Outlander season 7, episode 11 picks up off the back of the shocking and devastating moments from the previous episode. As Claire and John try to find a new normal, there is plenty going on around them.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Outlander season 7, episode 11.
The episode quickly picks up with the wedding. It’s clear that neither of them really want this, and I’m surprise the priest is even willing to go through with the wedding considering Claire’s clear unhappiness over the situation. This is just the time period, though, right? Women are property, not people.
Meanwhile, Young Ian and Rachel need to figure out their situation, while Roger and Buck head off in search for Jerry MacKenzie. We also spend some time in 1980 to see where Brianna is now.
Claire and Lord John Grey start a life together in Outlander season 7, episode 11
After the wedding, there is a focus on Claire and John finding a new life together. William isn’t too impressed that John is marrying Claire, pointing out that she is the widow of a traitor. While William notes that he respects Claire for her skills as a surgeon, all he wants is for John to be happy. Seeing William grow up is all the happiness that John needs.
This is enough for William, who does decide to give Claire a chance. However, Claire and John need to figure out a new normal within their grief. It leads to a shocking moment.
As Claire contemplates suicide, John walks into her room and makes it clear that he will not grieve Jamie alone. There is a lot of anger and emotion between the two of them as they mourn the loss of Jamie. Then, shockingly, they sleep together.
Waking the next morning, Claire and John point out to each other that they didn’t make love to one another. They were both thinking of Jamie. This allows some of the awkwardness to disappear as they go into a conversation about love and conventional marriages.
John shares that there is an Indian man that he has a thing with. They don’t share that they love each other, and John notes that his relationship with Manoke is one that he treasures and appreciates during the times that they are together. He believes Manoke feels the same way. He’s also grateful that Claire is willing to just listen to him. Many wives wouldn’t bother, and I get a sense that John was used to an unconventional marriage to Isobel.
It’s the start of a life together, but one that isn’t going to be easy. The two are on the opposite side of a war, and Claire has to play the part of a dutiful wife of a man on the side of the British. This means turning up at a ball that John has put on to raise funds for the British cause. Claire isn’t interested in attending, but John points out that there are plenty of questions about their marriage, and she needs to play the part for now.
Captain Richardson reveals a not-so-surprising truth
Claire does eventually decide that she will attend the ball. She even places the ring from Lord John Grey on her finger with Jamie’s ring. She will play the part of the wife.
It’s good timing as well. Captain Richardson attends the ball, and he shares with Lord John Grey that he didn’t think that Claire was a Rebel. He’s glad to see that isn’t the case.
Well, Richardson then goes to speak with Claire. While they dance, Richardson shares that he is a secret Rebel. He went to see Lord John Grey about the plans to arrest her knowing that John would do something to save her. He didn’t expect him to marry Claire, but at least it was something. This has worked in Richardson’s favor.
Hal Grey is working on bringing an end to the Revolutionary War, and Richardson fears that it will mean the Rebel cause will be over. Richardson doesn’t want that, so he wants Claire to spy on the Greys. She will not do that.
Richardson points out that if Claire tells anyone he is a Rebel, there will be consequences. Claire notes that she wouldn’t do anything to diminish the Rebel cause. I still wonder how much we can trust Richardson. Even without knowing the book storyline, there is clearly something fishy about this man.
John refuses to allow Mercy and Henry to marry in Outlander
There is a surprising twist when it comes to John and love. Henry Grey comes to him to share that he would like to marry Mercy. He needs John to write to his father to get approval.
John surprisingly refuses to do this. He tells Claire that he will not allow Henry to marry the widow of a Rebel, but Claire points out the hypocrisy in this. Of course, John is not the son of the Duke of Pardloe like Henry is. There is a different standard for this man.
John also points out that the marriage between Mercy and Henry is illegal. Inter-racial marriages are not allowed, and it doesn’t matter that Mercy is a freewoman. Mercy points out that there are priests who will marry them, but it doesn’t matter. This would bring shame to the Grey family, so John won’t allow it. He will not discuss the matter further.
What will this mean for Henry and Mercy? Will they be forced to separate, or will we see them bring a scandal to the Grey name?
Young Ian and Rachel discuss their future
While all this is going on, Young Ian spends some time mourning the loss of his uncle. Rachel is there with him, and Young Ian realizes that he needs to be completely honest about his past. He needs to tell Rachel that he was married before, especially if they are going to marry. Rachel is shocked of the talk of marriage since Young Ian never proposed to her. Once again, Young Ian has skipped over a few things in English. Oops!
Back to the discussion of Emily. Young Ian opens up about everything, telling her about the daughter that was born too early and the son that he now knows that he has. Will this change anything for Rachel? It turns out not, after all, it’s not like Emily is going to come back to Young Ian. Emily has made her choice and has moved on with another man. Young Ian can do the same with Rachel.
Young Ian also goes to see Claire, wondering if she will travel back to her own time. This is something a lot of Outlander fans will have wondered about considering Claire believes Brianna and Roger are in the future with their children. Claire notes that she doesn’t feel like the future is her place anymore. She made a promise to fight for America with Jamie. While Jamie isn’t here anymore, she will continue that promise to create the land that Bree and Roger will know—the home she believes they will have gone to.
Brianna faces an intruder at Lallybroch
After spending very little time with Brianna so far, Outlander season 7, episode 11 takes us back to Lallybroch in 1980. Bree is struggling with Roger being gone, but she needs to keep it together for her daughter.
There’s an intruder in the house. Rob Cameron shows up. He wasn’t in the past after all, and neither is Jemmy. Leaving the scarf was a ploy to get Roger out of the way. So, Rob believes in time travel, but he isn’t a time traveler. He wants Jemmy to take him to the Spaniard, and he has Jemmy held somewhere. Since Jemmy won’t say anything, Rob has come to get Brianna to force her to tell Jemmy where the gold is. They will get on a plane together and pretend to be a happy family on the way to America to get the gold.
Brianna isn’t going to do that. She fights back, knocking Rob Cameron out. Now she needs to find Jemmy!
Roger and Buck go on the hunt for Jerry MacKenzie in Outlander
In 1739, Roger and Buck head out on another mission. Roger shares the little that he knows of his father, which involves Jerry being MIA. He wasn’t supposed to be flying the day he went missing, and now he can finally put all the pieces together. Jerry never went down over the ocean. He went through the stones.
Roger and Buck find the tinker who had the dog tags. After some payment—and buying a gem—Roger finds out the general direction where Jerry was seen.
This leads to Roger and Buck finding a man with Jerry’s Army uniform. There’s no mistaking it. Even Buck knows that this is something that belonged to Jerry. It doesn’t fit in this time. Yet, the man who now has it won’t share anything about where he got it from. He calls two other men over instead.
Roger and Buck are going to struggle to find Jerry in all this. What has happened to Roger’s father, and will the two ever reunite?
William learns the truth about his paternity
Claire and Jamie haven’t remained separated for long. He turns up right at the end of the episode, surprising everyone. There’s a quick explanation as to what happened to Jamie. The captain of the ship took advantage of an easterly wind. Jamie’s luggage was on the ship, but Jamie wasn’t, which explains the mistake. Jamie got a later passage, not initially knowing what had happened to the other ship.
Now that he’s back, he has redcoats after him. So, it is a quick “hi” and “bye.” It needs to be even quicker as John notes that “your son” will be back soon.
Well, Jamie’s son is back earlier than expected. As Jamei and Claire leave the room, William is outside. He overheard everything.
William has a very understandable reaction to Jamie and John. Who is he? People have kept so much of his life a secret from him. What does this all mean now? There isn’t much time to go through it all, though, as the redcoats force their way into the house and up the stairs. Jamie takes John “hostage” in a mirror of when Jamie took Claire “hostage” before Prestonpans, and they escape the house.
Outlander airs on Fridays on STARZ.
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