Outlander recap: Roger and Bree question Buck MacKenzie
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Well, William Buccleigh MacKenzie, or Cousin Buck as he's now known, has fallen through the stones and is looking to his great, great, great, great grandson to help him figure out what the hell is going on. Are we not concerned about time travelers showing up here and there anymore? Bree (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) seem to be taking this very well, which is concerning, in my opinion. Remember, Cousin Buck is responsible for Roger's neck ending up in a noose!
Cousin Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) recalls hearing the buzzing noises, falling through the stones, and ending up in Inverness. He saw Roger and followed him to Lallybroch, claiming it would be worse to just show up on his doorstep demanding answers. Instead, he lurked and scared the children.
A car pulls into the driveway, and Roger is irritated to see Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) making good on his self invitation to have dinner with the MacKenzies. Roger shoves Buck into the secret room located right off the kitchen and proceeds to entertain Rob with his father's old hymnals. He leaves the sketchy man in his study to go and complain to Bree about how Rob's timing is the absolute worst.
The kids come barreling in from school, and Jemmy (Blake Johnston Miller) is super proud to show his father his Tufty Club button. A quick Google search tells me that this jaunty red squirrel is responsible for teaching children about road safety. How adorable is that?
Charming Rob mesmerizes Jemmy and Mandy (Rosa Morris) at dinner before they are shuffled off to watch television before bed. As Roger and Bree finally usher Rob out the door, he shares a sad story about how his French wife left him with their son, which is why he dotes on his nephew Bobby. We don't know if Bobby is cool enough to be in the Tufty Club.
But he is cool enough for Jemmy to join him and Rob tomorrow for a movie. At this concrete plan, the man who can't take a hint finally gets into his car and leaves. Roger and Bree rush to the secret room, which is empty, because why would you lock in the man who tried to kill you once upon a time in the 1700s?
They find Cousin Buck watching TV with the kids. Jemmy is schooling Cousin Buck on the wonder that is "star-traveling" while Mandy brushes his beard with a Barbie comb. I just might die of cuteness.
Robert Wilson/Starz Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin
Bree is concerned that Buck has "won over" the children so quickly and insists he can't be left alone. This means she has to take him to work. It's incredible what a contemporary pair of pants and a hard hat can do to make a Scottish Highlander look right at home in 1980. The appropriate wardrobe doesn't stop him from telling Bree precisely what he thinks about Rob. He has feelings for her and is bad news.
Bree rolls her eyes at Buck's possessiveness and questions why he didn't return to the stones. When he admits he was afraid of them, Bree confesses that he does need a gem to get back through. And thinking of your family should get you to the correct timeline. The question remains, what was he thinking of to get to their current timeline? It doesn't make sense.
Later, Buck tells Roger that Rob Cameron has "hot eyes" for Bree. Roger ignores the remark and tells Buck that after looking at family trees, he knows the year Buck died. It's the same as when he went through the stones. Does that mean his family pronounced him dead when he disappeared? Or that he gets back through and still dies? Or is it a mistake?
Roger provides the same information to Bree, who wonders if Buck wants to return. Then he tells his wife that Buck thinks Rob is into Bree and she should watch her back. They get flirty in their exchange, using the word "territorial" a few times, and the scene ends with Bree and Roger doing the deed on some fabulous sheets from the '70s to the tune of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."
It's a haunting song, which is apropos since the next thing we hear is Mandy screaming. She tells her parents that Jemmy is gone and can't feel him anymore. Then she points to her head. She informs Roger and Bree that the bad man took him through the stones.
Roger runs to check on Buck as Bree frantically calls Bobby's mother. She hasn't seen Jemmy and knows nothing about a movie with Bobby. Roger puts two and two together, admitting that he thought someone had opened Claire's box in his study. Rob knows about time travel and has read all the information about from Roger's book.
Roger and Buck race to the stones and find Jemmy's scarf, complete with his Tufty button, outside one of the structures. This is not good news. And why is Rob Cameron interested in Jemmy?
My guess is that a dead Spaniard guarding a bunch of gold has something to do with it.
Robert Wilson/Starz William Ransom (Charles Vandervaart); Lieutenant Sandy Hammond (Henry Ashton)
Back in 1777, Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and William (Charles Vandervaart) were just as frazzled. The first Battle of Saratoga is upon us, and William is annoyed that he has been given the task of messenger instead of standing beside his men on the battlefield.
Even though the British Army claims they will easily win the battle, William picks up on some signs that make him think differently. The captains seem eager to visit their wives and mistresses. General Fraser (Angus MacFadyen) encourages the soldiers to eat hearty and keep their spirits up. William figures that the higher-ups know something about this pending battle, and he wants to stay and help. General Fraser obliges, but his eyes remain very sad.
The next thing we know, Ian (John Bell) has captured a British deserter in the woods. If the Brits are cutting ties and trying to find a way out, things must be horrible. That means the battle, which was supposed to start in three days, is starting immediately. Jamie kisses Claire goodbye and joins his ranks.
Robert Wilson/Starz Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan
Meanwhile, William stands shoulder-to-shoulder with his friend Sandy Hammond (Henry Ashton), who has an affinity for champagne. His propensity to ask lewd or silly questions in dramatic situations is adorable. As he and William watch the Continental Army approach line by line, Sandy makes William tell him the name of his crush. William refuses at first but then smiles and says the name "Rachel."
We hear a bullet whoosh through the air. The first bullet. William flinches a bit and looks to Sandy for his reaction. That's when we see a thick pool of blood running down Sandy's face from inside his hat. He drops to the ground, to William's horror.
At first, William can't cope. He is in shock to see his dear friend on the ground, dead, before the battle has barely begun. The surprise turns to rage, and William tears down anything that comes within range of his sword.
The aftermath is a sea of redcoats slain throughout the countryside. Even though the death toll is huge, the British still celebrate. This concerns William since they barely held their ground. General Fraser checks on William, who is reeling that he lived and Sandy did not. General Fraser tells him he is alive but will forever be a different man. You send men to battle, and they don't come back the same.
That's when the scene pans to a still, bloody Jamie Fraser on the ground. Assuming Jamie did not die in the Battle of Saratoga, I do wonder if it was his bullet that hit Sandy directly. And will that same barrel of a gun one day be pointed toward his own son?
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