Outlander recap: Jamie and Claire go to the theater, Brianna and Roger reunite

Tides turn for our favorite characters in Outlander Season 4, Episode 8 with everyone in the 18th century. What happens to Brianna and Roger after they reunite?

Outlander Season 4, Episode 8 is going to be one of those episodes very few want to rewatch and not because it’s bad. It’s gruesome and leaves you cold and emotional. Full credit to Sophie Skelton, but this is the episode so many of us were not looking forward to, knowing what would happen.

Meanwhile, Jamie gets to meet George Washington, while learning Murtagh is in trouble. Can Claire keep everyone distracted long enough for Jamie to save his godfather?

Fergus and Marsali return

More from Recaps

• Outlander Season 7, Episode 8 recap: Is Rachel in love with Young Ian?
• Outlander Season 7, Episode 7 recap: The First Battle of Saratoga
• Outlander Season 7, Episode 6 recap: Roger finds something to do
• Outlander Season 7, Episode 5 recap: Bree is trapped in a tunnel
• Outlander Season 7, Episode 4 recap: William and Young Ian meet (again)

The opening gives us Roger, now in Wilmington, looking for Brianna. He bumps into Fergus, who understandably doesn’t realize who he has bumped into and hasn’t seen Brianna. Staying with him, we learn that he and Marsali have had their baby. Considering the time jump in the 20th century, this time jump to bring Brianna and Roger into the 18th century was necessary.

While Claire and Jamie play with their grandchild (remember, Fergus is now officially-unofficially the adopted son of Claire and Jamie), they mention that they’ve been invited to the theater by the governor. Those who disliked not hearing that Claire and Jamie had been invited to dinner in the Outlander Season 4 premiere will be happy to connect these dots for later.

There’s a beautiful moment between Marsali and Claire as they talk about motherhood. While Marsali still doesn’t realize that Claire knows what it’s like to be a mother, she does listen to and understand everything Claire has to say.

Roger and Brianna reunite

And in the happiest part of Outlander Season 4, Episode 8, Brianna and Roger finally reunite. Thanks to her “unusual accent,” as Laoghaire put it in the previous episode, Roger recognized her voice easily in the pub.

Of course, this reunion quickly leads to an argument and Lizzie believes that Roger is attacking Brianna. She’s understandably worried when Brianna and Roger head off to a shed for privacy, where Brianna finally agrees to marrying Roger. He did pursue her for 200 years, after all.

With that proposal going down well, Roger makes the suggestion that they’re handfasted. For those who don’t remember, it’s how Fergus and Marsali were first married and is a good, temporary option and means a man and woman are married for a year and a day. After that, they’ll need to be properly married.

It’s enough for them and yes, it is one of the most romantic moments of the whole of Outlander. Straight after, they consummate their marriage. The bad news is that outside Lizzie is looking for Brianna.

https://twitter.com/Outlander_STARZ/status/1077017631117344768

If only everything could remain happy. Brianna finds out that Roger knew about the fire and kept the secret (erm, are we forgetting that Brianna had already gone to Scotland when Roger made the call?) and they break up. Well, that might go down as the shortest marriage in history.

Claire and Jamie head off to the theater

That night at the theater is a little reminiscent of Paris and the palace. The governor’s wife points out all the important women at the theater, including the wife of Col. George Washington; yes, the George Washington. Of course, Claire wants to be introduced to the man himself and that leads to a small slip up and Claire explaining to Jamie who Washington will become.

Throughout the theater event, everyone is complaining about the Regulators. It turns out Governor Tryon has a spy within the Regulator ranks and knows that the group will rob a coach carrying taxes. There are already red coats ready to arrest them.

To make matters worse, Murtagh has been named as one of the Regulators. You just know that Jamie can’t help but ride out to warn his godfather. Can he do it in time?

First, he needs a distraction. There is Mr. Fanning, who came into the theater in pain. Jamie decides to cry out Mr. fanning needs a surgeon, which is obviously Claire, and he manages to get out. While out there, he runs into Washington, who is willing to get Jamie out to Murtagh.

As for Claire, she performs surgery in the middle of everyone, much to their surprise and the doctor’s (when he arrives) disgust.

Fortunately, because of Washington’s help, Fergus manages to get to Murtagh in time and shares the details. Murtagh calls off the plan for the carriage and he’s safe. For now.

It’s bad news for Washington, though. Tryon hears that the carriage attack was called off and knows that Washington was the only one told and wasn’t there at the time. Oh dear!

Brianna runs into Stephen Bonnet

At the very end, Brianna goes back to the inn where she’s staying, crying. In the lobby, she runs into Stephen Bonnet and you just know it’s going to turn out badly, especially when she sees Claire’s ring from Jamie.

After getting confirmation Claire was still alive when Bonnet left her, Bonnet offers Brianna the ring for a price. Oh, and it’s not for a financial price. In a private room, Bonnet rapes Brianna while men in another room pretend not to hear.

Yes, it’s the scene that book fans anticipated and knew they wouldn’t like. Brianna is left a bloody mess, with Bonnet commenting that it was shame she wasn’t a virgin. Sick, much?

Brianna goes back to her room with Lizzie. How much does Lizzie know and what assumptions will she jump to? Seriously, though, what a way to end the 50th episode!

What did you think of the drama getting to Murtagh? Did you love seeing Claire’s medical skills in action again? What did you think of the handfasting scene and the way the episode ended? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 4 continues on Sundays at 8/7c on STARZ.