Outlander season 7, episode 9 recap: Returning home isn't always easy

Droughtlander has come to an end again. Outlander season 7, episode 9 has arrived, and it did not disappoint.

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from Outlander season 7, episode 9.

We ended season 7A with Claire, Jamie, and Young Ian arriving in Scotland. Roger and Buck headed through the stones to get Jemmy, leaving Bree and Mandy behind. It didn’t take long for the series to catch us up on the events and find out where everyone is.

I will say the show did an excellent job of making us wonder about the time Roger was in. Those who have read the books know that Roger and Buck end up in 1739. The show had us wondering for some time.

Jamie realizes he feels out of place at home in Outlander season 7, episode 9

The main reason for Jamie, Claire, and Young Ian to get to Scotland was to return Simon Fraser’s body to his ancestral land. Hugh’s words of unfinished business made Jamie think of things. As the three of them headed to Lallybroch, Jamie realized that he needed to see Laoghaire.

This was supposed to be a chance to clear the air. The two did admit that they thought each other needed them, but that wasn’t the case. Laoghaire also seemed to accept that Jamie was never in love with her after all. He always loved Claire, and him standing up for her at The Gathering when she was 16 was just a matter of honor and not love.

Business is left unfinished at first, though. It’s only when Joanie comes to see Jamie that things are handled better. Joanie explains that she wants to become a nun, but Laoghaire refuses to release her dowry. Laoghaire also doesn’t want to marry the man she loves, Joey, because it would mean she loses Balriggan.

Jamie finds a way to manage that with the help of Ned Gowan, who is still alive! There’s a new contract so that Joanie gets what she wants and Laoghaire can marry Joey without losing her family home. Joey doesn’t want Balriggan. He wants Laoghaire, making it clear that she finally gets the love she’s always wanted.

There is an important scene for Jamie, though. America has become his home. While Scotland has a part of his heart, there’s something unusual about it now. Anyone who has moved out of a city or a country they’ve grown up in will understand that feeling of being displaced.

Claire tells the Murrays the truth in Outlander season 7B

The series righted a wrong from the books. Claire decided that it was time to tell the Murrays the truth about where she comes from. This comes up because Michael mentions that France has sided with America and it’s causing tensions. Claire wants to make sure Michael gets out of Paris, as he is there now opening more wine businesses.

The best way to get Michael out of Paris before the French Revolution is to tell him and the rest of the family the truth. Of course, they don’t quite believe her at first, but they know that Jamie and Young Ian aren’t fools. If they believe her, then what she says must be true.

Jenny, who is now played by Kristin Atherton, turns to Claire for help. Ian Murray is dying of consumption (TB) and Jenny wants Claire to save him. Surely there’s something she can do. Naturally, Jenny is angry that Claire can’t help Ian. She thinks that Claire is holding a grudge against her, but that’s not the case at all. While there are treatments in the future, they can’t be recreated here. Plus, Ian is too far gone in the disease to help.

Ian is prepared to die. He knows that it’s coming, and he wants to make sure that everyone is happy and loved. That leads to a beautiful conversation with Young Ian, who mentions Rachel. There are some hilarious lines throughout this conversation—and no, having Rachel look after Rollo is not the same as Young Ian asking her to wait for him.

When Claire gets a letter from Lord John Grey to go back to America, it looks like Young Ian will get a chance to see Rachel sooner than expected. However, Young Ian doesn’t want to leave. He wants to stay for as long as his dad has left. Jenny won’t allow that. She takes Young Ian to the family graveyard, where there is a gravestone for Young Ian’s daughter. Everyone has a place and a memory at Lallybroch, and that’s the way it will always be. However, Young Ian needs to go back to America and be with Rachel.

Jenny also gives her blessing for Claire to leave to treat Lord John Grey’s nephew. Jenny has made peace that if Claire could save Ian, she would. She can save John’s nephew, though, and she needs to go and do that. Jenny even apologizes for her anger, but there’s nothing really to apologize for. Jenny is wrapping her head around Claire being a time traveler while dealing with the upcoming loss of her husband. Of course she was going to react the way she did.

Roger finds out he’s in the wrong time period in Outlander

When Roger and Buck went through the stones, they expected to head to 1778. Well, that didn’t happen.

At the stones, Buck has problems with his heart. He says that he’s feeling better, and the two split up. Buck heads to Inverness deciding that Rob Cameron would head there for a ship, while Roger heads to Lallybroch. If Jemmy got away from Rob, Lallybroch would be where he’d go.

Well, Roger was admittedly expecting to see Ian Murray or Jenny Murray at the doors of Lallybroch. That’s not who he meets. It’s Brian Fraser, which is the first hint that he’s in the wrong time period. He also meets a young Jenny Fraser. Learning that Jamie is in Paris at university tells Roger that he’s in either 1739 or 1740.

Once Roger shares that he is a married man, Brian eases off a little and allows Roger to stay the night. It will be better looking for Jemmy in the morning. And Brian does help. He takes Roger to Ian Murray’s father, who shares that there was a ferryman spotted wandering around the parts. This ferryman was dressed oddly, and he didn’t have a boy with him. This could mean that Jemmy got away, or it could mean something completely different.

There isn’t much more time to spend looking for Jemmy, though. Jenny comes with word that Buck is struggling to get to Lallybroch. While there isn’t a healer, there is someone who can help in a village. Who does Roger end up taking Buck to see. It’s only Geillis Duncan at Cranesmuir, and of course, Roger recognizes her. Shouldn’t she recognize him? This certainly has us excited for Outlander season 7, episode 10.

Back in 1980, we get a shot of Bree taking her daughter back to Lallybroch. Mandy sleeps in the car while Bree cries as she drives. She knows that Roger won’t return without Jemmy.

Outlander airs Fridays on STARZ.

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