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A lifelong brotherly love, a love just beginning, the love of a father, the love of a friend and the soul deep love of two people who were destined to be together across time. These are the matters of the heart that form the basis of episode 10. It is an hour not short on either action or emotion, with some powerhouse performances on display.
The episode begins with a flashback of Jamie and Old Ian as boys. John Murray is schooling the two of them in the art of fighting, impressing upon the two boys the need to fight as one. The boys enthusiastically brandish their wooden swords, but in the excitement of trying to win the fake battle, they forget the most important rule and do not fight as one. As a result, John reminds them that they would have been hurt in a real fight.
“Fight as brothers and you’ll never lose,” he tells them. To Ian he gives special instructions: Ian must stand on Jamie’s left, in order to protect his chief’s weaker side. The two boys look at each other as the flashback ends. Jamie and Old Ian are on the same hill, content in each other’s company.
Old Ian good-naturedly teases Jamie. He knew that Claire was older, he says, but would never have guessed it was by 200 years.
“207,” Jamie confirms and the two of them take a seat on the hill, giving us a brief but stunning view of the Scottish landscape. It is clear that Ian is struggling even more. He takes a swig of whisky and tells Jamie of the pain, explain that it feels like he has a knife in his chest. Jamie says that he would take Ian’s place if he could, a sentiment that earns a dismissive noise in response. Ian isn’t bothered so much by dying, he explains, but that it is the slowness of it that is killing him.
“If there are miracles about such as your wife in the world, just think what awaits us in paradise,” he remarks.
Jamie muses that Ian could get his leg back, but immediately regrets the comment, due to Ian’s amused reaction. He urges Ian not to laugh, given that he doesn’t want to him to cough up a lung and die on the hillside, leaving Jamie to face Jenny’s wrath.
Suddenly serious, he asks if Ian remembers coming to him after the death of Jamie’s brother Willie, offering to fulfil that role in Jamie’s life himself.
“Course I remember,” Ian tells him.
“I’ve loved you as one ever since,” Jamie replies and Ian claps a hand on his shoulder, before taking another swig of whisky. It is the last conversation that the two will share.
In the next scene, things have rapidly deteriorated, as Jamie carries a near unconscious Ian to his bed. Jenny takes her husband’s hand, telling him that it won’t be long now. Jamie takes Ian’s other hand, as the dying man’s eyes flicker open for a moment.
“On your left man,” he whispers, before speaking his final word to his true love, “Jenny.”
Later, Jenny watches as Jamie digs Ian’s grave, not wanting to let Michael or young Jamie help. It is a task that he wants to do himself. Jenny asks how long it will be before Jamie leaves and he replies that he will stay as long as she needs him. Then, he will visit Joan at the convent in Paris, before continuing on to Philadelphia. Noticing the sadness on his sister’s face, Jamie suggests that Jenny could accompany him and stay with he and Claire on the Ridge. In the book, this is precisely what happens, but the tv series has chosen a different path.
“Perhaps I’ll join you one day,” she says, adding that she will wait until the war is over and the children need her less. Her voice breaking slightly, Jenny asks her brother where he thinks Ian is now.
“He’s just here,” Jamie replies with a gentle smile, taking her hand and indicating the space on his left, “where he’s always been.”
Tearfully, Jenny takes comfort from the thought. The scene fades to black and the opening credits begin.
It is a shame that Steven Cree was given such a short amount of time to reprise the character of Old Ian Murray. His scenes were full of poignancy and gentle humour and you could see the love Ian had for his family - and for Jamie in particular - even as he accepted his death. The scene between the two men on the hill was beautifully sad and this reviewer found herself wishing that this final part of Ian’s life could have been slowed down, allowing for more beautiful moments and conversation. Instead, after a handful of scenes in the last episode and just two scenes in this one, Steven Cree’s time on the show has come to an end. He deserves all the kudos for the atmosphere he created.
Claire and Young Ian have arrived in Philadelphia. Inside the coach, young Ian asks Claire if she thinks his father has already passed away. Claire replies that she doesn’t know, as people can hang on for a long time. She asks when Ian’s birthday is, explaining that some people wait for their birthday before dying. Young Ian is wracked with guilt. He should have stayed, he says. But Claire reminds him that his father had wanted him to go and find Rachel.
“I wish he could have met her. I wish she could have met him,” Young Ian says.
Claire asks if he had spoken to Rachel of his father, and when he says no, reminds him that he can now.
The Continental Army are still in Valley Forge, Young Ian tells Claire, adding that he is sure that Rachel will be with them. He plans to find a horse and go to find her. Claire cautions him to be careful, as there is still a war going on. The coach draws to a halt, and looking out, Claire sees people being stopped for their identification papers, which surprises her. Although the city is under British occupation, she hadn’t expected to be searched on arrival.
As it turns out, she is only half right. After telling her that there is a problem with spies, Young Ian does indeed have to hand over his papers. The red coat is impressed that the papers have been signed by General Burgoyne and that seems to end the matter. Although Claire has her own papers ready to present, the coach is waved on. As they move off, she watches other women on the street also being allowed to pass without scrutiny.
“Apparently women aren’t considered much of a threat,” she mutters disapprovingly. Young Ian grins in response.
Later, Claire has reached her destination. With Young Ian presumably off to try and find Rachel, Claire is alone. She walks up the front steps and knocks, mistaking the woman who answers the door for a servant. Instead, the woman of colour introduces herself as Mercy Woodcock, the owner of the residence. Claire apologises for her presumption and explains why she has come: to operate on Lord Henry Grey. She is ushered inside at once, where she states her intention to look at the young man. After that, she says, she needs to find Lord John, with whom she is meant to be staying.
She doesn’t have to look too far, as John appears from Henry’s bedside, where he has been keeping a vigil. They discuss the speed with which Claire has made the journey, thanks, she explains, to the fair winds. Claire tells John that Jamie had needed to stay behind in Scotland, due to Ian’s impending death and John expresses regret at this news.
Claire notices that John is back in uniform and asks if he has returned to service. John explains that he had resigned his commission , but that the uniform remains his to wear. He does this, he says, for intimidation. Claire is confused by this. John is British and the city is now under British control. Mercy is quick to explain that it is to protect her, given that she is on the side of independency.
John continues the story. Henry had been placed in Mercy’s care as a prisoner of war while the city was still controlled by Continentals, but once the city was under British rule, John didn’t see the need to change the circumstances, especially since Henry is too ill to be moved.
John moves to take Claire to Henry’s room, but she stops him, telling him that she will need to visit the apothecary to purchase vitriol to make ether for the operation. Here too, John has been enterprising, having bought up all the vitriol supplies for just that purpose.
“I never wrote to you before I left,” Claire comments. “How did you know I’d come?”
John smiles. “I knew,” he says, simply.
Back in 1739, Roger is watching as Geillis Duncan examines Buck.
“What seems to be ailing him?” she asks.
Buck only grunts in response and Roger still seems tongue-tied from the recognition. Geillis asks Roger if she is a shocking site. Roger’s inner monologue emphatically agrees, but outwardly Roger begins to regain his composure. He assures her that it is simply that he had made assumptions about her age. She had been described as a wise woman, Roger explains, and so he had expected to find someone older.
“It’s his heart,” Roger says. indicating Buck, “and his breathing is most difficult.”
Geillis is peering at Buck intently, asking if she knows him.
“Well, you should,” Roger’s voiceover comments. “He’s your son.”
Geillis suggests foxglove boiled in tea and goes to fetch some. While she is gone, Roger brings Buck up to date with Geillis’ true identity and reveals that she is also a time traveller, whom he and Brianna had met back in 1968. Geillis had killed her husband and he had seen the body.
“It was 12 years ago for me,” says Roger, “but I think maybe less for her. She’s killed five husbands in all, or she will. And she’ll try to kill Bree. She’s disturbed.”
Buck wonders if Geillis can possibly know Rob Cameron, given that they are from the same time period. Roger considers this, but ultimately dismisses the idea. Why would Rob kidnap Jem twelve years later and bring him to Geillis now? Rob wants the gold, but it won’t exist for another forty years.
“He’s here by mistake,” Roger concludes. “It’s just a coincidence that she’s here too.”
In Philadephia, Claire is examining Henry, while Mercy explains the situation. Henry cannot eat, able to swallow only a bit of soup. Henry is in immense pain at the slightest movement and can hardly bear Claire touching him, although he has no pain in his back. Confirming that he was shot twice, Claire asks how many musket balls remain.
“One,” John answers, adding that Henry had submitted himself to two surgeries before John’s arrival, both of which proved unsuccessful. A third operation has also been performed more recently by Dr Hunter, where one of the musket balls was removed.
“But Henry didn’t improve,” Mercy comments.
But Claire is focused on the identify of the surgeon, asking John to confirm if it is Denzell Hunter. John does so, explaining that William had brought Denzell to them and that he had done much to restore their hopes. While they speak, Mercy has moved closer to Henry and taken his hand. It is clear that they are close.
A while later, Claire is walking with the aforementioned Denzell Hunter. Denzell tells Claire what he has done for Henry so far, and his suspicions as to the location of the remaining musket ball. Claire remarks that he has done everything possible except opening him up, a suggestion that Denzell can’t believe. Claire explains about ether, remarking that while John has purchased vitriol, she could use Denzell’s help building a still.
“Thee is a rare breed, Claire,” Denzell replies, adding that it is a joy to see her again. Conversation then turns to Rachel, with Claire saying that she hopes Ian and Rachel are reunited before Ian leaves for Valley Forge.
In the busy market, William is waiting for Rachel, who, accompanied by Rollo, has been purchasing various herbs. William remarks that she has been gone for so long that he has not only had time to grow a beard, but shave it off as well. The two are very comfortable with each other, and the teasing - or is it flirting?- shows the rapport between the characters. Rachel asks William if he will be returning to Boston soon. William answers that he hopes not - he would prefer to be in the city where he can be of use to General Hough.
“And I would rather be with you,” he adds, in a softer tone. (Aha. Flirting, then.)
Rachel seems to take this in her stride.
“Even though I’m not a loyalist?” she asks.
“Even though,” William answers.
Rachel remarks that on their first meeting she had wondered if William was a deserter and is pleased that he is not. William is surprised by this: wouldn’t she rather that he seek peace? Rachel confirms that while this would indeed be her wish for him, no peace would be found by breaking an oath. The conversation is cut short when Rollo, with an excited bark, runs off.
“He would only run so quickly for one person,” says Rachel, excitedly, leaving her basket with William and going in pursuit. But Rollo is too quick for her, and as she alternates calling out for both Rollo and Ian, we see a familiar figure step into the market place. It is Arch Bug. He is yet to see that Rollo has indeed found Ian, (who in turn is anxious to be reunited with Rachel), but his appearance is certainly not good news.
In 1739, Roger has found an ill wish charm. Geillis discovers him, and asks who he needs an ill wish for, commenting that Roger looks familiar and asking whether she has met him before. It is clear that she is prepared to seduce Roger, suggesting that if they were closer, it might arouse their memories.
“I’m a married man,” Roger tells her, as her hands begin roaming his chest.
“And I’m a married woman,” she retorts, saying that being married doesn’t seem to stop most men.
“It stops me,” Roger replies.
Disappointed, Geillis changes tack, wanting to know what is troubling him.
Roger keeps his first two observations: that she is his ancestor and a murderess to boot, to himself, sharing only that his son has been kidnapped, and adding that Jem has been taken by a man seen around the area, known colloquially as the “fairy man.”
“You don’t believe in fairies, then?” Geillis queries.
“I believe I’m looking at one,” Roger replies.
This is a tactical ploy by Roger, who wants to know whether Geillis and Rob Cameron are connected. He compliments Geillis’ abilities, saying that a friend called Rob Cameron had praised her. But if she does know Cameron, Geillis gives no sign of it, saying only that she should like to meet the man, to thank him for his compliments. She also tells Roger that she is no fairy. She almost wishes she was, she adds, so that she could help him find his son.
As Geillis goes to answer the door, Roger returns to Buck. He tells Buck that in his opinion, Geillis is not part of Jem’s kidnapping. Geillis quickly returns with two men, who have been looking for Roger. The first is immediately recognisable. Dougal MacKenzie strides into the room, telling Roger that if he is looking for the fairy man, he has something that may be of interest. Roger’s “Oh Christ” voiceover, once he realises Dougal’s identity, brings an element of humour to an otherwise dramatic scene.
The operation begins, with Claire operating, Denzell assisting and Mercy acting as anaesthetist. Denzell is amazed at the fact that Henry feels nothing, a situation that Mercy says she is determined to maintain. Denzell marvels at the beauty of the human body when it is not shattered or broken, while Lord John is not as impressed. Looking decidedly queasy, he waits off to the side, as Claire finds the ball lodged in the intestine and plans a resection to remove it.
Rachel and William are waiting for the operation to be over. William is worried as to the time it is taking and Rachel tries to reassure him. William comments that he wishes he had Rachel’s faith and strength and takes out rosary beads. But Rachel has her own worries. Rollo has not returned and William promises they will look for him again, once they know Henry’s condition. Rachel admits that when Rollo ran, she was certain that Ian had returned, but now worries that she has lost them both. William tries to console her, but at that moment soldiers march past the window and Rachel comments that the fighting will soon start again in earnest, effectively making the two of them enemies once more. Before William can refute this, John walks into the room. Henry’s operation has been successful, The relief on everyone’s faces is plain.
Claire is outside taking some air when Mercy comes out to join her. Claire comments on Mercy’s strength throughout the operation and Mercy tells her that she had begun to give up hope. Claire comments that Henry and Mercy seem close.
“We have become so,” the other woman replies.
After a brief hesitation, Mercy asks Claire about her husband, Walter, whom Denzel had operated on at Fort Ticonderoga. Denzell had told her that Walter needed to be left behind, but that Claire had returned to the Fort and Mercy wonders whether she has news.
Claire tells her of Walter’s death from a blood clot post surgery, adding that he had been talking of Mercy and had mentioned his regret at their quarrelling the last time they had seen each other.
“It was one of many quarrels,” Mercy tells Claire. “And now I know it is the last.”
“He wanted to make it up to you if it’s any consolation,” Claire tells her. “He truly loved you.”
With a sad smile, Mercy goes back inside.
William has brought Rachel back into the village. She is going to feed the horses, but William wants to make something clear. He tells her that he has never thought of her as an enemy and would always be her friend.
“And I thine,” Rachel replies.
Inside the stables, Rachel calls for Rollo, but instead, Arch Bug appears from the shadows and captures her, clamping a hand over her mouth. He tells her that Ian has returned and that while he could kill her right then and there, he wants Ian to see it. Rachel asks why Arch is doing this and the older man tells her that Ian is responsible for his wife’s death - an accusation that Rachel refuses to believe.
Meanwhile, Ian has arrived at Denzell and Rachel’s residence. On hearing that Rachel is at the stables in Newmarket, Ian hurries there.
Rachel is bargaining for her life. Surely he doesn’t want to be hanged? But Arch is unmoved. If he is hanged, he will see his wife. Rachel tries again. Surely he doesn’t want his soul stained with violence? But Arch sees things differently. He owes a duty to his wife to avenge her death.
“But I have done nothing to thee and thine,” Rachel says desperately.
At that moment, Ian appears. Rachel entreats Ian not to kill Arch.
“Let her go!” Ian says.
But Arch will not. He has followed Ian from the Ridge, he tells him, confirming that it had been him in the woods and that he had heard Ian calling his name. He has followed Ian every step of the way, waiting until he and Rachel were reunited once more.
“And you tell me to let her go?” he says incredulously, raising his axe blade above Rachel’s head.
Ian advances and manages to free Rachel, but Arch sinks the blade into Ian’s arm. The two men fight and the blade clatters to the floor, but Ian is at a disadvantage now, Arch digging his fingers into the wound and overpowering the young man. Arch reclaims his axe and raises it to strike, when a shot rings out and he falls. William has come into the barn and has fired his pistol. He tells Rachel to take Ian to Claire, while he deals with the body, telling Rachel that he won’t be arrested. It appears that William has resigned himself to the fact that despite saving her and Ian’s lives, he will only ever be thought of as a friend.
Later, Ian sits with his arm bandaged, when Rachel comes to join him, offering an apology for what has happened. Ian tells her that she is not to blame and that the only person who was at fault was Arch himself. Rachel now understands why Ian had been afraid she would die: it was because she had loved him.
“And because I loved you,” he adds.
“Does thee?” Rachel asks, reminding him that if Ian had indeed declared his love for her, he had said it in another tongue. “I speak only English.”
And so, Ian tells her of his feelings in English.
“I love you,” he says. “The world is turning upside down and you are the only constant thing. The only thing that binds me to the Earth.” Taking her hands, he tells her that while he would become quaker for her sake, he would not be one in his heart. He can’t say words he doesn’t mean or pretend to be something that he isn’t.
“No,” Rachel says. “I wouldn’t want that.”
She asks Ian to confirm that Rollo is in fact, a wolf.
“He is,” Ian answers. “Well, mostly.”
Rachel points out that despite being a wolf, Rollo is Ian’s companion and is a creature of rare courage and affection. “Thee is a wolf too,” she says, “And I know it. But thee is my wolf and if thee hunts at night, I know thee will come home.”
“And sleep at thy feet,” Ian finishes.
This was a lovely scene, beautifully acted by John Bell and Izzy Meikle-Small. Although the characters are different in so many ways, Ian and Rachel already acknowledge each other’s differences and have placed love above all else.
Claire has established a routine, regularly foraging for herbs and medicines. The soldiers have come to know her and let her through the wooden barricade without comment. On her return from one of the trips, she finds a letter has been delivered. It is from Jamie. Claire shares the letter with Ian, beginning with the news that Old Ian has died. Jamie tells her that he has visited Joan at the convent, has met with some friends of Benjamin Franklin, and, most importantly, has booked passage on a ship to join her. Ian and Claire look at the date of the letter and realise that it was posted six weeks earlier, meaning that Jamie could arrive any day.
In 1739, Dougal remarks that Roger looks like he has seen a ghost. Roger replies that if Dougal has information regarding Jemmy, then perhaps he is a guardian angel. Dougal is dismissive of that suggestion, but hands over what he describes as being a charm of some sort, wondering if it could belong to the fairy man, and whether the name inscribed on it - Jeremiah - could be Roger’s son.
“A charm you say?” Geillis says, moving closer.
Roger asks if he can keep the charm, which Dougal agrees to, having already been distracted by Geillis. Roger and Buck then witness the first flirtation between their ancestors, as Dougal lifts Geillis’ hand to his lips in a show of gallantry. Things move quickly and it isn’t long before she agrees to “show him her wares” and the two disappear into another room.
Buck has noticed Roger’s reaction to the charm and asks him about it as soon as they have been left alone. Roger explains that it isn’t a charm, but a set of military identification tags. Slowly he puts the pieces together. The tags must belong to his father, also called Jeremiah, who had been listed as missing, presumed dead, when he disappeared in the middle of the war. The fairy man that everyone has been seeing can be none other than Roger’s father, with the strange clothing people reported being his airforce uniform.
A concerned Mercy arrives back at Lord John’s, She asks Claire to confirm that Claire and Jamie are true and deep rebels.
“Deeper than you can imagine,” Claire replies, asking Mercy to talk to her about what is worrying her.
Mercy reveals that she has been acting as a spy for the Continental army, listening at the market for bits of news and passing on any information she hears. But mostly, she continues, she takes letters out of the city. The problem she faces is that her immediate superior has been captured and she has a letter that needs to be delivered to General Washington, but she has been followed at the market. It is too risky to deliver it now, even though the deadline is fast approaching. But Claire says that she can deliver it, as no-one ever asks for her identification.
It is a risk for sure, and one that almost backfires when a particularly zealous guard, Captain Morse, questions Claire’s need to collect more herbs. She replies that she is a busy healer who goes through many supplies. The one she is seeking is particularly good for digestive distress, she tells him, useful for her many patients currently suffering from dysentery. The offer for the captain to accompany her is the final stroke of genius, as having no wish to suffer digestive distress himself, the captain waves her through. On the other side of the barrier, Claire breathes deeply. She heads to the delivery spot and places the letter in the designated place before returning to Lord John’s house and the news that a visitor is waiting for her.
The mood in the parlour is sombre. Haltingly, John delivers the news that Jamie’s ship has been lost at sea with no survivors. Claire refuses to believe what she is being told, but the visitor, the captain of the HMS Roberts, has brought proof in the form of the ship’s manifest, with Jamie’s name clearly written as one of the passengers. Radcliffe’s ship had stayed in the water for two days searching for survivors, but none were to be found.
“You are wrong,” Claire tells John. “I would feel it in my heart if his had stopped. Mine would too.”
John tries to comfort Claire, but she slaps his hand away.
“Perhaps it already has,” John tells her, his voice breaking . “He is dead, Claire. He is gone.”
The next brief scene is a compelling montage, stunningly performed by Caitriona Balfe. Claire is in bed, her face contorted in grief, as images of Jamie fill the screen, along with quotes from past seasons. Her distress is reminiscent of season 2 in Paris, when she had lost Faith and Jamie was in the bastille. But this time, Jamie cannot be rescued. He is simply gone. Claire sobs and curls into a foetal position, as we hear Jamie’s words “When the day comes that we do part, if my last words are not ‘I love you’ you’ll know it was because I didn’t have time.”
John is knocking on Claire’s bedroom door, as she stares ashen faced, into the distance.
“At least let me know that you’re alive,” John calls.
“I’m alive,” she whispers, followed by a louder, “Go away.”
Trying to deal with his own grief, John receives another visitor, with more bad news. Captain Richards arrives, telling John that he means to arrest Claire as a spy. Knowing that Claire is staying at Lord John’s home, he wishes to confirm that there is no personal attachment that would make this awkward for John.
“A spy? Are you mad?” John asks.
But Richards has proof that Claire has been delivering letters, some of which have been intercepted. Acting on his feet, John adopts a cool attitude, assuring the captain that Claire is a physician who has been of service to him and his nephew, but that there is no attachment. John adds that Claire is not currently there, but has gone to the church because she is in mourning. Richards says that he has no wish to cause John embarrassment and since Claire is presently staying with him, he can wait a day before returning to arrest her.
As soon as Richards has gone, John goes to Claire’s room, this time unlocking the door, and without preamble, insists that she marry him.
“You can’t possibly have said what I think you said,” Claire replies.
John informs her that she is about to be arrested and hanged as a spy. When she doesn’t deny the charge, John realises that what Richards has told him is the truth.
“If it is remotely possible that they have the evidence they say they have, you must marry me,” he entreats, telling her that it is the last thing he can do for Jamie. “I can protect you,” he says. “As wife, they cannot - or at least they will not - touch you.”
A broken Claire asks, “What if I would rather let them hang me?”
John replies that he knows she would not want that, because she would not be the only one that they would seek. Ian, Rachel, Denzel and Mercy - all rebels - would also be suspect.
“They would take them too?” Claire says.
“Yes,” John replies. “There is not a moment to lose. Marry me.”
The episode ends with them looking at each other: John desperately entreating, Claire grief-stricken and torn.
Book readers knew that these scenes were coming (and indeed also know what comes next) but that doesn’t take away from the brilliance of the acting of David Berry and Caitriona Balfe. This was truly superb stuff and the next couple of episodes should be equally so. Kudos to them both!
Much has been made within the Outlander fandom as to the speed at which the storyline is moving and many are dissatisfied with how much was packed into just one episode. While it was undeniably fast paced, this reviewer still found it utterly compelling. Since there is still a lot of Diana Gabaldon's story from books 7 and 8 to tell and only a few episodes to tell it in, it seems unlikely that the pace will slow from here!
This episode recap was written by Susie Brown, a writer and teacher-librarian who lives in Australia - and she is very proud to claim David Berry as a fellow Aussie!
