It’s a host of familiar faces as Outlander finally gets to Jamaica as the hunt for young Ian heats up!

This time on Outlander Young Ian’s (John Bell) been taken to the home of the the “Bakra” and SURPRISE! It’s Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek). She’s really bad and she needs the stone Jamie (Sam Heughan) gave to Lord John (David Berry) for a prophecy. Meanwhile Jamie and Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) search for him leads to Claire being an unwilling slave owner and then both of them running into Lord John Grey at a ball he’s throwing to celebrate him being governor of Jamaica.

RELATED | Outlander Review 3×12 “The Bakra”

Claire & Jamie are shocked to see Geillis and Lord John (and vice versa). Geillis manages to get the stone from Lord John for her prophecy and gets some cryptic nonsense about a 200 year old baby (*cough* Branna *cough*). Jamie and Claire discover Geillis the the one who has Young Ian and they make a plan to go after her but then Captain Leonard arrives and arrests Jamie. Man, isn’t that always the way?

Let’s see what the roundtable had to say!

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – I’m here for Lord John Grey and his thirsty AF glances towards Jamie. Oh, and the epic wigs!

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – Connie is one of the triumvirate of admins who run “Texas Outlander Fans” on Facebook. Outlandering is her life, just about, with many hours spent on Facebook and Twitter, in addition to reading recaps, reviews, blog posts, analysis, publicity pieces, and basically anything she can find online about Outlander. She also puts together Outlander meet-ups whenever she and her husband can travel back to Texas from Costa Rica.

Dee (@OL_America) – Lead Admin for Outlander America™; find us also on: outlanderamerica.com; tumblr; Facebook; InstaGram; Pinterest; Youtube.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – Jenni really does have a lot of freckles. She’s still in mourning for Frank.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – Blake and Mary run the Outlander Cast podcast and blog. They’re also the administrators of the Outlander Cast Clan Gathering on Facebook!

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – I’m a Claire Fraser cosplayer, overall 18th Century period drama addict, and a contributor to Blacklanderz. My main blog is a costume one of course, where I obsessively document every costume featured on Poldark.

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1. Holy Geillis, what an entrance! It’s the return of Geillis the witch and she certainly hasn’t gotten any less morally bankrupt. We need to know what you thought of it.

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – Geillis makes the best entrances! I don’t care what it does for the skin, no way I would be acting all chill in a literal blood bath. Gross!! But it’s Geillis and she’s fucking crazy. I know Young Ian was probably starving but I would’ve had a really hard time accepting food and drink from someone who was just taking a blood bath, but hey that’s me.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – Bloody hell! That could have been a scene from Dante’s “Inferno”, or I’ll eat my parasol. A nekkid woman rising from a bath of blood in front of a vulnerable teenage boy shows Geillis’ depravity and general ickiness. This scene was at once riveting and repulsive, and I’ll bet it’s going to be on a lot of “best of” or “most” lists for 2017 and beyond. I found this re-introduction of Geillis mesmerizing. My husband almost came off his chair when he heard her voice – “Wait! Is that GEILLIS?!?” Very creative idea by the Writers Room, Matt Roberts in particular, for re-introducing Lotte Verbeek in this episode. Red Wedding? Pffft! Take that, Game of Thrones!

P.S. I’m glad Father Fogden wasn’t there for the goat slaughtering for Geillis’ bath! She must have a huge herd of goats to keep her skin looking young!

P.P.S. Also, it seems that Geillis is nowoutsourcing her potion making to a local witch doctor. No more still rooms and botanical collection for the rich Widow Edgars-Duncan-Abernathy. Truth Tea? No problem! Dial 1-800-HerbsRUs. Witch Doctors are standing by!

Dee (@OL_America) – As a book reader, Geillis’s appearance was no surprise. However, the same cannot be said for the literal bloodbath. If the goal was shock value, then mission accomplished. This must have been very confusing for non-book fans, but it confirms one thing: Geillis’s “cheese has done slid off her cracker.”

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – I was surprised to see her back, but I like the twist. I like the time travel stuff a lot so I knew it would get interesting. I’m not surprised at all she’s still a little sneak, but I was surprised that she turned into a psycho creeper that loves bathing in goats blood and stealing and raping young and murdering young boys.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – We thought the dramatic entrance was B Movie camp and we loved EVERY SECOND of it. Without having to tell you a SINGLE word about Geillis, the writers and director inform you with a very eclectic visual vocabulary in a single shot that Geillis is a woman of wealth, power, increased mysticism, eccentricity to the point of madness, determined, morally corrupt, unending confidence, and that she has evolved from the town witch with questionable motives in season 1 – to a straight up Bond villain that rivals even Xenia Onatopp. Just gorgeous film making.

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – Geillis’ entrance was over the top and also highly effective in scaring the crap out of everyone. This was especially important for non-novel readers who might have been wondering who the villain of this season was. Geillis is clearly manipulative and obsessed with making her mission a success. I am also glad the show decided not to show the entirety of Geillis’ attack on Ian. We see that she played on Ian’s vulnerability and not another scene showcasing sexual trauma.

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2. The slave market was disgusting. We’re kind of surprised it took Claire so long to lose it. Were you?

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – I hated that scene SO MUCH! I was uncomfortable immediately. I don’t know how Claire lasted as long as she did before she lost her shit. That’s all I have to say about it.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – Claire was overwhelmed with the misery and desolation she saw in the slave market, but it was the particular instance, not the general conditions, that roused her to action. Seeing Temeraire being treated like an object instead of a human (with the auctioneer manhandling his junk) got her to swinging that parasol with her good arm. (She was still protecting her injured right arm.) I feel that Claire represented all viewers who found the conditions abhorrent as portrayed there. Hit him again for me, Claire!

It was also the matter-of-factness of the presentation that grabbed viewers, in my opinion, rather than the highlighted and dramatized portrayals of other TV shows or movies. The aspect of just-another-business-day in the slave market in Kingston horrified viewers and revolted Claire.

Dee (@OL_America) – Claire’s humanitarian sensibilities were as sharp as ever, but I do wonder if causing such a scene in the slave market was a wise decision. We know Claire sometimes has difficulty with impulse control, but drawing attention to herself and Jamie when there is a warrant for his arrest was probably not a smart thing. As much as she is incensed by the notion of slavery, her reactions resulted in the one outcome she would never have wanted… slave ownership. Luckily the resolution benefits all concerned.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – I didn’t think it took too long. Honestly, Claire is a time traveling doctor (a point she loves to remind us about EVERY SINGLE EPISODE) that was kidnapped to another ship and forced to take care of wicked sick men, then she escaped and spent a few days on an island alone and almost died, then she was rescued by a nut job of an ex-priest that talked to a coconut, then she finds her hubby, the King of Men Himself, then she’s back to searching for the kidnapped nephew that she promised Ian and Jenny she’d take care of and after all that misadventure she finds herself in the middle of a bunch of giddy white men buying & humiliating other human beings. So, all that drama took place over a few days, I don’t blame her for taking a few moments to see what’s going on.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – The Slave market WAS disgusting, but absolutely necessary to see as a commentary on the reality of British colonial trade as well as attitude towards people of foreign countries. Are we surprised it took Claire that long? No. She even admits in her VO that this was a much more “primitive” Jamaica than what she knew – and she is obviously versed in the history of that time. Slavery existed. Can’t change that. Claire is already well aware of her situation — she is in Jamaica with her husband who is on the run, and she has to do her best to melt into the crowd.

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – I was expecting Claire to have a delayed reaction to the slave market. She had to process in front of her face what she’s only seen in history books and whitewashed movies. Roots by Alex Haley was published nearly a decade after Claire left the modern world. I interpreted Claire’s reaction as shock leading to disgust. As for myself, the only thing I kept wondering is if distant cousins/ancestors weren’t in the slave markets in Trinidad, where my family comes from.

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3. Were you surprised that we didn’t see more from Téméraire and that Claire and Jamie immediately asked him for help?

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – I’m guessing we see a lot more of Téméraire in the finale so maybe that’s why we only had a couple brief moments with him in this episode. I totally get the sense of urgency on Claire and Jamie’s part but could they have waited just a little bit longer before asking Téméraire for help. I mean the dude has been through quite a bit and just learned that he’s free, can you maybe give him a few minutes to process that?!

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Temeraire. I think the writers had a good handle on how Jamie and Claire would proceed. It was very important to Claire to immediately establish with Temeraire that the Frasers had no intention of owning him or using him a slave. I liked the respect with which they treated Temeraire, much in the same way Claire showed respect to Yi Tien Cho.

Dee (@OL_America) – It wasn’t surprising that Jamie and Claire asked Temeraire for help. Granted, it was a plot device, but they had to do something with him, and so much must be crammed into the last two episodes so that the story lines for Ian and Geillis can be resolved.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – Not really. Claire and Jamie never waste time asking people to help whatever dangerous situation they find themselves in.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – Temeraire was sweet, and it was great that Claire and Jamie saved him. It shows a moral compass in a time that wasn’t entirely clear what that moral compass should or should not include. BUT, we are NOT surprised we didn’t see more of him. Temeraire, again, while sweet and acted well, serves nothing more in this story as a lesson in context and, most importantly, as a plot device. He had a single purpose, get J and C the info that Geillis had Young Ian. Nothing more. Nothing Less. Could more have been accomplished? Potentially – but given the already absurd amount of plot crammed into the episode, and the fact that we had less than 60 minutes to accomplish it, it would have been nearly impossible to do. As for J and C asking Temeraire for help — Mary had no problem with it. But Blake was uncomfortable with it, and felt it was written poorly and was a clunky at best. It felt like the “bargain” wasn’t much of choice for Temeraire because he was going to be freed “when it was the right time”, but first we have this business we have to take care of and we need your help. I don’t know – felt icky.

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – I was slightly surprised, I wanted to see more from him. I wanted to know a little bit about where he came from. I wasn’t surprised that Claire and Jamie asked him for help. He could communicate with non English speakers more effectively and blend in better than Claire and Jamie can. Both of them know that the plantation owners want slaves to be seen and not heard. I will point out though that the Frasers buying Téméraire is pretty morally questionable. They gave the slavers money to keep on doing it.

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4. Well we know who Archibald Campbell was dragging his sister to go work for now. And he’s still pretty loathsome to her. Good think Yi Tien Cho from the Celestial Kingdom is there. What did you think of that development?

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – I thought the glances and moments shared between Yi Tien Cho and Margaret were sweet. I love that Yi Tien Cho made Margaret feel special and appreciated. Yi Tien Cho has become such a wonderful addition to the show.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – Whatever Margaret Campbell is, she’s being exploited by her scuzzy brother and deserves better treatment. She is another example of someone being used for profit for others, another type of pimping and prostitution. I enjoyed the interlude with Margaret and Yi Tien Cho, especially when he affirmed that she was valuable as a person in her own right, and am eager to find out where the writers take that in the season finale.

Dee (@OL_America) – Yi Tien’s story is a good deviation from the book story. It looks like the character is being taken in a new direction, which may be a good thing. We’ll have to see how it is resolved in Season 3 or if Yi Tien will be brought back for Season 4.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – I loved it! Archibald’s sister is abused constantly. It was sweet to see Yi Tien come to her rescue.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – Yi Tien Cho and Margaret feel cute – they are both seers in their own ways and powerful in their own ways. It’s great because Yi Tien Cho and Margaret are both outsiders that people look at like sideshows. His love of “women” in general, and respect for someone that is special makes this connection feel right. Is it a tad rushed? Perhaps. But we’re buying it.

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – Geillis believes so strongly in the supernatural so Margaret Campbell is the perfect stooge for her. She’s so desperate to reset the Rising and will believe any information that can assist her with that. Margaret very clearly doesn’t want to be a pawn but she’s been groomed by her terrible brother to do so. Yi Tien Cho clearly appreciates Margaret’s fortune skills in a way others can’t. Earlier in this season we see that Yi Tien Cho has his own spirituality which fortune telling could be a part of.

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Jamie (@jamiesrule) – OH. MY. GOSH! I love Jamie and Lord John Grey in a room together. LOVE. IT!!! I swear there’s almost more chemistry between LJG and Jamie than Claire and Jamie. Claire’s face when LJG is talking about the sapphire Jamie gave him was priceless. I liked that neither Claire or LJG were jerks to each other. It was fun to see a little jealousy and curiosity, on both sides, but there was also mutual respect.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – LJG: Jamie!!!!!! Oh my dearest heartbeat!
JAMMF: Hey, John. Wazzup with Willie? Let’s stroll down memory lane for a bit, ‘k?
Claire: WTAF is going on here?
LJG: Heart eyes for dayz!!!!
JAMMF: Have you met Claire?
LJG: WTF? God’s tooth! You said she was gone, dammit!
Claire: Again, I ask – WTAF is going on here?

Dee (@OL_America) – I love David Berry’s portrayal of Lord John Grey. It was great seeing him again. It was fun watching John and Claire checking each other out. Claire has some concerns about John, which is understandable. She knows John has feelings for Jamie, but she probably also remembers what BJR did to him, and John is still in a position to help or hurt Jamie if he should choose to do so. Claire wants to take her own measure of John and must establish her own relationship with him. She is being cautious and protective for Jamie’s sake. Of course, there may be a drop of jealousy mixed in with that caution.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – Lord John: Be still my beating heart it’s my one true love, Jamie.
Jamie: Christ, another awkward person that loves me encounter. When will all these people just go the hell away?
Claire: F*cking hell.
Lord John: I miss your face Jamie. I’m so glad to see you again. Can we hug quickly so I can breathe in your scent?
Jamie: I feel weird.
Claire: So, you’re the one in love with my husband….hmmm. Not too shabby.
Lord John: I’m afraid I need to leave and try not to think about you Jamie. Please don’t leave me again.
Jamie: Sh*t. I need to find Young Ian ASAP and the the hell out of this crazy place.
Claire: Lord John, did you know I’m a doctor from Boston?

End Scene.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – Lord John Grey: Jamie I’ve missed you. Your son is good. And by god you’re still hot…
Jamie: Thanks bro – really appreciate it. It’s cool that you still have that sapphire and that you remember our friendship – even though I was kind of a prisoner — oh hey, btw here’s my wife – isn’t she great?! Pretty cool huh?
Claire: ….. (bitchface ensues)

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – Between the lines, the bromance is alive and well between Jamie and Lord John. They have a bond that can’t quite be compared to a typical friendship. I think Claire suspects Lord John has romantic feelings for Jamie, which is a somewhat similar vibe to Black Jack Randall. She also doesn’t entirely trust Lord John either because of his connection to Willie.

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6. Claire seemed genuinely shocked that Geillis lied to her to blatantly and after their conversation we were kind of surprised. Were you?

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – Why on earth would Claire believe Geillis so easily after everything she has seen!?! I don’t know, it seemed foolish of Claire to not be more dubious about Geillis.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – Claire is a trusting soul, for the most part, inclined to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, especially if someone has done her a solid in the past, as Geillis had done, to the extent of apparently sacrificing her own life to save Claire’s. That’s part of Claire’s essential goodness. (That said, it also leads her into trouble, such as trying to save the life of the excise man who attacked her, and look where that led – Jamie’s been arrested for his murder!)

I’m minded what Maya Angelou said: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” Claire still tried to help Geillis escape after she realized that Geillis had killed the Procurator Fiscal with cyanide. Too bad Claire apparently never crossed paths with Ms. Angelou.

I also noted that Claire did not correct Geillis’ assumption that Dougal had died nobly at the Battle of Culloden. Claire did not admit, “Oh, about that – actually Jamie and I killed your baby daddy. #SorryNotSorry. Did I mention he was trying to kill us?”

Dee (@OL_America) – Nothing Geillis does surprises me. Claire is a little more trusting of Geillis than Geillis deserves, but we all know that woman is a French fry short of a Happy Meal. Seriously.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – Geillis lies to everyone. What hasn’t she done to benefit herself? Nada. Geillis does what Geillis does.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – HELL NO – Bond villain, remember?!? She obviously has a specific need for Young Ian and there is no chance she is giving it up. I will say though, that it does devalue the special relationship that Claire and Geillis shared in season 1 a little bit. They both relied on each other and to wipe that out in one episode is hard to accept. But, that’s also a character arc, and it makes sense for what they need Geillis to be in this season.

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – I wasn’t shocked Geillis was manipulating people, it’s kind of what she does best. She controlled the fiscal and Dougal in Season 1 and trolled her husband back in 1968 Scotland in Season 2. Claire clearly thought that their shared experiences as time travelers and victims of the witchcraft trials meant something. Until that point Claire thought random pirates or slavers captured Ian.

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7. Captain Leonard, showing up where no one wants him. He found Jamie awfully quickly and seemed pretty cocky about it. How on earth will Jamie get out of this latest arrest?

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – Jamie getting arrested at the end was so not suspenseful or whatever it was supposed to be. I get why it happened, we needed to wrap up the Captain Leonard thing but it was still kind of lame. We all know Lord John Grey isn’t going to let the man of his (actual) dreams sit in jail.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – Captain Leonard is doomed to disappointment. He’ll probably be busted back down to Third Lieutenant, too. Lord John Grey will somehow free Jamie and help the Frasers get out of Dodge! LJG can’t let his BFF get executed. JAMMF & Co. will sail away from Jamaica, maybe taking a few pineapples for the trip. (Fergus and Marsali seemed to be digging on those pineapples upon their arrival at the docks in Jamaica!)

Dee (@OL_America) – How will Jamie get out of this mess? I have no clue, but it seems to happen fairly quickly based on the finale preview. There have been some deviations from the book, so we’ll find out next week, but maybe LJG comes to the rescue?

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – It’s Himself. He gets out of every situation somehow. I have a feeling his pal Lord John will step in and save his one true love.

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – Three words: LORD JOHN GREY.

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – I forgot how the book went on this but I am going to go with someone turning against Captain Leonard. One of the guards recognizes Jamie as a Jacobite and slips him the key to get away. The traitor could also create a distraction on the way to the jail, giving Jamie an opportunity to run away.

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8. There’s just one episode left and so many loose ends to tie up! What predictions do you have for the season finale?

Jamie (@jamiesrule) – I feel like there is still so much of the story left to be told, I have no idea how they are going to get finish up the season in just an hour. Definitely excited to see what happens with Geillis. I want Young Ian to be safe and hopefully not too traumatized.

Connie (@Yr_Obt_Svt) – For the finale:

• A realization by Claire of how much danger Brianna could be in from Geillis if Geillis were to go back to the future.
• (A wished for scene: Brianna deciding she has to follow her mother, which would heighten the tension of the above danger plus bring in the possibility of a glimpse of Roger!)
• Some voodoo-ish happenings in the cave at Abandawe.
• A final and violent confrontation between Geillis and Claire (leading to Geillis’ bones being handled by Claire and Dr. Joe in 1968).
• The finding and freeing of a guilt-wracked Young Ian.
• A resolution of the Margaret / Archibald Campbell storyline and the fate of Yi Tien Cho.
• A JAMMF escape, perhaps aided by Lord John Grey and perhaps by Temeraire.
• And going way out on a limb: A storm and a shipwreck. Just an educated guess because the title of episode 313 according to IMDb is “Eye of the Storm”.

One more prediction: No matter how good the finale is, people are going to pick nits!

On to Season 4: Drums of Autumn in which we re-encounter Bree and Roger for sure!

FINAL OBSERVATION: The eye sex scene between Claire and Jamie in the reception line was the hottest eye sex in the history of eye sex. I was almost expecting Claire to jump Jamie’s bones right then and there! They’ve still got it! Whew! Can someone please hand me a fan and a cool drink and increase the air conditioning?

Dee (@OL_America) – Again, I have no clue how the season will end, presumably on a cliffhanger. Matt Roberts (I believe, or maybe Ron Moore) said there would be surprises, so it’s anyone’s guess. I was hoping they would collect Ian and end up in Savannah by the end of the finale.

Jenni (@freckledjenni) – I’m looking forward to Geillis and Young Ian. Even though I’ve read the books, that scene will be great to watch. Geillis is a great character and she made the episode for me. Let the goat blood bath begin!

Mary & Blake (@outlandercast) – Bree is the baby of the prophecy. Claire will confront Geillis about lying about Young Ian, but Geillis will put it together that Bree is the baby because of the pictures Jamie gave Claire before he got whisked away. It’s also super beneficial that she just happens to have two sapphires to go back to the future via Abandawe, sacrifice Bree, and come back if she so desires. But in a character twist, Claire (despite her protestations that she is a healer and not a killer) she will be forced to kill Geillis, and the bones brought to Claire and Dr. Joe earlier this season will be that of Geillis! Boom!

Amanda-Rae (@amandarprescott) – My main prediction is that we will see a ton more of Scary Geillis. Claire is beginning to put the dots together on how she can travel back and forth through time. Ian is going to be very thankful that Claire and Jamie are working to rescue him from the months of creepy abuse. I am also hoping we can see a flash of Téméraire with fellow escaped slaves.

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Final Verdict: Outlander ramps up the drama big time and reveals their big bad in this fast-moving rollercoaster ride!

This episode of Outlander was action packed! It covered a lot of ground but we had a great time overall. This return of all of these characters tells us that there’s nothing that can’t happen in Outlander world. This episode felt a little rushed and short. Especially when compared with the previous episodes at sea. But perhaps that’s because it was so packed with blasts from the past! How will we tie up all these loose ends?

The return of some favorite characters was a real treat, and finally we meet the big bad of season three. Sure it’s a little late, but when it’s Geillis Duncan, we guess good things come to those who wait. Everyone was loving her blood-soaked entrance and she’s just as mercurial and unpredictable as ever.

Will Lord John get Jamie out of jail as our roundtable predicts? How will Geillis put together the prophecy? What will the final confrontation between Claire and Geillis look like? Will they get Young Ian back and will he be totally traumatized? And how on earth are they going to wrap up all the loose ends still out there?

MVP of this episode? You know it and we all agreed: David Berry as Lord John Grey. How that man managed to convey at least ten different levels of subtext with one look defies description. It isn’t just that he looks good (even though he does). It’s that slightly heartbroken and get hopeful glance every time he speaks to Jamie. He’s really fantastic on the show and we’d love to see him more.

Just one episode left! How will all these storylines wrap up? Where are Roger and Brianna? One thing is for certain, we are bracing for an extra long droughtlander after the finale next week.

Outlander returns for its season finale on Sunday, December 10th at 8/7c on Starz!