What does Jamie learn in Outlander Season 6, Episode 7?
After taking a week off for Easter, Outlander returned and picked up off the back of Malva’s murder. Here’s what happened in Outlander Season 6, Episode 7.
It’s hard to see how all the storylines can be wrapped up in the last two episodes of Outlander Season 6. Chances are they won’t be. We have to remember that there were originally 12 episodes to the season and it was shortened to eight due to the pandemic and Caitriona Balfe’s pregnancy. The other four episodes had been written and episode eight had to be reworked to a finale, so we’re not expecting everything to wrap up.
However, the show is trying to wrap up some of the important storylines. One of those is in this episode (sort of) with a round-up of all those teases we got about Lizzie and the Beardsley twins throughout the series. There’s also the eventual decision by Roger to become a minister.
Jamie learns a few truths throughout the episode, potentially bringing the most controversial storyline to an end this season. Let’s dive into Outlander Season 6, Episode 7.
Lizzie opens up about her feelings
We have to start with a storyline that came up throughout the episode, one that we’ve had a tease of for a while. Lizzie is pregnant, but she’s not blaming Jamie for this one. Oh no, but that doesn’t mean she actually knows who the father is. What she does know is that it’s one of two people…one of the twins, in fact.
It turns out that Lizzie has slept with both the twins. Claire is a little more open to a polyamorous relationship, but Jamie is not happy at all. He wants Lizzie to pick a brother, and when she can’t, he makes her draw straws.
He handfasts Lizzie and Kezzie, telling Josiah to leave the Ridge. Lizzie finds a way around the situation by getting Roger to handfast her and Josiah. It’s the “unholy trinity.”
By the way, it was Lizzie at the house to tell Claire about her pregnancy that day Claire had the ether nightmare of Malva. It wasn’t Malva coming to tell Claire something. So, why was Malva in the area? Did Lizzie have something to do with Malva’s death?
Lizzie plays the whole thing so well. It’s clear each time we see her during the episode that she’s hiding something, but it takes time to get it all out. The only reason she doesn’t talk is because she’s worried the Beardsley twins would get in trouble for the entire situation with her.
I also love her naivety. She doesn’t understand why anyone should have a problem about her and the Beardsleys. Why is it anyone’s business but theirs? And that is a good point, but we know what busybodies are like, especially in the 18th century!
The Christies find Malva’s body in Outlander Season 6, Episode 7
The episode itself starts with Malva at the meeting house in front of the fisherfolk. She’s telling them that her innocence was stolen by a man who made promises. She certainly puts on a good show, and it looks like this is why those rumors really spread across the Ridge.
We then pick up with the Christies getting to Claire’s garden. Jamie is also there, suggesting that Jamie ended up sending word to the Christies to come up.
Allan is upset and angry, getting as much info from Claire as possible. Jamie wants to know what Allan is implying, but it’s clear that Tom believes Claire did it. After all, Claire is covered in Malva’s blood. Something that Tom wants to know is how long it took for Malva to die, and Claire makes it clear that it didn’t take long at all.
Tom notes that it means Malva didn’t have time to pray for forgiveness. Tom wants Malva buried out in the woods. She can’t be buried in holy ground as a sinner, but Jamie refuses to allow that to happen. If Malva and the baby are to be buried at the Ridge, it will be done right.
Without a minister at the Ridge, Roger is the one to officiate the service. Jamie doesn’t leave that one up for discussion.
Claire finally opens up about the ether
While preparing Malva’s body, Claire suffers from visions of Lionel Brown again. This is more than just a quick glimpse of Lionel, though. She has a full waking nightmare. This time she avoids the ether, though, and reaches for a glass of whisky instead (although later she does reach for ether). This is the Claire that we’re used to, so it’s not that surprising when the full truth finally comes out during the episode.
Jamie had sent everyone he trusts out to look for something to help get to the bottom of the murder. Mrs. Bug makes it clear that she didn’t trust Malva and notes that Claire must have hated Malva’s guts. Jamie makes it clear that the dead can’t defend themselves so he won’t hear anything more against Malva. Instead, he needs to deal with Hiram Crombie.
What Hiram makes clear is that the Ridge is talking. The fisherfolk are starting to believe that Claire did it. She has a sharp tongue and even sharper knives. It doesn’t help that Jamie threatens Hiram at the same time.
Before the full truth comes out about the ether, we do get a look inside Claire’s thoughts through Lionel Brown’s statements. She does believe that she killed Malva, and she does have regret for her marriage to Frank when she shouldn’t have stayed in a loveless marriage.
When Claire does open up about the ether, she brushes it off as just having a “lie down.” It’s later on that she finally opens up more about it. She finally tells Jamie that the ether is the only thing to help get rid of the waking nightmares. Jamie makes it very clear that Claire can lean on him.
One thing the ether plot has all been about is showing that strong people can turn to people for help emotionally and mentally. Asking for help doesn’t make people weak, but I will still stand by saying “Claire is stronger than this” about the ether is still sending a terrible message to those dealing with trauma and PTSD.
Roger finds his calling
We’ve spent a full season of Roger slowly finding his craving. That finally happened in Outlander Season 6, Episode 7. At first, he wasn’t sure he was the right person to officiate over the funeral, but he eventually did it. However, Jamie and Claire were not welcome at the funeral, and they decided to leave to make it easier on the Christies.
We get to see the most of Allan during this episode than we’ve seen all season. He looks like a grieving brother, but it’s clear to book readers that there is more to his story.
Back to Roger, though. He’s figured out what he wants to do at the Ridge. He wants to become a minister. There is a place in Edenton to train and there will be enough time to train before his and Brianna’s baby is born. She’s fully supportive of him, as long as she doesn’t have to convert. It looks like everyone will just have to deal with a Presbyterian minister being married to a Catholic.
I will say that I love Brianna’s comments during this episode. She’d love for Perry Mason to help work out who killed Malva. Ian knows about the future, but he doesn’t know Perry Mason. It’s going to be too difficult to explain that he’s a fictional lawyer on TV, so she just says he’s a lawyer from her time. I’d love for Young Ian to learn more about things in the future.
The Perry Mason talk does bring up the way to figure it all out. Who would have the means, motive, and opportunity, and Claire notes that she had it all. Claire does believe that maybe the dream wasn’t a dream, but Jamie refuses to believe that was the case. That links us back up to the point where Claire finally starts opening up about her ether use.
In fact, I love all of Bree and Roger’s moments during the episode. They’re only small, but we see their lives together. The discussion about Jemmy hearing about ghosts and being scared of them added a little bit of humor, even if it did bring up the rumors of the Ridge about Claire’s involvement in Malva’s murder.
Roger’s development is why we see Roger and Bree heading somewhere in the images for the episode. They’re heading off together for Roger’s training, which is different to the books, where Roger heads off on his own for a month.
The very end of the episode sets the storyline for the Outlander Season 6 finale. Richard Brown turns up with his men to arrest Claire for the murder of Malva Christie.
What did you think of Outlander Season 6, Episode 7? What do you hope to see included in the finale next week? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The Outlander Season 6 finale airs next Sunday, May 1, on STARZ.