We have a wedding, a swarm of locusts, and a card game. Here’s everything that happened throughout Outlander Season 5, Episode 6.
There’s a wedding, a card game, and a swarm of locusts in Outlander Season 5, Episode 6. It’s time for the recap of the episode’s events.
The episode took place with two main storylines. Claire and Jamie spent time at River Run, while Brianna and Roger ran the day-to-day life at Fraser’s Ridge. Because of that, we’ll split the recap into two parts.
Starting with a flashback
The episode kicks off with a flashback to just after Culloden. Jocasta, her husband, and her daughter are traveling at great speed when they’re stopped by some Redcoats. It all looks fine until one of the Redcoats spots a small chest on the underside of the carriage. It’s a collection of gold from the French, and we now get confirmation that the Camerons were on the Jacobite’s side.
Hector kills the Redcoats, but it comes at a price. His daughter steps in the way of the gun believing her father to be in danger and is killed by the shot. Hector and Jocasta leave their daughter’s body in the mud and head off on their journey, but Jocasta does take her daughter’s ribbon, which she has the day before her wedding to Duncan Innes.
In the present day, we see Jocasta sign the legal papers for River Run. She will act as guardian until Jemmy MacKenzie is of age to take over the plantation. Duncan Innes clearly doesn’t get a choice, although Jocasta claims that he agrees with this.
Later in the episode, Murtagh turns up with Ulysses bringing him into the house. It’s a sweet reunion, as you can tell both love each other. He has a gift of a necklace to match the broach that holds the piece of plaid on his jacket. However, that’s not the only reason he’s here. He wants Jocasta not to marry Duncan and to wait for him.
It’s terrible timing and it’s not like Jocasta can marry him. Murtagh is a wanted man. As much as Jocasta loves Murtagh, she can’t possibly not marry Duncan. Jocasta tells Murtagh that she lost everything because of Hector and Murtagh’s cause is just like the Jacobite one. She can’t live through the horrors of another rebellion. She can’t be with another man who will do everything for something he believes in.
With that, Jocasta gives Murtagh the necklace back and tells Murtagh to leave. Murtagh doesn’t leave without an “I love you,” but it’s not enough. It looks like things between Murtagh and Jocasta are over. However, he does leave the gift for her on the table.
Governor Tryon catches us up with the reasons behind the Regulator actions
While at the wedding, Jamie, Claire, and Lord John Grey find Governor Tryon. While Jamie sweet-talks the governor about the pardoning of the Regulators, Tryon admits that it wasn’t all his idea, which is odd considering his narcissistic personality.
Samuel Johnston was the one to propose the idea. It turns out there’s more to the pardon. The recent legislature says that 10 men or more cannot gather. As Lord John Grey puts it, if the men cannot gather, they cannot conspire. It sounds like Tryon did it after Knox’s death.
Claire and Mrs. Tryon spend some time at the wedding together, which is where Tryon shares the rumors of Phillip Wylie. As Mrs. Tryon distracts Wylie from Claire, Claire overhears two women talking about Dr. Rawling’s recommendations. This could certainly come back to cause problems.
Sadly, Mrs. Tryon doesn’t get the chance to distract Wylie for too long. Wylie finds Claire and makes it clear that he is interested in her. He offers her anything her heart desires, and that brings up news of an Irishman in Wilmington that he works with. Claire clearly feels like this is probably Bonnet. She needs to know more.
A talk of business
As the two drink some whiskey, Wylie notices the two rings, bringing up a conversation about Frank and Jamie allowing Claire to wear Frank’s ring. What I’m glad to see is that Claire didn’t feel the need to defend her decision to wear Frank’s ring. Nobody should have to defend decisions like that.
Claire movies the conversation on, mentioning how the whiskey venture isn’t working very well and needs a partner. This is when Bonnet’s name comes up. Claire wants to do business with Wylie, but it’s clear that it’s to get to Bonnet.
Wylie decides to take Claire to the stables, where his favorite horse is being kept. However, there’s an ulterior motive. Wylie kisses Claire but she pushes him away. Jamie walks in on it and is about to kill Wylie when Claire stops him. Afterward, Claire tells Jamie the full truth about Wylie working for Bonnet.
Governor Tryon talks New York
The current legislation gives the Regulators a chance to submit to the Crown. Those who don’t, will be dealt with appropriately.
However, Jamie notes that Tryon’s wife mentioned that they are heading to New York. It’s not a done deal just yet, but it’s a good chance that he’ll become the Governor of New York.
At the end of the episode, Tryon shares that nobody has put themselves at the mercy of the courts. There will be a war after all, and Jamie has an order to get his militia together.
Time for a game of cards
Hearing that Wylie likes to gamble and needing him back on side to set up a meeting with Bonnet, Jamie thinks he has an option. Wylie doesn’t want to work with Jamie, but Jamie makes it clear that he will ensure news of the “type of gentleman” Wylie is will spread. It can all be stopped with a game of cards.
Jamie offers to let Wylie go without spreading rumors if he loses the game. If Jamie wins, he wants the stallion. Wylie won’t take the bait and Jamie needs something more valuable. Jamie knows that he needs Claire’s gold ring.
Claire doesn’t want to give up the ring. She won’t do it, even for Bonnet. After finding out whether Jamie is doing all this for Bree’s honor or his, Claire decides to give up both of her rings and then walks away.
That night, Claire heads to the stables to see the stallion when Jamie shows up drunk. He still has the rings. It’s a cause to celebrate. And yes, there is a very passionate scene in the stables between Claire and Jamie. Just what everyone was waiting for.
Jamie won’t have the stallion though. He offered to trade the stallion for a business partnership with Bonnet. Of course, it’s under the name Alexander Malcolm. And now there is the chance to meet Bonnet once more and kill him.
Brianna and Roger deal with locusts
Roger makes a note that he’s not going to the wedding to help Brianna with Jemmy, who has a cold. However, Bree knows that it’s Roger’s way of insulting Jocasta since she insulted him at their wedding.
It’s probably a good thing that Roger didn’t go. Brianna notices that Adso has brought a gift home, but it’s soon clear there’s a bigger problem. There is a swarm of locusts in town.
Naturally, the people of the Ridge are worried. They’ll lose the crops across the Ridge and the people want to burn the whole of Jamie’s crops to prevent the swarm. Roger manages to prevent the burning of the crop with the reminder that the wind could blow and destroy their homes. But he doesn’t have an immediate answer to deal with the situation.
It could work!
Roger and Brianna discuss their options. Roger wishes that Jamie was around to deal with it, but he then suddenly gets an idea. His father once read a story about a plague of locusts in the American West. Smoke was used to drive the locusts away before they could land.
Roger realizes that this could work. They’ll lose some of the crop but not all of it. They just need to create enough smoke to cover the fields to prevent the locusts from landing. Brianna supports her husband’s decision.
While Roger knows how to create the smoke, he doesn’t know how to get it to spread across the field. The wind may be picking up, but is it enough? Brianna is the one who can help with that.
The smoke stations are set up and everyone with laundry gets the smoke to spread, but the swarm of locusts come in. It covers the field in darkness. Can this work?
The Ridge survives another day
It all worked. Some beans were lost but the cornfield was saved. It was just what they needed.
And that also leads to Roger gaining a lot of respect from the people of the Ridge. As crazy as the plan sounded, it worked and the people lost a small amount of crops. They won’t go hungry over the winter.
It’s a great ending to what could have been a disaster for Roger and Bree.
Stephen Bonnet learns some news
The very end of the episode sees Bonnet show up to meet with Forbes. He offers information to Bonnet that Jemmy MacKenzie is the owner of River Run. Of course, Forbes views Jemmy as Bonnet’s child, likely based on anything Bonnet has told him.
It’s clear that Bonnet is ready to take claim to the child. Now the question is whether he can with Brianna marrying Roger and Roger taking a claim. This is certainly going to be an interesting storyline.
What did you think of the episode? What do you hope to see in Outlander moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Outlander airs Sundays on STARZ.