Like every premiere of the previous season. It's no surprise that this episode ticks off a 8.9 on IMDb, because it's well deserved. The pace is so packed and dense. It's a direct sequel to the last installment in 608, which is really satisfying. I'm glad they didn't skip a lot of the plot just because they're switching to season 7. This is a well-written episode with great dialogue AND monologues! Knowing this story by heart, I read all the books and watched the series three times. That said, whether you love 701 "A Life Well Lost" or hate it, I can assure everyone that people will be screaming for what's next! What people say is missing at this point in the series is exactly what will happen in later episodes. People miss what was Outlander in the early seasons. But I can assure you once again that everything we loved at the beginning will be back in this season and more and lots of new adorable characters! It's like a dream come true that the crew and cast are so far into this epic story and there's still so much to tell, I can't wait.
Also, I feel like the cinematography jumped three steps higher, it's so beautiful and colorful. The costumes, the music, the sets (it's so big!) the universe, that's it! They still have everything, but bigger than ever.
On the other hand, I know, and I think we all know that Outlander isn't the best TV ever. It's not the kind of show like Succession, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad. I understand. But it's still an accomplishment for a TV show to still be great until season 7. I get that Outlander is a "good" TV show. But the story itself (whether it's the book or the screenplay), is EXTRAORDINARILY well developed, dense, historically rich, with amazing characters and complex relationships.
And also, that's the story Diana Gabaldon told in her books and I couldn't be happier than I am right now for how the cast, the crew, and the showrunners have adapted these bricks of pages (we're talking about a 700-1000 pages every book, and there's 9 of 'em). I've read the books and I know what was going to happen in previous seasons and I know what's going to happen this season and I'm deeply grateful that the showrunner didn't just give what the fans were asking for, like putting time travel everywhere, or magically teleport the characters to Scotland, or canceling any character because they didn't like the acting or whatever they said. It's fine, I get it and I took the time to read opposite review before saying what I had to say. But still, it's a fact, if you're not enjoying the plot right now or since season six, or five, or four like the majority of critics have been saying since Claire and Jamie arrived in America, you just don't like what Gabaldon wrote in her books, which is fine, but no one can blame the showrunner because that's what it is and that's what she wrote. Personally I liked it a lot, since I read everything. So I think we should all shout very loudly to the showrunners, because they followed theses complete and complexe books and stuck to the original storyline, plot twists, and character development (which is amazing by the way).
These six seasons and one episode are a beautiful and captivating adaptation of Diana life's work. Thanks to the cast and crew, and thanks to Diana for allowing us to have another epic and amazing season of our favorite love story.
It marks a great start to what is sure to be Outlander's biggest and greatest season.