5 best moments from Outlander season 7, episode 9

Droughtlander has finally come to an end again. The Outlander season 7B premiere did not disappoint, bringing us a tale in three time periods.

At first, it looked like we would get a tale in two time periods. Roger and Buck believed they landed in 1778 through the stones. It was only once Roger got to Lallybroch that he learned it wasn’t 1778 at all. Oh how that made finding Jemmy much harder.

Meanwhile, Claire, Jamie, and Young Ian got back to Lallybroch. It allowed Jamie to handle some unfinished business, and it led to the reveal of something devastating. Here’s a look at the best moments from Outlander season 7, episode 9.

The way Roger’s reveal worked

If you knew the books, you knew that Roger wasn’t going to be in 1778. The trip to Lallybroch wasn’t going to reunite him with Jamie and Claire, although it would have been so much easier to find Jemmy if it did. However, those who are show-only fans would have had no idea that Roger was in an earlier time period.

Well, okay, the knowledge that Brian Fraser, Dougal MacKenzie, and Geillis Duncan were part of the show was a giveaway that Roger and Buck were in an earlier time. The way the show handled the reveal was so beautifully done, though.

There was a knock on the door at Lallybroch in 1778 as Roger knocked on the door in 1739. There was that hope that Jamie would open the door to see Roger there, only for Jamie to see Joanie and Roger to meet Brian Fraser. I would have loved to be able to watch the episode without the knowledge of Roger being in a different time period to get the full experience. It actually makes me wish I was a show-first fan.

Righting the wrongs with the Murrays and Claire

One thing I hated about the books was that Claire didn’t tell Jenny the truth about time travel. This should have happened when Claire returned after that 20-year separation. It would have helped Jenny understand where Claire was and why she was “gone” but not dead. I understood why Claire didn’t say anything at first, but after that separation, Jenny deserved to be in the know.

Then the books didn’t even have Claire tell Jenny when she made it back to Lallybroch in 1778. Jenny knew that there was something different about Claire. She always felt it, and yet when Jenny needed the truth, Claire couldn’t give her it.

Well, the show righted that wrong. I adore that Claire realized that Michael would find himself in trouble during the French Revolution if he remained in Paris. Telling the family the truth not only showed them that she trusted them with this information, but also showed them that she wanted to save as many Murrays as she could. She just couldn’t save the one she loved dearly.

Laoghaire realizing the truth about Jamie

Laoghaire has had a lot of hate in the world of Outlander. A lot of people forget that she is a woman of the 18th century. She was also a 16-year-old girl when she tried to have Claire executed for witchcraft. Does that excuse her? No. However, I don’t villainize her the way others do.

Outlander season 7, episode 9 reminded us that Laoghaire was just a 16-year-old girl when Jamie took the beating for her. It explained what Laoghaire thought she saw. She thought Jamie was in love with her, but over the years, she’s come to realize that was never the case. At that point, Jamie was in love with Claire but he was using Laoghaire to make Claire jealous.

It’s hard not to feel for Laoghaire when you consider all the facts. Having her accept some of it on the screen was a way to somewhat redeem some of her character. It also helped Jamie see that he played a part in her actions—again, remember that she is a woman of her time and women were just property back then.

This then connects to the ending of Laoghaire’s story. Jamie was able to find a way to fix things in a way. He found a way to make sure Joanie got her wish to become a nun and Laoghaire was able to marry Joey without losing her ancestral home. Jamie also was no longer held to the alimony.

The two Ians talk

Seeing Ian Murray so ill was heartbreaking, but it did mean we got that scene between the two Ians. We haven’t seen enough of Young Ian interacting with his family outside of Jamie, so to get this moment was everything. It was worth waiting for as well.

I don’t know which part of the scene was my favorite, though. I loved having Young Ian share about his son with Emily and getting to give him his English name. I do wish Ian made a joke about “too many Jameses” after mentioning how good a name Ian is.

Then I loved the comment about a dog not being a way to ask a woman to wait for him. But I think what really stood out was Ian giving some words of advice in winning Rachel over. Young Ian loves her, and all Ian wants is for his son to be happy. There was the fear that he wouldn’t be after the Mohawk, but Young Ian gets this chance and it’s something that makes Ian happy as he knows he will die soon.

Roger seeing Geillis in 1739

Once we saw that Roger was taking Buck to Cranesmuir, I think we all knew who the person was Jenny was sending them to for Buck’s needs. Of course, it was going to be Geillis Duncan. This is a slight change to the novel, but I adore it nonetheless. It works for the way the series had to cut a few things down for the sake of time available.

To be honest, having Roger’s thoughts as voiceovers throughout the episode worked so well. This was the only way to really get into what Roger was thinking as he got the shocks of the time period he was in. So to hear his thoughts as he immediately recognized Geillis was perfect.

You see, Geillis isn’t just a woman who murdered her husband and went through the stones. She is Buck’s mother, and this could change everything for the two of them. This could be dangerous for Buck and Roger, especially since Geillis is a time traveler and may remember once meeting Roger in 1968.

This was the humor we needed for the episode, as the 1778 story was packed with heartbreak and emotion.

Outlander airs on Fridays on STARZ.

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