#outlander 7x03

[themusicsweetly]

All the time the ghosts flit past and through us, hiding in the future.  We look in the mirror and see the shades of other faces looking back through the years; we see the shape of memory, standing solid in an empty doorway.  By blood and by choice, we make our ghosts; we haunt ourselves.

[avasetocallmyown]

No wonder you're fond of her, Uncle. She must be a rare comfort to you.

[jemscorner]

Outlander 7x03 - Death Be Not Proud

I cannot admit there is anything to do . . . but go on.

Nor will I.

[thewanderingace]

"Both your mother and I are safe and well. And we will always have a home as long as we have each other."

~ Outlander 7x03

[solgasart]

Here is my illustration based on the scene from #outlander7x03 Each episode has not only one interesting inspiring scene to draw. And this time I selected Bree and Roger reading letters from the past.💜

[always-outlander]

Easter Eggs and Spoilers for 7x03 below the cut! 

The Big House

The big house burns - and we learn that Arch Bug had been hiding a secret right beneath Jamie and Claire’s nose. But what I found especially interesting about this storyline (and even more so when I first read the books), was the discovery that their obituary was written in error, and why.

Claire and Jamie remark that it is not January at the time that the house burns down, and it’s clearly not even Fall in the show (in the books the house burns on December 21st). Claire also makes a comment about how newspapers never get anything correct, which is comical considering Jamie’s previous profession as a printer.

In the epilogue of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, we discover that the news of their deaths was reported by a reader of the local paper in Wilmington, and was used to fill a page beneath General Washington’s address to the troops. Spoiler territory, but it was actually Tom Christie who heard of the big house fire and wanted to put a formal obituary in the paper to honor Claire and Jamie. We see that Tom is very much still alive in the preview for this week’s episode, so that will cover the rest of that storyline.

But back to the book epilogue. The printer admits that he was told the news of their deaths in December, but printed the date as January because he had set the page in a specific font which had been missing the November and December slugs, and would have had to type it out in separate letters (which he did not feel was worth it, since after all, they are dead).

1980’s

Back in the future, we are in Inverness with Fiona and her husband and daughters. We briefly see Jemmy and Fiona’s kids playing in the yard, with Mandy in the bassinet and implied to be recovering from her heart surgery. The year is 1980 but it’s implied they have been there for a little while now - I know a lot of people were confused as to why there was such a time jump. Claire and Jamie are in 1776, and while Claire always says she went back 200 years, we will soon learn once Roger begins writing his book on time travel that it’s not exact every time.

There, Fiona gives Bree and Roger a mystery box which had been delivered to Reverend Wakefield’s former address and kept by the bank for over 200 years. In the books, Claire and Jamie deliver this chest to a bank in Edinburgh once they arrive back in Scotland so that one day in the future it would be delivered to Jemmy. So to ensure that no one else would ever open the box at that time, they gave strict instructions that it not be opened by anyone other than the name on the top, and used Jemmy’s full name (presumably so that no other Scot with a similar name could claim it as theirs). We see them writing those letters in this episode to Brianna and Roger, updating them as to what has happened and their journey to Scotland.

In the books, the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes is Bree reading the letter and line “we are alive”, then the book ends. I like that we don’t have that cliffhanger here and can see this storyline unfold right away as it is one of my favorites from the books. In this moment we were able to get excerpts from a few more letters which are taken directly from An Echo in the Bone, and can see how Jamie and Claire had both taken turns writing to the McKenzie’s.

In the books, the box includes letters, two books, and Sawnee, Jamie’s toy snake from his brother. In the show, they included a musket ball which we saw them making out of the stolen French gold in the episode. Another difference is that in the books, the letter is written on December 31st, ten days after the fire. In the show, it’s written in April.

Bree and William

In Echo in the Bone, the opening scene takes place with Bree and Roger still in Wilmington, and standing with William watching Stephen Bonnet tied up in the harbor (obviously this has been rearranged in the show, since the Bonnet storyline wrapped up in Season 5). It is on the shore that she meets William, and William meets Mandy and Jemmy as well. Then we cut to Lallybroch in September of 1980, where Bree and Roger are continuing to read the first letter from Claire. Having been so immersed in the show, it’s easy to forget how many storylines they have moved around from the books.

Like the books, Roger points out that Bree’s matches are in fact the thing that caused the fire of the Big House while reading Claire’s letter. He points out that in trying to prevent their deaths they had succeeded, and changed the future. This is reminiscent of Claire and Jamie’s journey to France and how their attempts to prevent an event were likely the very thing that caused it.

Ian and William

Back at the Big House, Claire, Jamie and Ian are going through the rubble in search of anything they can recover. Amongst the items are a few of Claire’s books, Jamie’s old tartan, and a piece of the french gold. Young Ian is also able to recover the portrait of William that Lord John had given Jamie.

In the books, Ian had been suspicious of William’s parentage the first time he met him as a child back on the Ridge when he and Lord John had visited. He had recognized his stubborn nature as one that mirrored Jamie’s and his mother’s, but never made mention of it to Jamie. In the show they took this opportunity to have Jamie and Ian share that really lovely moment. You can tell what a relief it has been to Jamie each and every time someone else learns of this secret he has been harboring. And Ian has such a huge role in Jamie’s life as his only true remaining family to be with him now. I really think John Bell is the perfect Young Ian.

French Gold

Arch Bug and Jamie have their inevitable confrontation where he admits that he had been taking it back from Hector Cameron bit by bit each time he was sent to River Run. For backstory and a refresher, Jocasta Cameron (Jamie’s aunt) was married to a man named Hector Cameron, who we briefly saw in a flashback during season 4. Hector, his brother in law Dougal (Jamie’s Uncle), and a third man (who we now know was Arch Bug’s Laird, Malcolm Grant) had the gold and intended to use it to support the Jacobite cause and aid Charles Stuart’s rebellion.

When Hector Cameron and Jocasta fled Scotland after the rising, they took their share of the Jacobite gold with them and used it to fund River Run. It was during that journey that Hector accidentally killed he and Jocasta’s daughter, Morna. Arch felt that the gold was misused and Hector was a traitor to Scotland and the cause. He felt it was his duty to take it back, and in doing so he stole from Jamie’s family. Jamie terminates Arch’s employment at the Ridge and releases him of his oath to him.

In the books this moment is substantial because the Bugs are less of background characters and we have seen how much they mean to the Frasers. The show isn’t able to capture that properly, and even more so with Mrs Bug. It isn’t until An Echo in the Bone where Mrs. Bug returns to the Big House in search of the remaining gold where she is mistaken for Arch and is killed by Ian. She was a grandmother figure to Ian whom he deeply loved and appreciated so this was heartbreaking in the books. I suspect in episode 4 we will see Ian and Rachel meet and perhaps by the end of this first half of season 7 we will have Arch return. In the books he goes after Rachel a few times, as Ian is in love with her. William is the one who saves her a few times, and I’m looking forward to him and Ian interacting with one another for the rest of this season.

Return to Scotland

Back on the Ridge, time has passed (as made evident by Claire’s hair). Jamie and Claire discuss where they might set out to build another house, and they share a conversation about where they would like their body’s buried should either of them be killed which is direct from the books. Jamie tells Claire that he wishes to first return to Scotland, as he had promised Ian and Jenny that he would return young Ian to them. With the war looming, it is now or never. They agree that they should go and begin making plans to travel back across the ocean to Lallybroch.

In the books he does not admit that to Claire right away but instead says his reason for returning is to fetch his printing press. The Ridge is no longer a safe place for them while there is so much unrest regarding Malva and now Mrs Bug. Claire thinks they can go live with Fergus and Marsali in New Bern, and it is then Jamie tells her he wishes to bring Ian home and have him avoid the war.

That night, while in bed, Claire can hear Jamie praying. In the books, he leaves their room and goes to a small pool or water near their cabin to pray, and Claire finds him there only to pick up on him praying to God to let him be enough. I enjoyed how this scene was shot in the show better, to be honest. And rolls perfectly into the following morning when Jamie tells Claire of his most recent dream.

The frequency of Jamie’s dreams of the future seem to be increasing, and this time he tells Claire that he saw the McKenzie’s. They were walking up to a house, and looked happy. He is able to tell Claire the name of the woman speaking to them both, Fiona, which Claire knows she had not shared with Jamie before. He also tells Claire that Jemmy was trying to talk to him through a box he’d never seen before, and she tells him it is a telephone.

To hide what was left of the French Gold, Jamie uses some of it for musket balls and the remainder he puts into a chest. He and Claire then return to a cave that we find out he used to come to with Jemmy. Inside the cave, Jamie shows Claire the remains of a Spanish man who died there. This is later important in Jamie’s cryptic letter to Roger and Bree which reveals Jemmy holds the key to finding it. The storyline with Jemmy in the future gets very interesting, and I feel like the cliffhanger for the end of this first half of the season might be his kidnapping.

A New Knife

Back on the Ridge, Jamie and Claire share a scene straight from the books where he gives her a new knife for their journey. There are lots of direct quotes from the books, minus a few dirty comments from Jamie. The two blood the blade and call back to the iconic line from their wedding, “Blood of my Blood” with a reworked version of their theme song.

I loved this parallel to their wedding, where Claire was not given a choice to share her blood and partake in this act. Now, we see her blood her own blade willingly and choose Jamie once again. The theme of Echo and the Bone is definitely heavy on Jamie’s self worth and Claire choosing him over and over again. Their strength as a couple will be needed more than ever this season, so I like that they are reinforcing that with these scenes.

Lallybroch

At the end of the episode, Bree and Roger drive up to Lallybroch. Ironically they were filming at when I was in Scotland last year and my tour was cancelled because they ended up extending filming due to rain. While there, Bree explains to Roger how much he would have loved the house in its hay day. They cut to a shot of Bree sitting on the steps looking through the gate like Claire had back in season 3 imagining Jamie there. Worried they are trespassing when another car arrives, they learn that the property is actually up for sale. When we see them in the future again in the books they had already purchased it, so I liked getting to see this scene in the show. The house is so central to their storyline and feels like a strong return to seasons 1 and 2. When Jamie and Claire go back to Scotland this season the two couples will be at Lallybroch simultaneously across time and I think that will be incredible to watch.

Wilmington again

Claire and Jamie travel to Wilmington (doesn’t it feel like they just left and were only home on the ridge for a long weekend) and along the way Claire spots Adso. She knows she cannot take him with her and sadly leaves him in the woods to live out his life at the ridge. She has a moment where the reality of their home being gone again hits her all at once and they have a really touching scene where she sees the stake that Jamie first put down in season 4 when they arrived at Fraser's Ridge.

She asks Jamie if they will make it back there one day, and he admits he never thought he’d see Scotland again but the Ridge is where they are bound, so they will. This ties back to his conversation with Bree where she tells him that the freedom gained in this war is worth fighting for, so Jamie knows he must take part. To wrap a nice bow around the episode, Claire says to him that he will always be enough for her, and it was the sweetest moment as the two ride off towards their next adventure in Wilmington as they prepare to travel to Scotland.

A good episode, pacing is still quite quick, but I’m enjoying this season a lot.

[contemplatingenjoyingoutlander]

OUTLANDER 07x03: NOT "Just a Cat"

In the show, Claire thought that Adso had died in the fire. So of course she was very relieved to find him alive. But as soon as she found him again, she had to say goodbye--at least for a while. And Claire found herself sobbing.

In the book, the morning after the fire, Amy McCallum’s son Aidan found Adso in his bed, so Claire knew he hadn't died. However, shortly thereafter, Claire had to say goodbye to him when she was leaving for Scotland. She also began to sob.

In this excerpt from An Echo in the Bone, Jamie shows he understands some deeper meaning as to why Claire weeps:

“It’s not—don’t worry, I’m … He’s only a cat,” I said, and a small fresh grief tightened like a band round my chest. “Aye, I know.” He moved beside me and put an arm round my shoulders, pulling my head to his chest, while he gently wiped my face. “But ye couldna weep for the bairns. Or the house. Or your wee garden. Or the poor dead lass and her bairn. But if ye weep for your cheetie, ye know ye can stop.” “How do you know that?” My voice was thick, but the band round my chest was not quite so tight. He made a small, rueful sound. “Because I canna weep for those things, either, Sassenach. And I havena got a cat.” --A scene from Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone (2009, p. 123).

Yes, Adso symbolized all that Claire had lost and a way for her to let out some of her grief.

However, I don't think we should diminish the fact that in the show, Claire was also expressing both relief that Adso hadn't died, and actual sadness that she had to leave him behind when she left for Scotland.

As a therapist, I've listened to many of my clients over the years as they grieved the loss of a pet. They often apologize for their grief, because it's "just a cat" or "just a dog."

But our pets are also members of our families, who give us unconditional love and much joy. Therefore, of course it is perfectly natural for us to feel deep sadness at their loss.

Adso was also special to Claire just because of the joy she felt in being with him. Of course she would be sad at having to leave him behind, not knowing if he would continue to be all right.

There's also something special about raising a cat from kittenhood that brings out the "cat mother--and father" in most of us.

Cait has been a "cat mother" in the past. I know she had two cats as an adult, possibly more when she was younger. Many fans watched Cait take great joy in her cat Eddie. Many of us also mourned for Eddie, when she died.

Actors draw on their own experiences to realistically express emotions. I wouldn't be surprised if Cait had drawn on her experience of losing her cats, when she wept for Adso.

In conclusion, there were many reasons that Claire wept after saying goodbye to Adso. But Adso was a family member to Claire. Never, "just a cat."

[sassenach77yle]

[drunklander]

Ep. 703 Recaps & Interviews

[Updating as new ones post.]

Outlander Season 7 Episode 3 Recap: Jamie & Claire Escape Death, A Fire Destroys Everything & Brianna Gets a Letter from the Past (SheKnows)

Outlander Stars Sarah Collier & Hugh Ross On That Big Death Scene and Working with Sam Heughan & Caitríona Balfe (SheKnows)

Outlander Recap: Dreams About Landlines (Vulture)

Outlander Episode 3 Recap: A Breath of ‘Oh No!’ and Ashes (TVLine)

Outlander’s Ian Now Has the ‘Fear of God’ in Him After Arch Bug’s Deadly Promise, John Bell Previews (TVLine)

Outlander recap: Brianna saves Jamie and Claire's lives (EW)

Outlander star John Bell talks Ian's big mistake (EW)

'Outlander' Author Diana Gabaldon Weighs in on Season 7's Third Episode and the Death of a Beloved Member of Fraser's Ridge (Parade)

Arch and Mrs. Bug Discover That Greed—Stealing Jacobite Gold— Isn't Good on 'Outlander' (Parade)

‘Outlander’ Season 7 Episode 3 Recap: “Death Be Not Proud” (Decider)

Yes, Caitriona Balfe Really Sang “Ave Maria” in ‘Outlander’ Season 7 Episode 3 (Decider)

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe Think It Would be “Unrealistic” if Jamie and Claire Were Still Constantly Boning in ‘Outlander’ Season 7 (Decider)

[thefrsers]

Home is the place where when you have to go there, they have to take you in.

requested by @gotham-ruaidh​: Jamie saying Claire is his “home” in 1.09 + 7.03

[themusicsweetly]

"It's only a year later than we hoped. But we're getting our wish, Sassenach."

[avasetocallmyown]

jamie x claire + death be not proud

[jemscorner]

Outlander 7x03 | Death Be Not Proud

You haven't asked what I want done with my body. No. And I never will. No, I canna think of you dead, Claire. Anything else, but not that.

[thewanderingace]

"Before we leave, there's a place I'd like you to see."

"I wish I could have seen it in its heyday."

"You would have loved it."

[cajon-desastre]

I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.

Anaïs Nin