OUTLANDER: SEASON 6 sees a continuation of Claire and Jamie’s epic fight to protect those they love as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life in the New World. The series follows the Frasers as they strive to maintain peace and flourish within a colonial society which – as Claire knows all too well – is unwittingly marching toward Revolution. Against this backdrop, which heralds the birth of the new American nation, Claire and Jamie have built a home together at Fraser’s Ridge. They must now defend this home – established on land granted to them by the Crown – not only from external forces, but also from the increasing strife and conflict in the community within their care. For the Frasers and their immediate family, then, “home” is more than simply a site in which they live, it is the place they are laying the foundations for the rest of their lives.
For in-depth thoughts on Outlander: The Complete Sixth Season, please see my colleague Martin Sexton’s reviews from its original television debut below:
- Episode One – Echoes
- Episode Two – Allegiance
- Episode Three – Temperance
- Episode Four – Hour Of The Wolf
- Second Half Of Season Round-Up
Video Quality
Outlander: The Complete Sixth Season arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment with a sumptuous AVC encoded 1080p transfer. The cinematography of this show is some of our favorite on television thanks to its persistent beauty, and this transfer renders it perfectly. The series remains pristine with a lovely, cooler color palette revealing vibrant colors within the picturesque settings. Black levels are nice and deep, giving way to a vast amount of detail in darker scenes. Not to be outdone, the whites of the show are luminous and avoid any instances of blooming in this presentation. This transfer reveals a great amount of fine detail within the costumes and intricate production design. Skin tones appear very natural throughout the season, and compression artifacts and noise are practically nonexistent. The Blu-Ray presentation is stunning and represents a marvelous achievement from Sony.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an impressive DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings to life the soundscape of this world without fail. The environmental sounds of the world engage the surround speakers in a really pleasing way to make things feel three dimensional. Even when you are simply taking in the dynamic rural environments, this track truly delivers. Ambient sounds are precisely placed in the rear channels. The more kinetic moments know how to make an impression in the low end response. Dialogue is a primary force of the show, and it emanates clearly without being clipped by any competing sounds. The terrific music on the show is often sweeping and enveloping in the best way. The score is very spacious and lush with a deft handling of both the more intensive moments as well as the subtle touches. The audio track is unlikely to let anyone down.
Special Features
- Audio Commentaries
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- Echoes: Matthew B. Roberts
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- Allegiance: Matthew B. Roberts and Toni Graphia
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- Temperance: Toni Graphia and Luke Schelhaas
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- Hour Of The Wolf: Toni Graphia and Luke Schelhaas
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- Give Me Liberty: Toni Graphia and Barbara Stepansky
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- The World Turned Upside Down: Toni Graphia and Maril Davis
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- Sticks and Stones: Toni Graphia and Danielle Berrow
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- I Am Not Alone: Toni Graphia and Luke Schelhaas
- Deleted Scene: Brief scenes are provided from most of the episodes of moments that were cut primarily for pacing reasons, but prove to be an entertaining addition for fans.
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- Allegiance (2:59)
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- Temperance (3:03)
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- Hour Of The Wolf (1:55)
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- Give Me Liberty (1:05)
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- The World Turned Upside Down (2:56)
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- Sticks and Stones (3:44)
- Outlander Untold
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- A Silkie’s Scars: A five-minute animated tale in which Jamie tells of a fantastical being called a Silkie to a very rapt audience.
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- Creature Feature: A five-minute animated tale in which our characters reminisce and recreate formative cinematic experiences from their history.
- A Look Into The Animation – Outlander Untold: A nearly six-minute featurette in which the creative team discuss the challenges of the production, having a chance to explore different stories from the book in animated form, the ways in which certain stories were recontextualized and more.
- Blooper Reels: Two videos which show moments of levity on set including flubbed lines, laughing fits, goofing around, malfunctioning props and more.
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- Blooper Reel – Cast (4:49)
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- Blooper Reel – Dance (1:20)
- Family Matters – The Ghosts Of Trauma: A 12-minute featurette which explores how the show picks up from the events of season five and how the characters deal with different traumas in the aftermath. There are some insightful comments from the cast and creative team.
- Audition Footage: Producer Maril Davis tells the story of how the two lead actors were cast in the series along with footage from their initial auditions for the roles.
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- Caitriona Balfe Auditions with Introduction From Maril Davis (7:48)
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- Sam Heughan Audition with Introduction From Maril Davis (7:45)
- The Shootout At Fraser’s Ridge: An eight-minute look at what Fraser’s Ridge means for these characters, the production design, the accusation which upsets the peace, and the narrative fallout from all of this.
Final Thoughts
Outlander is a show that constantly evolves and surprises with its complex web of storytelling which keeps you deeply invested on all fronts. While this season may have been a bit abbreviated, it is just as strong as it has ever been as we keep digging deeper into characters who may have been more on the fringes of the tale. The brevity of the season necessitated some threads to be glossed over a bit more swiftly than we may have wanted, but this show is still firing on all cylinders. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a can’t-beat A/V presentation and a magnificent assortment of supplemental features. This season does not miss a step despite being a bit truncated, and fans will love every bittersweet moment of it. Highly Recommended
Outlander: The Complete Sixth Season is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.