About:
Kilt Drops: 0 (AGAIN, really?)
Previously on Outlander: Jamie accepted an offer of land in North Carolina, contingent upon being on the side of the crown as the colonists begin to rebel. The Frasers begin building on the mountaintop they’ve claimed, to the displeasure of the resident Cherokees. But Jamie wins them over and gets dubbed Bear Killer, and Claire bonds with their healer. Roger told Brianna that her mother managed to find Jamie and that they found their way to America. And Brianna promptly disappeared to Scotland.
And don’t forget, you can drink along with us, with the new and improved FYA Outlander drinking game!
Claire spends time with Adawehi, collecting herbs, and learning each other’s languages. And quite a bit of time has passed, or the Frasers’ cabin went up FAST. That is some HGTV-level wizardry right there. Feel free to come take care of some projects around my house, Jamie. Jamie and Young Ian are off to the nearest settlement, and Claire is off to deliver a baby. Jamie tells Claire that he dreamt of Brianna, including her birthmark that he’d previously never known about. Combined with Adawehi’s obvious gift of sight, things are getting a bit woo-woo.
Claire successfully delivers a baby for the Muellers, a German family, where she’s invited to be an honorary grandmother, and they name the baby Klara, in her honor. While she’s there, the Cherokee come onto the Mueller land to water their horses, and the family patriarch nearly shoots them, until Claire intercedes. Claire heads home, and it makes zero sense that Jamie left Claire alone for days and didn’t leave Ian to help her out on the homestead, not to mention for protection. And this is the thought I had BEFORE the pastor comes to tell Claire that the majority of the Mueller family died from the measles after she delivered the baby, and that Herr Mueller is insane with grief, and gunning for her. He believes she had the Cherokee curses his water. Mueller comes to her cabin and won’t believe Claire’s explanation for how measles works, because of his belief in the godless heathens cursing them. He presents Claire with the scalp of the “witch”, Adawehi. It’s incredibly gross and disturbing. Mueller goes home to find his cabin ablaze, and he’s quickly killed by an arrow. And his sick wife dies in the crossfire.
Jamie looks for the village silversmith and instead meets his wife, who makes her interest in Jamie super obvious. Can’t even blame you, girl. He moves on to try and interest some Scottish immigrants to take him up on the author of 100 acres each to settle on his ridge. He finds that they’ve previously burned by unfair taxation by the governor. Jamie thinks that once he can lure in some tenants, they won’t have to worry about unfair taxes, since he’ll be one who refuses to be gouged by the government. When confronting the blacksmith that overcharged Ian, Jamie finds his beloved godfather, the presumed dead, Murtagh. Murtagh had a similar post-Culloden experience, but now has his own forge in the village. Jamie tries to convince him to join them on Fraser’s Ridge, but Murtagh explains he has important work there and wants to take Jamie to a meeting. Murtagh is not only sowing the seeds of rebellion, he’s leading the Regulators, because of course, the old coot is. But Jamie can’t in good conscience join them with his responsibilities at home – and his deal with Tryon. Murtagh must change his mind, or just had to see Claire for himself, because he makes his way to the Ridge shortly after.
In Scotland, Roger tracks Brianna to Inverness, where she then took a one-way cab trip to Craigh na Dun. She left a letter with the innkeeper, that the woman was supposed to wait a year to mail, but she turns it over to Roger, seeing how pathetically heartbroken he seems. Brianna’s letter tells him that if he’s reading it a year from then, it’s because she didn’t make it back. She found out something terrible was going to happen to her parents, and she had to try to stop it, or she couldn’t live with herself. She tells him not to follow her before she steps through the stones.
Kilt Drops: 0 (AGAIN, really?)
Not for the silversmith’s wife’s lack of trying.
Wit and Wordplay
Claire: “Murtagh! Is it really you?”
Murtagh: “Well, it’s not the Boogie Woogie bugle boy!”
Sasse-WHAT?
- Jamie in his Ben Franklin spectacles, be still my heart.
- Claire suddenly owns a lot of decorative crockery for a pioneer who arrived on their remote frontier by horseback.
- Look, y’all. I’m thrilled to see Murtagh again. But book Murtagh died on Culloden field, the end. I’m sad about it too, but must we really rewrite history? WHERE DOES IT END? But okay, Murtagh’s delight at learning Claire came back to Jamie was pure joy.
- For those of you have read the books, do we think Murtagh will be taking over the storyline of Duncan Innes?
- Far be it from me to criticize any camera time with Roger Mac, but what on earth was that pom-pom hat he was sporting? But then also, be honest and admit how many of you have placed an order for Claire’s arm warmers with the knitters in your life?
- When (and where?) do you think Brianna will turn up next?
Next week: John Grey, and Jamie’s secret son, William, arrive on the Ridge. JOHN GREY!
