Starz making us wait two weeks before the last episode is always rough. In some ways with going back to school, it’s nice to have the extra time but I’m also sad to have that Friday roll around and have nothing to watch that night. It’s always a tricky time where I’m grateful Droughtlander is prolonged and yet waiting is hard.

I wish I could say this is going to be witty but probably not. We did get a few funny moments, like Claire asking Jamie if he called the army doctor a whore. I loved Lord John’s evasive answer to William on what happened to his eye. Was it just me, or when John said “It’s a tale for another time,” did anyone else start singing “Tale as old as as time…”

Moments like Claire congratulating the army doctor on his degree but that he was still wrong and Roger and Buck’s nod to “what happened at Alamance,” gave me a good laugh as well. Even so, this episode left me in a more somber mood even though I knew what was coming. 

One of the best moments of was title card. I love the idea of Bree & Frank going to a museum and seeing a painting of Molly Pitcher with Jamie by the cannon and Claire caring for the wounded (even though her head is down and it’s just hard enough to tell if it’s her or not). Although while there was no snow shown in this episode, it still did not look warm enough to be the hottest battle of the Revolutionary War. Molly Pitcher would have needed an insulated carafe with hot chocolate for the soldiers suffering from hypothermia. Hopefully the poor private who ran off with Jamie’s message on his back got a cup of hot chocolate from Ms. Pitcher after running off in the cold. He couldn’t get a “dressing down” from his commanding officer because well, he doesn’t have much left that’s on. Hopefully he got a good bath afterwards.

I think this episode is different, and not just because Claire has that premonition that something is going to happen. I think it’s because Claire is done with war. She just lost Jamie at sea. Even though she’s played it cool the past couple episodes, we see the reality of it all hitting her this episode between the flashbacks to the conversations in sepia tone and just Claire’s overall demeanor. And while she is an amazing field surgeon, seeing the showreel of her war experiences and war losses (like Angus) really puts into perspective that sometimes it’s time to walk away, even if you’re good at something. Jamie realizes this once Claire’s injured. He’s good at leading men and fighting. But he knows the fate of the war doesn’t rest on him. He’s not Washington or Lafayette. America doesn’t need Jamie Fraser. But Claire does. They know from previous experience that they can’t change history. The Americans win. So it’s time to stop and and soak in what little time they have left together.

It’s easy to think everything is fine or to hope yourself into believing it will all be ok. Until it isn’t. This happens for Rachel as she realizes that Ian’s love for her and his respect for her principles might keep him from doing what he has to stay alive. We see him struggle and ultimately do what it takes (and thankfully that Hessian didn’t go back to Captain Richardson).

One thing that doesn’t change is jerky doctors. If it wasn’t for the doc with the fancy degree from Philly, Claire wouldn’t have been out there in the first place. And while he eventually recognizes she is a good doctor, I think he says those things to try to get her in the church and to safety. It’s not really out of respect because if he truly respected her skill, he would to try to help her with her injury. He basically takes one look and says “not it” and walks out and doesn’t even say sorry or look back with regret. We’ve seen Claire when she’s not able to help (Auld Ian, Murtaugh, Angus, etc) and how it wrecks her. This guy is like “whatever.”

In the same sense, I feel like the show has given up on the Bree storyline. It’s fantastic in the books, and Bree is even on the run for a bit. Here in the office, there’s  no sense of urgency. She’s moseying around the house. The note from Roger was not believable because someone could have easily found it and thrown it out. In the books, it was found when the desk was taken apart. I’m glad we got a wonderful moment with Buck and Roger (“you’re all my sons”), although Brian Fraser might not appreciate all of his whiskey disappearing, along with his black hair. (I’m not usually a wig whiner but even I noticed that Black Brian’s hair was not…er…black). But seeing all these wonderful moments given to other characters, almost makes it more glaring how little has been given to Bree when she has some powerful moments in the books.

Don’t get me wrong. This was a beautiful episode of television. It gave me all the feels. It left me subdued and contemplative, something Outlander hasn’t really done this part of season 7 because there’s been too much checking plot boxes. And while I’ve been happy for the box checking because I do love this book series and love seeing things come to life, it’s been nice to be given space to contemplate a good story. 

Fanny finding William and telling him about Jane being taken away doesn’t bode well. I’m worried Outlander might make me overthink next week. But I’ve never minded it.

‘Til next time….Slainte!

Whiskey: Swear Jar (no joke! It’s Canadian).

Food: In honor of Claire, I’m having cheese. Not her precious Roquefort cheese, but some Beehive Cheese. Their Seahive cheese was at Costco, and it quite hit the spot. It’s an aged cheddar where the time was rubbed with sea salt and honey. Besides having delicious cheese, the have fun names like Barely Buzzed (cheddar rubbed with lavender and espresso) and Pour Me a Slice (cheddar infused with Basil Hayden Kentucky bourbon). 

Songs: I’ve had two songs stuck in my head since this episode: Florence + the Machine’s “Cosmic Love” and Tresspasser’s William’s “Lie in the Sound.”