I was a hop, skip, and jump away from breaking out into song during this week's episode, mainly because of the historical cameos that popped up. Hamilton crossed paths with Outlander this week, with both General George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette making an appearance. If you're anything like me, you want to start singing your favorite songs fro the musical Hamilton.
In any case, this week's episode had a lot going on, with the Frasers finally on the precipice of the American Revolutionary War. It feels like this moment has been teased for a very long time, but it is finally here, and things look pretty frightening.
We also catch up with William (Charles Vandevaart), who is on his own journey after learning the truth of his father's identity: it's Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). And we check in on Lord John Grey (David Berry), who has been on an adventure of his own following an alteraction with Jamie. So without further delay, let's get into all the major moments of this week's episode.
Review: Outlander season 7, Episode 14, "Ye Dinna Get Used to It"
The episode opens with a flashback scene in 1775 where Lord John Grey assures his brother Hal (Sam Hoare) that his loyalty lies with the British. The question of his allegiance comes into play because while Hal is about peace, he's first and foremost all about the British cause. Lord John Grey, on the other hand, has hope that the two nations can figure it out. When Hal asks Lord John Grey to pledge loyalty to Britain, he confidently pronounces that he will never accept America's independence. If only he knew what lie ahead...
The scene cuts forward to 1778 when Lord John Grey pledges his allegiance to the United States of America. He has to do this to save his life, but we all are thinking the same thing: What would happen if Hal could hear his brother's words now?
A Hamilton-esque dinner
Upon General George Washington's request, a dinner is hosted at Lord John Grey's home in his absence. The soldier who delivers this news does so rather aggressively, but it is a request that must be fulfilled. After all, it is the General George Washington who's asking.
During the dinner, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie are joined by General Washington as well as Lafayette, along with some of the other generals. Claire had met Lafayette earlier in the episode and was quite taken aback by his ability to enchant and capture the attention of those around him. Anyway, the dinner not only brings these historical figures together, but also includes the early version of the American flag, the one that was created by Betsy Ross herself. It's a historical feast through and through, and I was here for every moment of it. I love when Outlander overlaps with actual history, and it happened a lot this episode.
Suffice it to say, George Washington leaves the dinner feeling very satisfied and impressed by Claire's ability to throw a shindig. Not that she had any say in the matter, but hey, it's the thought that counts.
Jane finds William, leading to an unexpected and very shocking reveal
Jane (Silvia Presente) finds her way to William after their romantic rendezvous. Wiliam, of course, is very surprised to see her at the military tents, but moreso that she has brought her younger sister Franny with her. It's not exactly the kind of place you want to bring any woman in the 18th century, and William isn't sure how to process it.
As it turns out, the horrible Captain Harkness came back to the brothel, as expected. She doesn't want to have to be back there with her sister, and so they ran away hoping to find some work within the British army that would be suitable for women to take on. William gives her the job of laundress, which she is absolutely not happy about. On top of that, she's never had money, which is why she doesn't know what to do when William hands her some to go do some shopping.
The next morning, William finds out the real reason that Jane and Franny ran away from the brothel. Apparently, Captain Harkness was willing to pay double the amount of money to have sex with Franny. Jane followed Franny and the Captain up to the room, and when the right opportunity presented itself, she killed the Captain by stabbing him in the throat. And the rest is history.
William has no intention of turning Jane into the authorities or tattling on her, as he understands the circumstances that led her to kill the Captain. He doesn't want her to run away either, so he promises to keep a watchful eye and provide a safe space for her and her sister, but for now he has to go away to complete a job for Captain Richardson: take a message to the Hessian troops. After screwing up previously, William has every intention of doing this job right.
Where Brianna at?
Meanwhile, in the future, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) is still dealing with the Rob Cameron of it all. He hasn't given up on making her life a living hell, ordering two men to wait for her to return to her house. But Bree is smart enough to be wary. Just as she is about to step away, Ernie shows up with Jemmy and Mandy.
Realizing everyone is in danger, Ernie drove them to Lallybroch, but of course things aren't any safer here. They barely make it out of there alive as the two men try to get them, but Bree has her gun and doesn't allow for any such thing to happen. With all of this chaos goping down, Bree realizes that perhaps it's time for her and the kids to go back to Roger (Richard Rankin). We all know what that means...right?
Ending of Outlander Season 7, Episode 14 explained
The moment we've been waiting for finally presents itself as Claire spots Lord John Grey while tending to patients. His eye is still not able to move. Claire, being the medical genius she is, is quick to diagnose him: his inferior rectus muscle (the muscle attached at the bottom of the eye) is trapped in the orbital fracture he got after Jamie punched him. Due to this, it has rendered his eye unable to move, which can be very dangerous. She must fix it immediately to avoid infection, a procedure made awkward by what has happened between them recently. Is anyone ever going to address that Claire and Lord John Grey got married? Did it get annulled? Did it not count legally? I have so many questions.
While Claire is fixing Lord John Grey's eye, he fills her and Jamie in on what has happened to him. Essentially, he kept getting captured until he had to pledge allegiance to the United States, which was not an easy thing for him to do. However, when your life is at stake, you're willing to say whatever to make sure you live to see another day.
Speaking of which, Lord John Grey has a blast from his romantic (?) past when he comes face-to-face with his stepbrother, aka Percival Beauchamp. Mr. Beauchamp was at the earlier dinner and even had a conversation with Claire, who insinuated that they may be relatives given her surname is also Beauchamp. Anyway, it is very clear that Percival and Lord John Grey were more than just stepbrothers, but there isn't much time to talk about that because William's life is in danger.
Percival comes bearing news that Captain Richardson sent William to the Hessians with a coded message instructing the soldiers to kidnap William, with the end goal being to besmirch Lord John Grey's family name. Percy is breaking ranks to deliver this news to Lord John, and it's pretty clear why: he's still got the hots for stepbrother and clearly loves him.
Lord John Grey quickly informs Jamie and Claire of this revelation, and shares that Percy is likely sharing this information because two decades ago he helped him escape from jail. Whether he did it for love or duty, we thank Percy for sharing this very valuable information.
The plan is to have Jamie set Lord John Grey free so he can take care of the William situation and ensure their collective son is safe and doesn't die at the hands of any spies. Ian (John Bell) will accompany Lord John Grey and make sure that everyone assumes Lord John is a prisoner. Just as this plan comes into fruition, we see William arrive at the camp handing over a note that most likely asks for him to be captured, or worse, murdered.
Episode Grade: A
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