Outlander Season Finale Review: Never My Love (Season 5 Episode 12)

The dreadful Browns are no match for Outlander‘s fiery determination to do right by its ageing premise.

Outlander Season 5 Episode 12, “Never My Love,” is tough and triggering, but it never puts the subject matter before the respect for its audience’s wellbeing.

Viewers are given fair warning of the episode’s awful nature and for those that decide to go on this difficult journey with Claire, the finale thankfully does not make us feel like we are repenting for loving these doomed characters.

This season finale has the difficult task of following the source material’s lead but never lets unfortunate circumstances stand in the way of its own greatness.

When an episode’s premise isn’t one we’re enthused to embrace, it’s the characters we look to pass our judgement on. But when you have someone as skilled as Caitriona Balfe doing the emotional heavy lifting, there’s no judgement to pass — only praise.

It’s no secret this episode lives and dies with Claire. Balfe chooses to let it live by bringing a hollow shell of her character to life as the firey personality we’ve come to embrace recedes inward, leaving only raw survival instincts to interact with. It’s utterly bone-chilling.

Claire has worn many masks throughout her two marriages, but the face we see starring back at Jamie when he comes to rescue her is unrecognizable. There’s no need for dialogue between the couple because Claire’s entire body is an open wound of emotion and agony in those moments.

Of course, we still see some of Claire’s signature fight before things turn dark. She leans into the superstitions of the times and pretends to curse her captors with her filthy mouth. It’s quite laughable to see these men belittle the intelligence of women in one breath and run screaming the next thinking a witch has damned them to hell.

Pretend witch Claire will always be my favourite Claire, regardless of the circumstances.

Thankfully, Outlander does not leave us with Claire’s hollow and broken body for longer than necessary.

Instead, the series finds a way to bring us solace through a creative lens of storytelling as Claire copes with her trauma by imagining herself in the late sixties with her 18th-century family.

It’s a clever way to begin the episode as Claire’s painted nails and modern digs disorient the viewer, but the tool quickly becomes essential as we escape to the solitude of her present-day fantasies during that rather violent gang rape.

Just seeing the entire cast from Marsali to Murtagh (YES!) dressed in their sixties best, mingling together, and sword playing with pillows while Claire watches on from Jamie’s side is enough. And knowing these images are what is holding Claire and this episode together make them that much more valuable.

Claire isn’t the only one needing to escape those horrors.

The actual battle between Lionel Brown’s crew and the Frasers could have been a little longer but since we are seeing it from Claire’s perspective it makes sense that these events would come to us in pieces. The sequence fits with the editing of this episode by making much of the developments feel jarring and disorienting.

If you ask me, this is so much better than Battle of Alamance in terms of emotional incentive, because this isn’t for land or power — this is for Claire. A concept that is made all the better by the intensity of which the men rally to save her. I mean you expect Ian and Roger to go a little crazy, but John Quincy and Josiah are right there to match them.

Between “Kill them all,” and Ian with the red war paint, one can never be more proud (and turned on) by the glorious way in which Jamie’s army come to the aid of family.

I also love the subtle callbacks Outlander sprinkles in from the first season. Jamie in the kilt and Claire, hair down and dishevelled, wrapped in his tartan blanket sure is a nostalgia trip — a real good one.

“Never My Love” showcases some particularly great character work, especially when it comes to Marsali.

This season we’ve watched her come into her own and learn her value as a woman as she steps out from her mother’s villainous shadow. She’s still frightened by the misogyny and superstition of her time but she doesn’t let that hold her back from killing Lionel in the name of protecting Claire’s oath and her family.

Happy Mother’s Day to Marsali, a total badass that isn’t afraid to murder a man when he asks her to smile.

Wendigo Donner, while disgustingly complicit, is another standout. He’s a clever time traveller who came to this time with Otter Tooth (who apparently goes by Bob), and announces his status to Claire with the iconic line, “Does the name Ringo Starr mean anything to you?”

It’s a shame he turns out to be such a dick. His backstory sheds light on who these Native American travellers are and the possibility of others from this activist group still being alive. He talks about the moon landing and seems amused by Claire’s witch antics. It would be nice to have another time-traveller on the Frasers’ side but alas they refuse to rise to the occasion.

Is this an episode I will love to re-watch? No. Is it one I will be quick to forget? Absolutely not.

Therein lies the issue with an episode such as this. You’re never going to love the premise even when it is done right, so you can only look at how the series reflects on the experience rather than the experience itself.

I wish Outlander‘s greatest moments of heroism and character-building didn’t always rely so much on sexual violence to elevate the story. There will come a point where, regardless of the source material, people will be unable to watch these characters succumb to the same repeated fate.

Today could very well be that day for many people and that’s understandable. Some stories are too raw and too real to be considered entertainment, even in the drama genre.

This is probably the most brutal finale since the beginning of the series and backing onto the longest Draughtlander we’ve yet to face. Nothing about this ending comes easy for Outlander but the show fights for the right to end this chapter standing tall.

Jamie and Claire leave us in a place of limbo as they show us their love — and passion — for one another still burns bright even on the darkest of days. It’s a vague ending to a series with an uncertain future, the irony of which is not lost on any fan of this historical time-travelling show.

Thankfully, we’ll always feel safe in Outlander‘s embrace.

Other Outlandish Thoughts:

• The spooky “previously on” segment is rather effective in setting the tone for this episode. So are the end credits with the original Outlander theme (which I’ve desperately missed) playing against a backdrop of rain.
• I love that the stones sense the real home Brianna and Roger are longing for and send them right back to Ian. It’s likely going to take extreme circumstances or illness to send them through for good next time.
• Claire’s speech about being a survivor and becoming shattered by this of all things is really a masterpiece of a moment. Caitriona Balfe should be nominated for this scene alone.
• Everyone is so down for murder all of a sudden — and sure, why not!

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

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