Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for Outlander Season7, Episode 1 premiere episode, “A Life Well Lost.”
It’s finally happened. After 411 days, Outlander is back. And more stressful than ever. You want joy and happiness? “No,” says Outlander. Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan returned with a bang (and an almost hang) in the way only Claire and Jamie Fraser can do. Last season, the star-crossed couple was separated yet again when one was almost sent to “Scotland” in a body bag, and the other thrown into the slammer to “hang” out. Sorry too soon, I know. This episode makes it seem like it was just yesterday when the Frasers were snug as two bugs in that trauma wagon. Outlanderhasn’t missed a beat. Get ready as we break down all the best parts of the return of Outlander, season 7 promises to be one of the best yet, matching the number of episodes that season 1 had. That’s right 16 episodes. So much Outlander, so little time (travel). But here we go, Claire, Jamie, Brianna, Roger and the rest of the Fraser gang are running amok all the time, every time. Brace yourselves.
Claire Fraser is Not Okay
Good lord. Watch Outlander they said, it’ll be fun they said, you get to hang out with Jamie and Claire they said. They did NOT say what kind of hang out. Claire being hung is not cool James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser’s psyche. Sir. What. That will stay with me forever. Shudders. This family gets almost hanged or hanged way too much. Roger did not deserve that ever. The first shot was of Claire’s feet. I thought, “Aw, Claire’s on a porch.” Nope not a porch. A platform to be hung. What. Why. Sidebar: The outfit Claire’s wearing really brings out the blue in her eyes. Yes, gurl. Way to rock that trauma platform. Omg, Outlander how dare you start like this. I almost passed out. The rope snap. Definitely going to have a nightmare about Jamie’s nightmare. And I’m awake.
Jamie Fraser: “Let’s go get my wife”
Thankfully, Claire being hung is just a traumatic nightmare is having while he is fully awake, like me. Like all of you now. Jamie tells Young Ian, “Let’s go get my wife.” Yes, sir! Go get your wife. Also his eyes look very blue too. Don’t hate Jamie and Claire because they’re bluetiful. Ian and Jamie angrily riding horses to go get their aunt and wife respectively. Nothing is hotter.
Let’s pause to appreciate the new opening credits sung by the legendary Sinead O’Connor. Wow. It’s hauntingly beautiful, but the ending of it is worrisome. It’s just a whisper, almost as if it’s someone’s last breath, “Sing me a song of a lass that is gone, say could that lass be I?” Like no breath left at all! I don’t know why, but hearing this was an unnerving as that aerial shot of Claire being hung then dangling. But there is one new thing that fans noticed right away, Balfe and Heughan are now executive producers of the show.
Nobody Puts Claire in a Prison!
Phew, Claire is alive. And rocking a little poufy bob. Thanks to her Malva “While You Were Sleeping” Haircut. Claire bear with short hair don’t care because she’s in prison. Seems like Claire has already made a best prison friend, Sadie, who loves whisky. Aww, besties who love whiskies. But Sadie also seems like she’d sell Claire out for 25 cents to put into her whisky fund. I think Sadie might be an alcoholic. Just saying. Claire tells her new questionable best prison friend, “I am innocent.” Sadie is hilarious and replies, “Of course you are, you stick to it.” Claire realizes that they may all be in jail forever, because of the incoming war.
Brianna Drops Roger Off at God School
Roger and Brianna seem to be at minister camp on the beach. Sign me up (for the beach, that is). It seems Roger is going to put his minister skills in place, how nice. Roger’s first assignment is to give support to soldiers and their prisoners, who are not confident in Roger’s ability to help. So Roger pulls out a Muhammed Ali quote and says, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and God will truly go with thee.” It’s almost like Roger was in a meeting, and wasn’t paying attention, and then he got called on to give his opinion. Well done, Big Mac. All of a sudden one of the prisoners yells out, “Ali.” And to my great disappointment, Roger does not reply, “Oop” back. Oh well.
Bad Time-Travelers
Roger runs over to find out who this obviously a time traveler prisoner is. He says his name is, “Wendigo Donner!” Dum da dum! Roger tells him he knows he’s one of Brown’s men who attacked Claire! Donner claims, “Whoa dude, I didn’t hurt her!” No, you just watched her getting hurt by multiple awful humans. Who by the way, are the reason she is now in prison! Sorry, screaming at Wendigo is an Olympic sport and I’m in it for the gold medal. Roger wins silver. You’ll see why. Maybe, bronze.
Donner drones on about how he just wants to go home and has a gem, and Roger looks like he’s falling for this fake tears act! Listen, Wen digo-yourself into a hole, be quiet. You could have saved, Claire. You just had to untie her, and run like the two time travelers you are, hide behind a tree and wait for Jamie.
Prison Break: The Claire Fraser Story
Back in the slammer, Claire is chatting with biffle Sadie, and all of a sudden two soldiers come in looking for a healer. It turns out they want the one that is not a murderess. Ruh-roh, Claire Bear, this does not look great for you. Oh wait, Sadie exclaims, “I love murder!” Okay, she didn’t but she made the soldiers think she was the “murderess,” said in that creepy way only the alive Brown brother whose name I will not say calls Claire. Let’s call him Not Dead Brother Brown. The soldiers tell Claire she has to come with them, but will not tell her where. Not scared at all.
Tom Christie’s Seen Better Days
Jamie and Ian gallop into Wilmington, and a haggard looking Tom Christie is waiting for them in front of the jail, Jamie’s first question is, “Where’s Claire?!” Tom replies, “She’s gone.” Tom, you had ONE job. Jamie says basically the same thing, except he’s not screaming like me. He’s saying it in a calm, dulcet, “I will murder you Tom” voice. Young Ian, being the mini Jamie legend he is, finds out that his Aunty Claire was taken! But they don’t know where, so Jamie looks at the prisoners, and Sadie asks him, “Got you a drink, sir?” Ah, Sadie, I hope one day you come back to the Ridge, you would be a great bartender (who drank all the alcohol). Okay, maybe not. Jamie drops coins in Sadie’s hand and then she tries to negotiate for more, but Jamie leans in, in a mildly threatening way, and she tells him, “You should be thanking me.” But another prisoner is like, “She lies.” Jamie is not happy with Sadie, but he learns from the warden, her husband took her. So Jamie and Ian race off.
Claire’s on a boat
Claire arrives on a boat in the middle of the foggy ocean. This is not great. Jamie doesn’t love boats, and of course that’s where they took her. Claire has been called to help Governor Martin’s wife, Mrs. Martin, who is pregnant and hysterical. Of course, Claire is as calm as the ocean. The distraught woman figures out Claire is “the woman accused of murdering her husband’s pregnant mistress!” Whoa, whoa, that’s not true. Claire tells her she didn’t murder anyone, and there was never a mistress. And truer words have never been said. “You’re quite notorious, the talk of the town,” she tells Claire. Thankfully, as Claire usually does, she helps the woman, so she agrees to keep her little murder charge between them. Phew. But of course, in typical Outlander fashion, we only get 30 seconds of peace.
Roger, Roger, Roger…
Roger gets ready to set out to help more soldiers and Brianna notices his bag is quite heavy. He has what I’ll call a horse shoe hammer. Brianna asks Roger, “That’s for Wendigo Donner? You’re going to help him escape?!” Bree is mad. Roger says he just wants to help, because according to Claire Wendigo didn’t do anything! Yes, Roger! Our point exactly! Brianna says, “He just stood by and did nothing while my mother was brutally attacked.” Roger pleads he’s “desperate and scared and just wants to go home.” Um. Roger. Who else felt that way, Oh Claire. Brianna is mad, and I agree with her. Roger explains that he watched Stephen Bonnet kill a baby by tossing it off a boat. And he felt powerless. He feels Donner was in the same position. “Bye Roger,” says Bree (and me). But Brianna is deeply upset, understandably.
When I first saw this scene I was mad, but when I watched this scene for a second time, something weird happened. When I heard Roger explaining how he felt trapped seeing Bonnet murder 2 people in front of him, I had a sliver of sympathy for where Roger was coming from. He’s still wrong about Wendig-you-go-when-you-should-have-saved-claire-go donner, but I get it.
Roger comes to make peace with Bree who’s sitting on the beach and who’s still upset. Roger don’t give Bree this stress. Beaches are never a good place for Bree. Roger tells her he’s going to help Wendigo by praying for him. Announcing you’re praying for the guy who watched your mother-in-law get brutally attacked. Please. He’s trash and Wendigo like Bonnet does not seem good. The Frasers and MacKenzies trust too many people. Stop releasing criminals into the wild they just come back to bite you.
Claire Writes a List
Claire asks Governor Martin if she can go into town to get some medical supplies. That doesn’t fly without the super stressed Gov. Nice try, Claire. He tells her to make a list and they’ll send someone. Governor Martin tells Claire she will remain on the ship til his wife gives birth. Okay, then. As Claire’s digesting this info, Major McDonald walks in. That little Major pain in the – um. He’s the one who kept sneezing in season 6 and interrupted Claire and Jamie’s morning sex time. Because he was allergic to their cat Adso. Rude. Major Jamie and Claire block. No one will ever forgive you, especially Adso. The Major of course sees an opportunity to stick to Claire and tell Governor Martin she’s the “murderess.” Luckily, Governor Martin dismisses Major McAllergy. But not before Claire Bear says in the poshest way possible, “Manipulative bastard.” Claire tells the Governor she’s innocent. And thankfully, she and the Gov, bond over lost children, she tells him that she lost a child too. RIP Faith. Will never not be sad.
A soldier brings Tom Claire’s list, and tells him to bring the supplies to the port immediately as they are about to set sail. Tom is elated. He looks at her list, and of course it says, my husband. Only Claire and Jamie put each other on a list. Why does Claire Fraser have the best penmanship? That’s not surgeon handwriting. We can actually read it and it’s beautiful. Of course, Claire is a doctor whose handwriting is perfect. That’s so Claire.
Reunited and it feels so Nautical
Tom gets Jamie the list. And says Claire wants him to get to the ship. Claire comes up on board and sees Jamie arriving on a tiny little row boat. He jumps aboard and then Jamie and Claire have their long awaited reunion kiss. You know the kind that they pretend it’s only them and no one else. This happens at 34mins and 34 seconds, for those who are time trackers. The soldier watching them says, “Excuse me this is not permitted.” And it is quite possibly the funniest line in the episode. Jamie and Claire prioritize making out. That will never change tiny soldier man. Side note: It’s super foggy. I blame Jamie and Claire.
Twitter fan @displaceintime was not into the kiss interruptus, “Jamie and Claire trying to have a moment and the annoying people who keep interrupting them.”
Jamie pleads with the Governor to release Claire, but sadly Jamie quitting as an Indian agent, makes the Governor not trust him. The Governor tells Jamie he must recruit 200 men to fight with them and he must report to Major McAllergy. And then and only then he will release Claire. Nah, bro. Things do not look good. Jamie tells Claire not to despair and then he kisses her goodbye. Mild panic.
Tom Christie & Claire
Tom tells Jamie he wants to help, and confess to Claire that he committed the murder. “On our wedding day, I swore to Claire the protection of his my name, my clan my family, and the protection of my body as well,” Jamie tells Tom, “I don’t need your help.” Eh, Jamie, take the help. This the most use Tom will ever have. Tom pleads with him, and Jamie realizes he can’t stop Tom. Jamie’s voice catches as tells Tom, “Send Claire back to me.” This is super sad, Tom asks Jamie what he would say as a eulogy, because they both know Tom will die when he does this.
Tom rows that little dingy to Claire’s big boat. Claire is confused. Tom tells her has come to confess to the murder of his daughter, Malva. Claire asks him if he’s insane. What happens next is one of the strongest scenes in Outlander history, that involves a character that isn’t Jamie or Claire. Mark Lewis Jones deserves an Emmy for this entire episode. Tom tells Claire Malva’s wasn’t his daughter, and then he said she was a witch. Claire tries to not roll her eyes. She does not succeed in this. Tom tells Claire Malva tried to kill them both with a bottle of germs. Oh Malva, rest in peace you little witchy garden mulch. Tom says, “She was not born of my loins, yet she was my daughter.” Ok dude, it’s okay not to use loins in casual convo but continue on. Tom clearly loved Malva. He tells Claire he is responsible for her.
“I don’t believe you Tom,” Claire whispers. Tom then delivers the best proclamation of love. “Now I know, I love you,” he tells Claire. “I have always yearned for love given and returned. I’ve spent my life in the attempt to give my love to those who are not worthy of it. Allow me this. To give my life for the sake of one who is.” Tom Christie is making me cry. And Claire. What the hell. His confession of love is actually so deeply sad.
Balfe and Lewis Jones are both phenomenal in this scene. If there is one scene to prepare yourself for, it’s this one. Two powerhouses. This scene is why Emmys were created. Tom Christie told Claire he loves her more than God. And I ate it up. Now, I’m weeping, and would like to be left alone.
Jamie and Claire are tired and together
Claire gets rowed to shore in the little boat as Jamie watches her approach. Claire’s hair blowing in the wind. Claire hair shout out incoming. How does Claire Fraser’s hair look good at any length?! I will say, after the Malva haircut, nothing is more iconic than Claire wearing that Murtagh style hat, and Tom Christie telling her to put it on and walking her back to Fraser’s Ridge like some kid who skipped school.
Now finally safe and together, Jamie and Claire are exhausted. They are lying on a bed. Claire asks if Jamie made Tom confess. He tells her, “No.” Claire and Jamie acknowledge neither of them believes Tom did it. “He loves you, it’s plain to see Sassenach.” Claire and Jamie are like the coolest couple. Totally fine with the fact that Tom Christie confessed his love, without any jealousy. Claire feels guilty he’s giving up his life for hers. She falls asleep next to him. Then Jamie waits a few moments, checks to make sure she’s asleep and leaves.
This shot of Jamie and Claire on the bed is simply perfect. They look like either two extremely exhausted adults who have been married forever. Or two teenagers unsure what to do and are just lying in bed looking up at the ceiling. But this is the brilliance of this show and these two actors. Yes, it’s known for its sex scenes. But what it really excels at is showing intimacy in a marriage that spans from their 20s to their 50s. Claire falling asleep, feeling safe next to Jamie in under 3 seconds and Jamie popping out to quickly murder someone who hurt his wife. That is love. Hence, a love scene. And that is what is so great about Heughan and Balfe anytime they’re in a scene together. They don’t even need to touch, and it’s electric and beautiful.
Twitter fan @fraserstanclub noticed a parallel to their wedding night.
Red Jamie Returns
Not Dead Brother Brown comes back to his room at the inn, staggering like the drunk man he is. All of a sudden he looks and sees Jamie sitting silently in the dark corner. Nobody puts Jamie in the corner! This is correct. But Jamie put Jamie in the corner. Jamie Fraser, you best kill this man. Remember Red Jamie? We all do. Brown is about to meet him. Brown tries to threaten Jamie saying his kin will murder his whole family. But Jamie reveals Young Ian and his Cherokee Indian friends have visited his “kin.” You ken? (That means, you know? In Scottish Gaelic). Scared little Brown begs Jamie not to kill him, “You’re a good man.” Jamie says, “Any goodness that prevails in me is because of my wife. You tried to take her from me.” And then Jamie rushes toward him. Yes, baby! Fade to black?! No. We deserve Jamie shanking Brown with his dirk. Who am I? James Fraser will not tolerate disrespect to his wife. Period. Heughan’s performance is chilling, showing how quickly Jamie can go from being a loving husband to someone who could end a life with one slice.
And just like that, Jamie and Claire are back. Where they belong, on our televisions. On repeat. If you need a drink, Heughan has got you covered. His Sassenach Gin just came out, and it’s the perfect thing to pair with Claire. And Jamie. And love. And trauma. And drama. As for next week’s episode, brace yourselves. You’re not ready.
Before you go, check out the all-time best ‘Outlander’ episodes you need to watch.
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