Outlander recap: Brianna saves Jamie and Claire's lives
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When we last saw Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan), they were near their home in Fraser's Ridge as it exploded into a massive plume of fire and smoke. Are they alive? Did they withstand the devastation?
Who knows at this point? Showrunners choose to open the scene with "current day" Roger (Richard Rankin) and Bree (Sophie Skelton) in Scotland peering down on an old box that has the name Jeremiah Alexander Ian Fraser Mackenzie scrolled along the top. It's been in the vault for 200 years, and what's inside is as fabulous as Bree's '70s-styled bangs.
Letters from Jamie and Claire! Alive and well in their timeline!
You may remember that Bree returned through the stones in the first place to warn her parents. She learned of her mother's death by reading an old obituary — death by fire at Fraser's Ridge. Roger assumes Bree's matches are the culprit, and when she challenges him that anything could have caused that fire, Roger praises his wife for her invention. Could it have been the matches that saved her parents from burning?
Robert Wilson/Starz Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan
Switching back to moments before the explosion, Roger's assumption proves to be true. Wendigo Donner (Brennan Martin) strikes a match and watches it burn, giving Jamie and Claire enough time to hustle Mr. and Mrs. Bug out of the house before the ether fumes consume the airspace.
Everyone on the Ridge works to save the homestead, but Jamie finally orders everyone to stand down. The flames lick every piece of wood, windows explode, and dozens of faces mourn the destruction unfolding before their eyes.
The next day, as the family picks through soot-covered ruins, Young Ian (John Bell) hands Jamie a charred picture of William. Jamie is visibly moved by this gesture and uncharacteristically overwhelmed enough that Ian connects the dots. William is a Fraser. Jamie implores Ian that William must never know. A silent pact is made through a curt nod.
Something tells me this will backfire.
Robert Wilson/Starz Lizzie (Caitlin O'Ryan); Josiah/Kezzie Beardsley (Paul Gorman)
Later, Jamie finds Mr. Bug (Hugh Ross) digging through the ashes. Jamie holds up the gold the thieves found on Mrs. Bug (Sarah Collier) the night before. Jamie is angry and wants some answers. The shiny bar has the mark of the fleur de lis on it — which means this particular gold was meant for Charles Stuart.
Mr. Bug explains how the gold came into his wife's possession for a solid five minutes. Allow me to sum it up for you in two paragraphs:
This lost Jacobite gold washed ashore in America and was split three ways among Jocasta and Hector Cameron (Jamie's aunt and uncle), Dougal Mackenzie, and Mr. Bug, who was working on behalf of his clan chief Malcolm Grant. It was supposed to be used for the good of the cause, but if you look at the Camerons' estate (River Run), it's clear where they spent their money.
Annoyed by this disloyalty, Mr. Bug took whatever leftover gold he could find when visiting River Run. He swore an oath to Malcolm, George of England, and his clan to be loyal to Scotland. He hotly swears to Jamie that he will never find where the remaining gold lies.
Jamie shoves the lone bar in the old man's hand and bids him farewell, explaining that Mr. and Mrs. Bug are free from the oath they made to him. He wants them off the Ridge immediately. No thieves allowed.
That night, we find Jamie and Ian lurking around the cinders of their home. Someone is digging in the rubble. Jamie's hunch was correct. The Bugs hid the gold right under their noses, below the Fraser's house.
Robert Wilson/Starz Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe); Young Ian (John Bell)
When the person pulls something from the ground, Jamie commands them to turn around and face him. Shots are fired at Jamie, and Young Ian shoots an arrow to protect his uncle. The body falls to the ground, and Jamie and Ian run up to find Mrs. Bug gasping for her last gulps of air. A distraught Ian scrambles over the woman's body. He thought he was defending Jamie against Mr. Bug, not the woman he considered a grandmotherly figure.
At the funeral, Mr. Bug weeps over his wife's casket. Young Ian, head held high, explains to Mr. Bug that she is dead because of his hand. He didn't do it in an act of malice, and he swears on his iron that Mr. Bug can take his life.
The old man sneers that killing Ian is too easy. What about his dog? It's not the same as a wife, but he'd kill him just the same. Ian isn't going to hand over Rollo to this grieving man, so he steps aside so Mr. Bug can be on his way. Rest assured, Mr. Bug will return to wreak havoc on Young Ian.
But will he be able to find Ian? Jamie feels the time is right to return his nephew to his mother in Lallybroch. Plus, if they are all away in Scotland during the war, Jamie won't find himself on the opposite end of a musket from William.
Before they get their affairs in order for the big trip, Jamie has a dream about Claire's timeline, where he sees Jemmy use a telephone. It seems odd, but I'll go with it. What's more random is Jamie melting down some of the gold bars and turning them into musket balls. I guess it's for Ian to have as security?
Whatever the case, Jamie and Claire take the remainder of the gold and hide it away in a cave. If anyone hears about the treasure, it won't end well. Jamie leads Claire to "the Spaniard's cave," named after the human skeleton he and Jemmy found inside when they were exploring one day. They've kept it a secret from everyone. And who would steal a box of gold with a dead man guarding it? No one, of course.
Meanwhile, back in the '70s, Roger and Bree read a cryptic letter from Jamie that warns them about some "property" that was once held in trust by the Camerons. Since it's unwise for them to carry it on their journey, he explains that he's hidden it in a place that Jem will know. They should only ask him to take them to the Spaniard if they need anything.
After agreeing not to pester Jemmy about Jamie's mysterious letter, Bree takes Roger to Lallybroch. Bree cautiously watches the open archway over the driveway, praying that someone from the past walk through its gates. Instead, a car drives up, and I almost believe Claire and Jamie will hop out and greet their daughter.
Instead, a woman unfolds herself from the vehicle, asking if Bree and Roger are interested in the property. You see, Lallybroch is for sale! Bree and Roger exchange looks. And presumably, run to find their son to ask about a certain Spanish guard.
Back at Fraser's Ridge, Jamie and Claire say goodbye to everyone and begin their journey to Williamsburg. Claire spies a cat in the forest, hops off her horse, and begins crying at the thought of leaving the silly cat.
Clearly, this is a metaphor for leaving Fraser's Ridge. We see the "FR" carved into the tree trunk and the stake that Jamie claimed years before. They will make it back to their home. And Jamie Fraser, even though he doesn't fully believe, will always be enough for Claire.
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