The Starz series Outlander is based on the book series by author Diana Gabaldon, and follows the story of former British Army nurse Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe) who in 1945 was visiting the stone circle at Craigh na Dun in Scotland when she was transported back to 1743 where she fell in love with rebel Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). Their love story has spanned several decades, and has taken them through some very dangerous situations, and on many adventures. Over this period they have suffered some loss, but their family has also grown. As the show’s sixth season came to a close, it was 1776 and political unrest in America was high as the Revolutionary War loomed. The Frasers were living on their homestead, Frasier’s Ridge, in the foothills of North Carolina. Jamie and Claire’s daughter Bree (Sophie Skelton) was happily expecting her second child with husband Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin). However, things took a turn when a young pregnant woman accused Jamie of being the father of her child. Later, the young woman ended up dead, with Claire’s blood hands holding the unborn baby, and the townsfolk accusing her of witchcraft and murder. Claire eventually surrendered to the mob to be brought in for trial, but courts had been shut down due to the war, and finding a judge to hear the case could take months or years. Richard Brown (Chris Larkin) and his new Committee of Safety were out for blood, and snatched Claire. And so Jamie and his nephew, Young Ian Murray (John Bell), set out to rescue Claire.

The seventh season of Outlander was split into two 8-episode halves when it originally aired on Starz in the summer of 2023 and winter of 2024, but this Blu-ray box set includes all 16 episodes of the penultimate season of the series. Part One picks up right where we left off, as Claire is brought to prison in Wilmington to await her trial. However, it isn’t long before she’s rescued and things are back to normal, with Jamie and Claire start planning to make a trip to Scotland. However, their trip is put on hold when Jamie is conscripted into the Continental Army, and sent to Fort Ticonderoga. While there, Jamie and Ian soon cross paths with a now-adult William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart). Ransom is a loyalist and soldier who is unware that Jamie is his true father—he has been raised by Lord John Grey (David Berry) as his own. William has been asked to deliver some secret intel for the loyalist cause, and during his journey to the Fort, he meets and travels with a pair of Quaker siblings, Dr. Denzell “Denny” (Joey Phillips) and Rachel Hunter (Izzy Meikle-Small). Meanwhile, Roger MacKenzie starts training to officially become a minister, but this is cut short when a family emergency has the MacKenzies saying goodbye to the Frasers and heading back to 1980, where they try to readjust to the modern world, but soon discover that something is off, and that they seem to have a mysterious visitor watching them.

In Part Two, after an exciting Second Battle of Saratoga, the army starts marching south to Valley Forge. The Frasers, along with Young Ian, decide to take that long-promised trip back to Lallybroch in Scotland. However, Claire’s time there is cut short when she receives an urgent letter asking her to return to Philadelphia to operate on Lord John Grey’s son Henry. With the war now in full force, it’s more dangerous than ever for non-loyalists, and when Claire receives some shocking news, it sends her world into a tailspin. Likewise, William Ransom also finds his own world turned upside down. Meanwhile, another family emergency sends Roger and a new acquaintance back to the stone circle, however things don’t quite go as planned, and they don’t end up where they thought they were going to. However, they find themselves on a different journey and crossing paths with several familiar and unexpected folks. Back in 1980, Bree deals with another issue that could threaten the safety of her family.

This seventh season of Outlander is filled with action, adventure and romance, and takes lot of unexpected twists and turns. The Frasers are on the move quite a bit this season, venturing away from the Ridge to Fort Ticonderoga and Philadelphia, and even across the pond to Scotland. The season constantly flips back and forth between Claire, Jamie and Young Ian’s story in the past, and the events with the MacKenzies in the “present” in 1980. The series is constantly exploring themes of how different society was back in the day, with Claire constantly getting accused of witchcraft for her modern medical knowledge, or being underestimated by her male counterparts. Similarly, we see Bree have to deal with a chauvinist boss and coworkers in 1980. The characters find themselves in a lot of danger this season, especially when there are spies constantly about and saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could get you captured or killed. The backdrop of the season is the Revolutionary War, and this means there are several exciting battle sequences, a look at the deadly toll of war, and more of the modern medical techniques Claire is able to bring to the 18th century. There are also various personal and relationship issues for the characters to deal with, while also just trying to survive in general.

The Frasers cross paths with several iconic Revolutionary War players, and the the season also introduces some great new characters including Quaker siblings Denny and Rachel Hunter. Denny is a good doctor, and one of the first who actually listens to and learns from Claire, rather than looking down on her as a woman or a witch. Rachel is a delightful addition as this peaceful young woman who is drawn to Young Ian, despite their different backgrounds, which leads to a beautiful love story and a nice character journey for Ian. Finally, we get to see a now-adult William Ransom who is a staunch loyalist and solider who will ultimately find himself at odds with his biological father. But at the core of the series is this love story between Claire and Jamie, and how they are able to weather the storm—one that gets quite rocky this season!

I binged my way through the entire season over this long weekend, and found it quite entertaining. There are so many twists and turns to the season, and episodes often leave you with some big reveal to make you anxious to see what happens next. The series does an excellent job of allowing the characters to change and grow, while also making callbacks to previous seasons that feel organic and natural. This is especially evident in how it manages to weave in the return of several characters who have crossed paths with the Frasers and MacKenzies over the first 6 seasons—even if just for a cameo—often revealing them as a fun episode-ending cliffhanger. The story of what was happening in 1980 didn’t quite work for me. The MacKenzies felt a little too separated from everything else, and some of the characters’ decisions didn’t seem to make sense. However, I’m excited by where the season leaves the MacKenzies for the upcoming final season. I’m looking forward to see how all of this comes to a close in the eighth/final season!

Sony’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing. The picture is pretty immaculate, with rich colors and details, and it always looks beautiful no matter what time period or location these characters are in. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer in the middle of the action, providing an immersive and exciting viewing experience, and showcasing the show’s beautiful theme and score. The episodes are spread across 6 discs, which are stacked on either side of a slightly thicker HD keepcase with a cardboard slipcover, and the back of the insert details the contents of each disc. The bonus material consists of a 12-minute gag reel and over 52 minutes of deleted and bonus scenes. I love that Sony is continuing to include a digital copy of the season with the disc releases of this series—something nearly all other TV show Blu-ray releases have stopped doing.

What’s Included:

Episodes: (15:35:06)

Blu-ray:
• All 16 episodes of the seventh season:
  Disc 1 (1:58:52): “A Life Well Lost” (58:57), “The Happiest Place on Earth” (59:55)
  Disc 2: (2:59:07) “Death Be Not Proud” (59:37), “A Most Uncomfortable Woman” (59:58), “Singapore” (59:32)
  Disc 3 (2:44:18): “Where the Waters Meet” (51:53), “A Practical Guide for Time-Travelers” (54:20), “Turning Points” (58:05)
  Disc 4 (2:57:50): “Unfinished Business” (59:27), “Brotherly Love” (59:08), “A Hundredweight of Stones” (59:15)
  Disc 5 (2:56:05): “Carnal Knowledge” (58:39), “Hello, Goodbye” (58:09), “Ye Dinna Get Used to It” (59:17)
  Disc 6 (1:58:54): “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood” (56:59), “A Hundred Thousand Angels” (1:01:55)
• 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French

Digital (Limited time offer):

• HD digital copy of the episodes redeemable at Fandango At Home.

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes (26:07)
  Collection of 14 deleted scenes from across 9 of the season’s episodes. Several of these are quite enjoyable—it seems odd that they didn’t just include them in the episodes. These can be found under the menu items for each episode. Each episode also offers a Play All option. Select from:
  • A Life Well Lost (1:28)
    • “Dead Quiet” (1:28)
  • The Happiest Place on Earth (5:11)
    • “It’s Important To Remember” (3:15)
    • “The World’s Shortest Labor” (2:00)
  • Death Be Not Proud (2:57)
    • “We Are Alive” (1:06)
    • “Hide and Seek” (1:54)
  • A Most Uncomfortable Woman (1:52)
    • “Does The Father Live?” (1:52)
  • Unfinished Business (6:05)
    • “A Fine Warrior” (2:32)
    • “What To Say” (2:10)
    • “My Heart Feels Peculiar” (1:28)
  • A Hundredweight of Stones (2:38)
    • “Never Dreamed of Intruding” (2:38)
  • Ye Dinna Get Used to It (1:28)
    • “The True Fun Begins” (1:28)
  • A Hundred Thousand Angels (3:28)
    • “Walking Among the Headstones” (1:36)
    • “A Promise” (1:55)
• Outlander Untold Bonus Scenes (25:56)
  Bonus scenes that play after four of the season’s episode. They are also selectable via the episode menus. I’m not sure what differentiates these from deleted scenes, other than that they are a bit longer. Select from:
  • Outlander Untold: Syxygy (6:28)
    In this bonus scene from episode “A Most Uncomfortable Woman”, William talks with Miss Hunter, who gives him the crucifix and money Ian left for him. They bond over having lost their mothers in childbirth, and she admits to liking a mysterious man she just met.
  • Outlander Untold: A Visitor at Valley Forge (6:24)
    In this bonus scene from episode “Unfinished Business”, while eating dinner, Denny tells his distracted sister that he knows she’s thinking about Ian and whether he’ll return. She asks her brother if he’s ever been in love. They are interrupted by William, who asks Denny to come to help his cousin Henry Grey in Philadelphia.
  • Outlander Untold: A Good Man (6:51)
    In this bonus scene from episode “Written in My Own Heart’s Blood”, as Bree and Jem enjoy some Pop-Tarts in 1980, Jem asks about his grandfather Frank, and worries that they won’t find his father when they go back.
  • Outlander Untold: Ablution (6:13)
    In this bonus scene from episode “A Hundred Thousand Angels”, Ian tells Claire that he and Rachel have decided to join them on the Ridge, but he’s worried whether he will be a good father, and that he always seems to attract violence, but Claire helps soothe his concerns.
• Blooper Reel (12:20)
  Fun with the cast as they make each other laugh, flub their lines, deal with interruptions, and just have fun on set.

Final Thoughts:

In its seventh season, Outlander continues to be a dramatic, thrilling, adventurous, romantic, and sometimes even comedic series. These 16 episodes use the backdrop of the American Revolution to tell the further tales of the time-traveling Frasers and MacKenzies. It is quite an enjoyable, extra-large season that does a nice job of setting things up for the final chapter. Sony’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and includes a humorous gag reel and nearly an hour of deleted scenes as bonus material, as well as a digital copy of the season. This release comes highly recommended for those looking for an exciting period drama with a twist, and a must own for fans (there is also a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release). While it would probably be good to have seen the previous seasons, this seventh season could still be enjoyed on its own as each episode has a previously on segment to help remind viewers of any pertinent info.