Outlander season 7 part 2 premiere recap: And just like that, we head back to America

It’s been more than a year since Outlander graced our screens, and it took me a minute to reorient myself with the story. Where are we in the timeline? Who has been kidnapped this time? Is someone dying? Are we in America or Scotland? 

Thankfully, the opening chords of the theme song sucked me right back into the moment. As long as we are singing songs of lasses who are gone, I’m good. Bring on the love stories, time travel, and the American Revolutionary War. I’m ready! 

Scratch that. The bagpipes and highlands do not scream Colonial Williamsburg. When we last saw Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe), they were headed to Scotland to grant the dying wish of Jamie’s cousin, who wanted to be buried in Scotland.

Once respects are paid, we are treated to a nostalgic shot of Claire, Jamie, and Young Ian (John Bell) riding their horses up to Lallybroch. This is where it all started, and Jamie is visibly emotional about finally being home. But nothing compares to Jenny (series recast Kristin Atherton), who catapults into her “wee lad” with the force only a mother could muster. 

Jamie steels himself, ready to take on the tongue lashing he’s about to get from his sister for keeping his boy away for so long. He’s surprised when Jenny folds herself into his arms and desperately hugs him as her other grown children scramble from the front door to greet their brother with the mohawk and oddly painted face. 

Young Ian quickly realizes that someone is missing. The crowd of grave faces can’t be masked. Everyone somberly heads inside and tears up when Young Ian embraces his dad, who celebrates with a coughing fit that results in Ian (Steven Cree) gasping for breath. Jenny quickly eyes Claire, noticing her horror. Ian is dying from consumption, and nothing can be done other than to make Ian as comfortable as possible and surrounded by those he loves in his final days.

The next day, father and son catch up on everything that has happened to Young Ian since he left Lallybroch. Young Ian sinks into the chair and shares everything about his wife, Emily, and the child they lost. He tells his father that she is well and has a son also named Ian. He’s named after his father. 

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The array of emotions that passed over Steven Cree’s face should be a mandatory watching assignment in a theater masterclass. Bonus points if you can respond like John Bell in that moment, too. It was brutally tender and gut-wrenchingly sad, mixed with hope and joy. How could they both portray all things at once? Without speaking? 

Young Ian swears he’s made peace with Emily. Not to mention, he has an eye on another young lass named Rachel. Ian perks up between coughs and questions if his son has told Rachel of his feelings for her. Young Ian blushes. Technically, he told her in Mohawk. And he asked her to take care of his dog while he was gone. So that’s basically code for “I love you,” right?

Ian rolls his eyes and tells Young Ian that he has to go back before someone else takes her as a wife. He didn’t raise him to be a fool. GO GET THE GIRL! Young Ian shakes his head, conceding on the outside, when he really knows he can’t leave his father in this condition. Rachel will have to wait. 

Meanwhile, Jamie approaches Claire to let her know that he’s about to go see Laoghaire (Nell Hudson). Claire teases him, wondering if he wants to know who is warming his former wife’s bed. Jamie assures Claire that it’s just unfinished business, and Claire aggressively bids her husband adieu, begging him to send her best regards to the woman who tried to have her burned at the stake as a witch. I love sarcastic Claire!

Laoghaire is not happy to see Jamie. She makes fun of him for babbling on about Fergus and Marsali, claiming she knows about her own daughter and grandchildren from letters. Duh. Jamie finally bites the bullet and tells Laoghaire that he’s sorry for what he put her through and that he never should have asked her to marry him when his heart was cold. 

Laoghaire stands tall, reminding Jamie that he shamed her in front of the whole community when their marriage was deemed invalid since Claire was clearly alive when they wed. Sure, she was in another timeline, but no one needs to know those details. Now Jamie is back with that “hussy woman,” and Laoghaire wants to know if he ever loved her. Or was it pity? Has it been Claire all along?

All signs point to yes, and when Jamie verbally affirms Laoghaire’s worst nightmare, she goes ballistic on Jamie. Pitchforks fly, pails sail toward his head, and he has to wrestle her arms down to protect his gorgeous face when a farm hand hobbles over to rescue Laoghaire. His name is Joey, and he’s in love with Laoghaire. Jamie picks up his hat and leaves. That went well.

Claire all but agrees with me, reminding Jamie that he indeed pitied Laoghaire. Jamie sighed, knowing it was true, but reeled at the fact that all he wanted to do was make things right. And he’s not the only one. For some reason, returning to their roots in Lallybroch, the place where Jamie and Claire first uttered their love for one another, Claire feels led to tell his family about her secrets. 

Why now? Great question. Jenny and Ian’s son Michael lives in France. And Claire knows that in ten years, there will be a revolution inspired by the one in America. In order to save Jamie’s family, she has to convince him to leave the country. 

As Jamie gathers his family together, we see Roger (Richard Rankin) scouring the moors for his sweet son Jemmy, who was taken through the stones by the bad man Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton). Roger prays that Jemmy was able to get away from Rob, so he heads to Lallybroch, assuming Jemmy would have known the way to run home. Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) headed to Inverness to see if anyone saw the duo trying to pay for a ship to take them to the Americas.

Back at Lallybroch, Claire and Jamie maneuver the shocked reactions of his family as Claire calmly shares her intel on how this upcoming revolution will result in the rich being persecuted and the king and queen being beheaded. She warns Michael that he has a few years to prepare and that he must get out before 1788.

The words “fairy woman” and “witch” are batted around when everyone hears a knock at the door. Jamie offers to see who it is, and I rejoice, thinking that Roger will probably unleash Red Jamie to help find Jemmy. Hooray!

Roger knocks again, and the door opens. We find a strange man standing in the doorway who introduces himself as Brian Fraser. This is Jamie’s dead father, which means Roger is in the wrong timeline! Twist! Brian invites Roger to stay for dinner and spend the night after joking that his daughter Jenny has her eyes on someone else, so Roger should stop staring. Love it. 

Jamie answers the door to discover Laoghaire’s other daughter Joan (Layla Burns), who has come to ask Jamie to talk some sense into her mother. Jamie laughs, assuming this is about a boy, and asks his stepdaughter who she wants to marry. Jesus Christ isn’t the answer any of us expected, but Jamie is happy that she wants to take her vows as a nun. However, Laoghaire’s won’t release Joan’s dowry. 

It seems that Laoghaire is living in sin with the farm hand and won’t marry him because of the arrangement Jamie made with Laoghaire once upon a time. Child support stops when she marries another man, and she will lose her property. Joan pleads with Jamie to take action.

Just as Jenny pleads with Claire to use her witchcraft magic to heal Ian, Claire explains that she has no such power, just knowledge. Jenny wonders out loud if Claire even has a soul. I know Jenny is grieving, but that is harsh.

Later, Jamie finds Jenny screaming in the woods out of frustration. There’s a sweet moment between the brother and sister as he assures her that she will definitely make it on her own once Ian dies because she is the bravest, strongest, most compassionate person he knows. She is the rock with which Lallybroch was built, and it will be her legacy for generations to come. 

Or a generation before, considering Roger is canvassing the town with Brian to see if anyone has spotted a man and a child in strange-looking clothing. As luck would have it, Ian’s father heard his men speaking of fairy folk, which is great news for Roger. Unfortunately, Jenny rides up at that moment to tell Roger that Buck has taken ill. He’s needed back in town. 

Back in the current timeline, Jamie has found a solution (of course he did) for Joanie’s conundrum. He spoke with attorney Ned, who is a bag of bones, but still kicking, and has amended their agreement. Laoghaire will sign it, consenting that she will have a proper marriage to Joey and that she is the sole owner of the property until death. PS: Jamie is no longer providing alimony. Is everyone happy? 

I don’t think anyone was as happy as Joey. 

Later, a message is delivered to Claire from Lord John (David Berry) stating that his nephew Henry was shot in the abdomen and there are no physicians who can remove the musket balls. Claire must come immediately to Pennsylvania to help. Just as I’m laughing at the idea of Claire getting back on a boat to sail to the Americas, both Jamie and Jenny insist she go and take Young Ian along with her for protection. 

What is going on? SHE JUST GOT THERE! 

Jenny claims that Claire should go because she can save a life. Then she rips the letter Ian wrote to Rachel, escorts him to the family gravesite, and points to his daughter’s marker. Here we are with the waterworks again, but I’m still ticked. 

Jenny tells her son it’s the right thing to do. Yes, his father is dying, but Ian would want Young Ian to live! And to do it while wearing his father’s coat. This is happening so fast!

Moments later, Jenny apologizes to Claire for saying she didn’t have a soul and thanks Claire for loving her family so well. Jamie hands her a sack full of apples to keep her teeth healthy, kisses her passionately, and puts her on the carriage. We are one episode in, and our love birds are separated. Again.

They really are leaving. With Young Ian in the back of the carriage. His father limps out onto the driveway by himself to wave a final goodbye to his son. Could anything be worse?

The answer is yes. As Roger helps Buck to the local herbalist, a blast from the past is on the other side of the door. Gird your loins, people. Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) is back!