Outlander Review 

Girl Meets World: "Girl Meets High School - Part One" Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Review

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink #1 Review

Outlander is going to war, and it makes sure the audience feels the weight of it as the series hurdles towards its final few episodes.

"Je Suis Prest" is easily one of the strongest episodes of Outlander, ranking up there with "Faith" and "The Garrison Commander" as some of the best material of the series. Like those that came before it, this episode focused inward; instead of on grief, it was on the personal cost of war.

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe as Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall Fraser

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan as Claire Randall Fraser and Jamie Fraser

Claire Sermonne, Rosie Day and Caitriona Balfe as Louise De Rohan, Mary Hawkins and Claire Randall Fraser

Instead of needing to focus on only Claire to do so, though, "Je Suis Prest" expanded its focus to include Jamie as well. Both he and Claire have survived wars in the past: Jamie fought in France, and Claire served as a nurse in World War II. Both offer key perspectives on the upcoming battle between the Jacobites and the English.

Jamie knows how much these Scottish countrymen need to be trained to not be demolished by the much more organized British forces. Claire, meanwhile, finds herself having flashbacks to similarly untrained WW2 soldiers losing their lives around her.

The flashbacks were an unexpected touch in this episode, but elevated the commentary in "Je Suis Prest." There are great minds at work behind Outlander. Ron Moore\'s best episodes of Battlestar Galactica were focused and concise with one conceit, and the same works here.

In fact, "Je Suis Prest" might have made more of an impactful use of its flashbacks if writer Matthew B. Roberts had let the audience pick apart the significance of Claire\'s memories and breakdown themselves. The scene where she explained her fears and comparisons to Jamie felt out of place, and was the one heavy-handed moment in an otherwise stellar episode.

As much as this was Claire\'s episode, it was Jamie\'s. He was a Highlander out of place in Paris, but upon his home turf, he\'s regained his sure-footedness and confidence. Jamie was never a person cut out for politics, but he is a soldier and a leader. Now that he and his wife have shifted their focus from trying to stop the war to trying to win it, Jamie has found a purpose he can get behind.

Director Philip John captures this in his gorgeous training montages, and Sam Heughan breathes new life into his character. If he\'s going to stand and die at Culloden, at least Jamie knows he\'s doing what he believes in. As he says to Dougal, that is worth 10 people fighting someone else\'s war.

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

Several more familiar faces popped up this week now that Outlander is back in Scotland. Rupert and Angus are always a delight, but it was Dougal\'s return that had the most impact. A lot has changed since he helped save Jamie at the end of Season 1, and he made sure to remind his nephew that he knew exactly what had happened to him before. But Jamie has lost and gained a lot since then, and isn\'t a person who is going to be bossed around. The tension Heughan and Graham McTavish play between their characters is subtle and significant. Though Dougal\'s return didn\'t need much pomp and circumstance, it\'s clear there\'s still plenty unresolved between him and the Frasers.

Outlander is going to go to war before the season\'s end, but it\'s a show viewers can trust to explore the consequences, both leading up to and coming after big action sequences. "Je Suis Prest" was a needed episode, and impactful because of its timing. There\'s a sense of dread surrounding Culloden that didn\'t weigh heavily here, but also that was palpable. Claire has seen what\'s to come, and she\'s terrified of it. The audience should be as well.

Outlander: Diana Gabaldon, Ronald D. Moore Season 2 Interview - Comic-Con 2015

Beyond the Claire and Jamie focus, Outlander did introduce a new, key character, and did a pretty stellar job of it. The second someone says "I hope I never see you again, then" in an ominous way, it\'s pretty much promising the viewer that the character will be back. Lord John William Grey\'s first appearance did not disappoint, and it did a great job establishing who he is as a character without overplaying his future importance.

Meanwhile, Claire is almost becoming as good an actress as Caitriona Balfe. Between this and her stunt with Lord Lovat, it\'s clear Paris\' drawing room politics have had an impact on her.

Outlander delivers a powerful episode by contrasting the preparation of the Jacobite\'s rebellion with Claire\'s experiences in World War II. Even with the sense of dread hanging over the episode, there\'s also a sentiment of everything falling back into place. Heughan imbues Jamie with a sense of confidence and power now that he\'s returned to his home, while Balfe continues her phenomenal portrayal of Claire in Season 2 with a deep look into the personal cost of war.

The fight to save Scotland has costs that Outlander isn\'t letting its audience ignore.

P.T. Spiritual Successor Allison Road Canceled

Hayley Atwell on What Peggy Would Think of Steve and Sharon

Game of Thrones - Is THAT Book Character Coming? - Dragons on the Wall

Overwatch HQ: IGN’s Show All About Blizzard’s Hit Shooter - Ep. 1

Girl Meets World: Season 3 Premiere Review