Outlander spends an episode getting us from point A to point B

Last week Outlander ended with an assault we could’ve done without. This week we pick up where we left off with Barton (Ian Conningham) attacking Claire (Caitriona Balfe). She manages to get a few good licks in before Barton slips and knocks his head on the stone fireplace. Jamie (Sam Heughan) encourages her to just let God do his job and die but Claire is a doctor and too noble to do so. In the meantime Jamie and Madame Jeanne make a plan to clear her basement of illegal booze. Ian (John Bell) and Fergus (Cesar Domboy) get the job of selling it. Which they do, at a handsome profit thanks to Ian’s keen negotiating skills.

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Meanwhile Claire goes to an apothecary to get some supplies to save the vile exciseman. There she meets Archibald Campbell who has a sick sister. In order to get her supplies first she promises to look in on Archie’s sister. She returns to a screaming Barton to find him being subdued by Jamie. She pours some laudanum down his his throat (Claire aren’t you aware there’s an opioid epidemic?) and with Mr. Willoughby’s help attempts to trephine his skull to relieve the pressure. While Claire is performing brain surgery in the 18th century Jamie is visited by Sir Percival Turner who is searching for the contraband liquor. He doesn’t find anything and goes off in a huff but not before setting his minion to follow Jamie. He returns to find Barton dead and Claire doing a bit of self-loathing but they have a romantic moment and he manages to get her out of her funk. After they stuff Barton’s body in a cast of creme de menthe.

Fergus, ever the street wise lad, proposes going into business with young Ian. Then he teaches him a bit about women so he can snag the barmaid he fancies. Claire heads over to the Campbell residence where he meets Archie’s sister Margaret. They’re making a living as fortune tellers as Margaret appears to have the sight. When she grabs Claire she makes a strange prediction about the moon, blood, and Abandwe. Since everything means something in this show make sure you keep it in mind. Claire doesn’t put much stock in the sight and instead diagnoses her with a mental illness and prescribes herbs to keep her calm for their journey to the West Indies.

Back with Young Ian and he’s pretty drunk singing pretty badly. That kind of charm is clearly working on Brighid though and she proceeds to make him a man. Back with Jamie and Claire, she proposes they move out of the brothel. When he’s reluctant she assumes it’s because of cash and she suggests that she could make some money setting up a surgery of her own. They’re interrupted by Ian Sr. who seems properly betrayed by the fact that Claire showed up again after twenty years leaving his family to believe she’d died. He inquires after Young Ian and Jamie says he hasn’t seen him but promises Ian he’ll bring him back if he does. Before Ian leaves he encourages Jamie to tell Claire the “big secret” because there isn’t ever going to be a good time to do it.

Young Ian is having a jolly good time in the back of the print shop until he’s disrupted by Sir Percival’s goon looking for the contraband whiskey. While he doesn’t find the alcohol he manages to find Jamie’s stash of seditionist pamphlets. He and Ian grapple for a bit before the goon shoots at him and starts a massive fire. Ian burns him and he escapes from the back leaving Ian to put out the print shop fire.

In Claire and Jamie’s rooms they’re having a row about Jamie not telling Ian the Elder that he had his son. Claire reprimands Jamie for causing Ian and Jenny worry about not knowing where their son is. Jamie feels that as long as he’s safe it’s fine. Claire tells Jamie since he’s not Ian’s father, he’s being unfair. This brings up mountains of resentment on Jamie’s side, that he wasn’t able to raise Bree, jealousy of Frank, anger at Bree’s bikini, you name it! It would probably go on, but Madame Jeanne interrupts and tells them there’s a fire in Carfax Close.

Jamie manages to get into the print shop and save Young Ian. Ian tells him about Sir Percival’s goon and that he found the seditious pamphlets. In order to avoid being arrested for sedition, Jamie plans to leave Edinburgh and go to the coast. Claire urges him to bring Young Ian home first and he agrees. He tasks Willoughby with finding Lesley and Hayes and Fergus with finding the one-eyed goon before he reaches Sir Percival. He also tells Fergus to send word ahead to Ned Gowan. Fergus suggests to Jamie there may be a better place to take Claire.

Enough recap. Let’s get to the episode!

Claire’s alive!!!

Finally someone has a reaction to Claire’s resurrection we expected! Ian senior for the win. The “I’ve been gone twenty years and I had no idea he was alive!” excuse was always super thin. Ian senior realizes how total crap it really is. He’s full of judgement and wounded hurt for Claire. She’s a person he loved and lost, so he isn’t warm and we’re glad. She smiles like she ought to be welcomed like the prodigal but it’s a nice reality check that Claire isn’t exactly going to have it easy just fitting back into Jamie’s life after being missing for twenty years. You’re gonna have to work for it Claire.

“Jenny and I grieved for you for years.” -Ian Sr.

Speaking of working for it. For a smart woman Claire can be awfully dim. First she greets Ian like a long lost buddy and seems like she’s expecting the same reaction from him. But Claire’s reaction to Jamie lying to Ian is weird as well. Yes when Ian comes to find his son it is totally lame of Jamie to lie about not having seen him. But it’s also pretty callous of her to use the, “You’re not his father,” or “You have no idea what it’s like to be a worried parent,” argument about Young Ian. Talk about tone deaf. Yes Jamie’s not Ian’s father. But last episode he found out he had a daughter that was raised by a man he’s already jealous of. And he told Claire about his son, a boy he also couldn’t raise. Read the room, Claire. This fight had been brewing the entire episode and had been bound to happen. But did it need to happen here? Claire and Jamie have a lot of learning to do about who they are now as opposed to their romanticized memories of each other.

Cheers, Young Ian, on being corrupted by Fergus

What we did love from this episode? New characters, of course. César Domboy is just so French. He’s also studied Romann Berrux, or they’re secretly the same person. There isn’t one second we don’t believe that Domboy is Berrux all grown up. We love the buddy relationship he’s building with Young Ian. The scene where Ferus takes Young Ian to the tavern and sets him up to seduce his first barmaid/whore/lady friend could’ve been awkward. Young Ian’s 16 after all. But Domboy and Bell sell it and the subsequent print shop hookup like they’re diamonds. They’re charming scenes in an episode that feels like it only functions to set up conflict between the two lead characters and get us from point A to point B.

“First you must look into her eyes and tell her how beautiful she is. Second, offer her a drink, whatever her heart desires. And the pièce de résistance is perhaps the most important part: Repeat one and two.” -Fergus

Setting up Yi Tien Cho as a buddy for Claire is another bright spot in this episode and a great bit of adaptation. Claire needs an 18th century ally as rough times with Jamie build in this episode. It was also quite a clever idea to put him with her as she tries to save Barton. Claire’s used to being an outsider working with another outsider. In the 20th century it was Joe Abernathy. Here Yi Tien Cho steps in and supports and advocates for her skills as a healer. The character was truly silly in the books and it’s nice to see that in this episode they’ve given him a new purpose. What we’re looking forward to from here is Yi Tien Cho sharing Eastern medicine with Claire as they continue to develop their relationship.

Wait. How big is this print shop?

Did anyone else feel like Claire and Jamie had so much sex last week that this week they needed to get all their talking in? All the “talking no touching” this week made everything feel long and contrived. Would there be just a little more restraint talking with the love of your life after a twenty year separation? And if you’re dropped back into the 18th century would you dump the most forceful parts of yourself on your newly found spouse? We’re not sure what’s more odd. That he’s lying to Ian, or that she’s so surprised he’s lying to Ian. This kind of writing felt lazy and so stilted and unnatural.

“Of course Ian and Jenny want to know where he is. And you just lied.” -Claire

Last week we praised the detail of the print shop. But this week we want to know what is going on with the layout of that same print shop? There are multiple levels. Where are the exits? There are balconies in how many rooms? And how many back rooms does it have? When Jamie was with Ian, were they on the ground floor? Did he have to go up the stairs to go down? Why did he appear to toss Ian’s body over a balcony and then jump after him? Only to emerge from a second story? We could go on, but is there any need? Meanwhile. Jamie is the king of men, but jumping over a balcony one story down and coming out completely unscathed was a lot to swallow.

Final Verdict: Outlander 3×07 was a bridge to 3×08, and may be a bridge too far

This seventh episode of Outlander season 3 wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t great. Inconsistencies with character and some unnatural contrivances didn’t make us rage, but they didn’t impress us. Overall there’s a lot of ground to cover here. If book details aren’t enough we wouldn’t have minded a fun subplot that would’ve made things interesting.

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John Bell’s Young Ian’s hopeful face as he looked at Brighid was pretty adorably. He’s got great big puppy dog eyes that he uses well. Given his age his first sexual encounter could’ve felt hella creepy but it honestly felt alright! And Young Ian’s eagerness to please her and the respect he treated her with was refreshing.

Let’s talk about character inconsistencies. Jamie’s keeping a big secret from Claire. But also a big secret from Ian, and then he’s completely dismissive of it! He knows better and is teaching Young Ian the ways of the world? Riiiiiiiight. Claire wasn’t exactly pleasant this episode either. Sure, why not needle the husband you’re probably still a little shy of after twenty years. Makes total sense.

Speaking of things that make sense. We’re still smarting over Claire’s near assault that was for basically zero reason. First, there are other kinds of menace. Second, isn’t there enough assault in the novels without adding more? And Claire, missing her purpose. How long has she not been a doctor? A week? Two? Suddenly needing to save the man who sexually assaulted her is paramount? If the man had been injured any other way we could’ve bought it. This was just aggravating.

We get that it’s trendy to want to deliver a “WHAT DID HE SAY?” ending, Outlander had Fergus drop an intense bombshell. This time it’s the reveal that Jamie has another wife and he’s working behind the scenes to figure out how he can mitigate it. It’s a small change and after this episode we’re not really sure we cared that much.

Tonight’s Outlander took us from point A to point B. The new characters enchanted us. Our leads underwhelmed us. It wasn’t a terrible episode but it wasn’t great. Now that some things have been spilled since we know Jamie is married things are going to pick up quite quickly. Given Ian’s shocked and hurt initial reaction we also know things aren’t going to go well with Jenny either. Book readers know there are plenty of fireworks to come. But dear god please let them just get here.

Comments and Questions: We’ll take some of that creme de menthe, why not

• Looks like Jamie didn’t get to save his printing press. RIP Jamie’s press. Guess you’ll have to buy a new one later.
• Isn’t it kind of weird that the tavern has a better class of whores than Madame Jeanne’s establishment? Brighid was awfully clean and lovely. Dorcas must be jealous.
• Jamie did a really good job of hiding those seditious pamphlets, didn’t he? Sir Percival’s one-eyed employee didn’t have a hard time finding them at all. (Please note the sarcasm.)
• We didn’t even notice Fergus’ fake hand this episode. Color us oblivious.
• Jamie noticed the sun coming out for the last time at his wedding to Claire. Now that she’s back it’s apparently coming out again.
• Young Ian trying to have his first encounter just like Uncle Jamie thought it would be on his wedding night. It was kind of cute, to be honest.

Outlander returns Sunday, November 5th, 2017 at 8/7C on Starz.