Outlander Review 

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There was never any doubt in my mind that Outlander would show the shades of grey to fighting a battle like Prestonpans. This is a show that has impressed upon us time and again that nothing in life is without complexity, be it sex, love or violence. Prestonpans is a significant battle in the Jacobite Rising, and showrunner Ron Moore and his writing staff gave it the weight it needed, offering some truly moving battle sequences.

Outlander: Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan Season 2 Interview - Comic-Con 2015

It\'s the little touches that made "Prestonpans" work. First, director Philip John showed the glory of heading into battle -- Red Jamie with all his bloody violence. With Outlander being on Starz, it didn\'t need to shirk from showing gore or intense violence, but John never went too far. The fog in the air heightened the dream-like nature of this sequence, and we learned for sure that Outlander can do epic battle scenes very, very well.

But it was a later trip into the fog that I found much more affecting. In the midst of the mayhem, we catch a glimpse of the horrors of war. We see poor Fergus, who so defiantly insisted on joining the men in battle, clutching his knife in terror. One man is crushed by his horse, another cowers among the dead as soldiers run over him, and another clutches his severed arm as blood rushes out. So often in media we see the glory of war, and I found this series of shots so incredibly moving as Outlander reminded us that there is always loss even in a victory like the Scots had at Prestonpans.

Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie and Grant O\'Rourke as Rupert MacKenzie in Outlander

Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie in Outlander

Stephen Walters as Angus Mhor, Graham McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie and Grant O\'Rourke as Rupert MacKenzie in Outlander

We see this again later in the episode with Angus\'s death. This is the first loss of the episode that is personal to the viewer, even as so many other people have died. The fact that the episode ends on a somber note with Rupert and the rest of the Scots mourning their dead is resonant on multiple levels. This was a victory, but you aren\'t left feeling triumphant. You\'re left with sorrow and a creeping sense of dread.

While all of the battle at Prestonpans was great and Outlander stuck the landing, it did take a bit too long to build up to the Prestonpans payoff. We are now 10 episodes into Season 2, with only three to go. The set up is long over. We know what we\'re in for. As alternately satisfying and frustrating as it was to see Charles Stuart finally arrive in Scotland, spending 30 minutes until the battle made the pacing of the episode feel off.

Dougal has only been back a brief amount of time, but there\'s been a great amount of complexity to his return in "Je Suis Prest" and conflicts in "Prestonpans." Jamie\'s plan to test the terrain earned Dougal points with Bonnie Prince Charlie... points he soon lost when he attacked an English prisoner who was a patient, violating Charles\' offer of safety for the opposing army he soon hoped to rule. The great exploration of Dougal as a character was best shown in his conversation after the battle with the Red Coat soldier, who he then killed. Great writing for him, and great acting from Graham McTavish.

I haven\'t talked much about Claire\'s story in this review. She led a group of Scottish nurses in caring for the wounded, but that storyline was overshadowed during the meat of this episode by those great action sequences. Caitriona Balfe always commands the camera when she\'s in front of it, though, and her best scene was her goodbye with Murtagh, Jamie, Angus and Rupert before sending her men off to war. It\'s something she\'s going to have to do again in the episodes to come, and you can tell that each goodbye is going to be more and more painful as the likelihood of the Scots returning alive diminishes.

Outlander brought the Battle of Prestonpans to life with great execution and depth, and it easily ranks as the series\' best action sequence to date. But after so much build up all season to a conflict between the Scots and the British, the first half of this episode began to drag in anticipation of that battle. Fortunately Outlander stuck the landing, with some great showcasing of the horrors of war and a true sense of loss that resonates with the characters and viewers.

Outlander nails the action sequences, but takes a bit too long to get to them.

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