Outlander Homepage Originals
As the date for the season 8 premiere drew closer, publicity proclaimed the final ten episodes of the beloved series as being “a love letter to the fans”. Indeed, ever since the opening moments of its first season back in 2014, these said fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander universe have followed the journey of Jamie and Claire Fraser, rejoicing whenever the author’s words were spoken aloud. Beloved characters were brought to life, the Scottish landscape was there in all its glory and Bear McCreary’s soaring melodies only added to the faithful rendition of Outlander canon. Yet as the seasons went on, changes began to creep in. Some were minor: an altered location or character name here, a missing scene that would have been lovely, but didn’t quite make it to the screen there. But in each case, the overall storyline itself didn’t change, so these small detours from the original were quickly forgotten. Gradually, the changes became larger. Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser didn’t die at Culloden and was sent to Ardsmuir Prison with Jamie instead. Later, he showed up as a blacksmith, was reunited with all of the Frasers and had a tender, ultimately sad affair with Jocasta Cameron. Different to be sure, but book fans accepted this detour too, because in the end Murtagh’s fate remained the same. He did die in a battle, with the same “It doesna hurt a bit to die” words murmured to Jamie as he did so. Again, everyone moved on. But by the time more changes turned Claire into an ether addict, book fans were getting distinctly nervous, because now there was a change that was completely out of character for the Claire they knew and loved. And so the phrase, “The books are the books and the show is the show” was coined. If you couldn’t appreciate the show, book fans were told, you should stop watching and return to the safety and familiarity of the books. Some did, but many more continued to watch. And then, at the end of season 7, came the biggest change of all. Young Fanny was discovered singing “I do like to be beside the seaside”, telling a shellshocked Claire that she had learned the song from her mother. Given that it was the tune that Claire had sung while rocking her stillborn daughter, Faith, Claire immediately leapt to the conclusion that their daughter had actually lived.
No. Just… no.
How could this be, the fans wondered. Quickly, two popular schools of thought emerged. Could Master Raymond have taken the dead child that Claire had refused to relinquish for many hours and somehow brought her back to life? If so, why did he do that? And even if there was a barely credible reason, how could the adult Faith not only recall the song that her mother had sung to her as a dead infant, but recall it well enough to then teach it to her daughter years later? Alternatively, other fans suggested, maybe Master Raymond or Mother Hildegarde took the living Faith away from Claire while she was so ill after the traumatic birth and replaced her with a dead infant - albeit one with wisps of red hair and Jamie-shaped eyes. Again, why? And if that theory were true, it would mean that the real Faith would never have heard the song in the first place, given that it would have been sung to a completely different child. “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside” wasn’t written until 1906, so no-one bar Claire would ever have known it. It simply didn’t add up. This was a change to Diana Gabaldon’s novels that didn’t make sense on any level. Surely it wouldn’t be pursued and season 8’s “love letter to the fans” would quickly resolve the season 7 cliffhanger by dismissing it as the nonsense that it was.
Only it didn’t.
Season 8 begins instead with a scene featuring a Mr Vasquez, a smuggler who Jamie, accompanied by a demurely dressed Claire, has lured to a meeting point with the promise of many barrels of good whisky. As the conversation gets underway, Jamie suggests to Vasquez that he is interested in expanding his business to include human trafficking. Vasquez then cannot resist the temptation to regale Jamie with the story of the Pocock family, whom he had relieved of their cargo, before slitting the throat of the father, raping the eldest daughter and throwing the mother overboard. This mother is meant to have been Faith, and the thought of it is too much for Claire, who rushes forward from the shadows and promptly murders Vasquez, while Jamie quickly dispatches Vasquez’s accomplice. Back at their lodging, Claire scrubs the blood from under her fingernails in a Lady Macbethesque moment, all the while railing against the fact that she had killed Vasquez too quickly. (So much for Claire the doctor and her “First, do no harm” hippocratic oath…) Jamie assures Claire that Vasquez will receive his punishment in hell and the two quickly switch into grief mode, as they mourn all over again the child that they had lost. Neither can understand how it could have happened and wonder why Mother Hildegarde and/or Master Raymond could have done such a thing and taken their child from them.
It. Makes. No. Sense.
Despite some beautiful tearful acting by both Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, this entire plot line, which sadly looks like it will continue throughout this final season, is completely illogical. Moreover, it completely alters the Fraser family tree, by adding two grand daughters who were never meant to be there. (On top of all that, it also means that William slept with his niece.) This is a change that eclipses any others that have been made and this reviewer cannot understand why it has been done! When you have a master storyteller like Diana Gabaldon, and 9 books of material to work with, why do you suddenly believe that you can tell a better story? Love letter to the fans, you say? If that is the case, then it hasn’t started well… At least there were Annie Lennox’s vocals to sing the theme song while deep breaths (and maybe a nip of Jamie’s good whisky) were taken to fortify the soul for the rest of the episode.
A new day dawns in Savannah, Georgia in 1779. A sleepless Jamie and Claire are still mulling over Faith and what they don’t know, wondering whether they should tell Fanny that she is their grand daughter. (No! Because she isn’t!) Ultimately, they decide against doing so, preferring to focus on the fact that the young girl is now in their lives. Giggles outside the room soon reveal themselves to belong to Marsali and Fergus’ children, who have come to invite them to breakfast. Marsali is in hot pursuit, scolding them for not allowing Jamie and Claire to rest. Cheerful music takes over and we are soon immersed in family business, with no lingering after effects of the double murder of the previous evening.
Fergus is now a printer and explains to Jamie how he is publishing a perfectly impartial newspaper. Jamie is admiring the shop, when he comes across a hidden panel in the wall that reveals seditious pamphlets that Fergus has also been printing in secret. Jamie cautions him against this, given the danger it poses to Fergus and his family.
“If I am going to be killed for something, I would prefer it to be for something that matters,” Fergus replies, adding that the pen is his sword, and assuring a concerned but resigned Jamie that he is always careful.
Over the breakfast table, the mood is positively jovial. Jamie teases the children and Claire presents them with cookies for breakfast, because “What else are Grannies for?” With the children sent outside, the adults discuss Fanny and how she is settling in. Fergus comments, as one whose childhood had been similarly spent in a brothel until rescued by Jamie, that while the brothel may have been difficult, it was still a home, and it would have been hard for Fanny to lose both it and the sister who had protected her in quick succession. Jamie agrees, telling Fergus and Marsali that they are going to return to the Ridge. It is time to go home.
Meanwhile, in another home, John Grey is rocking a fractious teething baby when a drunken William is deposited onto his couch. William has been suspected of being a spy, but John wastes no time in vouching for the young man’s bonafides. Despite looking more like a highwayman than a gentleman, John tells the redcoat, William is indeed the 9th Earl of Ellesmere. Satisfied, the escorting soldier leaves, leaving John to introduce the baby - one Trevor Watiswade Grey - as the son of William’s cousin, Ben. William responds to this news by promptly vomiting into a conveniently placed vase.
Jamie, Claire and Frances are walking around the grounds of the Ridge where the old house had once stood. A wagon draws closer: it is young Ian who greets them all enthusiastically and welcomes Frances to the ridge. He looks like a proud man of the land, and asks Jamie for help with some lumber. He has, he says, something to show them.
William is explaining to John how he had ended up in his drunken stupor: trying to get information about Captain Richardson had required ale and a game of brag. The news about his cousin having a baby has finally sunk in however, and William is looking forward to seeing Ben once more. But John has bad news on that score: Ben has died from an outbreak of jail fever while in the rebels’ custody. It is news that John is yet to relay to his brother/Ben’s father, Hal, commenting that the news may cause Hal to die of heartbreak. John continues the story, informing William that he has taken in Ben’s widow and child. William is immediately suspicious of the woman, despite being told that she had arrived on John’s doorstep with a bundle of love letters bearing Ben’s signet ring, and also having given the child the unusual and largely unknown family name of Watiswade.
“Clearly, you’ve been hoodwinked by some damned woman!” William exclaims.
The damned woman, also known as Viscountess Amaranthus Grey, chooses that moment to appear in the doorway, and is just as unimpressed with William as he is with her. She labels her newly introduced cousin as a drunkard and a fool before sweeping indignantly from the room.
Back at the Ridge, Ian proudly shows off his surprise. In the time that Jamie and Claire have been away, Ian has become a master craftsman and a building foreman, building the couple a new Big House. He has had the help of some of the others on the Ridge, with the house built from the plans that Jamie had left behind. (This is a convenient new skill of Ian’s that has never been mentioned before, but at least this change falls into the acceptable category of things that will not change the overall storyline!) The house was started with lumber from the old stables, Ian explains, and has been furnished with what could be spared by the residents of the Ridge. There is even a new garden patch ready for Claire.
Rachel appears and another happy reunion ensues. She and Ian take Jamie, Claire and Fanny on a guided tour of the new house. The pièce de résistance is Claire’s surgery, which has largely been stocked with materials from the new trading post being run by Hiram Crombie. Claire is overwhelmed, promising to take very good care of her first two patients: Rachel and her yet to be born child. Meanwhile Jamie has shown Fanny to a room that he tells her she may call her own bedroom, promising to build her both an armoire and a chair where she can sit and read. The young girl is overwhelmed to have a room all of her own, simply saying “It suits me well.” Later that night, in their own new room, Jamie and Claire speak of the night they conceived Faith - or the night that Jamie believes their daughter was conceived, at any rate.
The following day, Jamie and Claire visit the new trading post. They are greeted by Amy McCallum, now Lindsay, (Amy having married Jamie’s Ardsmuir compatriot, Evan Lindsay) and her children. Hiram Crombie is the next to greet the pair, accepting Jamie’s congratulations on the thriving establishment and remarking that he has discovered that he is good at procuring items that people need. These items include various herbs for Claire’s surgery, with just one exception: that of Jesuit bark. At the mention of this item, Crombie’s partner, one Captain Charles Cunningham appears. He remarks that a Mrs Beardsley had been asking for the very same thing and suggests to Hiram that they acquire some. Introductions are made and Cunningham explains his connection to both the Ridge and the business.
Jamie and Cunningham walk and talk, swapping stories of service in the army, during which Cunningham reveals that he fought for the British before his retirement. This would have put him on the opposite side to Jamie at Saratoga and it is a revelation that has Jamie immediately on edge.
“War is a terrible thing. I am most happy to be done with it,” Cunningham comments.
He says all the right things, but Jamie is still suspicious. “I’ve no reason not to take the man at his word,” Jamie says to Claire on their ride home, “but I do wonder if war is done with him.”
Claire comments that the same could be said of Jamie, but he is adamant. He is done with the army, he insists, whether the war likes it or not.
John is attempting to cure William’s hangover, by means of a hair of the dog. William is in a petulant mood, and doesn’t respond well when John comments that wallowing does not suit him. William is still blaming himself for Jane’s death and his failure to protect her from Captain Richardson. John also wants Richardson to pay for his actions, but suggests that there are better ways of going about it than drinking oneself into a stupor each night. Still, he reasons, if William is done with the army, then he should return to England and take up the reins as the 9th Earl of Ellesmere. William is not keen to do this either, saying that his steward is doing a perfectly reasonable job, and adding that his title is only due to cuckoldry anyway. John retorts that William’s mother was married to the 8th Earl, so the title is William’s whether he wants it or not. William then asks how to renounce his title and at this, John finally loses patience. It is a peerage awarded by the King, John tells him and it cannot be renounced, but only withdrawn by the monarch himself, for something as serious as treason.
“A betrayal of King and country hardly seems like a suitable means of solving your personal difficulties,” John says.
He suggests that William needs to find out what he wants to do and William retorts that that would be easier if he knew who he was. John has had enough. Standing and putting on his coat, he tells William that the young man needs to figure out who he wants to be and act accordingly, starting with an apology to Lady Grey.
Back at the Ridge, Lizzie has presented Jamie and Claire with a somewhat unusual homecoming gift, in the form of a hive of bees. Claire has always wanted a hive and Jamie promises to bring some honey to Lizzie in due course. Jamie tells Claire that bees are the link between the present and the spirit world, adding that it is always important to tell them what is happening. Otherwise, he says, the bees will take offence and fly away.
Indeed ,the first momentous occasion to announce to the bees is not long in coming. A modern rag doll is seen swinging from a young girl’s hand and the cry of “Hello, the house!” is heard. Claire and Jamie turn around, disbelieving. Roger, Brianna, Jem and Mandy have returned. Amidst tearful hugs, Mandy is introduced to her grandparents and when asked why they have returned, Brianna simply says “We wanted to come home.” That is enough for now, but leaves gaping plot holes to be filled, the largest being the answer to the question: How did they get from 1739 to 1779?
Later in the new Big House, Jamie updates Brianna with his side of the family news. Describing Fanny as “an orphan girl who William had taken under his protection” (and honestly, this is the most accurate description we have!) he adds that William now knows the truth of his parentage and is none too happy about it.
“Give him time,” Brianna replies.
Mandy wants a story and Brianna and Roger decide that it’s time for the big book reveal.
‘Goodnight Moon” has been brought through the stones, its colourful illustrations enough for Fanny to remark that the book looks like a painting. Mandy and Fanny are both mesmerised by Jamie’s dramatic reading (the latter showing no reaction to the word telephone). The children are soon dismissed to another room, with Jem given the task of reading to the younger ones. Left alone, Roger says he hopes that Fanny won’t react to the modern book. Claire responds that since Fanny has seen nothing like it, she is sure it will be fine. Other books have made it through the stones as well: a medical manual for Claire and a copy of Lord of the Rings for Jamie (this is another change we’ll allow, given that it was a particular love letter to Sam Heughan and his own connection to the novel - and one that hopefully won’t have any other planned repercussions!)
Late night conversations continue. Jamie tells Roger that he and Brianna should reacquaint themselves with the folk at the Ridge, and asking for Roger’s opinion of Captain Cunningham. Meanwhile Brianna updates Claire on Mandy’s health, which is now thankfully fine. Jamie and Claire speak of the letters that they had left at the bank, in the hopes that they would somehow find their way to Brianna and Roger in the future.
“We never dreamed you would use them to find your way back to us,” Claire says.
Roger and Brianna share a brief look, but obviously now is not the time for updates of the more dangerous sort. Roger simple raises a glass and says, “To coming home.”
There is one last gift though: a copy of Frank’s book, “Soul of a Rebel”, which used the research Frank had completed before his death and which had been published after Claire and Brianna had travelled to the past. Brianna admits to not reading it, not wanting to discover anything bad. Roger adds that they had spaced out the reading of the letters for similar reasons: for as long as there were unopened letters, Jamie and Claire were still alive. Astutely, Jamie remarks that something must have happened for them all to have returned, and Roger and Brianna nod.
“A lot of things,” Brianna emphasises.
Claire then adds that there is something they need to tell her too: “about Fanny and your sister, Faith.” (Nooooooooooo!)
“You had every reason,” William responds, accepting her invitation to sit. Amaranthus explains the circumstances of her and Ben’s quick marriage, adding that since the letters announcing their marriage had probably not been received before her arrival, a modicum of scepticism was understandable. The two share condolences over the loss of Ben. William remarks that baby Trevor looks like his father, a comment that pleases Amaranthus. She asks whether William will tell an older Trevor about his father, since he is too young to ever have a memory of him.
“I promise I will do all I can for Trevor and for you, Lady Grey,” William replies.
Brianna and Jamie have been hunting and Brianna has told her father about Robert Cameron and the knowledge that he now possesses. If Cameron can time travel, she comments, then danger definitely exists. Brianna tells her father that she had decided that if no time were completely safe, then they they should all be together.
Jamie decides to move the gold, so that if Cameron can travel, then any knowledge he has will be outdated. Jamie is also going to keep the information to himself. Suddenly, they come across two hanged loyalists.
“There are devils on both sides of this war,” Jamie says solemnly, as they look at the bodies.
An old woman approaches the house, and finds Mandy sitting on the front porch. She asks Mandy where her father is and Mandy replies that she doesn’t know, holding up her doll Esmerelda, and introducing her instead. The older woman is unimpressed, branding Mandy impertinent and saying that she should be beaten. Mandy doesn’t respond well to this, telling the old woman that she looks like the Wicked Witch and should fly away on her broom. This comment earns Mandy a slap across the face. Jamie and Claire come to Mandy’s defence, Jamie ordering the old woman from the house and Claire remarking that the old woman is rude herself, having not introduced herself at all. The woman simply places a package on the front step, saying that her son had told her that Claire was looking for it. She adds that they are all going to hell, before she stalks away. The package contains Jesuit bark, which means that the woman can only be Captain Cunningham’s mother.
Jamie sits by the fire. He has been reading Frank’s book. As he turns to the back cover, he sees the author photograph, and Black Jack Randall’s voice comes unbidden into his thoughts.
“Is it my face that you see in the darkness?”
Jamie abruptly closes the book as Claire comes to join him. Jamie remarks that Claire should have told him that Frank looked so much like his ancestor. Claire wonders how she could have explained that, adding that she had stopped thinking about the resemblance years ago, because the personalities of the two men had been so different. She adds that she had worried that Jamie would have been upset that she had been married to someone who looked so much like Black Jack. Jamie asks if Frank had been an honest man. Claire replies that he was, for the most part, adding that he may have kept some secrets, but so had she. Jamie presses further: “Can I trust him, do you think?”
Claire replies that Frank was a historian and wouldn’t write something he knew to be false. At last Jamie tells her why he is asking. Frank’s book has mentioned Jamie’s name fourteen times in the pages that he has read. More than that, the book says that war is coming to the back country and that there will be a battle at King’s Mountain in about a year’s time. It is a battle where James Fraser will die. And with Claire’s shocked look, we have the cliffhanger for episode one.
A lot was crammed into this episode, with a lot of details missing for some events and invented for others. Some scenes felt beautifully tender and familiar, while others, although beautifully acted, felt confusing. It leaves viewers, particularly book loving ones, in a precarious position. Will this season truly be a love letter to the fans as promised? Or will it be a break up letter instead? Book fans do, of course, have the option to stop watching. But, like any long term relationship that has hit a rough patch, the temptation is there to stick it out, in the hope that things will improve. Only time, of the non-travelling variety, will tell!
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This recap and review was written by Susie Brown, a writer and teacher-librarian who lives in Australia. She is a completist, so is watching the whole series, but is doing so with more than a little frustration and trepidation at the moment. And if she reads one more theory that Faith could be Claire’s brother’s child, she may scream - yet another character who never existed in Diana Gabaldon’s universe!!
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