Outlander Review: The Company We Keep (Season 5 Episode 4)

I guess we can add 18th-century dating shows to Outlander’s accomplishments.

That’s because Outlander Season 5 Episode 4, “The Company We Keep” throws us right into the middle of Isaiah and Alicia’s complicated love affair. Well, complicated is somewhat of an understatement.

Their on-again-off-again relationship would be considered a modern-day dumpster fire, but to make matters worse, this is the olden days where men were shot dead for fooling around and woman had zero say in any of it.

Thankfully we have Claire and Jamie, the poster couple for moral relationships, to step in and put their matchmaker skills to the test. Love trumps all with “The Company We Keep” — even the duller moments of this episode.

If you thought the generous well of Jamie and Claire content would no sooner dry up, this episode brings good news.

Love is in the air and our favourite couple are all but responsible for our swooning hearts. They juggle a heavy load of intimate baby talk, drunken banter, relationship/mental health counselling, and dancing (oh yes, dancing) with the swagger of a true power couple.

It’s incredibly refreshing to see such a well-established couple continue to have this ageing confidence in each other. Their level of communication is far superior to anything else TV dares to take on. Most television shows see committed relationships as logistical nightmares that can only be solved by repetitive conflict and tragic deaths.

But not Outlander. These are a pair of lovers so in tune with each other that conflicting views about babies and what to do with Roger are not met with shouting matches, they are met with a level of maturity that is entirely unique to this series.

Claire and Jamie are not here for second-guessing their second chance. They are all in on love — and we love that!

Brownsville may be the setting for which a whole lot of love transpires, but the place sucks.

The introduction to the Browns is important to the greater story of this adaptation and Outlander emphasizes this by focusing intently on the dynamics within the family. But their bleak situation isn’t exactly inviting and with so many new faces being introduced by the minute, the flow of this season is starting to feel less organic.

Confining Jamie and Claire to a new house of delinquents forces this episode into another box. Yes, this is a slightly less horrifying box, but a confined space for storytelling none-the-less.

One does hope that once Outlander finishes laying the groundwork for the bigger story this season, Jamie and Claire are able to run wild with the horses.

Outlander celebrates International Women’s Day in style with an in-depth look at some of the smartest, and strongest, women of the series.

But the show also focuses on a darker time where these women were put down by society and treated as material objects by murdering psychopaths and parents alike. There’s a harsh honesty to the 18th-century female perspective that hits home now more than ever.

Brianna’s mental battle with Bonnet continues as Outlander refuses to shy away from this honest rape storyline or her powerful arc this season. Demonstrating the mother’s growing paranoia and fear towards an invisible entity is all too vivid and gripping.

We don’t know if Bonnet gave the child that coin or if that was really him lurking in the woods. But many women do know the fear of a man meaning do harm is more than enough to strike fear in our very core. Brianna’s emotions strike an emotion cord that feels all too real.

Alicia rounds out this female lead episode with a powerful story of a woman who fought for love until her heart could no longer take it. Her decision to try and end her life is incredibly sad as we see her endure so much scrutiny. So it’s all kinds of endearing to see her earn the happy ending she deserves.

Roger’s role in this new world is finally beginning to pay off as his peacekeeping ways inadvertently build a tense, but entertaining, relationship with his father-in-law moving forward.

The thought of Jamie and Claire fighting isn’t quite as promising as the squabbles Roger and Jamie have yet to have. This is one chaotic relationship we will happily buy into.

Just as we will when it comes to the friendship blossoming between Brianna and Marsali.

The girls share an intimate moment that is a welcoming contrast to their bleak surroundings. We also learn about the terrible gene pool Marsali has had to overcome in order to be the sweet human cinnamon roll we desperately need. Is there anything Marsali can do to stop us from loving her — no, there is not!

Along with a solid episode, Outlander rewards us with the visual delights of Jamie MacKenzie Fraser dancing a jig. Dancing so intensely that he absolutely has to remove his coat and belt to do so.

Yes, it is a good time to be a fan of this series. It’s an even better time to fall in love with these characters all over again.

Unfortunately “The Company We Keep” is so caught up in celebrating the love it has for the show’s growing ensemble that it neglects to share some love with the story itself. The result is an episode weighed down by heavy dialogue and a firey arc that has died to a dull smoulder.

What did you think of this episode of Outlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Outlander airs Sundays at 9/8c on Starz.

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