Outlander Recap: I Hope Roger Feels Bad About This
Jamie and Claire know so little about living in 1770s America that the biggest danger they face is one they couldn't have predicted. Meanwhile, 200 years in the future, Roger makes two huge discoveries that send Bree's life on an even more surprising path. Here's what went down in Outlander this week:
So Jamie is signing an agreement with Governor Tryon for the 10,000 acres of land in North Carolina. Even during this official business, Jamie spends a good few minutes praising Claire, which is just typical.
"Savagery can exist in many forms, Your Excellency." Jamie is cautious about his response to the governor's racist comparison of Native Americans and Scottish highlanders.
Marsali is so nice now, I'm not sure she's the same person from season 3. Nothing like being pregnant far away from home to make you a little softer. Anyhow, she misses her delightful mother Laoghaire, and Claire reassures her that she'll do anything she can to help during Marsali's pregnancy and childbirth.
We don't hear a lot about Claire's mother, so it's a bittersweet surprise to say she remembers missing her dearly. Marsali's fretting over being pregnant has reminded Claire of what she left behind. "Sometimes I worry I was wrong to leave her," she tells Jamie. Kind of awkward, since he's the one she left Bree behind for. All the same, he's Bree's father, so he knows a little about what she's feeling. He's left a son behind, too.
LOL at Jamie asking Claire to sing because it makes him want to "do indecent things." I hope he never gets to hear an Ariana Grande song, because then he'll be in real trouble.
Nothing but an exchange of looks-and, in Jamie's case, his name-occurred at the first meeting between some of the local Cherokee people and the Frasers. But there will doubtless be more encounters. As alluded to by Tawodi later in the episode, decades before this meeting, white people brought destruction upon the Cherokee through illness, and it's not surprising they're suspicious of the Fraser family.
Back to the future again. In 1971, at Oxford University, Roger has discovered the existence of Fraser's Ridge. He's missing Brianna-this could be a way for him to offer an olive branch.
How will the Frasers communicate with the Cherokee men who came back to talk to them? Obviously, Jamie and Claire couldn't understand what Tawodi, the man on horseback, was saying. Will their friend John Quincy Myers return to assist?
Roger has some amazing news for Bree-he confirms that Claire eventually found Jamie, and lived at Fraser's Ridge from 1768 onwards. This is obviously wonderful information for Bree, who would want to know her mother did get what she returned in time to find. But still, it's strange to think that, in Bree's time, that means Claire is long gone.
But then he kind of fudges the end of the call. Roger!!! You really have to learn to get better at long-distance communication. Just say it: I LOVE YOU BRIANNA. Not that hard!!! Even a little more chat after that, oh, I don't know, life-changing revelation would have been good. "How's school?" "Does Gayle have a cute dog?" "Met any other handsome Scottish historians lately?" I swear to god.
"The mountain spoke to me." Okay, Jamie! (Did you hit your head on something?)
Gosh, a lot of VERY GOOD ROLLO content this week.
That episode with the bear highlights just how alone Jamie, Claire, and Young Ian are. Without much shelter, it would be hard for them to protect themselves from much.
The idea of Jamie knitting Young Ian a pair of stockings is very, very, very, very cute.
What with both the horse and now John being attacked by this bear, I'm hoping we never, ever see it.
Too late-there he is. Except he's not a bear; he's a man, thrown out of his community for raping a woman. The Cherokee tribe has been warding him off since they banished him. And now that Jamie has managed to kill him, there won't be trouble from him anymore. The Cherokee chief visits to say he doesn't want any more bloodshed between them. A young woman, Giduhwa introduces her grandmother-in-law, Adawehi, who had a dream about Claire. What she says is rather worrying-that Claire must not be troubled about a forthcoming death, which will not be her fault. Who could she possibly mean?
I don't know how it's possible to be worse at giving compliments than Roger is. "It's very...aye," he says lamely about Fiona's new decor. My ears, they're just burning from his enthusiasm! In my opinion, it looks very nice!
Holy moly-Fiona's been keeping a real shocker in her back pocket. While helping the reverend with his research years ago, she apparently found a death notice for Claire and Jamie in the Wilmington Gazette, from a fire at Fraser's Ridge. What's Roger going to do with that information? Of course, he decides the wrong thing. He won't tell Bree-it'll make her too sad. What, more sad than having her mother go back in time forever? Ummmm I don't think so, my friend!
All of which makes this montage of the Frasers building their new home very sad to watch. Especially Young Ian's face, which constantly looks like Lucky Charms are on sale at the supermarket or something. He's so happy adventuring away with his uncle.
Luckily, it looks like Roger changes his mind-or, at least, he decides to call Bree. Unfortunately, he's a little too late. Her roommate tells him that she went to Scotland, to see her mother...two weeks ago. I told you! Should have stayed on the phone with her just a little longer. I hope he feels bad about this. Now what?
('You Might Also Like',)
