When Claire and Brianna left Inverness for Boston, many book fans questioned the story. This didn’t happen in the books. Outlander Season 3, Episode 5 filled in all the blanks of how Claire went from leaving Jamie behind to stepping through the stones (or more like the puddle!)
At the end of “Of Lost Things,” Claire and Brianna headed back to Boston. They’d come to a dead end in their research and Claire had given up. For the week, fans questioned the decision and then came Outlander Season 3, Episode 5. “Freedom and Whiskey” would give us a story that was all about Claire, Brianna, and Roger.
Of course, the episode wasn’t without its complications, but it did a good job of rounding out a few storylines. It helped to give fans some sort of reconciliation on Claire going to the past and leaving her daughter (sure, adult daughter but still her daughter) behind. We also got to see more of Brianna and Roger together, setting things up to bring them back for a larger role from Outlander Season 4 onward.
As before, here’s a look at my previous pieces about Outlander Season 3, Episode 5. I never managed to do a recap for this episode for various reasons, but I have a best moments piece and a biggest questions piece that will give you a round up of my thoughts on the episode at the time. Now it’s time to delve into the storyline with a look back.
Life after the revelations
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Claire tries to throw herself back into her work, attempting to live her life without Jamie. One of those on her side to help is Joe Abernathy, who continues to be a good friend.
Meanwhile, Brianna struggles after the revelations in Scotland. She now knows Frank wasn’t her father, but her mother’s affair wasn’t a typical affair. Time travel is real and this changes everything for her. It’s not surprising that Brianna is failing her classes and has decided to drop out of Harvard. Her priorities are changing with this information and she’s clearly not happy that her mom just stopped searching for Jamie. Part of her will likely want to know what happened to her father.
As for Roger, well, he continued to search for anything about Jamie. He’s now found a document printed by Alexander Malcolm in 1765. That wouldn’t usually cause alarm bells, but the content in the document wouldn’t be printed for some time. That means this person had knowledge of the future. When Claire finally accepts to see the document (she’s understandably annoyed that Roger continued to search and has got her hopes up again), she knows that this is likely Jamie and he’s going by his middle names.
A run-in with the other woman
Before Claire, Brianna, and Roger can discuss anything, there are a few matters at hand. One is a set of bones. An anthropologist sent them to Joe. The minute Claire touches them she feels something and we know for a fact that they’ll come up. All the information we have right now is that the bones belong to a woman in her 40s (at least) and were found in a cave in Jamaica.
Oh, as the woman had been killed by a knock to the skull. Someone had murdered her.
The second thing in Outlander Season 3, Episode 5 is a memorial for Frank, where his other woman is also saying her goodbyes. Rather than take the high road and walk away, this woman–Candy? Sandy? Who knows?–decides to face off against Claire. It’s clear that Frank told Sandy that Claire was the one refusing to grant him the divorce. Oh, if only she knew.
Regardless, Claire did manage to keep the moral high ground. She refused to dignify Sandy with a response.
Brianna shares her fears
After the memorial, Brianna’s thoughts about Jamie, Frank, and the whole situation come out to Claire. It’s natural things that she’s worried about, such as whether Frank hated her or whether Claire resented her. Claire does an excellent job making it very clear that Brianna was wanted and loved by both her and Frank.
This leads to Claire handing the pamphlet that Roger found. Brianna knows that it means her biological father is alive and Claire can go back in time. The problem is Claire would be leaving her behind. While many are likely wondering why Claire wouldn’t take Brianna with her, it’s a very simple discussion: time travel is dangerous and Claire wouldn’t risk her daughter’s life.
During this moment, Claire also shares her fears: that Jamie has forgotten here. Later we get an awesome moment between Claire and Joe, as Claire questions whether anyone could be attracted to her sexually. Poor, Joe! But he did handle this situation brilliantly, as we realized that Claire was very worried about her appearance.
So, with all the emotions out of the way, it’s time for Claire to get ready to go back to the past. Cue the awesome Batman theme song as Claire stitched her dress (although she certainly wouldn’t have fit in if it was really made out of raincoats!) and Roger and Brianna collect everything they can.
Now it’s time for Claire and Brianna to say their goodbyes. Brianna makes it very clear that Claire can’t stay in the 1960s. It’s time for Brianna to give up her mom so Jamie can have her back. After all, Jamie gave it all up for Brianna’s sake. This is just returning the favor now Brianna is old enough to look after herself. There’s a beautiful, touching moment in the episode and it’s back onto including Roger in it all.
Claire heads back to the past, while Roger remains with Brianna in Boston. The two share an American Christmas together while reading “A Christmas Carol.”
We close off with Claire stepping into a puddle in 1968 Scotland and emerging in 1766 Scotland. Obviously, she went through the stones, but this was just a beautiful transition that saved time. She then heads to A. Malcolm’s print shop, whereupon seeing her and hearing her voice, Jamie faints.
Next: Outlander Season 3, Episode recap: Of Lost Things
What did you think about “Freedom and Whiskey?” Did you enjoy the buildup to Claire finally returning to the past in Outlander Season 3? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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