Outlander review, Episode 702: “The Happiest Place on Earth”

Slow our racing hearts! This week’s episode of Outlander is a doozy, a bang, a moment we were not expecting! It was all the things that make your heart race and then some.

Last week, we left off with Jamie (Sam Heughan) going in for the kill of the man who dared to hurt his Claire (Caitriona Balfe). This week, things are off to a grim start, but not in the way we expect. We’ll get to that and more in our review below, but remember that there are SPOILERS AHEAD!

Please be advised that this episode and review discuss incest, rape and murder. Please read at your own discretion.

Here’s what happened to Malva

The episode starts with Allan Christie (Alexander Vlahos) sitting by Malva’s grave in sadness and gloom. Claire shows up to give her condolences only to learn a very startling and disgusting revelation: not only was Allan the one who killed Malva, but he used to rape her and was madly in love with her. In fact, she was pregnant with his kid. Allan thought this meant that they could be together forever, but when Malva told him that she would have to marry someone else and say the kid was another’s, it set him off.

That is where the “blame Jamie” narrative came in, but eventually, Malva felt bad for what they were planning and decided to tell Claire the truth. On her way to do so, Allan found her and slashed her throat, killing her and the baby and leaving Claire as the only suspect.

In a strange turn of events, Claire stops Allan from taking his life, but Ian (John Hunter Bell) heard every word and has no qualms about driving an arrow into Allan’s back. R.I.P. Allan Christie!

Side note: Shout-out to the old lady who helped Ian and Claire bury Allan’s body instead of ratting them out!

Brianna and Roger’s baby

Brianna (Sophie Skelton) finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! It is a joyous moment for the Fraser/MacKenzie family. Sadly, it is short-lived as Claire soon discovers that the baby has a patent ductus arteriosus heart condition. Through the use of a handy dandy 17th-century stethoscope and her stellar observational skills, Claire soon realizes that the baby needs medical attention if it is to survive.

Unfortunately, Claire is not a cardiac surgeon and can’t do anything, but she knows someone who does. And yup, you guessed it. That person does not live in the same time as them! Basically, Roger (Richard Rankin), Brianna, Jemmy, and the baby would have to travel through the stones and back to the future to get the medical help that is needed.

Just when we thought happy times were ahead for this family, this happens. Sigh!

Back to the future

The Fraser/Mackenzie family spends most of the episode trying to obtain enough gems so they can travel through the stones. Of course, there is no guarantee that they will even be able to travel, as the last time they tried, they ended up back in the same spot.

As they travel into Wilmington, the family runs into Lord John Grey (David Berry) and William (Charles Vandevaart). In case you have forgotten, William is Jamie’s biological son, but he has no idea. As far as he knows, Lord John Grey is his father, which is how everyone intends to keep it. Brianna has other ideas. Neither Jamie nor Lord John Grey believe the secret needs to be revealed as William gets ready to head to war.

This episode crushed my heart because it featured yet another goodbye between Jamie and Lord John Grey. These two have had many goodbyes, but this one hurt and felt extremely real. As the American Revolutionary War begins, both of these men are on opposing sides, so the chances of meeting again are close to impossible.

But maybe, just maybe.

Through the stones of Outlander

Early in the episode, Jamie and Brianna have a sweet moment the night before she and her family are set to travel through the stones. Brianna tells Jamie about Disneyland, “the happiest place on Earth,” and entertains him with the idea of a “human-sized mouse” that kids get excited to see.

It’s a special moment between father and daughter, one of my favorites we’ve seen between the two. I will always cherish this!

The following day, the family finds their way to the stones, the future or past unknown to them. Will the stones work? Will the baby be able to travel?

Ending of Outlander Season 7, Episode 2 explained

Yes, the stones do work! Roger, Brianna, Jemmy, and the baby walk through the stones and land back next to them. However, Jamie and Claire are no longer standing there, and in the distance, they can see a plane flying by in the sky. They’ve made it to modern times!

I don’t know about anyone else, but didn’t the plane look more modern…like, up-to-the-minute modern? I don’t think I understand Outlander time travel like I want to, so if anyone gets it, please tell me. I think that if one spends 10 years in the past, when they travel forward, that same amount of time will have passed in the present. If so, will Brianna and Roger find the doctor Claire wanted to send them to? I have so many questions!

One more MAJOR event occurs in this week’s episode of Outlander. Claire has a rough first night without her daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids, but that pain began to subside over time, and life moves along. That is until she walks into her home to find Wendigo Donner there demanding a gem so he can travel back to his time.

Claire and Jamie are assaulted and beaten by Wendigo and his men while their house is torn apart as they search for gems. Matters worsen when Claire’s ether is spilled all over the ground, and Wendigo decides to light a match…

And just like that, Fraser’s Ridge catches on fire, and the fate of the Frasers is unknown.

Is this the fire that Brianna read about in the future? Were she and her family leaving so they didn’t interfere with her parents’ death? I have so many questions and am so nervous about the next episode of Outlander! What will happen?!

Episode Grade: A

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