So far, there have been five seasons of the hit Starz show Outlander, with a strong fanbase and production values that buoy its continued success, both critically and commercially. While each season has its high and low points, there are certain seasons that contain some of the best-reviewed stories.
Season one has some all-time great episodes, and the second has a string of highlights, as well. While seasons three and four were enjoyable, it was season five that brought some episodes that were judged to be on par with some of the series' earliest.
S2E2 - Not In Scotland Anymore (100%)
In season two, Jamie and Claire must spend some time in France in order to avoid the fallout of what happened at Wentworth Prison. Claire has become attached to her Scottish Highlander family and friends and suggests that she and Jamie do all they can during their time in Paris to stop the Jacobite uprising and save the thousands of lives that will be lost at the Battle of Culloden.
In this episode, they put their plan into action, starting to make powerful contacts that can have an influence on the outcome of the war, as well as whether or not it takes place. It's a change of setting from Castle Leoch and Lallybroch that challenges Jamie and Claire as they struggle with the aftermath of their trauma.
S5E8 - Famous Last Words (100%)
Jamie's militia won the Battle of Alamance Creek, but the Fraser family suffered heavy losses. This episode does a great job of handling grief and trauma, as Jamie is heartbroken over the loss of his godfather Murtagh, and Roger struggles to regain his voice after surviving a hanging.
Young Ian finally makes his return, and all are overjoyed to see him, but he's carrying his own pain from his time with the Cherokee that he isn't quite ready to share.
S5E11 - Journeycake (100%)
This episode is all about Roger, Brianna, and Jemmy leaving to go back to the future through the stones. They discover early on in the episode that Jemmy can travel, and Brianna promised Roger that they would go back to their own time as soon as they knew they could do so with their son.
They come up with an alibi and say their goodbyes, and it's clear that they will greatly miss the family that they have at the Ridge, especially since they have none in their own time. Claire and Jamie finally tell Ian the truth about time travel, and the episode ends with a cliffhanger that has the future and safety of Roger, Brianna, Jemmy, Marsali, and Claire in doubt.
S2E10 Prestonpans (100%)
This whole episode is centered around one of the few Jacobite victories against the British. Jamie has been appointed by the Bonnie Prince Charles to lead the Highlanders in battle. There's the issue of crossing a marsh, but a young man comes to Jamie with a tip for getting around to the British camp safely and quietly.
Claire prepares for her second time as a combat nurse, but, this time, she's tending to men who have become her friends. It's nice to see Jamie and Claire exercise their competency, and the episode ends on a bittersweet note, as there are casualties in the face of victory.
S1E8 - Both Sides Now (100%)
Halfway through the first season, it's time for the show to check back up with Frank, the husband Claire left behind when she traveled back in time through the stones. Tobias Menzies is marvelous as Frank, a good man who has been put through the wringer when the love of his life goes missing without a trace.
He continues to hit dead ends in his search, while, 200 years in the past, Claire is enjoying newlywed bliss with Jamie. As her connection with him grows, she becomes more and more torn between the life she knows and the man she's come to love. The episode ends with a hell of a cliffhanger, as Jamie busts in on Black Jack Randall—another excellent Menzies performance—in the middle of brutally interrogating Claire.
S1E6 - The Garrison Commander (100%)
This episode is well written, to be sure, but the performances are what make it stand out. Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies have viewers hanging on their every word and expression in an extended sequence wherein they simply talk about what Black Jack did to Jamie.
Menzies is terrifying, and Balfe is sympathetic and cunning in her attempt to keep up her deception for her own safety. It's this episode that makes her marriage to Jamie necessary, which gives the series the relationship that continues to be its heart and soul.
S2E7 - Faith (100%)
This is a heartbreaker of an episode, but, given the subject matter, there's no way around it. Claire goes into labor after the stress of watching Jamie duel Jack Randall and subsequently be arrested. Her child is stillborn, and Caitriona Balfe's performance is really quite astounding in how completely shattering it is.
After she loses her child, she must fight for her own life, and she makes it through thanks to intervention from a friend she made in Paris. When Fergus explains Jamie's motives for going back on his promise not to duel Black Jack, Claire does what she must to free her husband. It's a dark, heavy episode that should be watched once, even if you can't bring yourself to watch it again.
S2E13 - Dragonfly In Amber (100%)
This episode starts in the future, with Claire and Brianna attending the funeral of the man who coincidentally brought Claire to Jamie all those years ago. Claire attempts to finally let go of the past, while Brianna and Roger look into it. Claire finally tells Brianna the truth about Jamie and time travel, and Roger discovers that Jamie survived Culloden.
During the sequence of events in the past, it becomes clear that Jamie and Claire have not done enough to change events at Culloden. Jamie makes the ultimate sacrifice, sending Claire and their unborn child through the stones and resigning himself to die on the battlefield.
S5E7 - The Ballad Of Roger Mac (100%)
It comes time for Jamie to really pay his debt to Governor Tryon, leading his militia to the Battle of Alamance Creek. Brianna remembers that the Regulators will lose this battle and tells Jamie so that he can get a warning to Murtagh. Roger goes to tell him, but, of course, Murtagh and his men have come too far to turn back.
While heading back to the militia, Roger is taken by men who view him as a traitor, beaten, and turned over to the British. The rest of the Frasers don't know this, and the battle takes place as planned. Murtagh is killed after saving Jamie's life, and it's one of the shows most heartbreaking moments as he begs Claire to do something for an already-dead man. Once the battle is over, Roger is still nowhere to be found until Jamie spots him hanging from a tree.
S1E11 - The Devil's Mark (100%)
The first half of this episode follows Claire ad Geillis when they're taken to trial for witchcraft. Ned Gowan does his best to defend them, but it's clear that the trial doesn't matter. Claire's one way out is to claim that Geillis bewitched her, but she refuses to betray the friendship that has developed between them.
Geillis is touched by this and sacrifices herself to save Claire after revealing that she is also from the future. Jamie rescues Claire from the angry mob and finally asks her for the truth. She tells him everything, and he not only believes her, but he takes her back to the stones and sets her free. The love between these two has developed so truthfully at this point that it is not only believable, but it's also fulfilling to see Claire decide to stay with Jamie.