Lord John Grey wants to figure out a dream in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 45
We get a confusing dream sequence in Outlander Book 7, Chapter 45. It leads to a rather confusing chapter as John tries to figure out the dream and the truth.
We’re back with John, who is now a couple of days away from Philadelphia. He’s with Dottie, and the two are on the road to see Dottie’s brother, Henry. However, this chapter is more of John’s subconscious seeping through as he figures out a dream.
Throughout the chapter, John is trying to figure out who the Third Arrow is. He knows that the answer must lie in his memories somewhere, and he ends up thinking about a few things from his past throughout the chapter.
While this is mostly about John and his memories, I do get some foreshadowing in the chapter. I see something about Claire and what she is set to do in a later chapter in this book.
I don’t think we’ll see this chapter adapted, though. I’ll get to my thoughts on that in the adaptation section.
Let’s dive into An Echo in the Bone Chapter 45.
Just the Outlander chapter
The chapter starts with John in a dream. The dream sequence is certainly confusing, just like any sort of dream is. It feels like we’re there in the dream with John, trying to figure things out with him.
When he wakes, he remembers that he’s looking at a fine Stubbs painting with two other people besides him. When he finally wakes, he remembers that one was Baron Amandine and the other is Cecilie Beauchamp, the Baron’s sister. Then he remembers that someone was touching his buttocks, but he can’t play who is was.
Dr. Franklin’s name comes up as he tries to figure things out. Franklin did seem to be there, and as he thinks more of it, he realizes that the paintings involved an Egyptian scene and some family portraits.
John fully wakes up in a start, waking Dottie up in the process. He manages to excuse himself and gets outside, where he continues to try to piece the puzzle together.
While out there, he’s reminded of a time in Virginia. He thinks about William catching fireflies and being gentle with them. I love that we see this parental side of John through his memories, as well as a little bit of who William was as a child.
As John worries about where William is now, he also thinks about why he’s just days away from Philadelphia. He needs to get to Henry. That’s when he touches his head and feels the sixpence Claire used to cover his skull once upon a time. This is foreshadowing, and I’m going to get to that soon.
While outside, he hears the sound of horses. He doesn’t want to be seen or get in trouble considering how late it is—only those looking for trouble are traveling at this time. John does watch from the shadows, though. He sees three men acting in secrecy.
John goes back to thinking about the Third Arrow and Percy. He is reminded that Percy said he married one of the Baron’s sisters, and that’s when John remembers that the Baron had three sisters. One of the paintings in John’s dream was of the family, and the second sister is likely the third arrow. John notes that Hal had never seen the second sister but had noticed.
Is the second sister the one Percy married? The plot continues to thicken, leading us down another rabbit hole.
Foreshadowing in the Outlander chapter
There is certainly a lot of development in John’s story with the Percy plot in this chapter. The foreshadowing, though, is about Claire. We know that John is heading to see his nephew, Henry.
Well, Henry has been injured. He has metal fragments in his stomach that are going to kill him. It’s up to Claire to later save him. John thinks about Claire when he touches the metal in his head. She placed metal in John to save him and will remove metal from Henry to save the boy.
Adapting An Echo in the Bone chapter
I don’t think we’ll see John’s storyline involving Percy in Outlander Season 7. The latest casting confirmed that we’ll see a few returning faces, and some of them don’t come up in the Outlander books until Written In My Own Heart’s Blood. That suggests the seventh season is combining books seven and eight.
If that’s the case, there just isn’t the time for John’s side plot. The show is likely to focus mostly on the Frasers and the MacKenzies. John will return, but it’s likely to be for an episode that involves Henry Grey and Mercy Woodcock.
What did you spot while reading An Echo in the Bone Chapter 45? Let us know in the comments below.
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