When times get so tough that even the stalwart Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser struggles over the hard stuff in an attempt to self-medicate, you really are in a very bad state.
And that’s where we kick off with the season 6 premiere of Outlander, which takes a lot of time to reminisce about Jamie’s prison days before we fast-forward to Fraser Ridge circa 1773. In the past, a grieving Jamie faces a pain in his stomach. Inmate at Ardsmuir Prison. Claire is currently dealing with the aftermath of the rape and trauma she endured at the end of Season 5… and Jamie is dealing with a thorn in his soul, a former Ardsmuir prison inmate.
And before the extra-big episode ends, we get a spanking, some Claire-Jamie love, and confirmation that the show is going to a dark place this season for Fergus and Marsali. Read on for Echo’s highlights, and then be sure to check out what Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan had to say about the episode’s unsettling ending.
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MEET TOM CHRISTIE | I didn’t think there could be less fun in Ardsmuir, but we go back to when Jamie lived there, starting in 1753, when there was no Lord John Gray or Murtagh. Gray did not serve as governor of the institution until 1755 (when the Ardsmuir scenes in Season 3 “All Debts Paid” take place); It’s less clear to me when Murtagh arrived, but it’s also possible that he’s on the premises but too ill during this flashback to walk with the men while they’re at work.
Anyway, this whole section goes on sooooo long, but the gist is this: Tom Christie is a saint than you, a Protestant Christian who doesn’t get along with most of the other (Catholic) inmates, but shares a kinship with the warden because they are both Freemasons . One day, during hard labor, a fight breaks out between Protestant and Catholic prisoners; Jamie mostly doesn’t intervene, only breaking in at the end when one of the men gets hit by a heavy stone on the head and dies. An elderly prisoner puts a piece of tartan on the body of a dead man, which by that time had been outlawed; to protect the man, Jamie lies and says the piece of cloth is his.
To do this, he was stripped – oh, hello scars on his back, prostheses! Haven’t seen you in years! – and flogged in front of everyone. As the punishment continues, Jamie imagines he sees Claire walking toward him in white. But before she can say, “Damn it, baby, what have you done to your hair?”, the torture is over and the Sassenach is gone.
The Governor calls Jamie to a meeting and asks why he doesn’t do what he’s told. McDab replies that the men are separated. They need food, medicine and some peace – and Jamie has a plan to get it. He asks the governor to make him a Mason too; all it takes is for Freemasons to believe in a higher being “like me,” Jamie assures him.
So when Jamie returns to the cell, he announces that “From now on, the prison will be a lodge, and we will be Freemasons, united by faith in the Great Architect of the Universe.” It’s not an instant decision – Tom Christie and his allies don’t immediately sign on – but it’s just the beginning.
ETHER? I BARELY KNOW HIM! | Then we move on to 1773 and Fraser Ridge, where Tom and a group of fishermen from Scotland have just appeared. Isn’t it time for you to tell me that when I read the books, I always pictured Tom Christie as more like the Reverend Johnson from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and now I find it hard to accept this? Eh, it will pass.
But first, let’s talk about life on the ridge. Jamie discovers that Claire has passed out on the bed in her operating room and it takes a lot of effort to wake her up. But when he does, she is thrilled: she injected herself with ether, which she herself did, and the anesthesia seems to have worked! (He’s less impressed.) They quickly consider all the horrors that could happen to them in the near future: the Browns, the war, a group of vigilantes calling themselves the committee of safety. In addition, the British still want Jamie to be the Indian agent of the Crown, a job he really does not want and plans to refuse.
On the way in the van to Fergus and Marsali’s house, they talk about how Jamie may be a little stuck after Claire was kidnapped and raped. But the conversation doesn’t go far when they arrive so Claire can check on her very pregnant sister-in-law. Marsali is emaciated and has a bruise on her wrist that looks like a fingerprint. When Claire mentions that Fergus has to help around the house and take care of the kids, Marsali looks at him like crazy.
Much later, we see Fergus show up drunk at a family event. When Marsali takes him aside and they talk about him drinking too much, he replies, “Sorry, I’m such a disappointment.” Oh, book readers, it looks like they’re going there this season, doesn’t it?
BLAST FROM THE PAST | While Claire and Jamie are away, Tom approaches the house and Brianna and Roger invite him in. He’s here because he’s heard about Jamie offering land to his Ardsmuir people, and he and his group need a place to live. It quickly becomes clear that over the years, Tom has not cooled down from a religious point of view. And when He and She return, Jamie has to smile to greet Tom. Then Roger is like, “PSST, I TOLD HIM HE COULD STAY,” and the smile fades a bit.
That night, before going to bed, Claire wonders if the Ridge is the best place for Tom to settle down. Jamie admits he’s not thrilled about it, but what can you do? He remembers that Tom’s wife died while they were in prison; the flashback leads Jamie to reflect on how, during their separation, Claire appeared to him when he needed her most. “Sometimes I think you’re an angel,” he says softly. “Would an angel do it?” she asks, climbing on top of him. Guys and girls, there are only 45 minutes before the start of the new season, and they are already playing bagpipes to each other! On a side note: I know they probably filmed the scene seated to hide Caitriona Balfe’s then-pregnant belly, but GOD THANKS Jamie and his 50 year old back. With everything he’s been through, you know this thing should creak like the hull of a wooden ship, and lying down would probably be better, but you’ll still hear him complain!
PROBLEMS OF VARIOUS SMALL | Tom has a daughter, Malva, and a son, Allan. Malva is intelligent and intrigued by Claire’s work. Allan… just kind of weird. I’m not going to lie to you: this episode seems to be six hours long, so I’m going to compress a lot here, cool? Among the fishermen there is a woman named Amy who has a couple of children and no husband, and when Roger volunteers to help her build a cabin for her new family, she is shocked… As Claire stitches up one of Tom’s arms, she notices that the other is suffering from a contracture Dupuytren, a painful and debilitating condition that she is able to cure with a surgical procedure. But he won’t let her…
This brings us to Richard Brown, the brother of the man who kidnapped and raped Claire. Richard leads a security committee that is trying to apprehend Native Americans nearby. And, ironically, he was offered the role of an Indian agent, which Jamie turned down. Brown and his men drive up to the Big House as the Frasers throw a welcome party for Christy and their group. Richard announces that they have come for Allan Christie, who he claims stole the powder horn. And he did.
Do you want to end up like your mother? Tom yells at his son in front of everyone, roughly grabbing him. “Good, because she is burning in the fires of Hell!” Tom asks Brown not to take the young man, saying that he will punish Allan for his crime. Jamie intervenes and makes it quite clear that he will measure the punishment. “My land, my means,” he says. So he pulls Allan aside, makes him take off his jacket, and then whips him with the belt while everyone watches, and Allan screams in pain. Jamie then orders Brown to leave, and he does, but not before hinting that Jamie is harboring a rebel on his property. Tom is all: “We are loyal to our king!” and SHUT UP, VOL.
Given this reminder of Richard Brown’s brutality, Jamie finds Major McDonald and says that he will come forward and become an Indian agent – if only to stop Brown from doing so. And then Jamie finds Tom and brings one point to his attention: “If you’re going to stay, then my word at Fraser Ridge is law.”
DOCTOR, PROTECT YOURSELF | That night, while Brown worries her, Claire has a nightmare that wakes her and Jamie up. She rebuffs his attempts to console her, telling him that she will go downstairs and make a cup of tea instead. But in fact, she sets fire to the ether in her operating room, drips a few drops of medicine into the mask. Then she sits down on the bed and takes a deep breath, falling back in a daze. Oh, do we have a vintner’s rule situation here?
Now it’s your turn. What do you think of this episode? Rate the premiere with the poll below, then share your thoughts in the comments!