Spoilers below.
The third time is certainly not the charm for Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) when it comes to weddings, as the miserable ceremony that opens this week’s Outlander quickly demonstrates. It’s nothing against Lord John Grey (David Berry) because if Claire has to take a husband, she could do so much worse. Considering that her marriage to Jamie (Sam Heughan) in season 1 was also a strategic move to save Claire from the English, there is something a little full-circle about the nuptials at the start of “A Hundredweight of Stones.”
Of course, the overall somber mood is antithetical to the crackling chemistry and steamy night Claire shared with Jamie in an episode that I am sure is seared in Outlander fans’ minds. Lord John cannot hide his grief either. It says a lot about marriage in the 18th century that the minister is not calling for a time out to see if Claire is sober or has the mental capacity to enter into this union, as she can barely repeat the traditional vows. Her almost-fugue state is particularly concerning as Claire has self-medicated with ether in the past, and she has more than enough in her medical kit to head down this dangerous path once more. After the service, Claire can barely summon the energy to climb the stairs to her bedroom, and it should be no surprise that there is no consummation on the cards…yet.
Despite the overall misery in the opening sequence, proposals out of love rather than duty are happening elsewhere this week. Like his Auntie Claire, Young Ian (John Bell) has already walked down the aisle (so to speak). He and Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) have already discussed potentially incendiary topics like spirituality and beliefs. Next up, romantic history! Having the exes chat is no less awkward in 1788 than in 2024, but Ian knows he must tell Rachel everything about his past. If they can get over the whole Catholic-Quaker obstacle, then telling Rachel that his ex-wife is alive shouldn’t cause too many issues, right? Rachel wants to know if he still loves Wahionhaweh (who Ian called Emily), but otherwise, she seems unphased by his past. Perhaps nearly dying in the last episode made Rachel impervious to curveballs, but the lack of friction makes it somewhat anticlimactic. Sure, Ian has been through a lot, but this final hurdle is a breeze.
One person who isn’t experiencing the simple life is Roger (Richard Rankin), who journeys across the Scottish moors with Cousin Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh). The big bombshell last week is that Roger’s father, Jeremiah MacKenzie, might not be dead after all! Jeremiah was an RAF pilot in WWII, and Roger’s mother was informed Jeremiah was shot down over the English Channel when flying on a mission to Germany. But Jeremiah wasn’t meant to be flying that night, and Roger had previously tried to find physical evidence of what had happened to his dad as his plane or body were never found. The fact that Jeremiah MacKenzie’s ID tags have shown up in 1739 suggests he didn’t die fighting against the Nazis. Now, the pair want to locate the “tinker” (someone who makes a living traveling from place to place fixing pans and metal utensils) who had Roger’s father’s ID tags.
Richard Rankin as Roger.
Family is everything, so while Roger continues searching for his father and kidnapped son (both called Jeremiah to make it more complicated), William (Charles Vandervaart) tries to understand why his father, Lord John, married Claire. It isn’t that William doesn’t respect Claire, but she was married to a rebel, and this match could put their family name in jeopardy. “James Fraser was my friend and he loved his wife more than anything in the world. I owe it to him to protect her,” Lord John says. William still doesn’t get why his father would risk his reputation for “a farmer who took up arms against the crown.” Of course, William is oblivious to how much John loves Jamie—and that Jamie is William’s biological father. Plus, Lord John is pretty confident his reputation will be fine.
Upstairs, Claire finds the contents of her locked medical case tempting. First, she pulls out bottles before opting for a scalpel instead. In contemplating suicide, Claire hears Jamie’s voice, which convinces her not to end it all. Instead, she screams so gutturally that it sounds like a wounded animal (shout out to Balfe for how deep her howl rattles through her body). Lord John hears these moans of anguish and heads up to her room, where he shares in this uninhibited emotional outpouring. Now husband and wife, they share this trauma.
Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser.
I wonder if because the audience is clued into the fact that Jamie is going to be okay (I don’t think any viewer will be shocked to know Jamie is not dead). Amid the moments of raw grief, there are plot twists that tip into farce, adding levity to what could be an extremely dark episode. Case in point: a sheepish-looking Claire and Lord John waking up in bed together the morning after. Cutting from the montage of sorrow to the shuffling of bedclothes and naked bodies is a great editing choice. We don’t need to see a sex scene to know they slept together, which is unexpected, seeing as Lord John is gay. Claire’s first question is to ask the last time Lord John was with a woman (at least 15 years), and they both apologize to each other for being ungentlemanly and unladylike. Given how they both feel about Jamie, it is agreed (more or less) that both of them were imagining they were having sex with him instead.
Despite the embarrassment, what follows is a frank conversation about John’s ongoing romantic relations and why it is ultimately good that Lord John turned Jamie down the one time he said they could sleep together. Pillowtalk isn’t the norm for many 18th-century couples, and Claire realizes she is lucky to have had three unconventional marriages, even if her current circumstances are far from ideal.
For the first time in a couple of weeks, we check in with Brianna (Sophie Skelton) in 1980, who is doing her best to function while Roger is off looking for their son 200 years earlier. Alas, she can’t even drink her wine in peace as suspected kidnapper Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) makes an unexpected appearance. Jemmy’s scarf at the stones was a misdirect, but Rob won’t reveal where he has been hiding Bree’s son. One thing for sure is Rob is determined to find the hidden gold in North Carolina, which means flying to the U.S. with Jemmy and Bree as a last resort. Rob is not afraid of making threats and holds a knife to Bree’s throat. However, Rob underestimates Bree, and she knocks him unconscious. Now she has two problems: how to get Rob to reveal where Jemmy is and getting a message to Roger that he can stop looking.
Sophie Skelton as Bree.
Despite her heartbreak, returning to the future is not something Claire is contemplating. Ian asks Claire about time travel when he comes to say goodbye—he is heading to Valley Forge with Rachel. Claire says she doesn’t feel like the future is her time anymore, which I don’t entirely buy, seeing as Bree, Roger, and her two grandkids are there (well, she doesn’t know about Roger’s current location). Regardless, it is a sweet scene emphasizing Claire and Ian’s bond.
Claire also has medical duties, and her patient, Lord Henry (Harry Jarvis), is on the road to recovery. Lord John is thrilled his nephew is healing because he can return to England, but Lord Henry has other plans. Those vibes between Mercy Woodcock (Gloria Obianyo) and Lord Henry weren’t my imagination. Lord Henry tells his uncle that he plans to marry Mercy and that Lord John needs to write to his father to support this union. Much to Claire’s horror, Lord John refuses and goes so far as to forbid this from happening, citing the illegality of interracial marriage and Lord Henry’s duty to his father’s name. Mercy is not only Black but also has close ties to the Continental rebels—and has spied against the British— and even though it is possible to marry secretly, Lord John is adamant.
Gloria Obianyo (left) as Mercy Woodcock.
“I’d never taken you for a bigot,” Claire says in the carriage home. Lord John points out that his nephew would forfeit his titles and property if he and Mercy were to marry, but Claire doesn’t buy this excuse. Lord John knows how it feels for his love to be a crime; he believes he’s protecting his nephew and Mercy from imprisonment or worse.
On the heels of this heated conversation, Lord John presents Claire with a new gown and the reason for this lavish gift: They will host a fundraiser for the British cause, and Claire must play along. Claire immediately passes, but Lord John emphasizes the importance of presenting a united front for survival.
On the accessories front, Roger doesn’t get too much information about the man who sold the “heathen charm” to the tinker (other than his approximate location), but the tinker has a box of jewels. Roger purchases the gemstone, meaning they have one ticket home through the stones. Later, they find the man with Roger’s dad’s RAF jacket, but he is not up for chatting about where he picked up the snazzy military attire. Roger also can’t shake the feeling that everything is predestined and connected somehow, knowing that he must keep faith.
This kind of pep talk is something Claire needs to get through hostess duties, but she gets her hair done, puts on the new gown, and wears Lord John’s ring with Jamie’s on her right hand, making it three wedding bands total (Frank’s ring is on her left hand). Claire is still emotionally drained and struggles to make polite chit-chat with the enemy. She reluctantly agrees to dance with Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert), the man who came to Lord John saying Claire would be arrested for spying. Surprise! He’s a rebel, too! He warned Lord John because hers “was a life worth saving.” Claire refuses to use her position to spy on Lord John, but she won’t blow his cover.
Left to right: Ben Lambert as Captain Richardson, Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser, and Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom.
After the success of the soirée, Lord John and Claire have many invites to events, and they must say yes to one. However, there is a commotion downstairs, and Claire is not upset to see the man who bursts into her bedroom. Hello, Jamie Fraser!
Lord John looks like he has seen a ghost, but Claire can’t contain her happiness—even though Jamie warns that soldiers are looking for him. Many smooches later, Jamie explains the ship left early without him on it—he has lost all his luggage. How fortuitous! “Your son is due home shortly,” Lord John says. Jamie takes this as his cue to leave; however, William is already home and has heard everything. (See what I mean about a few farcical moments adding humor to the serious storylines?) Suffice it to say William is not thrilled to find out Jamie is his biological daddy, returning the wooden rosary that Jamie gave him when he was a boy.
As if this reunion didn’t have enough drama, the British Redcoats have stormed in, and Jamie has to think fast. He grabs Lord John to make it look like a hostage situation. Despite all of this, Claire can’t stop smiling. In an episode full of proposals and marriage declarations, the enduring love of Jamie and Claire continues to burn bright no matter the obstacle.