Outlander recap: What happens to Young Ian?

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room

Outlander season 3 wrapped one journey and began another in Eye of the Storm.

Droughtlander has officially begun. It’s that time of year where Outlander fans start to find ways to fill the gap. One of those is to look back over the season and fill in gaps they may have missed first time around. Before you do that, jump in with this recap to get a reminder of Claire and Jamie’s journey to save Young Ian.

The episode starts in a similar way to the season 2 finale. We’re slightly in the future of the episode, as Claire’s narration tells us she is dead. Claire’s body is in the ocean, sinking lower and lower, and we’re taken back to soon after the ending of the last episode; left to figure out how Claire could get to this point.

The Army vs. the Navy

The British Army and Navy have had a long standing rivalry and that was included in this episode of the show. As Captain Leonard is leading an imprisoned Jamie to a boat, he is stopped by Lord John’s Redcoats. And so the rivalry begins with a dig at Captain Leonard who hasn’t quite earned his position in Lord John’s eyes. While in the Navy a person is thrown into a higher rank when those above them have died, the British Army would only give that position for a temporary period for the time necessary. After that, they could drop back down to their original rank until they earned the position.

Lord John wastes no time in putting Captain Leonard down as much as possible. Not only does the captain not have a warrant for Jamie’s arrest, but also doesn’t have an affidavit from the person who says he knows Jamie is Alexander Malcolm. Despite the captain’s insistence that he has a right to take Jamie home, Lord John reminds him that his authority ended at the water’s edge, where Lord John’s began. Therefore Lord John gets to decide what to do with Jamie.

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That’s Jamie’s problem solved, especially when Lord John is also in a position to get the warrant thrown out. It’s onto the more pressing matters.

Geillis finds the 200-year-old baby

Claire (after a wardrobe change back into her bat-dress and leave a note for Fergus) takes a drip to Geillis’ property to the slaves’ quarters to find Young Ian. Instead, she is captured by one of Geillis’ slaves and taken up to Rose Hall. There Geillis accuses Claire of messing up every single one of Geillis’ plans. Geillis doesn’t realize that Claire ever went to the future and came back.

Claire’s only proof is the photos of Brianna. That’s when Geillis realizes who the 200-year-old baby is, that she’s met this 200-year-old baby, and that Claire was the one calling for Geillis as she stepped through the stones in 1968. Geillis now realizes she needs to go through the stones and kill Brianna.

Luckily for Claire (who is now trapped in Rose Hall), Jamie finds out from Fergus where Claire is and gets to her. They make their way through the plantation to the Adandawe Caves, which is a place just like Craig da Dun.

On the way, they come across a group of people performing a Voodoo sacrifice (don’t worry; with a chicken). Claire is mesmerized, as she remembers the dance around the stones in the Outlander pilot, which leads to her and Jamie being pulled out by one of the people taking part. Just as it looks like they’ll be killed for spying, Yi Tien Cho steps out to tell them that Jamie and Claire are with him.

Yi Tien Cho is there with Margaret, who has made friends with some of the people because of her abilities. They are now all welcomed guests. Margaret gets visions of Jamie on the battlefield at Culloden (with a mention of the rabbit) and Claire looking at a bird outside her windowsill back int he 1940s, before being overcome by what seems to be the spirit of Brianna, who has a monster coming to her.

Margaret’s brother Archibald shows up and mentioned the 200-year-old baby, making Claire realize that this monster is probably Geillis. As Claire and Jamie talk about the potential threat (and realize Geillis had one of the photos), Yi Tien Cho kills Archibald to protect Margaret. The group performing the Voodoo ritual use Archibald as part of the sacrifice, allowing Yi Tien Cho and Margaret to go through with their plans of finding a home on the island together (which Jamie and Claire are more than happy for him to do).

Claire finds out the owner of the bones

Back to the more pressing matter at hand, Claire and Jamie find their way to the Abandawe Caves, where Geillis is getting ready to sacrifice Young Ian to go through the portal. Rather than the stones, this portal to the future is in the lake in the caves.

Claire is able to overpower Geillis, slicing her neck with a machete. Jamie is able to overpower Geillis’ slave Hercules, but lets Hercules go free. The two get Young Ian back and rush back to the ship.

On the way, Claire gets visions of the past/future, where Joe showed her the bones that had been found in a cave in Jamaica 200 years earlier. They were Geillis’ bones and Claire had been the one to almost slice her neck clean off.

After the shock wears off, they get back to the Artemis. It’s time for everyone to sail back to Scotland to take Young Ian home. Claire and Jamie even get to have a night of fun in their cabin.

However, a storm rolls in and puts everyone’s lives on the ship at risk. Claire and Jamie are among the crew on the deck. They manage to get everyone below deck, just as a large wave comes overhead and carries one of the masts with Claire overboard.

Jamie dives into the water to save her, but believes it may be too late. In the eye of the storm, he can just hope and pray that she is still alive. They’re washed ashore, where a young girl literally pokes Jamie with a stick to wake him up. The girl runs off to get help, while Jamie finds Claire and breaks when he believes she’s died. Luckily she hasn’t, but he does believe that everyone else on the Artemis has been killed in the storm.

The young girl had gone for her parents, who explain that they’re in the Colony of Georgia. There is also a ship that has wrecked a few miles away.

Next: Why Yi Tien Cho's change in Outlander is the best thing for his character

With Claire and Jamie in Georgia, it’s time to wrap season 3 and get ready for Outlander season 4.

Did you find the episode exciting? What were your thoughts as a season finale? Share in the comments below.

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