ian (John Bell) finally returning to Scotland. Their journey isn’t simply for selfish purposes — Jamie’s been tasked with laying the body of his uncle, Simon Fraser, to rest in his homeland — but once the three make their way back to Lallybroch, there are loose ends that need to be tied up with those who welcome them home.
Meanwhile, in the present timeline (technically, the ’80s), Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) have much more significant problems to deal with, now that their son Jeremiah has been kidnapped by Brianna’s creepy coworker Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton), the latter of whom has his sights set on acquiring a legendary stash of gold connected to their family history. The biggest danger of all, though, is that Rob may have just gone through the stones with Jem to a time unknown. As Roger teams up with his own time-traveling ancestor, Buck MacKenzie (Diarmaid Murtagh), to journey to the past and save his son, Brianna is left to guard Lallybroch on her own, facing whatever threats might come her way next.
Some ‘Outlander’ Characters and Storylines Remain in Focus, While Others Fade to the Background
Part 2 of Outlander Season 7 wastes no time in getting us right back in the thick of it — though at the start, some storylines earn a bigger sense of urgency than others. While Jamie and Claire’s return to Scotland has been a long-awaited moment, it ultimately only makes up a smaller piece of the overall narrative, a chance for our leads to wrap up any leftover story threads. The premiere, by extension, gives almost everyone, including the viewer, a chance to catch their breath, yet there are still some moments of lighthearted humor and poignant drama that this show has developed a reputation for. From Jamie’s less-than-joyous reunion with Laoghaire (Nell Hudson) to Claire’s occasionally frosty exchanges with sister-in-law Jenny (Kristin Atherton taking over for Laura Donnelly) to an emotional reunion between Ian and his father (Steven Cree), Outlander seems to be reminding us that this may be the last time many of these faces will appear on-screen — so it’s time to let any bygones be bygones and say our official goodbyes.
Compared to Jamie and Claire’s victory lap in Scotland, their son-in-law’s quest through the stones to recover their grandchild from the clutches of Rob Cameron allows Rankin to assume a place at the forefront of the story like never before — with Roger even offering his own voiceover narration on occasion. As he’s forced to team up with his own ancestor, revisiting familiar touchstones from an older time in Scotland and unexpectedly being confronted by faces of the past, we’re privy to so many more of Roger’s inner thoughts and reactions, which furthers his character beyond the strife and trauma he experienced in previous seasons. It’s a refreshing change of pace to see Roger step into his own as a time traveler steering the narrative in his own right, rather than being batted around and bruised by it. Unfortunately, from the three episodes that were provided for review, we don’t jump into what Brianna’s doing amid all of this until much later, making it difficult to judge just how big a role she’ll play in the back half of Outlander’s seventh season.
The series’ latest batch of episodes also establishes the next big romance to look out for between Ian (Bell) and Quaker Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small) — though it too doesn’t develop without complications, chief among them a ghost from Ian’s past who has vengeance on their mind. While Ian and Rachel’s burgeoning relationship doesn’t necessarily have the same epic feel as Outlander’s main couple, part of its success can be attributed to how much Bell has grown in his role. Since the character first debuted in Season 3, he’s only become a stronger presence, not simply from a narrative standpoint, but also through his evolution as an actor. It’s one of the greatest testaments to letting a show like this continue as long as it has; Bell’s Ian feels every bit as important to the story now as Jamie and Claire do, and watching his love story take shape this season is a warm, welcome distraction from some of the soapier dramatic elements. The show does attempt to tease a potential love triangle between Ian, Rachel, and Jamie’s secret son, William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart), but the latter winds up feeling more like a third wheel over anything else — and it turns out there are much meatier reveals in store for his character as the season progresses.
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan Are Still More Than Worth Tuning In For
At the center of it all are Heughan and Balfe — it’s safe to say that Outlander would not be the show that it is without their successful casting and their immense contributions over the years. Longtime readers of the books know that external forces are often working to keep Jamie and Claire apart, testing their abiding love and marriage through means that might sometimes feel contrived, and Season 7’s latest episodes don’t shy away from embracing those obstacles by any means. It’s in this separation period, so to speak, that Balfe delivers some of her best work in the role yet; once back in America, Claire has to weigh her loyalties between country and family, and resort to necessary measures to protect the ones she loves. While the show has never shied away from heavy storylines before, Season 7 Part 2 tackles some particularly weighty territory for Claire in particular, and Balfe continues to prove that she’s more than up to the task of navigating those dark waters.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to refer to Outlander as the prestige TV version of a soap opera, but that’s only intended with the highest amount of praise. No other series out there has pulled off the twists and turns this one has over the last decade, and with Season 7’s return, the first three episodes alone are full of shocks and surprises, the likes of which might send unspoiled viewers, in particular, reaching for their tissues. While there will come a time when the story has finally ended, Part 2 of Outlander Season 7 is increasingly strong evidence of the fact that this show is planning to go out on the highest of notes.
