Synopsis:
Jamie races towards Wilmington to rescue Claire from the gallows, only to discover that the American Revolution has well and truly reached North Carolina.
Opening season 7, it took some turns I didn’t expect. Even though the episode progressed at a slower pace, it set up for what was to come: the Revolutionary War.
Claire:
Like clockwork, there is always a consensus that if Claire is taken, Jamie is more than likely to get her back. Jamie didn’t let us down again. Watching Claire’s storyline, I was surprised we didn’t spend more time in the prison. Claire got taken aboard a ship, and I got flashbacks to season 3 when Claire got hijacked to care for sick men aboard the Artemis. And along with season 3 flashbacks, we got throwbacks. When tending to Governor Martin’s pregnant wife, as Claire did with Jamie, she gave Mrs. Martin some ginger tea to help her seasickness. We also meet Major MacDonald again, whom we met last season. And as usual, we find out that Claire isn’t returning ashore until the ship’s voyage is done. Thankfully, we have Tom Christie to thank for Claire’s safe return.
Jamie:
Even though Jamie kind of saved the day, I felt like he mostly ran around finding a way to save Claire. But we got glimpses of his dark side again. Keeping the throwbacks alive, Jamie was all about saying his vows as a mantra. In the opening of the episode, Jamie referenced the blood vow. When talking to Tom Christie, he referenced back to, “You have my name, my clan, my family. And, if necessary, the protection of my body as well.” Jamie hadn’t done this before, so it was sweet to hear him utter these words again. Because he will do whatever he can to save his wife. We saw some sweet moments between Jamie and Claire, but nothing to swoon over. What we got, though, was dark Jamie. I have to admit I loved this. As Jamie has grown throughout the series, his personality has shifted quite a bit. We don’t see his fiery temper that much anymore, but it was back in this episode. Starting in the jail, Jamie wasn’t about to mess around to find out information about Claire. I was taken aback when he grew angry with Sadie. And especially since she is a woman. He got all up in her face. Weirdly enough. Jamie didn’t get out of control when talking to Governor Martin. He tried to keep calm and negotiate Claire’s release. I guess he had to. Otherwise, more damage would have been done. But then we got a big surprise. Jamie discovered Richard Brown was staying in Wilmington and snuck into his room to kill him secretly. The Browns have been the bane of the Frasers’ existence for a while, but I was shocked that Jamie was still thinking about him with everything else taking place. The whole last scene was thrilling. Seeing Jamie sitting in the dark, telling Richard that he’s a violent man, but he keeps it at bay because of Claire. That was some information we didn’t know about. And what was even more amazing was that Jamie had already planned ahead. He had young Ian run off and kill Brown’s men already, so Richard’s threats had no weight. Of course, it faded to black when it looked like Jamie was about to attack Brown, but I’m wondering if the deed got done. I feel like something backfired.
Bree and Roger:
Taking more of a glimpse into the Revolutionary War, we see that Roger was put in charge of giving uplifting words of wisdom and prayer to the soldiers. What was interesting was that Roger ran into Wendigo Donner. A blast from the past, who was part of Brown’s men and made himself known to Claire. Wendigo is still trying to find a way to get back home and wants Roger to help him. Being a man of faith, Roger is willing to help him, but ultimately, Bree finds out what he’s up to. She pleads that it’s an unwise idea, and I could see both points of view. Yes, it was wrong for Wendigo not to help Claire escape Brown, but would Wendigo want to endanger his own life? In the end, Roger agrees with Bree and prays for Wendigo’s safe return instead. This storyline didn’t provide much for the episode, but this might give us more insight into how Roger helps out during the war.
Tom Christie:
Who would have thought Tom would make such a big gesture in this episode? So many twists and turns, and he saves Claire’s life. Ending last season, we saw that Tom wanted to make sure Claire was safe when taken to Wilmington. We knew that he was hanging around the prison. I already sensed some peculiar actions from him, concerned about Claire’s well-being. When Claire was on the boat, she sent a letter to Tom, asking for materials to treat Mrs. Martin. Being as smart as she is, Claire lets Tom know where she is. This, in turn, gave us Jamie’s attempt at saving Claire, but unfortunately, not having any luck. This is when Tom drops the bomb on Jamie and Claire.
