I loved the opening sequence and title card for this episode. Bear McCreary’s music is on point and it makes the viewer so glad to be back in Scotland! This time though we see a modern city and power poles! And to see an old box with Jem’s name inscribed on it, and later see Jem at the telephone trying to call Grandda Jamie is part of the Outlander time travel magic.

Bree looks lovely in blue with bangs, while Roger’s shirt gives dad-bod vibes. Poor Fiona is so glad to see them! How awful it must have been to wonder what happened to Roger after she sent him thru the stones.

Thankfully, we find out that Jame and Claire made it out alive. Sadly, that beautiful house is gone. Ian and Jamie are rubbish at throwing buckets of water on a burning house. And Claire’s sexy-time tub is goner. All of this leads to the most important question of the episode. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Bree’s matches or the newspaper article? But miracle of miracles, Claire’s casebook and Jamie’s kilt survives, as well as a picture of Willie. But tragedy of all tragedies… Adso is missing. We can’t miss Adso! The most adorable pictures taken in this series are of Sam and that adorable kitten. 

Young Ian guesses Williams is his cousin. It hard to coast by because back in season 4, we never saw Ian meet William. Some truly great book scenes were lost and now they are retrofitting the error of their ways. It’s also hard because more retrofitting happens with the Bugs. I’d say their story is burnt to a crisp with the house except it never got built enough to have anything to burn. If you haven’t read any of the books, this is the Droughtlander to do so. Unless you like to checkout my season bookend spoilers at the end, this season has too much butter and not enough bread to put it on, meaning too much story and not enough airtime to do it justice. The Bugs are great complicated characters that you never quite knew if you could trust them and yet they seemed kind and loyal. In the book, Mrs Bug was a mother-type figure to Ian, which makes it fall so much more flat in the show. They just seemed weird and stand-offish. They finally get their scenes in the show in this episode but no relationship was developed to merit the grief of Ian when he kills her by accident. It’s too band because the actors are fabulous. Also, rest in peace the mean white sow that was the real reason the gold was hidden under the house. Again….I strongly encourage you to read the books this Droughtlander.

Speaking of the chicken or the egg, I still think it was chicken of Arch to send his wife in to get the gold. If they didn’t think Jamie would hurt a woman, why dress up like a man? And as picturesque as the barn is, wouldn’t it have been awfully hard to carry a body up and down?

Cait has a lovely voice. It’s just too bad they didn’t key it up higher. The music teacher in me feels like it’s too low for her. But I’m sure it was in a key that felt more comfortable for her. I wonder if singing was a little out of her comfort zone in this episode

We see later that Jamie is quite the little planner. He’s got a spot picked out for the new house. Adding to all of it are the quiet little moments on the Ridge as Claire and Jamie go about trying to pick up the charred pieces of their lives. Jamie praying is a nice call-back to season 2 when he’s praying over Claire during the rebellion. Then we see that Jamie dreamed of the future! And poor Jem wanted to call his Grandda! Outlander should partner with Puff or Kleenex. The amount of tissues I’ve been going through with this episode is unreal. And then Jame says that Claire keeps taking him in so she must be home…more tears. Men, if you’re watching, don’t give your wife flowers for this Valentine’s Day. Give her a knife. The show left how Jamie knew how to carve the handle exactly to fit Claire’s hand….I mean she raised him back to life with a hand job. So it’s kinda funny that mentioning how Jamie knew to carve the handle just so was too scandalous to mention.

Look at Roger, the almost Reverend breaking and entering Lallybrock. And here we thought he was a goody two-shoes. Adding to the comedy is Jamie’s facial expressions as he takes in the Beardsley family. You can tell he doesn’t quite know what to do.

I’m very disappointed they didn’t take Adso with them. I mean, come on! There had to be cat carriers in the 18th century! Adso would have eaten all the mice on the ship. He would have become a hero to all! Why does Rollo get to go frolicking around the world and Adso has to stay on the farm? Maybe he’s the origin story for the Disney Movie, Homeward Bound. His descendants were always going to be fierce travelers. 

Poor Claire has always wanted a home. And a vase for that home. And her cat. Damn you Jamie! Good thing you’re good looking and the King of Men because I don’t know if Claire would follow you otherwise! However, it’s easy to see the winds of change are blowing! I think it will be good for viewers to get off the Ridge and see what’s in store for our beloved characters. After all, the only guarantee in life if change. Even if it makes me cry.

All in all, it was a lovely episode, even it the show missed some wonderful opportunities with the Bugs. We’ll see how it all pans out. I’m worried this might be the theme of this second half of season 7, that many wonderful things will be missed. One thing you shouldn’t miss is my sheet pan omelet.

Til next time… Slainte!

Food:  My Ridge Omelet Roll. It’s actually an old Pampered Chef trick but it makes omelettes easy. It’s also a nice nod to the Ridge as I feel omelettes were Claire’s fast food of the Ridge in the books. It’s also a lovely tribute to the book version of Mrs. Bug, as she had named all of the chickens and was so sad when Jem didn’t lock up the hen house and a fox came in a did some damage. 

Song: while it would seem easy to do “On the Road Again” “Hit the Road Jack” or “These Boots were Made for Walking” or “Sweet Caroline” because they are leaving the Carolinas. You could go the cat song route with “the Car Came back” or John Jacob Niles’ “I had a Cat,” or even “Stray Cat Strut” (although I’m sure Adso is a ladies man).  For me it’s a toss up between the Scottish band The Proclaimers and their song “I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)” or Jacob Collier’s live version of “Wild Mountain Thyme.” Now that David Tennant sang “500 miles” at the BAFTA’s, everyone is going to know that song again.

Dram: Maybe it’s all the tears. Maybe it’s too on the nose. Maybe it’s because we’ve had negative temperatures for the past 3 weeks in Montana. But Fireball tastes delightful tonight, especially with a little apple cider. And in the books, they used to make apple cider on the Ridge.

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Rewatch Spoilers….

In the light of all the fires in California, this episode hits a little different on the rewatch. Mrs. Bug’s funeral and Claire singing “Ave Maria” also hits different knowing that Claire will lose Jamie, as well as his comment about him being more likely to be drowned or died on a battlefield.

And Jamie doesn’t want to look William down the barrel of a gun…oh the ways they will see each other this season…

No! Ian won’t see his parents as he left him because Auld Ian will be dying…. More tears!

After the frantic pace of the end of season 7, this episode seems to breathe. If I remember correctly when I first watched it, it felt so slow. Now I wish so many more episodes could have had the time and pacing this episode did.

If Bree & Roger knew how much trouble this gold would bring them…

I’ll have to go and look to see if Claire uses this exact blade later when she tries to take her life in episode 710?

Blood of my blood reference…great foreshadowing to the last two episodes of the season, as well as the new prequel. I still kinda wished they had come up with something else. People are gonna think it’s a vampire show. Now I’m picturing the count from the muppets in a kilt…

Haha! If Roger could have seen Lallybrock back in the day…….Oh he will and so will Bree.

I wonder how many kids the Beardsley’s will have when Claire & Jamie return in season 8.

Ah…still one of the best transitions of the season where we see Jamie and Claire walking away and then as it morphs to the future, it almost looks like they are disappearing under the arch at Lallybroch! Ugh!!!!  How come we didn’t get more beautiful moments like this?!?!? It makes Master Raymond’s appearing from behind a sheet in the last episode almost look silly.

I wonder if that Dick Cameron in the for sale sign is related to Rob Cameron, sick bastard.

Ahhhh….Rollo’s alive. I can’t take it. More tears! Hopefully we see Adso again in season 8.