Spoilers below.
Throwing a third timeline into the mix during the second half of Outlander’s seventh season has certainly increased the show’s emotional stakes. That’s especially the case in “Hello. Goodbye,” when Roger (Richard Rankin) faces a dilemma about revealing events in the future—and his true identity.
Roger gets an idea of how to find his father when Cousin Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) makes a stray observation about the landscape: “Those mountains haven’t aged a day,” he says. Buck isn’t quite right, as the topography of these Scottish moors is drastically different in 1980 thanks to the Loch Errochty Power Station, where Brianna (Sophie Skelton) now works. But the dam wasn’t built until the 1950s, meaning the time portal Bree felt earlier this season was likely another stone circle. Roger deduces this is probably where his father came through in 1941.
The dam is significant in the present timeline: This is where Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) has hidden Jemmy (Blake Johnston Miller). But of course Rob won’t confess that, because this is his only bargaining chip to locate the hidden Jacobite gold. He doesn’t take Bree’s threats of violence seriously when her son’s life hangs in the balance. Since Mandy’s (Rosa Morris) ability to sense her brother isn’t entirely accurate, Bree doesn’t leave it to Mandy to locate Jemmy. Explaining the kidnapping predicament to the police should be easier without Jemmy being in another century, but Rob has cut the phone lines. There is no way a tied-up Rob can escape a locked priest hole (built in the 18th century and now concealed by coat hooks) while Bree goes to get the cops—or is there?
Balancing heightened emotions with declarations of love is an Outlander signature. Roger and Bree search for family members across Scotland while the Philadelphia contingent in 1778 gathers for a wedding. Ian (John Bell) and Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) couldn’t get Quakers to marry them, so an intimate ceremony in Mercy Woodcock’s (Gloria Obiyano) home is the alternative. It gives Young Ian and his Uncle Jamie (Sam Heughan) a chance to catch up after the whole “Jamie was dead” miscommunication. The absence of Ian’s parents through death and distance adds weight to this sentimental conversation. Before everyone gets too misty-eyed, the topic shifts to Ian’s nerves about the wedding night.
Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie and Dairmaid Murtagh as Buck Mackenzie.
Jamie mentions the many men ready to advise about consummating the marriage, leading to hilarious reflection that none of it was helpful. It will shock no one that Claire gave the best guidance (“Go slowly, pay attention”), and Jamie has never looked back. Meanwhile, Mercy and Claire help Rachel with her modest gown, and their conversation focuses on Ian and Jamie heading off to battle soon. Part of me wishes Rachel got similar words of bedroom wisdom. However, Claire’s wise reflections look to longevity; a marriage is made “in the living of it,” she says.
Rachel’s brother, Dr. Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips), makes it to the nuptials after all, with an update about Lord John Grey (David Berry). Denzell tells Jamie that Lord John escaped before heading to the gallows, but there has been no word of his survival. Jamie thinks Lord John can take care of himself and doesn’t seem overly concerned—perhaps because he is still smarting about Lord John’s “carnal knowledge” of Claire.
Given that the last Outlander wedding was Claire and Lord John’s utterly miserable affair, we are wiping the slate clean with a couple deeply in love. But this ceremony doesn’t begin with an officiant making remarks. Instead, the wedding party must close their eyes and wait to be moved by the spirit. Jamie whispers to Claire, counting as getting the ball rolling to speak his heart. Jamie recalls holding Ian as a “bairn,” making a sweet declaration: “I’m proud to be your uncle.” Family is a grounding force in Outlander, and this theme of finding a home continues in Denzell’s speech. After he signed up for the Continental Army, Denzell was “put out of meeting” (Quakers are pacifists), and Rachel joined her brother. The vows from Ian and Rachel are poignant, and the glances between Mercy and Lord Henry (Harry Jarvis)—who are forbidden to marry—are impossible to ignore.
Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel, Caitríona Balfe as Claire, and Gloria Obianyo as Mercy.
In 1980, family connections aided Jemmy as he remembers his mother’s description of escaping the tunnels under the dam. Driving to the police station, Mandy suddenly feels her brother’s presence again. Bree suggests playing “hot or cold” to find Jemmy. Cutting between Roger and Buck as they reach the standing stones and the 1980s scenes underscores the connection between both searches. Roger and Buck locate Roger’s dad’s goggles and WWII survival kit, prompting Roger to call out Jeremiah’s name. Oh, but his son is also called Jeremiah, and when the younger Jemmy approaches the underground time portal, he hears his father yelling his name. Suddenly, Mandy can’t feel her brother anymore, and Roger spots a child behind one of the stones in 1739. Is it Jemmy?
Bree notices the Loch Errochty Power Station sign, realizing where Rob has hidden Jemmy. Momentarily distracted, she almost hits her son with the car. Thankfully, Bree slams on the brakes before tragedy strikes. It is a local boy spying on Roger and Buck, who reluctantly tells a story of the mystery man dressed in strange clothing. Jeremiah Sr. went into the woods, but time is of the essence as the villagers also want to track him down for stealing.
Meanwhile, the happy couple is getting down to the wedding night business, and Rachel is eager (albeit a bit nervous) to get down to business. The intimacy mixes excitement and attraction, but it is also a little clumsy, ensuring there is a level of relatability that avoids the cliche of having a “perfect first time” in bed.
In a different bedroom, Jamie reflects on Lord John’s fate and still can’t get over what went down. Jamie admits that he does hold a grudge against John but doesn’t want him dead. Jamie is also concerned about William (Charles Vandervaart), but Claire thinks William will eventually understand why they kept it secret that Jamie is his father. “I see so much of you in him,” Claire reasons. Despite previous events that have taken place in this room, Jamie is glad to be near his wife again.
Jamie and Claire, back together again.
Lord John is still alive, but his hands remain shackled. When a group of Continentals finds him, he says, using his middle names, Bertram Armstrong, as an alias. The British arrested him for being a spy. Is Lord John about to switch sides to stay alive?
Meanwhile, Bree omits parts of her own story while explaining her current predicament to the authorities. After finding Jemmy, the family returns to Lallybroch with police officers to arrest Rob. Unfortunately, Rob has escaped from the hidden locked space, indicating he has an accomplice. The two cops sense Bree isn’t telling them everything, wrongly concluding that something romantic happened with Rob while Roger is away on business in Boston (Bree can’t tell them where he really is). “No need to be hysterical,” says the male officer. The police are condescending and next to useless.
Roger has switched from yelling “Jeremiah” to “Jerry” (which might help with the name confusion). After hearing many hero stories, Roger tells Buck his father is “more of a myth than a man.” Buck mentions that he didn’t know either his mother or father, and little does he know that he met them a few episodes ago. Roger keeps quiet that Geillis Duncan (Lotte Verbeek) and Dougal MacKenzie (Dougal McTavish) are Buck’s birth parents. Roger explains that his own mother died when he was young in an Underground station during an air raid—Buck notes he has no idea what any of these things are. Roger spots a man wearing a sheepskin flight jacket who can be none other than his father. Jerry (Nicholas Ralph) is understandably jumpy, but Roger quickly mentions he is also from a different time. How else would Roger know that Winston Churchill is the current Prime Minister?
Does Roger (Richard Rankin) find who he’s looking for?
Despite the news that it is 1739, Jerry seems relieved he isn’t going crazy. Roger doesn’t reveal his true identity when Jerry mentions his young son. Consider this an act of kindness; I think Jerry would completely lose it if Roger announced he is Jerry’s now adult son. Jerry recalls his plane going down on the Scottish moors, and when he leaned against the standing stones, he woke up here. Roger is confused when Jerry says his engine failed during a camera test flight because Spitfire planes didn’t have cameras in 1941. Jerry is reluctant to reveal the details of the classified mission (“It’s not as if I can tell anyone,” Roger laughs). MI6 wanted Jerry to take aerial photographs of Nazi labor camps in Poland to help the war effort, which Roger knows did not come to pass. Rankin deftly tempers Roger’s emotions throughout these interactions.
Before father and son can bond further—or before Roger can spill his identity—they hear dogs in the distance, signaling the angry locals are near. Jerry stumbles and injures his ankle, meaning it is a matter of urgency to send Jerry back to his time. Roger gives his father the gem he bought from the tinker, instructing Jerry to think only of his wife when he puts his hand on the stone. In an emotional goodbye, Roger tells Jerry he knows who wins the war (spoilers!), adding, “I love you,” and then he is gone. How much has this changed? Is Roger’s life what it has always been? Only a quick flash of the Underground during an air raid and (presumably) Roger as a young boy is shown before it cuts back to Philadelphia in 1788.
The newlyweds are still giddy the morning after, and Rachel rejects Ian’s concern that she has been pulled into violence. Meanwhile, Jamie gives his new blue uniform a spin, and Claire is happy to see him in the right color this time. Doubling down on her previous declarations, Claire is ready to join Jamie near the battlefield. It looks like we are about to re-enter the war part of this story.
Sophie Skelton as Bree.
Of course, Bree could find out what happened if she had time, thanks to the letters from her parents. She hands these over for safekeeping to family friends Ernie (Ciaron Kelly) and Fiona (Iona Claire). Bree’s other precious cargo is her children and the couple to look after Jemmy and Mandy. Bree thinks she can handle herself (she has a gun), but her biggest worry is that Roger won’t return home until he finds Jemmy. There is no way for her to contact her husband.
Sure, Roger is a seasoned time traveler, but he can’t know all the quirks of this ability. He worries that Jerry didn’t get back safely because he didn’t see a flood of memories featuring his father. “I wouldn’t put much stock in memory,” says a pragmatic Buck. Again, the Outlander time travel rules don’t seem to impact the future timeline—as if this has all already happened. However, Roger has deduced a few things from his brief interaction with his father about why they ended up in 1739. Roger explains that he thought of his dad when he touched the stone at Craigh na Dun, so they ended up here instead of the usual 200-year jump. “I think sometimes the stones make the choice for you,” he theorizes. Roger correctly concludes that his son might not even be in this era, and fate continues to guide the Outlander way.