Synopsis:
When a violent tragedy shakes the Ridge, the Frasers must lean on their new tenants to make the community whole again.
William begins investigating at the army campsite, while Jamie continues to probe more deeply into what his fate may hold.
William:
Flashing back to London in 1775, we see William with Henry and Ben. Ben has just joined the army, and they celebrate the achievement together. Back in the present day, however, Henry receives terrible news from William on his wedding day. Though it’s unfortunate that William must be the one to tell him about his brother, the moment sets William on a path to uncover the truth about Ben’s death.
When William arrives at the army camp, no one seems particularly willing to share information. By that point, Ben had reportedly become a prisoner. William is at least able to collect Ben’s belongings and visit his grave. What catches his attention, though, is what he learns about Ben’s condition before his death. Apparently, Ben had been doing well and seemed to be recovering, which raises a red flag. How could someone suffering from jail fever die so suddenly if he was on the mend?
That’s when William gets an idea. He digs up Ben’s grave and discovers that his cousin isn’t actually buried there. Now the real question emerges: what happened to Ben? Did he escape from prison, or is someone covering something up?
Claire:
It was heartwarming to see Claire spending more time with Fanny. She teaches her about bacteria and how the human body works, and the two share some meaningful conversations. Claire reassures Fanny that she can tell the family anything and doesn’t need to be afraid. At the same time, she warns her to be cautious around some of the other residents in town. Hearing that made me a little nervous—it almost felt like foreshadowing, and I really hope nothing bad happens to Fanny.
Later that day, a horrific bear attack occurs while Bri, Rachel, Lizzie, and Amy are out foraging. Amy is mauled, and sadly Claire isn’t able to save her. In the moment it seemed strange that Claire couldn’t do more, considering all the surgeries she’s performed before. But then it’s easy to remember that Claire lost all of her equipment and medicines in the house fire, so she likely didn’t have the tools needed to stop Amy’s internal bleeding. It’s unfortunate Bri couldn’t bring anything useful from the future to help. I also felt bad for Bri—she believes she might have been able to stop the attack. She had her rifle with her, but froze in the moment.
While preparing Amy’s body for the funeral, Mrs. Cunningham unexpectedly shows up and offers to help Claire with the preparations. During their conversation, we learn more about her—she’s had her share of burying husbands and children—and Claire sympathizes with her. We also finally learn Mrs. Cunningham’s first name: Elspeth. It seems like she and Claire might end up becoming friends after all.
Later that day, Claire, Bri, and Rachel are making sauerkraut to help with Rachel’s pregnancy. Before long, Rachel goes into labor, and Ian is there to witness the birth. He holds the baby as he and Rachel try to decide on a name. It’s funny that they can’t quite settle on one, so for the time being, the baby is still called Oggy.
Jamie:
Roger and Jamie spend more time together, and we finally learn what happened to Buck—he stayed behind in 1739. Still, I wish we had gotten a bit more information about that decision. It’s hard to understand why he wouldn’t want to remain with Roger and Bri.
Jamie also asks Roger for insight about Frank’s book. In it, Jamie reads about men he is supposedly meant to fight alongside during the war. Roger doesn’t recognize the names Jamie mentions, but the conversation still raises suspicion about whether Jamie truly ends up participating in the war at all. During their discussion, Charles Cunningham appears again. He and Jamie talk, and we learn that Charles is a Freemason. The two decide to hold a Lodge meeting together. Their relationship seems to be growing, but Jamie and Roger both remain cautious. It feels very much like the saying, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
After the bear attack, Jamie asks Mr. Lindsey and his son to join the others in tracking the bear. While searching through the woods, they discover that Charles has already killed it. Once again, it feels like a strange coincidence—Charles just happened to be out there looking for the bear as well? It definitely raises the question of what he was really doing in the woods.
That night, after Ian’s son is born, he and Jamie share a heartfelt moment. Ian says he hopes that one day Jenny will be able to meet his son, and he wishes his father were still alive. He tells Jamie that he has been like a second father to him, which is incredibly touching. In many ways it’s true—Jamie has been there for so many of the important moments in Ian’s life, perhaps even more than his own parents.
The next day, a mysterious man comes to see Jamie. He’s very standoffish toward Claire, and we learn that his name is Benjamin Cleveland—one of the men Jamie read about in Frank’s book. Benjamin asks if Jamie plans to rejoin the army and wants him to help the mountain men, who are trying to protect their land from the Tories. He also brings up that Cunningham is a Tory and suggests Jamie should get rid of him. Jamie clearly feels uneasy around Benjamin, especially after learning that Benjamin was responsible for hanging several Tories in the woods. It seems like Benjamin will do whatever it takes to get his way, which makes it surprising to think Jamie might fight alongside him.
Jamie later tells Claire about the meeting, and they once again discuss Frank’s book. Claire reveals that when she and Frank reunited, he told her not to try to find Jamie again. She never understood why Frank would be searching for Jamie in history, but Jamie suddenly realizes that maybe Frank was actually trying to find Claire—to see if she eventually returned to the past. There’s a lot to unpack there. It makes you wonder whether the book Frank wrote might have been something of a revenge piece about Jamie, perhaps even documenting how he dies.
During the Lodge meeting, we learn more about Cunningham. He speaks about losing his wife and son and recounts his son’s final words—that he would see him again in seven years. It’s a very ominous statement and makes me wonder if Charles’s fate might be approaching sooner rather than later.
Later that night, Jamie can’t stop reading Frank’s book. On a side note, I love that Tobias Menzies provides the voiceovers as Frank. His voice carries such an ominous tone, and it instantly brings me back to Season 1—especially the moments when Black Jack Randall threatened Jamie. It almost feels like Jamie is facing that presence all over again, but this time through Black Jack’s descendant. At this point, Jamie is becoming increasingly unsettled and fixated on every word Frank wrote. So far, the events Frank described have been coming true, and Jamie’s skepticism seems to be turning into real concern. Even after making love to Claire, he can’t stop thinking about what might happen to her if he dies.
