I usually love to watch a new episode a couple times. The first time is just for pure enjoyment. Then usually I think on it for a few days and have to go back and watch it again. On my last rewatch, it suddenly hit me. This episode and all the Ridge drama reminded me of “Mean Girls,” a movie with a lot of humor that tells the tales of high school girl drama. And man, did this episode have all the drama: lying, backstabbing, slapping, gossip, brawling, you name it. Then again, maybe it felt so close to home since I’m a middle school choir teacher.

It starts out all serene with Claire taking care of her bees, Jamie is taste-testing the honey, and Cousin Buck is entertaining all of the kids. Buck has been taken in as family, even though Jamie and Claire agree not to tell Buck how his parents died. All of a sudden, Buck’s 6th sense kicks in and knows someone is near. He sends the kids back to the house. Out of the trees pops Mr. Whittaker, the father of the twins Claire delivered a few episodes back. Due to Claire helping save his babies and his wife, he brings Jamie some news. He overheard Captain Cunningham claim that he’ll be the new leader of the Ridge, and that he’s planning on taking Jamie to Lieutenant Ferguson for a good ol’ treason and hanging.

Meanwhile in Savannah, Bree is doing her best to capture Amaranthus and baby Trevor’s likeness. William stops by to check on the progress and to flirt with Amaranthus (gross, as if!). However, the cannon fire from the French is distracting, as Bree is worried about Roger. Baby Trevor is hangry, so Amaranthus is off to take care of him. Bree and William get a little more time for a family chat. They discuss how Jamie helped him find Jane. Bree shares her experience of finding out about Jamie, as well as her hurt and anger of being deceived. William finally feels seen by Bree sharing her experience, although I’m not sure if he likes that her solution for overcoming her hurt and pain was to get to know their da.

Back at the Ridge, Jamie and Claire start to come up with a game-plan. Unfortunately, Jamie’s militia is too freshly put together to be trained for a conflict. He knows he has to squash this before reinforcements come in for Cunningham. He sends Josiah off with a note begging the devil himself, Ben Cleveland, for help.

Also begging, albeit for forgiveness, is Roger. Since he’s stuck at the American camp until the battle is over, he figures he might as well join in and fight, even if it’s with a sword. In his last letter for Bree, he asks for forgiveness but also admits that he feels called to be here for some reason. I love how Roger ends his letter and prayer that if something happens to him, God will have to answer to Bree for it. Roger sees that the drummer boy is hesitant to start another battle. How many battles has this poor boy seen, and so far from home? Roger tries to encourage him and let him know he’s not alone. We hear the infamous “Je Suit Pres,” but we know the battle doesn’t end well. Bree hears the guns, but knows it’s different now. William confirms it for her that the battle has started, and lets her know that the road is closed. Roger won’t be back for a while. William tastefully asks what Roger’s errand was. Bree tries to cover but her worry causes her to crumble and admit that Roger was with the Continental Army. Although, she still uses his minister front to cover for the fact that he was actually there in the first place to find guns. While William tries to assure her Roger should be fine, they both know anything can happen. Bree asks where Lord John is. William says he is at headquarters, trying to remember what a Lieutenant Colonel does. It made me laugh because all I could think of was when Lord John dressed down Lieutenant Leonard in Season 3.

William also gives Bree an American flag to hang in the window, just in case the Continentals do make it that far. I’m wondering if this is the flag that was in the in Philadelphia house? Otherwise, why else would he have one or where else would he get one?

Back at the battle, Roger ends up not fighting, but acting more like a chaplain and a medic, giving comfort to soldiers who are beyond medical help, and running soldiers back to the medical tent that have a chance of surviving. This includes the little drummer boy Roger had tried to encourage earlier. Thankfully, Denny is working there and can help the boy, although I almost screamed, “Thee are all related! Roger, just say you wish your mother-in-law was there.” But nope! Instead Roger runs back into the thick of it to help more. Up comes the new theme Bear McCreary wrote as Roger runs back to it. He almost gets hit by a cannonball and has a quick flashback to when as a boy being tossed to someone. You can hear the bomb siren and see by the tile walls that it was in a subway. He’s caught by someone wearing a pilot jacket. I’ve read the books, so I know what it’s referring too, and I hope we get more about it. If you think you know what it is, write it below in the comments!

At the Ridge (well really it’s close to the church and Ambercrombie & Fitch Trading post) we see Lizzie stashing a basket by a tree. Plans are in motion! Jamie is kilted up and ready to go take on Cunningham at Lodge. Claire is worried and begs him not to go. But that is like asking the sun not to shine. She quotes Robert Burns and tells Jamie that plans fail. He tries to encourage her but is realistic too, that it is going to be an evil night. Jamie shows up at the church, and all his Ardsmuir men are there. They call him Mac Dubh, and follow him in. Claire preps her surgery as well as possible, and the kids are out of the house, except for Frances. Jamies opens the Lodge, but keeping his eyes about the room, looking for traitors about his tenants. Crombie makes up some story about a widow needing help. Some dude says he’ll help. Another guys gets up and mentions a dispute with a neighbor over a well. Jamie says he’ll go help negotiate, but then Cunningham weasels his way in and says he’ll go too, as he “has no other plans.” Across the Ridge, Elspeth has the gall to go to the Frasers’ house and sit with Claire “to pray.” Claire calls her out, and says how Jamie knows her son’s plan. They end up just sitting in silence, sipping whiskey. At Lodge, Captain Cunningham breaks the rules and brings up politics and gives a pompous speech about loyalty and his son. Jamie interrupts him and instead quotes the Oath of Arbroath. Jamie asks his buddy Lindsey to give the closing prayer and sneaks out of the back door of the church. Cunningham curses as his plans are foiled. Jamie gets the gun out of Lizzie’s basket and runs off. His Ardsmuir men join him, and are able to give the names of all of his tenants that ended up siding with Cunningham. Meanwhile, at the most awkward girls night ever, Elspeth spouts off about how her son is safe because he’s got five years until he sees his son again, aka, at least her son is getting out alive. Ugh…the ugly mean girl is coming out. She tells Claire that Jamie has earned his own execution, and then says “we were going to pray, weren’t we?” Ah no thanks! Nope. I don’t want to invoke whatever it is you think you’re doing. Back at the Fraser Ridge Mall, aka trading post, Jamie takes out Hiram Crombie and then gets into a fight with Cunningham. Jamie tells him he’ll leave by foot or in a box. Cunningham smugly reminds Jamie of his son’s prophecy that they’d see each other in 7 (now 5) years. Like mother, like son, those annoying braggarts. Jamie and Cunningham are quite evenly matched in their brawl. They are both seasoned fighters after all. It’s hard to know which direction the fight is going to go. Cunningham picks up a gun and is ready to end it all. He does ask how Jamie knew. Jamie tells him plain and simple. It’s HIS Ridge. He knows everything that happens. He know what Cunningham intends to do. Cunningham and Jamie both quote back to Jamie and Claire’s earlier conversation where Cunningham says that plans change and Jamie tells him that’s why they are called plans. Unfortunately, Jamie has brought a knife to a gunfight. Just as Cunningham aims to shoot at Jamie, Cousin Buck saves the day and takes out Cunningham instead.

Meanwhile in Savannah, Bree is still worrying about Roger. Being a Fraser, she’s ready to go to the Continental camp. William understands, and offers to go with her.

Back at the Ridge, the men make their way to the house. Jamie has a huge gash on his chest and is sent up to Fanny for help, but not before receiving a huge slap in the face from Elspeth. She calls him a coward for shooting her poor Charlie in the back. Obviously she slaps first and asks questions second. Jamie points out that maybe she should ask her son what his true intentions were. Claire goes into doctor mode. She has Captain Cunningham to wiggle his fingers and toes, checking to see if his spinal cord has been damaged. He can move his fingers, but not his feet. I guess Elsbeth doesn’t discriminate because she yells in her poor Charlie’s face to move his feet when nothing happens. Frances runs down and announces that the cut has just missed Jamie’s left nipple (praise the Lord), and is wondering if she can give him whiskey or honey water. Claire gives Frances instructions and then preps for surgery. Elspeth asks for a diagnoses, and Claire informs her that while he might live, the captain probably won’t be able to walk. It’s obvious Elspeth didn’t think things through when she was smugly boasting how her son would live, not even considering what shape he might live in for the next 5 years. I guess they learned the hard way that when you backstab someone, you just might get your own just desserts and get shot in the back instead.

I don’t know what is more painful, watching Claire pull a bullet out of Charlie Cunningham’s back or this next scene, where William and Amaranthus painfully try to flirt and make promises to each other. It’s like Cady being excited when Aaron asks her what day it is in Means Girls (the infamous October 3rd). It’s also pretty obvious from her facial expressions that Amaranthus is manipulative and is using William for something, much like Regina George with Aaron. Unfortunately, William falls for it hook, line, and sinker. They make out and more in the gazebo. I can’t look!

Next we see Roger giving last rites to some soldiers. He looks a little banged up, but ok. Bree makes it to the camp, and after a good hug and kiss, she shoves him and gets all mad at him, in true Jamie and Claire form. Denzel pops up, and we find out that Roger and Denny finally made the family connection. While I’m glad they did, I’m a little miffed it happened off screen. Come on people! William arrives, and it’s another reunion. Bree teases William that for a Loyalist, he has a lot of friends. While he catches up with Denny, he catches sight of another friend he knows, his cousin Ben. Ben has switched sides? Or is undercover? After a good hug, he then punches his cousin. After all, he just messed around with his cousin’s wife. Wait, does that mean like father, like son? Sleeping with your best friend’s wife?

We end with Claire finally patching up her second husband. Jamie decides to come up with his own “Burn Book” with all the names of the tenants that sided with Cunningham. Men ride up to the Ridge, and everyone comes out guns a-blazing. Thankfully it’s Josiah, but with the son-of-a-gun Ben Cleveland. Jamie got his help, but you have to be careful what you wish for.

It’s nice to see things finally come to a head with Cunningham. We don’t have much time left in the season. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as things just got a whole lot messier for Jamie and William. I can’t wait for next episode!

Dram of Choice: Devil’s Brigade

Comfort Food: Better than Sex Cake. I don’t know what happened in that gazebo, nor do I want to. However, with the day everyone in this episode has had, they need something. Anything is better than that!

Song: Well, if Ben Cleveland is in your back pocket, it’s gotta be Garth Brooks’ Low Places.