SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched Season 5 of “Outlander.”
Safe to say, the fifth season of Starz‘s “Outlander” was dramatic on an epic scale and ended pretty violently. With nearly two years’ time since last season’s finale aired on May 10, 2020, there is a lot to catch up on before viewers reconnect with the Fraser family. In a recent trailer for Season 6, it’s clear Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) — plus the rest of their brood — will have plenty of drama on the horizon as the Revolutionary War looms.
For those who haven’t the time (or time-traveling gemstones) to rewatch the last season of “Outlander” before the Season 6 premiere on Sunday, read on for a summary of Season 5’s biggest developments.
Claire messes with medical history
Throughout the fifth season, Claire becomes continuously frustrated with the lack of modern medicine. In a move that could create troublesome waves later in time, Claire decides to beat Alexander Fleming by a few centuries and invent penicillin. She also opens up a clinic, aided by Marsali (Lauren Lyle) who becomes her medical assistant. Despite Claire’s good intentions and impeccable knowledge, her being a woman of medicine during the 1700s is not received well by many. This escalates when the people of Brownsville (mostly the men) learn Claire has been spreading modern ideas of medicine that include a woman’s right to govern her own body under the pseudonym of Dr. Rawling.
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Richard Brown wants revenge
In the Season 5 finale, Claire is kidnapped and violently sexually assaulted by a band of men led by Lionel Brown (Ned Dennehy) who accuse her of spreading “dangerous ideas” aka modern medicine. Jamie and crew come to Claire’s rescue, killing everyone involved in his wife’s assault. Jamie takes Lionel’s body back to Brownsville. His brother, Richard Brown (Chris Larkin), explains he understands that Jamie did what he did for the honor of his wife. However, Richard tells Jamie that he’ll do what he feels he needs to as well for his own revenge. The Frasers can never be out of harm’s way for long it seems, and Richard Brown will be at least one of the villains they’ll have to deal with come Season 6.
Jamie struggles between Crown and clan
During Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna’s (Sophie Skelton) wedding at the start of Season 5, Governor Tryon (Tim Downie) attends and reminds Jamie of his duty to the Crown in exchange for being able to make his settlement Fraser’s Ridge. Jamie is ordered to raise a militia to fight against the growing Regulator threat who oppose English rule in the American colonies. Jamie is also ordered to kill his godfather Murtagh Fitzgibbons (Duncan Lacroix), who has been leading the Regulators. This creates one of the most heartbreaking conflicts Jamie has faced yet, leading up to the devastating Battle of Alamance. Murtagh saves Jamie from being shot by a Regulator, but then one of Jamie’s men shoots and kills Murtagh. Losing his lifelong friend is soul-crushing for Jamie, causing him to renounce any duty to the Crown — a choice that may lead to conflict come Season 6 as the Revolution heats up.
Roger and Brianna realize where home truly is
Throughout the fifth season, Roger and Brianna struggle with staying in the past and making a life in Fraser’s Ridge or returning to their own time — a decision they weigh heavily because they now have a son, Jemmy, and his safety to consider. Once they discover all three can travel through time with their own gemstones, they share a tearful goodbye to their Ridge family and head to the stones for a journey to their own timeline. However, they wind right back in Fraser’s Ridge — a mystical move that enforces they were already home to begin with.
Stephen Bonnet meets his demise
As Season 5 neared its end, so did the story of one of the series’ most despicable villains to date, Stephen Bonnet (Ed Speleers). After two seasons of terror caused by the sinister smuggler, Brianna finally gets her revenge after Bonnett kidnaps her with a plan to claim Jemmy as his own — a claim he strongly pursues once he learns Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) intends to leave River Run to the little bairn. When Roger and the Frasers eventually find and rescue Brianna, they give her three choices of how to deal with Bonnet: kill him herself, they kill him, or he’s taken to the authorities to stand trial. Brianna lets the justice system handle Bonnet’s fate, and he is found guilty and sentenced to death by drowning (which Brianna learned amid her kidnapping is his greatest fear). Brianna asks Roger to take her to the harbor where Bonnet is tied to a post at rising tide. It is here she makes a move that could be considered mercy or her ultimate revenge — as the water reaches Bonnet’s neck, she shoots and kills him.
Ian and Roger work through trauma
During the Battle of Alamance, Roger is captured by the English and hanged, saved just in time when he is found by Jamie, Claire and Brianna. Claire performs an emergency tracheotomy on Roger that saves his life. However, Roger’s vocal cords are badly damaged, which impedes his passion for singing and orating. The near-death experience haunts Roger for a time and strains his relationship with Brianna. During this time, Ian (John Bell) returns after having lived with the Mohawk tribe — which he did in exchange for Roger’s freedom in Season 4. Despite Ian’s claims that his time with the tribe was positive, there’s something definitely troubling him too. The two end up taking a cathartic trip together, surveying land that Governor Tryon gifts Roger as a sort of sorry-for-wrongfully-hanging-you gift. Ian and Roger ultimately help each other work through their trauma and take steps towards healing mentally and emotionally.
