Synopsis:
Jamie discovers Arch Bug has been keeping a dangerous secret. In the 20th century, Roger and Brianna found a link to Jamie and Claire.
This episode felt like another chapter closed in the series. There were many goodbyes and new beginnings.
Bree & Roger:
We start the episode with Bree and Roger back at the Wakefield house. An old chest is delivered with Jemmy’s name on it. We learn that this chest has been in a vault for 200 years. Bree and Roger find a musket ball and letters from Jamie and Claire inside. They learn Jamie and Claire escaped the house fire. They also realize they’ve changed history. The date that this fire happened was before the date stated in the obituary. It’s strange that Bree and Roger would be so happy about this. Yes, they prevented Jamie and Claire’s death, but their house still burned down. Reading on, Roger reads Jamie’s letter about the Jacobite gold. It looks like they have some inheritance now, even though they will have to get Jemmy to locate it for them. Even though they both wanted to leave the gold alone, when they found out that Lallybroch was for sale, I’m sure they’d dig it up to purchase their relative’s old home. I think later on this season, and it will be a mind trip to see Jamie, Claire, and young Ian back at Lallybroch visiting Jenny and Ian when in the future, Bree and Roger will live there as well. On a side note, we also learn that Mandy is healthy and well. I’m guessing Bree and Roger headed back to Boston, where Claire used to work, to get Mandy treated before heading back to Scotland. I wish we had seen that play out. This is because since it was such a huge plot point for Bree and Roger to leave the past, Mandy’s health seemed more like an afterthought in this episode.
Jamie, Claire & Ian:
Following the explosion, we see that Jamie and Claire escaped just in time. We also find that Mr. and Mrs. Bug survived as well. We don’t hear anything about Wendigo and his men, but I’m assuming they died. It was sad to see Jamie and Claire’s house burn down, along with all their belongings. But a couple of things survived. Of course, these items are objects of importance to the series. Like Claire’s medical journal, Jamie’s kilt, and William’s portrait. Speaking of William, I was happy that young Ian put the pieces together about Jamie being William’s father. Ian seems to figure out secrets pretty quickly. However, it’s nice that he’s in the know along with Jamie and Claire and doesn’t make a fuss about any of it. He accepts his aunt and uncle for who they are. Adso makes a comeback in this episode, and we find out he’s missing.
To add more drama to the story, there is a big calamity about some lost Jacobite gold. This must have gone over my head, but I don’t remember hearing about Aunt Jocasta having the gold at River Run. I also don’t remember the story about how this gold was supposed to be for the cause. It was unknown to me that the gold was divided between clans. Being unfamiliar with the Bugs, it was surprising that they stole Jocasta’s gold. And even worse, they hid it beneath Jamie and Claire’s house. Finding out that the Bugs were thieves, I thought Jamie and young Ian went overboard with their actions. I understand that the gold didn’t belong to the Bugs. However, instead of confronting them during the night, I thought it was rash that Jamie and Ian were armed. This was when, evidently, Mrs. Bug was killed. Like I said before, Ian has become brutal when defending others. This time, he regretted his actions. He gave Mr. Bug the chance for revenge, but he didn’t take it.
Back to Jamie and Claire’s journey. Jamie shows Claire where he plans to build their new home. It looked like it was a whole new piece of land, which intrigued me since they had already built a life on the Ridge. Maybe since their house burned down, it was a sign to move on and start anew. But speaking of starting anew, we get the bombshell that Jamie wants to go back to Scotland. He finally wants to return young Ian to his home and doesn’t intend to face William in battle. Knowing that Jamie participated in the Revolutionary War, it will be interesting to see how he navigates coming in contact with his son.
We hear about another dream Jamie had about Bree and Roger in the future. His dreams are becoming extraordinarily accurate, and I’m pretty sure now that this is connected to Jamie’s “ghost.” He knew about Fiona at the Wakefield house, and the box Bree and Roger received. He didn’t realize that there were letters he and Claire had written inside. That’s probably what pushed him and Claire to start writing. I wonder, too, when the musket ball will be added to the box, possibly during the war.
Now that the Frasers have the Jacobite gold, Jamie decides to melt some of it and hide the rest. He takes Claire to the Spaniards’ Cave, where we learn that Jamie took Jemmy on one of their hunting trips. You would think Jamie would want to return the gold to Jocasta, since it was at her house to begin with. But instead, Jamie turns into the thief himself. I guess since Jocasta is his relative, the gold might have been passed down to him at some point. However, at the same time, you have a target on your back if someone discovers that you have the gold in your possession.
To end the episode, Jamie and Claire gear up for their Scotland trip. Jamie gifts Claire with a knife, and like we’ve seen, we get a reference to the couple’s wedding day. The two cut their thumbs and recreated their “blood of my blood” oath. After, they said their goodbyes to Lizzy and the twins, who looked like they would be the new heads of the Ridge. Also, Claire finds Adso in the woods and has a tearful goodbye with the cat. I didn’t think this was needed since we had seen Adso only a couple of times. Claire was so sad to leave her cat, but she was content when saying goodbye to Lizzy and the twins. It didn’t really make sense to me. But finally, Claire discovers the stick Jamie hammered into the ground to signify their boundary line. It was bittersweet to see the flashback of this moment, and it already felt long ago. It felt like the closing chapter on Frasers Ridge, but I am excited to see the show return to Scotland, where it all began.
