‘Outlander’ episode 4 preview: Magic and ‘The Gathering’

Will there really even be magic at all in next weekend’s episode of “Outlander”? It’s hard to give an answer to that right now, but given that this is a show about time travel, we couldn’t resist the reference in the title.

This upcoming episode is entitled “The Gathering,” and ceremony is going to be a key part of it … in particular as a form of distraction. We don’t blame Claire for wanting to get away (could you?), but the unfortunate thing with these plans is that they are never anywhere as easy as they may come across on some other shows. Applause to the writers for seemingly addressing that already, as per the episode’s short synopsis:

“Claire plots to escape during the Castle’s Gathering ceremony, but encounters with Jamie and a drunken Dougal alter her plans.”

So far, we have yet to lose faith at all that this is the big series that Starz has been waiting to have for quite a while not. The one question that we find ourselves asking is this: How do you raise further awareness that you have a great show when you are a pay-cable station? It’s not like you can put your show on Netflix in the way that others do, and you instead have to just hope that people check you out.

With that in mind, we say this: It’s worth your money for at least a month to catch the show, and figure out whether or not you like it. We do wish that Starz had a greater lineup, though, that extended beyond a tiny handful of scripted series like this and “Black Sails.”

What do you expect to see on “Outlander” moving into the next episode? Share your thoughts below.