Outlander season 5, episode 5 recap: Perpetual Adoration

Outlander throws it back to the 1960s as Claire’s obsession with penicillin is revealed.

Outlander took us back to the 1960s this week as we caught up with that version of Claire, who was in a post-Frank world and a thriving surgeon. Of course, a big part of her heart lie in the past with Jamie, but years had passed since she left him behind in Scotland, before the Battle of Culloden.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about this week’s episode is getting to understand why Claire is so eager to create penicillin in the past. It sounds like a horrible idea, given how it can screw up history. If successful, it would mean she’d create penicillin decades before its time, thereby altering the path history was meant to take originally.

But Claire is not about that “listening to anyone” life, and she’s going to do whatever her mind is set on. It’s just who she is, and I sort of adore her for it.

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The point of the 60s flashback is to help us understand what the relationship between penicillin and Claire is. As the flashbacks reveal, she once had a patient that came in for routine gallbladder surgery but died before she was able to operate because he was allergic to the penicillin she gave him.

This devasting loss prompted Claire to take some time off of work and travel to London. She asked Bree to tag along, and at some point, they ended up in Scotland for the Reverend’s funeral.

Yes, you remember correctly. This is the same funeral that brought Bree and Roger together, and eventually paved the way for Claire’s return to Scotland.

Funny how things work out, right? Especially on Outlander.

In the past, Claire has been frantically trying to create penicillin and was able to test it on Kezzie Beardsley for his tonsillectomy. When he doesn’t react to it, she’s sure she just might have gotten it right. Again, I feel like she’s really testing the waters here, and it can prove to be rather dangerous as the season goes on.

Meanwhile, Jamie is in his own predicament with Lt. Knox, who reports Governor Tryon is willing to let the Regulators go. However, he intends on finding Murtagh and making an example out of him. It seems very unlikely that Jamie will ever catch a break with this whole Murtagh ordeal at any point in time.

This is why I was relieved (sort of) to see him not only come clean about his connection with Murtagh but handle the Knox situation. It was brutal, yes, but I think necessary for his safety, along with the future of Fraser’s Ridge.

You see, Knox ordered that the list of Ardsmuir prisoners be delivered to him, and once he got a glance at it, he’d find out who Jamie really was and how Murtagh was actually his godfather.

Jamie confesses to this before Knox ever lays an eye on the list, and then proceeds to kill Knox and burn his entire room down before anyone sees him escaping through the window.

Something tells me there has to be some eyewitness out there, and when he decides to speak up, Jamie is going to be in some major trouble.

But for now, we have something very cute and adorable that has been added to Outlander.

Adso the cat is finally here! And he goes home to Fraser’s Ridge with Jamie. Amid all the chaos, Adso will surely bring a happy-go-lucky vibe to the community.

Did you enjoy this week’s episode of Outlander? Let’s talk in the comments below!