“Outlander” recap: Will Claire survive the war?

Since we are on this side of history, we know (or Google can educate us) that the Battle of Monmouth was a turning point in the Revolutionary War for the Continental Army. Leave it to the Outlander showrunners to produce a shocking moment right when we think all is well with our main characters. Even events in the 1980s had me shouting at my screen!

In a voiceover, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) explains that war is inevitable, just like death. She wakes to find Jamie (Sam Heughan) in a daze, listening to the cadence of a drum. Rather than feeling the weight of this surreal moment, I was more impressed that Claire managed to secure a fluffy pillow for her cot.

Some luxuries are worth having in wartime. I get it.

Jamie recalls his mother passing away, and how his father was upset that a woman had braided her hair before placing her body in the coffin, and how his father unwound the braid and spread out all his mother's red locks. Not a speck of white to be found. She was only 38 when she died. So very young.

Noticing Claire’s concerned face, Jamie points out that he is lucky to have seen Claire’s hair turn grey. It means that she is alive! He kisses her, and they lie down together on the cot, waiting for the sun to rise fully over the horizon, signaling the beginning of the battle.

When that time eventually arrives, Claire accompanies Jamie to where his troops have been gathered. From the looks (and sounds) of it, he will be right over the hill, killing Redcoats. Claire will be helping in the church, which has been modified into a makeshift hospital. After a quick “I love you,” Jamie starts to walk off to his horse and then turns back toward Claire. He insists that he will not die today.

Related: Outlander recap: Jamie musters his American troops for battle

The scene flashes to an earlier conversation with Claire and Jamie. Claire feels like this pending battle is different from any she’s felt before. No, she does not fear death, but it does feel like an abyss. There’s an emptiness she can’t shake.

Well, that’s ominous.

As Jamie readies his men, Claire enters the church and tries to convince lead surgeon Captain Leckie (Ben Cura) that she is fully capable of performing most procedures alongside him, and it would behoove him to let her stay inside. Leckie dismisses her as “hysterical,” although Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) and Denzell (Joey Phillips) do their best to endorse Claire as medically competent. Leckie is unfazed and kicks everyone out of the church.

With cannonballs and rifles firing, Claire and Rachel set up a triage area in the church courtyard. Rachel informs Claire that she considers courage a treasure in the face of death. Can they look the angel of death in the eye and try to steal a man’s life back for him? Claire understands where Rachel’s mind is wandering and follows her train of thought. Claire’s worry is that Jamie will go above and beyond the call of duty and lose his life in the process. Rachel’s worry is that her husband will hesitate to do what must be done because of her views on taking someone’s life. Ian could be killed, and she would still be alive — with her principles.

Let’s see what happens, shall we? Ian (John Bell) and Lord John (David Berry) have located the mercenary soldiers holding William (Charles Vandervaart) as a prisoner and claim that Captain Richardson requested William be turned over to them. William is trotted out in irons, and when the sack is lifted over his head, William manages not to react at the sight of his lying father and the Mohawk who married the woman he was crushing on.

Related: Outlander recap: Jemmy is home

The leader, Von Schnell, asks for payment. Ian insists the key is handed over first. Von Schnell admits he isn’t sure which key is which. Like English captains, they are all the same. Lord John and Ian realize Von Schnell is not taking the bait. He shouts for his men to kill William, and Lord John takes two out with bullets to the head while Ian handles Von Schnell. Ian declares there has already been enough bloodshed and lets Von Schnell go.

This is when we all assume Von Schnell is going to kidnap, kill, or brutally maim Ian, thanks to what Rachel said earlier. Especially when Von Schnell promises Ian that he will regret letting him go.

Lord John explains to William that Captain Richardson was using him as a political pawn. He’s only in this mess because of his family name. William grimaces at the word “family” but thanks his father and Ian for saving him. Lord John instructs Ian to return to his bride as William all but rolls his eyes in the background.

The next thing we see is Von Schnell traversing the woods, trying to find his way back to his allies. Out of the blue, Ian attacks the man and slams a dagger into his heart. Ian whispers, “I would have regretted it,” and the man dies. Rachel can keep her principles. Ian is a warrior.

Meanwhile, Lord John and William return to the British camp and argue over Lord John's keeping secrets. What about bearing your name with pride? What about how a reputation is all a man has in life? William struggles to know who he is now.

Twice, Lord John assures William that he is Lord John’s son. And James Fraser is one of the best men he’s known. William touts that he would never betray his king or country as Jamie did. Lord John warns his son never to say never.

Could this be foreshadowing for whatever is going on with Jane (Silvia Presente)? Now that she’s been arrested for Harkness’ death, will William do something dishonorable to get her back? Surely, she will not hang. What will happen to Frannie? And should we be worried that she’s just hanging out in a British camp without family?

Speaking of family, Roger (Richard Rankin) has just told Buck (Dairmaid Murtagh) that his mother is Geillis Duncan and his father is Dougal McKenzie, and Buck is not taking the news well. Roger tells Buck that he didn’t tell him before, when they were all together, because he didn’t want Buck to say anything to change the course of time. Buck reminds Roger that they saved his own father’s life, thereby changing the course of time. How is that different?

Touché.

Related: Outlander recap: Is Lord John dead?

Roger apologizes and begs Buck to help him with one more thing before he storms off into the Scottish countryside. He needs to write a note to Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and leave it in the desk drawer at Lallybroch, hoping she finds it in her own timeline.

Roger thanks Buck for helping him through this bizarre adventure and tells him that he has a good heart. Buck doesn’t think so, because of what he did to his wife once upon a time. We expect something tragic, but the dramatic story is essentially one of love. His wife was in love with another man, and he knew it.

He took her away to North Carolina, but that brought them nothing but unhappiness, so he returned her to Scotland. Buck assumes that she’s probably with the man she loves, figuring he was dead since he’s been gone so long. He offers to go back through the stones to tell Bri what happened in case she doesn’t get Roger’s letter.

WHICH SHE DOES! Bri learns that “something went wrong,” and Roger ended up in another timeline, which he thankfully remembers to include in the letter.

Bri and the kids stand before the stones, arguing about a baby doll that needs to be left behind. Why Mandy brought the doll from the car to the stones is a thread we will not pull. Bri hands each of her children a gemstone and instructs them both to think about Daddy. Mandy squeals his name with glee and runs straight into the stones as her mother screams her name while I nearly swallow my tongue.

I was not expecting that. Fingers crossed Mandy got to the other side in the correct timeline. Also, let’s all hold hands when we stand near the magical time-traveling runes next time, okay?

As we all process Mandy’s fate, we find Claire conducting her duties the best she can outside of the official emergency room, even though she has already busted through the doors and saved one man’s life by poking a hole in his chest so he could breathe.

I will hand it to Captain Leckie, though, in his attempt to evacuate Claire out of harm's way. As they speak, the Redcoats are marching down the hill toward the church. Claire refuses to leave her patients and sends Denzell and Rachel ahead.

Jamie’s lieutenant Bixby eventually reaches the church, assuring Claire that Jamie is bound to come any minute. As Claire mends a cut on his head, he tells her that General Lee was relieved from his duty when he ordered his men to retreat. Apparently, General Washington was mad and ordered Jamie’s troops to follow him, and now the red coats are on the run. Well, it’s more like a walk right past the church, but they are going in the opposite direction!

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Yes, it is confusing that the Redcoats are right there, shouting things at the handful of Colonial soldiers in the church courtyard, but we can dismiss that little detail because Jamie is there! He calls out for Sassenach, and that’s exactly when we hear rifle shots.

Jamie screams for his men to hold their fire, and his eyes widen. Something is wrong. This is the abyss Claire was talking about, and she can’t shake it.

Instead of Jamie, it’s Claire who has been shot.

Jamie and Bixby lunge for her as she crumples to the ground. They quickly carry her into the church, assuming that Captain Leckie has what it takes to fix our heroine. Except he doesn’t. There’s too much blood. He apologizes to Jamie as he walks out of the church to safety, far away from the British.

In the most unfortunate timing, one of Jamie’s soldiers runs in to tell him that General Lee has summoned him. Jamie gives him a lethal stare and tells him to go away. He is not leaving his wife to die on a makeshift operating table in a Monmouth church. As he promised Claire before, the stars will not burn out today. Nor will they.

The boy persists, and Jamie barks at him to take off his coat and shirt. With Claire’s fresh blood dripping from his fingers, he writes on the boy’s back a simple note to General Lee. It reads, “Sir, I resign.” Then he tells Bixby to find Denzell. The stars will NOT burn out.

Related: Outlander actor Charles Vandervaart talks William's struggle to cope with 'ultimate betrayal'

Denzell eventually arrives as a groggy Claire mutters everything she knows to be true of her wound. It’s probably in her liver, and he needs to remove the ball. In another curious bit of timing, Rachel randomly shares that General Lafayette heard of Claire’s predicament and sent some cheese for when she recovers.

Cool, Rachel. Claire is literally fighting for her life right now, and you want to talk about cheese?

Claire, however, perks up at the mention of cheese. They must save it so she can make penicillin after she wakes up from surgery.

This is why she’s the heroine. There will be no floating into the abyss. The stars will be bright and safely viewed from the ground below.

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