Yahoo Lifestyle Outlander Recap: Happily Wed and a Dad Who’s Not Dead
Happy wedding day, Young Ian and Rachel!
This week’s Outlander celebrates the nuptials of Jamie’s nephew and his Quaker bride with a service that is, per her religion, no-frills. But who has time for all of that frippery, anyway, when war’s a-comin’?
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Indeed, the newlyweds barely have time to butter each other’s bannocksbefore Jamie — as well as his uncle — must join the Continental Army and prepare for battle. Elsewhere in time, Brianna finds Jem (!), and Roger finds his dad (!!). Read on for the highlights of “Hello, Goodbye.”
DADDY ISSUES | I normally stick the MacKenzies at the bottom of the recap, but they’ve got a LOT going on right now, so let’s kick it off with them — starting with Roger. As Buck and Roger break camp one morning, Rog realizes that Loch Errochty, aka the body of water whose dam Brianna works at — is nearby. And if she felt a time portal while trapped in the tunnel, it goes to figure that there may be some standing stones nearby.
The two men investigate and find the mystical spot… along with aviator goggles and a military-issued survival kit nearby. Then they run into a boy who’s using a pilot’s helmet as a basket, and he points them in the direction of a strangely dressed man who stole a sheep. And then, after Roger spends a fair amount of time yelling “Jerry MacKenzie!” in the woods, they find him: Roger’s father, a Royal Air Force pilot everyone thought died in battle.
Jerry is highly suspicious of these two men who know his name. “I’m like you. I’m from a different time,” Roger explains, reciting facts about the future to prove it. Jerry has a gash on his hand, and he allows Roger to clean it; while he does so, Jerry answers Roger’s queries about Jem: He hasn’t seen him, and he’s missing his own infant son. “God, I need to get back to him. He’s just a baby,” Jerry says, upset. “It’s all right,” Roger answers, holding back tears. “He’ll be all right. I’m sure of it.” Jerry is starting to wonder why Roger and Buck are so willing to help him, but then the stolen-sheep’s owners come after him, and the trio is forced to run.
Buck and Roger get Jerry back to the stones. Roger hands him a gem and instructs him to think of his wife, Marjorie, and only his wife as he’s passing through. Jerry, even more confused as to why this stranger knows his wife’s name, demands that Rog tell him something true. “We win the war,” he says, choked. Jerry steps through the stones, Roger whispers “I love you” at his father’s back, and that’s that.
Later on, Roger confesses that he was thinking about Jerry when they most recently time-traveled. “I think the stones brought us here so I could save his life,” he muses, theorizing that if you’re concentrating on someone, you might be able to travel greater distances than usual. Also, he realizes, “If that’s why we’re here, then maybe Jem isn’t.”
JEM IS SAFE! | He’s right! Rob has stashed the kid in the same tunnel he trapped Bree in when he pranked her — God, this guy is such an unoriginal idiot — and that smart little kiddo figures his way out! (Side note: Do I doubt that Jemmy would be able to remember Brianna’s story about how she escaped, word for word? I do! But let’s move on. I also loved how he told himself “On your feet, soldier” like his grannie Claire always said. What a brave little moppet!)
Back at Lallybroch, Brianna has Rob tied up in the priest’s hole off the kitchen. She slaps him, demanding to know where her son is, but he won’t tell: If she kills him, he points out, she’ll never find Jem. She shuts him in again, realizes the phone is out, and loads Mandy into the car to go to the police.
Along the way, Brianna asks her daughter if she can sense Jem. She can, kinda, so they play a game of Hot and Cold as Bree drives. As they near Loch Errochty, Brianna realizes what might’ve happened — just as Mandy yells “Hot, Mommy, really hot!” And then Brianna almost runs over Jem, who’s gotten out of the tunnel and made his way out to the road. She leaps out of the car and embraces him.
WHERE’D ROB GO? | OK, now all that’s left is to lead the police back to Lallybroch to arrest Rob, right? Wrong: When they get there, he’s somehow escaped. Since the door locks only from the outside, Bree immediately suggests that he has accomplices. But the cops see the wine glasses, and note Roger’s absence, and start to imply that she and Rob are having an affair. They want to talk to Roger. Bree stonewalls, which doesn’t help her case.
After law enforcement leaves, Brianna realizes she’s got to do it all herself. She brings the kids, as well as the chest holding Claire and Jamie’s letters, to Fiona and Ernie. And that’s when we learn that Bree has a gun and is planning on using it.
IAN AND RACHEL GET HITCHED! | OK, onto happy wedding times! On the morning of Ian and Rachel’s wedding day, Ian confesses to his uncle that he’s nervous about the wedding night: He’s not a virgin, but Rachel is. That allows Jamie to reminisce about his own wedding night/deflowering, and the advice Claire gave him: “Go slowly. Pay attention.” Ian nods. “Was she gentle with you?” Jamie chuckles. “God, no.” (Side note: I don’t want to kill the vibe, but Rollo’s looking quite old over there by the fire, isn’t he?) Meanwhile, in another room, Claire and Mercy help Rachel get ready. They talk about how Jamie and Ian will take up their military commissions soon. And because Claire has seen Jamie through roughly three zillion battles by this point, she offers this counsel: “Your love becomes a shield, your armor. You wake up everyday, you put it on, and you fight.”
Denzell arrives just before the ceremony, asking Jamie if he’s heard from Lord John. “He was badly injured. To be honest, he was in quite a state, bloodied and bruised with a broken eye socket,” Dr. Hunter explains, and Jamie mumbles something about their having “had words,” which is the biggest understatement that ever understated on this show since Jamie told Claire “dinna fash” in Wentworth Prison in Season 1.
Jamie is appropriately brought up short when Dr. Hunter relates that he was asked to heal John “because they wanted him to be strong enough to stand at the gallows.” He’s slightly relieved when he hears how John escaped, and he says, “John can take care of himself,” but he’s still worried. AS HE SHOULD BE.
SPIRITED DISCUSSION | In accordance with Quaker tradition, Rachel says some introductory words at the wedding, then everyone sits in silence in the parlor until moved to speak. Rollo yawns. Claire looks amused. She’s whispering with Jamie when they get caught and Jamie winds up being the first to speak. He says some nice things about the happy couple. Then Denzell stands and starts off by talking about how he feels extreme guilt about getting him and his sister kicked out of meeting and getting her wrapped up in conflict. “Do you think I should say it’s all my fault for being a bad influence on Ian?” Jamie whispers. “IF the spirit moves you to. But personally, I’d advise you and the spirit to stay out of it,” Claire quips. But Denzell ends his speech by saying that everything was worth it if it brought his sister happiness in the form of Ian.
Ian’s up next. “It’s true I’ve kent darkness, but Rachel, you’ve given me light,” he says. Aw, guys! Then she says and says her vows. Claire and Jamie are happily teary, watching the proceedings. He kisses her hand, which is clasped in his. Guys, I still love them so much.
THE WEDDING NIGHT | We then skip to Rachel and Ian’s wedding night, which unfolds in sweet, relaxed fashion. He’s careful with her. She’s not as bashful as he might have expected. Pretty soon, they’re both in just their respective puffy shirts and down to have a pants-off ceilidh for two. I love a couple of things about this scene. First, when Rachel reaches for her new husband and observes “Thy skin is so soft down there,” I love how John Bell has Ian nearly GONE already, his eyes rolling back in his head. (If I remember the book correctly, this is canon.) Second, Rachel’s down-to-earth plan for getting “the painful part” done so she can relax feels so true to her highly practical character. The whole thing is the right mix of sweet and sexy. Well done.
In another bedroom, Jamie is awake and thinking about Lord John. And, because this is not one of those fan fics, NOT IN THAT WAY. He’s still angry over what transpired between Claire and the Brit, and he’s feeling bad about William, who’s still MIA. Claire softly points out that Jamie will eventually understand that she and Grey did what they did because they both love him so much.
Lord John is not in a cozy bedroom, but snoozing under a fallen tree, when he’s discovered by a Continental regiment. He tells them he’s Bertram Armstrong — which is technically not a lie, given that those are two of his many names.
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THE MEN GET READY | The next morning, as he gets ready to go out for his first day as a Continental scout, Ian promises Rachel that he won’t kill anyone unless he has to, and he probably won’t have to. But she’s like, I know what I bought into. He looks at her adoringly, vowing, “I’ll do my best to return to you every night.”
A similar scene is playing out between Mr. — excuse me, Gen. — and Mrs. Fraser. Jamie looks rather regal in his Continental army uniform, and Claire reassures him that she understands why he feels the need to fight once more. She’s also very much planning to stick as close as possible for as long as possible. She fondly gives him a once-over. “At least this time,” she says, “it’s the right color.”
Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!
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