Outlander Season-Finale Recap: A Litany of Near-Death Experiences

Read more on vulture.com

Season 6 Episode 8 Editor’s Rating4 stars ****

Photo: Robert Wilson/Starz

Last we left Claire and Jamie, they were dealing with some unwelcome visitors on the Ridge. Richard Brown and his “Committee of Safety” arrived to arrest Claire for Malva’s murder — you just know sniveling little Allan had something to do with this, that guy is The Actual Worst — and say they plan to take her to Salisbury for a “fair” trial. Jamie’s all like, that’s cute but fuck you, which is the appropriate response for this sham arrest. Everyone knows Richard was looking for any excuse to get revenge on the Frasers for the death of his monster of a brother and letting Claire go with them is an immediate death sentence. So, Claire won’t be going anywhere, thank you very much.

And then the Browns begin to lay siege to the Big House. Claire shoots a guy who thinks women don’t know how to use guns — joke’s on him! We get that cool shot from the opening credits that tracks Claire as she swiftly walks out of the house with her rifle! The Frasers take shelter inside their house while bullets are flying! Jamie’s like, we’re gonna need more guns, and folks, they have a whole secret arsenal of guns in the basement! Did anyone know this was there? I didn’t! They proceed to defend the shit out of their house. Are the two of them just that good at this or are the Browns just that bad? Who cares! Jamie and Claire have never been so hot together and that’s saying something because they aren’t even having sex. Yet.

As night creeps in, the shooting stops. Jamie worries their enemies might burn the house down to smoke them out or outright burn them alive because “that’s what [he] would do,” which is, like, very dark, my man. They do have that obituary about them dying in a house fire at some point looming over their heads, so it’s possible. All Claire and Jamie can do is wait sexily by the fire. At this point, you might be wondering, um, where the hell is everyone else, can someone help these very nice people who help everyone else and get nothing in return but false murder charges and multiple attempted stonings? Great question! Jamie suspects Ian must be off hunting otherwise he’d definitely be here. He knows Mrs. Bug, Lizzie, and one of her husbands (lol) ran off to find help, so perhaps some of the more loyal residents of the Ridge will arrive soon.

And, of course, just last week, we watched Bree, Roger, and Jemmy head off to the seminary so Roger could get ordained because those three always have to be high maintenance. In fact, while the meat of the episode is the tense, wild drama Claire and Jamie are going through, it does also cut to a few scenes of Roger and Bree on their journey: They talk about when to tell Jemmy about time travel, there’s a sex scene that feels more like a time filler than anything else, and there’s a whole thing about shaving Jemmy’s head after they find lice and discovering he has a mark on it just like Roger, confirming he is biologically his son. None of this is anywhere as interesting as what’s going on with Jamie and Claire, and yet Outlander insists on trying to make Roger and Bree happen. It’s not going to happen. It’s not a novel idea, in or outside of these recaps, to call out that the biggest strength this show has is the chemistry between Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan and therefore the best storylines and scenes are the ones with Claire and Jamie there together. For the most part, it seemed like season six really leaned into that, giving us some truly standout one-on-one moments between the two of them, including long conversations that let these two characters with such a rich history really breathe. Cramming this Roger and Bree stuff into an otherwise intense, emotional episode felt like a backslide. Like, I know Roger’s super hot this season — they may shave his head, but they do not shave that beard! His moneymaker! — but I never need to hear a man say “vroom, vroom” before humping his wife, okay?

We actually get another one of those quiet conversations between Claire and Jamie in this episode — yes, in between all the shooting and yelling and contemplating their imminent deaths, the Frasers get to talk. Sure, it’s mostly about how a fortune-teller told Jamie he had nine lives and they proceed to list off all the times he’s almost died — the guy is up to five near-death experiences! Four more to go! — but something about the stillness of it amidst the chaos before and after is oddly comforting.

Eventually, who should roll up to the Big House to cause more trouble but those goddamn fisherfolk. Honestly, who invited these holier than thou people? If you don’t like Jamie and Claire, please, by all means, stop living on their land. These people are the worst, led by the very punchable Hiram Crombie and that lady who seems to show up solely to literally throw stones (some people just love accusing other people of being witches, and if that is her kink, so be it), and in the hopes of “no more bloodshed,” they want to negotiate a deal between Richard Brown and Jamie. My blood is boiling! And I hope that once Claire and Jamie are cleared of all these stupid accusations, the fisherfolk will get the hell out of town. We don’t want your fish and we don’t want your baseless, hypocritical judgment!

Even though some reinforcements show up who are clearly #TeamFraser, Jamie and Claire know that they’re outnumbered. They really have no choice but to go with the Safety Committee. And since some people are accusing Claire of Malva’s murder and some (okay, just Allan, how sus) are accusing Jamie, they decide that they’ll both go together and can protect one another. In a surprising turn of events, they’ll also be protected by Tom Christie, who insists on going and holding Richard Brown to his promise of only seeking justice. Tom looks unwell. Perhaps this man knows the truth about Malva’s death and it is eating him alive? I mean, I’m just guessing.

Tom also gets Richard Brown to agree to let Jamie and Claire have one last night in their own bed, which of course means some End of the World Fucking. Jamie and Claire have perfected this over the years, so yeah, no notes, very moving. The big takeaway here, though, is that something really is up with Tom Christie.

Out on the road, with Jamie and Claire held in a wagon as the Committee makes its way to find a town that will try Claire (it ends up being Wilmington), Tom is doing some weird shit. And by weird shit, I mean he’s … taking care of Claire? And staring at her tenderly from afar? And holding Richard Brown to his promise? It gives me the creeps! It’s a good thing he’s up to whatever he’s up to because things get messy: Brown’s been spreading word of Claire being a stone-cold killer all over town, and eventually that riles people up so much that they are throwing stones (people love throwing stones in this era!) and screaming at the Frasers as they pass through villages and camps. It gets out of control pretty quickly. On top of that, Brown’s men are restless. They didn’t sign up for a long journey or giving Claire a fair trial. Brown is losing control of them and so he pivots. At a stop for water, the men attack Jamie and separate the two. It’s so sad! The two of them are screaming for each other! Gah! This is bad!

It’s wild, but Claire’s one saving grace is Tom Christie, who refuses to leave her side. Brown brings her to the jail in Wilmington to await trial — he’s clearly in cahoots with the sheriff — and it’s Tom who offers Claire a small bit of comfort. He tells her he won’t leave town and he promises no harm will come to neither her nor Jamie because Tom couldn’t have their deaths on his conscience. This means, of course, that Tom knows they aren’t guilty. The bad news: He has yet to actually admit that and tell the truth about whatever he knows, and Claire is left there alone in a jail cell.

The good news? Jamie’s on the way! Brown brokered a deal with a guy leaving on a ship to Scotland to take Jamie with him, but just when things are darkest on that beach, Ian arrives with a bunch of the Cherokee (all that Indian Agent stuff paid off!) and they devastate that faction of the Safety Committee, free Jamie, and the group of them ride off toward Wilmington. What they actually have to do to save Claire, we’ll have to wait until next season to find out. Don’t worry, there’s no way Jamie’s letting his best girl down!

VULTURE NEWSLETTER

Keep up with all the drama of your favorite shows!This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.

Related

• What to Expect in Outlander Season 7, According to the Books