A lot of exposition. A lot of set-up for our final season. Standard for Outlander.
So what happened to Faith? The opener showed Jamie and Claire undercover (with Claire in a kerch acting submissive, even) as they interviewed a smuggler called Vasquez who freely admitted to killing Captain Pocock and throwing Faith overboard before selling the girls to a madam named Mrs. Abbott. No wonder Claire lost control and killed him.
Is it possible that the adult Faith survived, somehow? How could infant Faith have lived in the first place when Claire held her tiny body in her arms for hours? I find it impossible to believe that Mother Hildegarde would lie to Claire about something so important. Is the answer something supernatural having to do with Maître Raymond, who came to Claire in a dream last season asking for her forgiveness?
Savannah, Georgia 1779
Fergus and Marsali and their four children have landed in Savannah and now have a printshop, where they are being very careful about not taking sides with what they print. Except that Fergus is secretly printing seditious material, because of course he is. Fergus is so Jamie's son, doing exactly what Jamie did in Edinburgh. I hope this isn't the last we see of Fergus and Marsali, but if we do see them again, it will probably be because they're in danger. I'm torn.
Fanny Pocock is looking a bit older and like she is enjoying being part of the Fraser family. It's sad that she and Fergus have something serious in common: growing up in a brothel. I can understand why Jamie and Claire haven't asked her any questions because she has certainly suffered enough, and I can't imagine she will believe them if they tell her she is their granddaughter. If she is. Because if she is, that's nuts.
Meanwhile in... was it Virginia?
Like last season, Outlander is giving us both sides of the Revolutionary War, with Jamie, Claire and their family on on the rebel side, and Lord John and William holding up the British side. William has resigned his commission and would give up his title if he could, and he's currently getting drunk a lot and feeling sorry for himself. I am assuming their scenes were at John's estate in Virginia?
As John said so well, idleness and wallowing do not suit William. And we have a whole new plot twist with a baby who may be Hal's heir, which would be a big effing deal what with Hal being a duke and all. Let's see. Hal's eldest son was Benjamin, who was taken prisoner in New Jersey and died of jail fever, but not before he married a woman named Amaranthus (great name) and sired a son named Trevor Wattiswade Grey (also a great name). Benjamin's letter to Hal with all of this vital information went astray. Really? Amaranthus is certainly bold enough to pull off a scam of this magnitude.
(Hal's second son is Henry, whom I assume is still in Philadelphia with his honey, Mercy Woodcock. Am I tracking everyone?)
William told Amaranthus that he had no siblings, but that is not true. I never thought about it before, but Bree actually knows exactly how William feels. She also had a stepfather that she loved, and she strongly resisted adjusting to the idea of Jamie Fraser as her biological father. If William should decide to get to know Jamie, he'll have Bree as a sister, too. Personally, I would very much enjoy Bree and William getting to know each other.
And at the Ridge
Meanwhile, in their laird's absence, Fraser's Ridge has practically become a bustling metropolis. Amy McCallum has married Evan Lindsey. A mellowed out Hiram Crombie has a new trading post as well as a business partner, Captain Charles Cunningham, formerly a redcoat, who feels like he's going to be important to this season.
Young Ian, who is about to become a father again, came up with the ultimate housewarming gift – an actual new house. Not as grand as the old house, but apparently, everyone at the Ridge stopped by and helped build and furnish it. That's one hell of a gift, Ian.
My favorite part of the episode by far was Bree and Roger and the kids showing up out of the blue. Such a beautiful and emotional reunion. Just the expression on Claire's face was priceless.
And of course, since I'm a librarian, I absolutely loved that they brought several books with them. (I added Wikipedia links.)
— Claire's was the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, which is still being published.
— Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd, published in 1947. Back in season three's "The Doldrums," Claire told Jamie that Goodnight Moon was Brianna's favorite book when she was little. After grad school, I had a job working with rare children's books, and they certainly don't look like what Jamie was reading to Mandy. No wonder Fanny looked so startled by the illustrations.
— Roger and Jem brought The Lord of the Rings, one of their favorite books, as a gift for Jamie. That was an awwww moment. (I am assuming it was all three books in the trilogy?)
— Which brings me to this episode's cliffhanger. Soul of a Rebel: The Scottish Roots of the American Revolution by Franklin W. Randall.
Why would Frank Randall's poshumously published book prominently mention Jamie Fraser dying at the battle of Kings Mountain a year from "now"? It was a real life battle and an important one, according to the mighty Wikipedia. The thing is, Frank knew who Jamie was when he wrote that book, his last. Was Frank trying to help by warning Bree and Claire? Will they change history this time and save Jamie?
Book versus Series
Many of my earlier Outlander reviews have featured a "Book versus Series" section. Since this is the last season but Gabaldon's last Outlander book hasn't been published yet, plus the season seven finale introduced a plotline that isn't in the book series at all, I'm going to drop this section.
Except I will mention one thing. Bree and Roger and the kids showing up at Fraser's Ridge happened at the end of book eight; last season, I kept thinking that might be how they ended the series. Clearly, I was wrong.
Honestly, I'm excited that I actually have no idea what is coming.
Bits:
— This season's credits were a mix of old and new, and the "Skye Boat Song" was sung by Annie Lennox. I didn't much care for her version. Maybe it will grow on me.
— The post-credits vignette was of someone typing on an old manual typewriter giving the writer and director of the episode, much like the printshop vignette in season three.
— Lizzie gave Claire a gift of a bee hive. Jamie seemed to be slowly accepting that Lizzie has two husbands. And a baby daughter named Claire!
— Jamie used yet another pseudonym: Mr. Roy. I know it was mentioned in book three but I can't remember whether or not "Mr. Roy" was mentioned in an earlier season.
— While out hunting, Jamie and Bree saw two dead men hanging from a tree. They had been branded "GR" for "George Rex."
— William is still searching for Captain Richardson.
— John pointed out that William is legally the earl, no matter who his biological father is, and William cannot renounce the title. Only treason can do that. There must be a reason why this was mentioned.
— Fanny got a room of her own. That was lovely.
— Jamie thinks he knows when Faith was conceived: the night Claire told him she loved him (season one's "Lallybroch"). Probably, since that was right before he left with the Watch.
— Frank's book was dedicated to Bree. ("For my dearest Deadeye.") Tobias Menzies got an end credit: "Special guest performance by Tobias Menzies."
— I guess the big question is, can Rob Cameron time travel? Is he going to show up and look for the gold before Jamie can move it?
— In this week's hair report, Ian's braids are no longer braided. Maybe it's time that he grows out his hair?
— What happened to Buck MacKenzie???
Quotes:
Henri-Christian: "Cookies for breakfast!"
Claire: "Well, what are grannies for?"
At least Claire has her priorities right.
William: "It might be easier to know what I want to do if I knew who I bloody was."
John: "At a certain point, I suppose it is up to you to decide who you want to be and to act accordingly."
Don't you think getting to know Jamie Fraser might help?
Jamie: "Did ye ken that bees are the link between our world and the spirit world? That's why you tell them what's happening."
That's interesting. I'd never heard that before.
Jamie: "There are devils on both sides of this war."
Mrs. Cunningham: "You are all undoubtedly going to Hell."
Wow. What a bitch. How dare she slap Mandy in the face?
Jamie: "Why'd ye not tell me that Frank Randall looked like Black Jack?"
Claire: "I haven't thought about that in a very long time."
It makes sense that she didn't tell him. Would there have been a point?
Three out of four anachronistic books, and apologies for my lateness posting this review. I'm having some real life issues,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
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