Hello, dear Outlander fans! Another week, another episode to rant and rave about. This show has rarely disappointed me, and I feel that the penultimate season might be one of the strongest yet.
There are multiple reasons for this, but I think the one that stands out the most is the writing and the acting. Everyone has brought their A-game, and the writing is incredible this time around. Every moment is emotionally palpable, and every episode ends with a bang louder than the one that preceded it.
This week’s episode is no different, as Outlander goes back and forth between the past and present. While Roger (Richard Rankin) and Brianna (Sophie Skelton) settle into Lallybroch with their kids, Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and Young Ian (John Bell) get ready to head back to Scotland.
Of course, life has other plans, and things take a detour. Let’s talk about it. MAJOR SPOILERS ahead!
Outlander takes us back to Lallybroch
As we saw at the end of last week’s episode, Brianna and Roger learn that Jamie’s ancestral home of Lallybroch is for sale. It’s presumed that they would buy it, and buy it they do!
You may be curious as to where this money came from, because from what it looks like, they haven’t gone back to retrieve the gold Jamie supposedly left for them. Whatever money went into buying Lallybroch likely came from Frank (Tobias Menzies) and Claire’s money.
But that money won’t last forever, as the house renovations cost more than the MacKenzies can afford. Time to go on a treasure hunt!
Before that happens, there are still some exciting mysteries to solve. Like why does Jemmy keep talking about pixies? And what did the ball of gold Roger find have to do with said pixies? Roger is writing a book to explain everything that happened so their kids can learn about it one day. But something tells me they will learn about their wild lives long before the book is completed, especially if fairies are involved.
Of course, Outlander book-readers know more about what is happening. In Diana Gabaldon’s books, Jemmy and Mandy have been interacting with a “Nuckelavee,” a scary creature from Scottish folklore. However, it’s actually just William Buccleigh MacKenzie, who has been living underneath Lallybroch. I don’t know if that is the direction the series is going. Still, it would be a fantastic way to bring back fan-favorite Graham MacTavish, who played William’s father Dougal MacKenzie.
It looks like we might have another time-traveling character on our hands!
Tom Christie lives!
Okay, I’m still processing what could happen on Outlander, but let’s come back to what actually happens. Claire literally bumps into Tom Christie (Mark Lewis Jones) while in Wilmington preparing for the trip to Scotland. He doesn’t do much explaining and grabs Claire’s face and kisses her passionately. Good thing Jamie wasn’t around to see that!
As it turns out, when it was discovered that Tom was literate, his life was spared and he was given a job as a secretary. Interestingly enough, Tom wrote Jamie and Claire’s obituary because he thought they had perished in the fire at Fraser’s Ridge. Given his love for Claire, he had to do something to memorialize her. So we have Tom to thank for how history was altered!
William’s expedition and Rachel Hunter
Jamie’s son William (Charles Vandevaart) is sent on a mission in this week’s episode with a stack of letters that need to be discreetly given to someone named Cartwright. However, on his way, William gets severely injured and needs care.
Luckily, Young Ian finds him and gets him the help he needs, thanks to a Quaker woman named Rachel Hunter. In the book, Rachel becomes Ian’s wife, but right now, there is a bit of a love triangle. There is interest from both William and Ian, so we’ll see how the show decides to handle this love story!
Ending of Outlander Season 7, Episode 4 explained
Sadly, the plans to go to Scotland are scrapped as Jamie is asked, or rather threatened, into going to Fort Ticonderoga. He is asked to go there to partake in the war efforts as a Son of Liberty so they can stall the British advance. George Washington has no men to spare, so Jamie is asked to convince men to join him.
War wasn’t on the agenda yet, but given no choice, Jamie heads to the fort with Ian, Claire, and all the men in tow. Will this prevent a trip to Scotland forever? And will Jamie come face to face with William while at the Fort? I will hold off on answering these questions, but I suspect Jamie and William are about to meet on the battlefield.
Episode Grade: A
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