“Outlander” recap: Jemmy is home

It was the best of times and the worst of times, which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Outlander. In the grand scheme of things, we are used to taking two steps forward and one step back in this time-traveling adventure. What I didn’t expect was a redhead channeling her father’s rage so she could backhand a villain into next Tuesday.

Hell hath no fury like an Outlander woman scorned.

Brianna (Sophie Skelton) has absolutely no problem sequestering Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) in the secret hidey-hole of her ancestor’s castle and slapping him around for information about her son. She threatens to kill Rob until he reminds Bri that Jemmy is all alone, hungry, and scared. He knows that Bri needs him alive to find the boy.

Little does Rob know about the spidey sense young Jemmy shares with his sister Mandy. Although the girl doesn’t “feel” her brother at the moment, Bri is not deterred. Surely, the police will know what to do. She kicks Rob in the face, unwisely leaves him in the closet, grabs her daughter, and drives off as the camera switches to Jemmy screaming for help in a very dark place.

Related: Outlander recap: Is Lord John dead?

We quickly learn that it isn’t a cave, but a tunnel. Jemmy is in the hydroelectric dam where his mother and Rob work. Luckily, this whip-smart boy recalls how his mother was hazed on her first day and how she was locked under the tunnel. He stumbles upon an abandoned hard hat (with a light) and sets off to find a way out, listening to his own mother’s voice in his head as he carefully makes his way opposite the locked door.

Jemmy finds the breaker box, just as his mom did, and flips the switches. Suddenly, the scene switches to Mandy, who can “feel” her brother. Bri brilliantly suggests that she and Mandy play “hot or cold” to locate Jemmy. As the little girl shouts warmer, Bri continues to drive recklessly through the Scottish countryside.

Meanwhile, in 1739, Roger (Richard Rankin) and Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) have put two and two together. They are standing in the very spot where the tunnel is going to be built, where Jemmy is roaming in the present. Roger tells Buck that Bri felt a time portal under the dam, meaning there must be stones somewhere nearby. Roger’s father must have accidentally gone through that one.

They easily find the stone monument and are impacted by the buzzing sensation. Roger finds an abandoned survival kit and some goggles that are clearly his father’s. He yells for Jerry, his dad’s name, but we see Jemmy “hear” his dad calling for him in his timeline. Roger notices a boy behind a boulder, and Mandy screams, “HOT,” to the top of her lungs.

Did Jemmy fall through the stones? I was alive in the '80s, and to my knowledge, no one in my neighborhood walked around with gemstones in their pockets. Do I not understand the mechanics of time travel? What did I miss?

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

I missed nothing. Jemmy is out of the tunnel wandering down the street and is nearly run over by his mother, who is driving like a maniac trying to find the “hot” source her daughter is chanting about in the back seat. She hugs her boy tightly, commends his bravery, and assures Jemmy that he is safe. Doubtful, but I understand her need to diffuse the situation.

You may be wondering who the boy is in Roger’s time. He’s a shepherd boy who saw a strangely dressed man. The boy told the villagers about this stranger, and then he ran off into the woods. Roger and Buck head off in that direction, shouting for Jeremiah to come out. 

Back in our third timeline, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) prepare for Young Ian’s (John Bell) wedding to Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small). Claire assures Rachel that her simple wedding dress is lovely. Who needs flowers or anything fancy? All that matters is that she loves Ian.

Jamie and Ian’s conversation is a little more saucy. He asks his uncle for advice about sleeping with a virgin, and Jamie, harkening back to his own wedding night, tells Ian he should be gentle. When Ian asks if Claire was gentle, Jamie informs his nephew that she was not. It’s hard to believe that infamous episode aired 10 years ago.

Denzell (Joey Phillips) makes it in time for the nuptials and is concerned to hear that Lord John (David Berry) never returned home. Is it because he’s dead? WE DO NOT KNOW! Denzell tells Jamie that the last time he saw his friend, he had slipped him a knife, and he had escaped in the night. Otherwise, he would have been hung. OR SHOT.

There’s no time to dwell, because the clock has struck 12, and it’s time to get married! Or so we thought. Apparently, the spirit has to move everyone before the blessed event can happen, and that took about 20 minutes before Jamie eventually told the group that Ian means the world to him.

Denzell is next, and he admits that he feels guilty that he was kicked out of the “meeting” for joining the Continental Army. Therefore, his sister is in constant danger because she follows him. But now that she’s found Ian, he is no longer plagued. Ian is her home now.

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This causes Ian to stand and confess his love for Rachel, who has given him light, joy, and freedom. Rachel then stands and takes Ian as her husband. She vows to be a loving and faithful wife.

And just like that, these two crazy kids are married. And have an even crazier wedding night, considering Rachel is quite adventurous, which seems to delight Ian to no end.

In another bed chamber, Jamie broods about what has become of John, knowing he was almost hanged on his account. Plus, William (Charles Vandervaart) hates his guts, which is highly annoying. Claire reminds Jamie that he is a good and honorable man, and she sees a lot of Jamie in William. He will be fine. He will come to understand why John and Jamie raised him the way they did.

Speaking of Lord John, he’s alive! Rejoice! Sure, he has one eye and gives a bogus name to an American militiaman, but that’s neither here nor there. John. Is. Alive.

Do you know who else is alive? Roger’s dad. Roger and Buck find Jerry, and it takes a minute for Roger to collect his emotions after meeting his dad for the first time. He eases into the conversation by sharing that he is a time traveler, too. Then he asks about Jemmy, but Jerry only knows the shepherd boy. He’s seen no other children.

Just as Roger and Buck are explaining time travel through stones, we hear barking dogs and the familiar voice of the shepherd boy shouting directions at the villagers to seize Jerry. The three men take off in the direction of the stones.

Roger tells his dad to think specifically of his wife the entire time he touches the stones. He tells him that they won the war because of people like him. Then, Roger shoves a gemstone in his dad’s hand, hurries him toward the buzzing noise, and whispers, “I love you,” as his dad disappears.

Roger expects to be flooded with memories since he essentially saved his dad’s life, but none come. He did see himself as a boy in his dad’s arms, which is encouraging. Buck warns him that anywhere his dad went is better than here.

Roger takes a beat and thinks back to what he was thinking about when he went through the stones. He was thinking of his father. He assumes that is why he and Buck ended up in this timeline. If they are here because of his father, that means Jemmy is more than likely not in 1739.

Related: Outlander recap: Claire responds to Lord John's proposal

Cool. Now, all they have to do is find two gemstones and get back to the '80s, where Bri is holding court with the police, who, OF COURSE, found the hidey-hole closet empty upon their return from finding Jemmy. Naturally, Bri can’t answer any of their logical questions as to why they can’t call her husband or what Rob was doing at her house to begin with. It all sounds very fishy in their perspective.

Bri calls Fiona to take the box of letters her parents left for her and wastes no time telling her friend she has a gun if things go south. She knows Roger won’t come back without their son, so she must hold down the fort until he returns. If push comes to shove and Bri has to face Rob again, my money is on the redhead.

Back in Claire’s timeline, we see Jamie approach her in his military garb. He has to report for duty and is concerned that Claire has seen enough war for two lifetimes. My gut tells me three, but what do I know? Claire tells Jamie that she would rather be with him at war than by herself at home. It’s her decision, and she’s happy that he’s in the correct color uniform this time.

Blue looks so much better than red. 

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