Outlander Season 7 Clearly Did Its Homework Fixing Season 6 Mess
At least, that's what most viewers are saying.
After the previous high score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes for Outlander Season 2, Season 6 was something of a disappointment. In fact, it only managed an average audience score of 72% - well below the 87% score in the category for the series as a whole.
Fortunately, Season 7 redressed the balance somewhat with plenty of action and one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the show's history, as Tom Christie sacrificed himself to save Clair.
To be fair to the production team, Outlander Season 6 was originally intended to be a full 12 episodes. But it was filmed under Covid restrictions and had to be cut short in the end. The problem was that his decapitation came across very strongly in the final cut.
Everything about it felt a bit rushed and disjointed. And while it's not always a mistake to end on a cliffhanger, almost nothing was resolved.
It all led to some fans feeling a little apprehensive about whether they should even watch Season 7. 'I didn't finish Season 6, but decided to watch 7 anyway,' wrote one Redditor who was clearly underwhelmed by the previous season.
Another agreed, saying: 'I had trouble finishing Season 6 (didn't actually finish), but since I actually liked this book, I thought I'd give 7 a chance.'
One even said they're 'loving season 7 in general (and) gaining new appreciation for seasons 4-6.'
Some on the Reddit thread suggested that some content from Season 7 (the fire, for example) was meant to be in Season 6, but was cut because of the decision to shorten it. This would explain why the season felt like it ended so abruptly.
Whatever the reason for the poor reception of Season 6, it certainly seems that the showrunners picked up on the negative vibes surrounding it and made an effort to correct the mistakes that plagued it.
So far, there's a lot going on in Season 7, and the general consensus among viewers seems to be that it's far more engaging - and worth watching. Of course, there are always a few dissenting voices. One user posted on the thread, 'I see everybody raving about how good this season is but I'm not feeling it. I'm finding it pretty boring tbh.' Another comment backed up that view and criticised the 'pacing'.
Still, you can't please everyone.
Catch the next episode of Outlander on July 14th on Starz.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Reddit.