Outlander: Homecoming

Last time on “Outlander:” Geillis and Claire were put on trial for witchcraft. Ned snuck down from Caste Leoch to represent them and did his best to discredit the witnesses. But the people are determined to burn someone, so Claire and Geillis have to chose between them. Geillis reveals she’s not only a Jacobite but from 1968 and after witnessing Jamie save Claire from a flogging, chooses to sacrifice herself. As she’s led away, Jamie runs off with Claire.

In the woods, he asks her for the truth. So she tells him everything—she’s from the future and that she fell through the stones. Jamie takes her back to Craig na Dun, saying goodbye and leaving her free to go back to Frank. But she doesn’t and instead asks Jamie to take her home to Lallybroch.

Credits! Tobias Menzies’ name appears in them, so we’re going to get some Black Jack scenes. Should be good!


We open with some sweeping views of Scotland before focusing on Claire and Jamie as they ride toward Lallybroch. He asks her about the future and Claire tells him about airplanes. Jamie is amazed and Claire says she loves to fly. He then asks her her age and she reveals she’s 27. He says he always figured she was the same age as him (24/25).

(Cue the swelling music)

He comes to a stop and Claire behold Lallybroch for the first time. She says it’s just as he described to her. Jamie, though, isn’t as thrilled to see it. He keeps flashing back to his beating at the hands of Black Jack and how the captain took his beloved sister Jenny inside the house, where Jamie couldn’t protect her.

As they walk up to the house, Jamie tells Claire that he learned from Dougal that Jenny became pregnant by Black Jack. He’s not looking forward to having to see the living reminder of his sister’s disgrace and his inability to protect her. Claire just supports him, encouraging him to keep walking as the memories overwhelm him.

Jamie pauses at the archway while Claire goes to say hello to a young boy sitting in the courtyard. Jenny, Jamie’s sister, enters the courtyard and it’s clear she’s pregnant again. She looks at Claire with some suspicion and calls to the boy—“Jamie.”

(All hail Jenny Murray)

Big Jamie steps out of the shadows and Jenny rushes over to her brother. She is both happy to see him but gives him a piece of her mind for not letting them know he was fine in the past four years. Jenny introduces him to Wee Jamie, her son and his nephew. Jamie is less than thrilled to meet the boy and says that it’s an insult to have his name given to Black Jack’s bastard.

Jenny sends Jamie into the house and when she looks back at her brother, it’s a wonder he doesn’t quake in her boots. She clarifies that he means Jack Randall and then tells him that no, Wee Jamie is not his bastard. She’s insulted that Jamie would even think that. But Jamie is not calmed. He goes off, asking her then who Jamie’s father is and if he’s also the father of her unborn child. Claire tries to calm him down but Jenny tells her to mind her own business.

Jamie snaps at Jenny to be nicer to his wife and she says he needs to listen to her. She threatens to grab him by the balls if necessary. At this point, a man with a peg leg comes round the corner and his face lights up at seeing Jamie. This is Jamie’s friend, Ian Murray. He reveals that he’s Wee Jamie’s father and that Jenny’s unborn child is his as well. Jenny reveals that she and Ian are married.

Everyone heads inside as Ian tries to relieve the tension between the two siblings and play nice with Claire. But Jamie wants to know what happened between Jenny and Black Jack. Jenny agrees but warns him that she’ll only tell him once. Then they are never to speak of it again. Jamie understands.

Jenny reveals that Black Jack did take her to the bedroom. He made her suck the finger with her brother’s blood on it (eww) before throwing her on the bed. Jenny was a virgin and didn’t know what was supposed to happen in the bedroom, but soon got the feeling it wasn’t supposed to be this. She looked over to find Black Jack trying to get himself hard and we do get a shot of this because cable. He struggles, though, to rise to the occasion and she starts laughing at him. This infuriates him and he slaps her unconscious. When she comes to, he’s gone.

(She's amused)

And that’s that. Jenny keeps waiting for Jamie’s apology and Claire encourages him to give one. Jenny snaps at her to mind her own business and Jamie pulls Claire aside, telling her not to challenge him now that he’s Laird. Claire’s like “Have you met me?” Jamie reveals that she’s very similar to Letitia, Colum’s wife, but Letitia knows when to let opinion be known. Claire’s surprised and takes this to heart.

They return to the main room and ask to go freshen up before the meal. Jenny orders the servants to clear the laird’s bedroom since it rightfully belongs to Jamie and Claire. She and Ian will move down the hall. Claire feels bad taking their room but Jamie says it is his right.

Jamie is like a little child upon returning to the room that was once his father’s. He recalls how the room looked while Brian Fraser slept there. He then grows somber, saying he’s responsible for his father’s death. Because of what happened at Fort William.

(Show and Tell)

Jamie reveals that his father came to visit him there. He was still weak from the first flogging but his father still tried to have a conversation with him before the soldiers dragged him off. Jamie was sent to Black Jack, who makes Jamie an offer: If Jamie sleeps with Black Jack, he’ll let Jamie go. Jamie reveals he seriously considered it—what was one roll in the hay with a sadist if it meant his freedom? But his pride one out so Jamie refused. That’s when Black Jack had him flogged.

(Horny Bastard Extraordinaire)

Brian was in the courtyard, not far from Dougal. As his son was flayed mercilessly, Brian drops to the ground and stops moving. He was dead and Jamie believed it was the shock that killed him. Some times, he believes he should have taken Black Jack’s offer. Maybe his father would still be alive.

(Poor Brian)

Claire comforts Jamie, insisting that Black Jack would’ve flogged him no matter what he decided. That he can’t blame himself for his father’s death. As they hug, Jenny interrupts the moment to wonder what’s taking the two so long.

Claire and Jenny share awkward silence at the dinner table. Jenny asks if Claire has experience running a manor like Lallybroch and she admits she doesn’t. Jenny isn’t impressed but holds her tongue as the men enter. Ian reveals the next day is the day the rent is to be collected and Jamie explains to Claire that the tenants come to Lallybroch to do so. She wonders if that’ll be dangerous since Jamie still has a price on his head. Jenny says the tenants are family and no one will turn Jamie in. She then tells Jamie that things are bad so he asks Ian to have a look at the books. Jenny thinks he should go to their father’s grave but Jamie insists he can go another time.

The next day, the tenants arrive to pay their rents and greet Jamie. Most are happy to see him and they give Claire presents, welcoming her as their lady. So far, Claire seems to be doing well. Jamie excuses himself to head inside and she continues on, making nice with the other women.

She then spies a young boy taking some food and his father grabs him. He yells at the boy, saying he wasn’t supposed to have food yet and then starts to beat him. The other women look uncomfortable but Claire goes and intervenes. She’s able to get the boy away from the father without him turning his ire to her and she escorts the boy inside for some food. Of course, this is young Robbie.

Jamie and Ian collect the rents. At least Ian is trying. Jamie finds out that a lot of his tenants are struggling so he forgives them their rent this quarter. Ian looks ready to kill his best friend but the tenants are happy. Time to get drunk!

("I'm going to kill him")

Claire comes in with Robbie and asks Jenny for her help. They discover welts on the boy’s back, which catches Jamie’s attention. Jenny takes Robbie back to the kitchens while Jamie promises to handle it. Claire wants to know how and when.

She finds out that night when Jamie stumbles to bed. He tells her that he went down and told Robbie’s father that if he lays another hand on the boy, he’ll make the man’s life miserable. He’s really proud of himself. Claire just wants him to shut up and stop breathing on her. He passes out next to her and she finally smiles, amused by her husband.

The next morning, Jamie is hungover. Claire tends to him as Jenny storms in. She lets him have it for not collecting any rents, saying things were tight enough as it was. And now they have another mouth to feed as Robbie was dumped on their doorstep by his father. Jenny yells that she was working on his aunt to take him in but Jamie’s gone and ruined it. She tells the two that life at Lallybroch didn’t begin the moment they entered the house. Jamie tells her that he’s the laird and will not be scolded by his sister.

(Do not anger this woman)

Jenny storms off as Jamie tries some hollocks. He spits it out and says it’s awful. The housekeeper says the mill is broken so they had to ground the flour themselves. She explains the repair guy is a few days away. Jamie storms off, saying he’ll fix it himself so he can get a decent meal. Claire follows.

He sheds most of his clothes and goes into the water to figure out how to dislodge the mill’s wheel. Claire worries that he’ll die and he shoots back that they can serve decent food at his funeral. She watches as he attempts to fix the mill.

("I'm going to kill him")

Jenny comes running up, demanding to know where Jamie is. Claire points to the water and Jenny looks ready to jump in to strangle him. She points to the road where British soldiers are approaching. They are able to tell Jamie, who chooses to hide underwater. Jenny and Claire sit themselves over Jamie’s discarded clothes as the soldiers approach. Jenny tells Claire not to speak as they don’t want to give away the fact she’s English. Claire is more than happy to oblige.

The soldiers halt before the women and ask what they are doing. Jenny says they are just enjoying the day. She apologizes that they aren’t offering them any food but the mill is broken. The soldiers decide to be nice and try to fix the mill. One prepares to dive into the water but the wheel slowly starts to move. Everyone is surprised but pleased, though the soldier doesn’t understand how a shirt got lodged in the wheel. Jenny and Claire just laugh it off and the soldiers ride away.

Crisis averted!

Jamie pops up, naked as the day he was born. He asks why Jenny’s there and turns around, saying he needs his privacy. Jenny sees the flog marks on Jamie’s back and scurries away. Claire snaps at her husband that she came to warn them about the soldiers, so he should be more grateful. Jamie does look somewhat chastened.

That night, Claire and Ian have a heart-to-heart. Ian says he lost his leg in battle and Jenny nursed him back to health when he returned to Lallybroch. One day, she came down to the fields where he was working and told him that they were getting married. He tried to fight it (in the book it’s explained that Ian thought they should wait to get Jamie’s blessing) but he soon found himself at the altar, pledging himself to her for the rest of their life. Claire laughs and realizes that stubbornness runs in the Fraser family. Ian agrees and gives her some advice for dealing with them—sometimes they just needed someone to grab them and make them see reason.

("We married into a crazy family")

Claire takes his words to heart. She goes up to the Laird’s bedroom and throws the Laird out of their bed. Now that she has Jamie’s attention, she tells him to stop acting like a dick or else he’s going to chase away his sister, his only family. It finally gets through Jamie’s thick Scottish skull.

("This a wake up call")

The next day, Jamie goes to visit his father’s grave at last. Jenny goes as well and they have a heart-to-heart. She reveals that she blamed him for their father’s death even though she knew it was unfair. Then she saw the scars of what he went through and she realized it wasn’t his fault. Jamie forgives her and asks her to forgive him. They hug it out and Jamie reveals he also collected the rent. Jenny says it’s okay to have Robbie there as his aunt has too many children of her own. Aww, all is well.

(Aww)

Claire stares at the tower that gave Jamie his title and asks for clarification. The translation of Broch Turoch is “North Facing Tower.” But said tower is round. Jamie explains that the door faces north and Claire mutters about Fraser stubbornness. Jamie laughs as he takes Claire in his arms.

He tells her that he loves her. That he’s wanted her since their first ride to Castle Leoch. But he’s loved her since she broke down and cried in his arms that first night in the Castle. They share a kiss before going to bed.

(Aww)

In the morning, Claire wakes up alone. She gets dressed and goes looking for her husband. She finds him downstairs, surrounded by ragged looking men who are all pointing guns at him.

Uh oh.

I love, love, love Jenny Fraser Murray. And I love Laura Donnelly playing her here. This is great. Ian is great too. I just really liked this episode. It seems like a nice semi-lighthearted episode because soon, the Jamie Fraser Wringer is going to be out in full force.

You have been warned.

Next time: Tense times at Lallybroch.

Screen caps from here.