Outlander returns to Netflix with a fourth season and the first episode is full of twists and turns! We find Jamie and Claire in the United States while their boat was caught in a storm on the way back to Scotland and they ran aground on the coast.
The first part of the episode begins with a heavy atmosphere: America does not seem to be the dream they hoped for. The episode is marked by fatal events and the dark atmosphere is present continuously for the entire hour of the episode.
Outlander is back in force with an episode that mixes moments of emotions and adventures that keep the viewer in suspense. Every minute comes to surprise by the work of the scenario and the image.
A new season in America
The realization perfectly manages to represent 18th century America. This first episode already gives clues about the tracks that will be taken in the next episodes: we note for example the presence of slaves and the political strategies put in place by the English present in North Carolina. Claire already knows that the War of Independence will soon take place. She must therefore choose with Jamie what they will do while they have the choice to return to Scotland thanks to the diamonds they have recovered.
It is this choice that will determine the rest of the season and this first episode transcends this idea. We immediately get to the heart of the matter and we find the characters practically as we left them. They are also endearing and give us moments of great emotions like when Jamie and Claire declare their love by the fire or when Jamie consoles his nephew Ian, traumatized by his kidnapping in the previous season.
This part allows us to go back in more detail on what happened to him during his kidnapping while this part had only been flown over previously. It also creates a strong bond between Ian and Jamie who have experienced similar traumatic events. This is one of the highlights of this first episode.
This new episode like all the previous ones, makes us experience strong and contradictory sensations: we go from love to drama in a few seconds, all this in a flawless accuracy.
A suspenseful ending that introduces the season
The episode ends on a terrible cliffhanger where Claire and Jamie are attacked by smugglers while on a boat, en route to visit Jamie's aunt. These last minutes are extremely violent as Jamie is hit several times, Claire tries to save her alliances from thieves. This glaring scene of truth and sadness is hard to watch. We see both characters suffering both physically and emotionally.
What makes this scene even more striking is the musical background. All sounds of the attack are removed to leave only an original song called "America the Beautiful", as the title of the episode. This piece represents very well the idea of this first episode with America as a land full of dreams, but also nightmares.
Once again, Outlander manages to convey very strong emotions through music. All the important passages are underlined by magnificent orchestrations that impact even more the feeling of the spectator. The credits have also undergone musical changes with a new instrumentalization particularly successful.
This new season promises to be particularly eventful. This first episode gives a promising glimpse. The series has managed to keep what makes its success while renewing itself thanks to a different filming location and the arrival of new characters. The realization manages to bring a new look at this new adventure that awaits the heroes. The first episode is therefore very successful and filled with strong messages, we can only look forward to the sequel!
