Outlander recap: Claire receives devastating news in America

You know it’s going to be a rough episode when, in the first four minutes, Outlander showrunners punch us in the gut with an emotional moment and then kill off a beloved character. How am I already crying?

Jamie (Sam Heughan) tells Ian (Steven Cree) that he has always loved him like a brother. And after carrying his friend to his death bed, Ian looks at his friend and chokes out, “on your left,” which is a sign of respect on the battlefield. Then he looks at his wife and whispers, “Jenny.” The next thing you know, Jamie is digging a hold in the family gravesite. At least he tells his sister that he’s going to take a quick trip to Paris before returning home to Claire (Caitriona Balfe). The world is never right when these two aren’t side-by-side.

The good news is that Claire and Young Ian (John Bell) have made it back to America unscathed. When some red coats stop the carriage to make sure everyone has the proper papers for passage, I tense. Young Ian explains that he heard there had been a problem with spies, and the British are extra careful these days. The officer inspects Young Ian from head to toe and completely ignores Claire. Can you say foreshadowing? 

Young Ian has one goal, and that’s to figure out a way to get to Valley Forge. Rumor has it, that’s where Rachel was last stationed. He’s going to find her, profess his love in ENGLISH this time, and reunite with his beloved dog Rollo. Godspeed, Young Ian!

Claire is dropped off in front of the home where Lord John Grey (David Berry) is housing his nephew, Henry. A Black woman answers the door, and Claire asks for Mrs. Woodcock. She’s surprised to learn that the woman owns the house. Mercy Woodcock (Gloria Obianyo) rushes Claire into the drawing room, where Lord John celebrates Claire’s swift arrival. Claire wonders why Lord John is in uniform. Did he return to service? Lord John explains that he wears this uniform for protection. Not his, but for Mercy’s protection because she is for independence in the colonies. Understood.

Lord John bustles Claire into his nephew’s room, prattling on about how he bought up all the ingredients for Claire to make ether for an easier surgery. He remembered her “experimenting” with it before and figured she could use it on Henry. He’s desperate. 

When Claire inspects Henry’s wounds, she’s shocked to discover that someone has recently performed another surgery to try and retrieve the lone musket ball rolling around in Henry’s guts. It turns out that William (Charles Vandervaart) arrived in town and enlisted the help of his surgeon friend Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips) to step in. This means that the Saratoga gang is back together again! 

Claire and Denzell geek out over surgical things as the scene switches to Rachel and William in the market. He’s standing there, bored, holding a wicker basket of goods, which is equivalent to modern-day holding a woman’s purse as she shops. When Rachel returns, William’s face brightens, and he straight-up flirts with our girl for taking her sweet time choosing mushrooms. Then he softens and tells her that instead of being in the army, he’d rather be with her. 

Rachel knows that William is too good to be a deserter. He would never find peace if he broke a vow to the British Army. The moment is interrupted by Rollo running off at top speed. This time, Rachel’s face brightens, knowing there could only be one person who would cause Rollo to leave her side. Young Ian must be nearby! Rachel sprints in the same direction as Rollo.

A figure steps into the road, but it isn’t Young Ian. It’s Mr. Bug! Remember how Young Ian accidentally killed his wife after the fire at Fraser’s Ridge? And Mr. Bug vowed to make Young Ian pay by killing his favorite person in the world. At the time, that “person” was Rollo. Mr. Bug quickly figures out that Rachel may be the one who his nemesis needs to see suffer. 

Speaking of suffering, when we last left Roger (Richard Rankin) and Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh), they were on the steps of Geillis Duncan’s (Lotte Verbeek) home. This is hella awkward since Buck is technically Geillis’ illegitimate son. Roger keeps this news to himself when Geillis leaves the room to brew some tea for Buck to help his breathing. While she’s gone, Roger explains that the healer is actually a time traveler who he met in 1968. 

Ah, yes. She’s the one who believes in blood sacrifices and kills her own husband to travel through the stones. Buck wonders if she knows Robert Cameron from her time. This can’t be a coincidence, can it? Why would Robert kidnap Jemmy and bring him to this year? 

Geillis finds Roger snooping around, and instead of getting mad, she hits on him. Who cares that both parties are married? Roger’s eyes practically roll back in his head as he takes Geillis’ hands and returns them to her side of the trust circle. Geillis finds his lack of enthusiasm odd and deduces that something grave must be troubling him. Roger boldly tells her that his son has been kidnapped by a fairy man. 

Geillis doesn’t break. She only asks if Roger believes in fairies. His answer? “I’m looking at one right now.” Geillis smiles and asks who has spoken so kindly of her and remains completely calm when Roger answers, “Robert Cameron.” Geillis claims she doesn’t know that person but would love to meet him one day. 

Do we believe her? There’s no time to consider it since someone is knocking on her door. And that someone is none other than Dougal MacKenzie (Graham McTavish), looking for the man who has been asking around about fairies. 

Roger is dazed. He’s looking in the face of his relative. And Buck’s father, who gave him up. He eventually snaps out of it enough to concentrate on what Dougal is holding. They are charms one of his men won in a game of dice off of a fairy man. Roger doesn’t recognize them, but he does ask to keep the charms. Dougal obliges. He then catches Geillis' eye, and the two stroll off into another room to presumably do the deed. 

Roger and Buck don’t seem to mind. I guess this needs to happen for these two jokers to eventually be born. Instead of laughing (or weeping), Roger explains to Buck that the charm is actually an identification tax. Which belonged to his father. Who went missing in action flying for the Royal Air Force. The fairy man is not Robert Cameron. The fairy man is Roger’s father. GASP!

Roger’s not the only one who is shocked. Sweet Denzell can’t get over the fact that a man is on an operating table, with his intestines spilled out everywhere, and is not screaming in pain. The ether has worked! And the surgery was successful, thanks to Claire. 

Our heroine steps outside for some fresh air. Mercy follows and Claire praises the woman for being calm in the operating room. It’s clear that Mercy has feelings for Henry, which makes things more complicated when she tells Claire that she’s married. Lo and behold, her husband was Walter, the man who had his leg amputated and was unable to be evacuated from Saratoga. 

Claire softly tells Mercy that she went back for Walter, but it was too late. She was there with him when he died, and he spoke of her fondly. Mercy mentions that they parted in anger, but Claire assures the woman that her husband loved her very much. 

Meanwhile, the scene switches to Young Ian arriving at the house, whisking past Denzell in a desperate search for his sister. Denzell laughs, pointing Ian to the stables, where his sister is checking on the horse. Ian rushes off to find his love, which is convenient since Mr. Bug has attacked Rachel and waits for Ian to try and rescue her while he kills Rachel in front of Ian. 

Ian barges into the barn and calculates a plan as Mr. Bug monologs about how he’s been following Ian around forever. He tussles with Ian and swings a hatchet down into his arm. Mr. Bug straddles the young, wounded man, raising the weapon for a killing blow. And he receives a bullet to the heart.

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William lowers his gun. He calmly instructs the pair to leave the body. He will take care of it since no one would dare arrest him. Ian must go to Claire to get patched up. 

Rachel listens, and we later see Ian’s arm in a sling. Both Rachel and Ian apologize to each other and Rachel quickly puts the puzzle pieces together. Mr. Bug is the reason why Ian wouldn’t tell Rachel he loved her. Ian reminds Rachel that he did say it, just not in English. So he says it proudly, in a language Rachel understands, and they stare at each other.

How will it work? Ian can’t be a Quaker, and he knows that Rachel would never want him to take a vow he didn’t mean. Rachel calmly explains that Rollo isn’t exactly a dog. He’s a wolf. And Ian has found a way to make it work with him, right? Rachel calls Ian her wolf, and he agrees to sleep at her feet when he comes home at night. 

It’s a metaphor, people. Let’s not pull too hard at that string. What I’m hearing is that Rachel and Ian are finally together and are going to make it work! Hooray for love stories!

And guess what? Claire receives a letter from Jamie saying he is on his way to Philadelphia! And by Young Ian’s quick math, he should be there any day now. FINALLY. 

Claire is on cloud nine when she’s interrupted by a crying Mercy. Mercy confides that she is a spy and often takes letters out of the city for the Continentals. However, the man she typically receives letters from was caught, and she knows she was followed. She can’t leave the house. And since no one cares about women, Claire agrees to smuggle the letter out of the city for Mercy since that letter is going to General George Washington.

Claire is successful in her mission, but when she returns, she is greeted with some grim news. A somber Lord John gently reveals that Jamie's ship was lost at sea and there are no survivors. Claire loses her mind and shouts that if Jamie was dead, she would know it because her heart would stop working, too. 

Outlander viewers are treated to a Claire and Jamie love montage mixed with images of a sinking ship. Claire grieves in her bed and refuses to leave her room. 

The next day, Lord John is visited by another British officer who tells him that he is there to arrest Claire Fraser for being a spy. And since she is in Lord John’s residence, he will give him a day to figure things out so as not to cause him embarrassment. 

This is just enough time for John to run upstairs with the key to Claire’s room, bursting in to demand that she marry him immediately. She is about to be arrested as a spy, and he can save her if it’s the last thing he does for his friend Jamie. 

Claire doesn’t care. Without Jamie, life is nothing. Take her to the gallows. 

Nope. Lord John isn’t having it. If they take Claire, they can take Mercy, Ian, Denzell, and Rachel, too. It’s the only way. She must take his hand in marriage to save everyone!