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Outlander Recap for Season 7, Episode 8 Summer Finale “Turning Points”

By Rueben | August 14, 2023

The summer finale of Outlander aired on Starz on Friday night and opened with Claire protecting her oh-so-not-dead but somewhat injured husband from a far-too-hands-on local woman and her young son, who were basically scavengers going from dead body to dead body until they got to the body of Jamie, of course. Watching Claire grab that little brat in order to threaten his mommy and then holding back mommy with that sword, threatening that bitch with “just you fucking try me” was priceless.

As it turned out, Claire had spent all night trying to find her husband, who was supposed to be firing from a distance – he’s with Daniel Morgan’s rifemen after all – but he ended up a bit too deep into the battle, suffering a hit to the head from the horse of a Dragoon and yet another severe hand injury.

Thankfully, Claire was able to work her medical magic on Jamie’s hand, but she used up the last of her supply of laudanum in order to knock him out. The other thing to be thankful for is that Ian came back from the battle unharmed. Then, the story jumped two weeks later to Jamie’s hand healing very well, but the real concern that a second battle was soon to happen.

Then three interesting things happened:

Rollo ate goose grease that Claire needed to give to Denzell Hunter for a patient so Ian volunteeered to get her a replacement of the supply, which he took to Rachel, Denzell’s sister. During this little interlude between them, Ian kissed her, she slapped his face – even though she clearly kissed him back – and they begrudgingly agreed they couldn’t be together. After all she’s a Quaker and well, Ian isn’t just a young white Scotish lad anymore.

Claire was approached by a man who needed medicine for malaria; in return he had a supply of medicines for trade, which allowed Claire to resupply herself with laudanum. During her conversation with him they talked about the philosopgy of endeavor, and then she learned his name: Major General Benedict Arnold.

Daniel Morgan gave a report from the previous battle sharing that British prisoners were taken and their men, who had been taken by the British, had been freed. He also then shared why he hates the British – he received 499 lashes to his back – just like Jamie did at the hands of that dead bastard Black Jack Randall.

Then the second Battle of Saratoga was upon them. It was quite a battle scene between the British and Continental Armies with Benedict Arnold sustaining an injury to the same leg that had been injured in his past and Jamie’s second cousin, General Simon Fraser, was shot by one of the rebels. In a twist of fate, Jamie was ordered to shot Simon Fraser, but instead he shifted his gun ever so slightly and shot the hat off a British soldier, who turned out to be Jamie’s illegitimate son WIlliam. Close call for one man but a fatal shot for another.

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At the end of the battle, Jamie was summoned to the British encampment because his cousin – the now dying Simon Fraser- had requested his visit. Jamie was accompanied by Claire – who was able to easily determine that Simon would not survive his injury – and upon his death, Jamie was informed by one of the other commanding officers that his cousin had requested Jamie and his family take his body back to Scotland to be buried there.

It’s during this scene that William approaches Claire, and then Jamie comes up to the young man, giving him his hat as a way to replace the one he shot off his head. Jamie and William exchanged very few words, but you could see the emotions on Jamie’s face and the confusion on William’s face.

Before they departed, Ian not only told Rachel that he was leaving for Scotland but also asked her a favor: if she could look after Rollo. She agreed saying, “Of course I will. Not only because I adore him, but because it means thee will return.” So much for slapping him in the face, hugm and their not seeing each other again? But during a walk after the Fraser family left, Rachel encountered Archie Bug, who commented on Rollo. Now, of course, Rachel knows nothing about Mr. Bug – or his history with the Fraser, especially Ian, and that look on Mr. Bug’s face doesn’t bode well for either Rachel or Rollo – after all the man warned Ian that, “when you’ve something worth taking, you’ll see me again.”

Meanwhile, in the 1980’s, Roger and Buck return to Lallybroch to tell Brianna that Rob took Jemmy through the stones; and Brianna tells them that she discovered only one of the letters from her parents is missing from the trunk: the one about the Spaniard’s Gold. It was clear that Rob took Jemmy back to get the gold – because in that letter Jamie shared that only Jemmy knew where the hiding place was located.

So, that meant that Roger would have to travel through the stones to rescue Jemmy, but he wasn’t going alone. Buck would travel with him because Brianna had to stay with Mandy. At Craigh Na Dun, a very heartbroken Brianna and tearful Mandy watched as Roger and Buck went through the stones with Roger’s words ringing in her mind: “I will find him Bree. I’ll bring him home.”

In the final scene, we see Claire, Ian and a very seasick Jamie on the voyage to Scotland when the bell rings out and the loud words “Land ho” call them uptop of the ship. As they reach the top step and turn around, there before them is home. With tears in their eyes, Jamie embraces Claire and whispers, “Scotland.”