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Spoilers below.
Can you ever truly go home? That is one question Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) finds himself contemplating in the long-awaited second half of Outlander’s seventh (and penultimate) season. Despite the familiarity of Lallybroch, Jamie experiences a sense of uncertainty upon arriving at his ancestral abode. It has been over a year since the first part of season 7 concluded with Jamie, Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and Young Ian Murray (John Bell) sailing from the New World (a.k.a. America) back to Scotland; finally, Droughtlander is over!
Kicking off this second half with a nostalgia-filled homecoming could’ve veered too far into fan service (especially on the heels of the show’s 10th anniversary). Thankfully, showrunner Matthew B. Roberts avoids anything overtly cheesy, landing the emotional beats of this long-awaited family reunion where Jamie has plenty of “Unfinished Business,” as the episode title suggests. It is impossible not to feel moved seeing the trio ride up the path to Lallybroch, and I say this not just because I am a Fraser myself. Yes, that is my real name and not a nom de plume born out of my fandom for the Starz show adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s ongoing book series.
The premiere kicks off with Jamie’s voiceover, explaining in a letter to his daughter Brianna (Sophie Skelton) that they fulfilled the task of bringing Jamie’s second cousin Simon Fraser (killed in battle fighting for King George III) to Scotland for burial. Jamie intones somewhat ominously that, while standing on his native soil, he realized there was a storm “of his own making,” forcing him to reckon with his past, giving Outlander the chance to walk down memory lane.
There is a relatable tension bubbling under this joyful Fraser and Murray get-together. Family is baked into every inch of Lallybroch, even if Jamie and Claire don’t know that Bree and her husband Roger MacKenzie (Richard Rankin) are the owners of Lallybroch two hundred years in the future. Until recently, the cost of the renovations was Bree and Roger’s biggest concern. Now, the MacKenzies have the heartache of a kidnapped son and the perils of searching for him across the centuries. Earlier this season, Roger told his wife about Lallybroch, “I wish I could’ve seen it in its heyday.” It turns out he is about to get the chance.
The crew returns to Lallybroch.
In the early ’80s timeline, Bree’s coworker, Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton), was a jerk before becoming overfamiliar and friendly. Rob wasn’t trying to sleep with Bree; he was snooping. Rob hit the jackpot when he discovered letters from Jamie and Claire revealing that the hidden Jacobite gold is more than a myth. In a letter, Jamie told his daughter and son-in-law that his grandson, Jeremiah (a.k.a. Jemmy), knows the location of this treasure, and Rob has taken Jemmy through the stones so he can find this trove of riches. Why Rob doesn’t fly to North Carolina with Jemmy in tow is beyond me, but I guess it will be harder to get a kicking and screaming child through airport security.
Brianna stays in the 20th century with her daughter Mandy while Roger and his distant relative Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh)—who accidentally followed the buzzing noises through the stones—head back to the 1770s. Roger wakes up wondering if he is dead, and Buck feels even worse. Roger tells Buck not to die, and in his voiceover, Roger worries about how their family tree will be affected if his many-times grandfather were to keel over now. “Will I exist if he dies?” Roger ponders. Will Outlander take a page from the Back to the Future disappearing from a photograph playbook? Too bad it hasn’t come out in Roger’s timeline.
Sophie Skelton as Bri.
There are two places Jemmy could be now: if he escaped, Roger theorizes Jemmy would head to Lallybroch because, like all safety-conscious parents, Roger taught him the way. If he is still with Rob, then the port in Inverness seems the most likely. Now, separating is never a good idea, but in desperate times. Buck heads to Inverness, and Roger makes his way to Lallybroch. If nothing else, Roger will have a chance to see his in-laws.
Speaking of family who have been separated, Jenny Murray (Kristin Atherton taking over for Laura Donnelly) vibrates with relief when greeting the weary travelers as it has been around 20 years since she last saw her brother and son—who is definitely no longer as young as his name suggests. Dread cannot be avoided as Ian’s father, Old Ian (Steven Cree), is very sick. Claire immediately recognizes the consumption symptoms, and while a doctor in the family is beneficial, a terminal diagnosis brings down the mood very quickly. Because of Ian’s illness, he has been sleeping downstairs, meaning Claire and Jamie are back in the Laird’s bedroom, the location of their first “I love yous.” But don’t expect it to turn hot and heavy as Jamie is in a contemplative, not horny mood. He likens his mental state to how Claire must’ve felt coming through the stones: “As if your world was still there, but it’s not the world you had.”
Luckily, Claire offers balance. Yes, these walls have seen much heartbreak, but also so much love and tenderness. One conversation between Ian and his not-long-for-this-world father exhibits a spectrum of joy and sorrow. The younger recaps everything that happened with his Mohawk wife, Wahionhaweh (who Ian called Emily), including a recent encounter that led to him finding out he has a son. Ian Sr. is the first person he has shared this with, and it is a beautiful moment that doubles as a reminder to the audience. Young Ian also reveals he is crushing hard on Rachel, a Quaker nurse whose religion has put up the roadblocks to this romance. Ian thinks leaving his dog with Rachel is a commitment, but his father is wiser (“a dog does not a wife guarantee”). Ian Sr.’s dying wish is to see his son settled, but Young Ian cannot bear the thought of returning to America before his dad has passed.
John Bell as Young Ian and Steven Cree as Old Ian.
Jamie has a different kind of unburdening he must attend to. Much to Claire’s amusement (and mild chagrin), Jamie feels he must see Laoghaire (Nell Hudson), a.k.a. the woman he married when he was separated by time from Claire. It is another example of how Barbara Stepansky’s script organically offers pertinent information about a plot from several seasons ago. Laoghaire is not in a forgiving mood (nor does she have any kind words for Claire), and Jamie leaves without the closure he expected.
“Only you would apologize to a woman who shot you,” Claire teases Jamie. Claire is sympathetic to a point, but she also agrees that Jamie didn’t ever try to understand Laoghaire. Changing the subject, Claire tells Jamie she wants to spill all to Jenny et al. about where (and when) she really came from, because Michael seemed so happy about his business deals in France. Claire knows that in 10 years, the French power structure will be gutted from the inside out.
As with the Battle of Culloden, Claire uses her knowledge to protect her family (once again, I am wondering what the long-term global ramifications are from Claire dropping these major historical spoilers), giving a brief account of the French Revolution. In short, get out of France by 1788. Unsurprisingly, they want to know how Claire knows the future. Now, Claire gives the abridged version, and they think she is a Fairy woman. Thankfully, they don’t threaten to burn her at the stake.
“Only you would apologize to a woman who shot you,” Claire (Caitriona Balfe) teases Jaime (Sam Heughan).
It is all about to get more complicated as we see Roger approaching, and the knock at the door interrupts Claire’s bombshell. However, Jamie’s stepdaughter Joan (Layla Burns) is making a house call, not Roger. The person who answers the door to Roger is none other than Jamie’s dead father, Brian Fraser (Andrew Whipp). Or at least he is dead in 1788. That “huh” look on Roger’s face doesn’t cause Brian to slam the door in Roger’s face; instead, Brian invites Roger in for a “dram” after Roger explains about the man who took Jemmy (who is Brian’s great-grandson). Whisky is definitely required because Roger realizes it must be 1739 or 40; Jenny isn’t married, and Jamie is at university in France. It is disappointing that we won’t get an awkward run between teen Jamie and his son-in-law. But I guess Roger has enough on his plate without additional hijinks.
Meanwhile, Jamie learns from Joan why Laoghaire is so bent out of shape upon his return (aside from the obvious). It concerns money and land because Laoghaire will lose her home if she remarries, and Joan can’t join the nunnery if her mother continues to “live in sin.” It gets settled even if Laoghaire can’t get through the contract signing without throwing a barb Claire’s way. Some things never change!
Jamie isn’t the only one with unfinished business, as Jenny and Claire have unresolved tension stemming from Jenny encouraging her brother to marry Laoghaire. Claire explains she isn’t holding a grudge, but the conversation quickly goes downhill when Claire reiterates that she can’t cure Ian. “I’m not magic, and I don’t have any power,” she says. Claire adds that she would “give my soul if I could do it,” Jenny responds, “Maybe you have no soul.” Yes, Jenny is pre-grieving, but this is still a pretty horrid thing to say.
Caitríona Balfe as Claire and Kristin Atherton as Jenny.
I can’t get too mad at Jenny, though, because the guttural scream she lets out in the woods is pretty damn heartbreaking. Jamie is on hand to give a reassuring pep talk about the strength Jenny has always shown in the face of adversity: “There’d be no home without you because you endure here, everlasting. Like that rock Lallybroch is built upon.” Having her big brother back is a balm, but it also reminds Jenny that she can handle what comes next—no matter how painful.
Claire can’t work her modern medicine magic with Ian, but a letter from Lord John Grey (David Berry) asking Claire to travel to Philadelphia to save his nephew, who was wounded in the American Revolution, is enough to cut her trip short. Jamie has to stay for his sister, but Young Ian is encouraged to follow his heart back to the Colonies with his Auntie Claire. Actually, his mother insists. Ian is torn, and Jenny has something to show her youngest son to emphasize that he is always part of the Lallybroch fabric. The gravestone is for Ian’s daughter, and it is a sweet reminder that home takes on many different forms in our hearts and minds.
It is another sad goodbye, but Jenny and Claire have settled their issues this time, and Jenny apologizes for her soulless comment. Jamie doesn’t know when he will return, but he has a bag of apples and a smooch for Claire. Roger also leaves the safe confines of Lallybroch when he gets word that a “fairy man” wearing a short coat, long britches, and strange boots has been spotted. Before Roger can follow this lead, he finds out Buck is unwell and should visit a herbalist “some distance away.” The pair walk up a very familiar street, and Roger is shocked when he learns about the herbalist’s identity. Hello, Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek)! Geillis is an agent of chaos, and she has also met Roger before in the season 2 finale, back (or should I say forward?) in 1968. With so many different crisscrossing timelines and overlapping family trees, it is safe to say that the Outlander stakes have never been higher.
Emma Fraser is a freelance culture writer with a focus on TV, movies, and costume design. You can find her talking about all of these things on Twitter.