Warning! SPOILERS about Outlander season 7, episode 3, and the Outlander books ahead.
Picking up right after the shocking ending of the previous episode, Outlander season 7, episode 3 saw one of the series’ most anticipated events happen and a number of huge story reveals. Since Outlander season 4, Jamie and Claire knew that their deaths would be reported in the future as having happened due to a fire that destroyed their home. The aftermath of the fire inadvertently caused by Wendigo Donner’s careless search for gems took the better part of Outlander season 7, episode 3, at the same time surprisingly revealing one long-lasting mystery. If the reveal of the true identity of the masked man weren’t enough, a beloved character’s accidental killing rattled all on Fraser’s Ridge.
Outlander season 7, episode 3 continued portraying how Brianna and Roger’s absence affected Jamie and Claire. However, in addition to showing how Claire and Jamie handled missing their daughter and part of their family, Outlander season 7’s third installment showed Brianna and Roger’s side in the future, thanks to the discovery of a letter-filled vault. Albeit heartwarming, as it gave Brianna and Roger a chance to feel closer to Jamie and Claire despite the 200-year distance, some letters’ content will soon cause them problems, as shown by Outlander’s seventh novel in the series, An Echo in the Bone. Overall, Outlander season 7, episode 3 advanced many storylines soon-to-become central.
Fraser’s Ridge Fire Months Ahead Proved Brianna Saved Jamie & Claire
The entire reason Brianna chose to travel back in time in Outlander season 4 was to alert Claire and her biological father Jamie of a fire that would have destroyed their house and supposedly killed them. Traveling back in time was in part traumatizing for Brianna, but thanks to that trip, she was able to meet Jamie and build a beautiful relationship with her biological father, who would have stayed a stranger were it not for Brianna’s trip to the past. Despite not planning to stay, Brianna and Roger eventually built their life together in the 1700s and wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t for Mandy’s heart defect.
Learning from Claire’s letter that a fire actually happened, but nine months in advance and with a match that Brianna created that Donner lit, was proof that Brianna’s time-traveling effectively changed her parents’ fate. After all, Brianna not only warned Claire and Jamie about the event but also stayed on to live with them for years, impacting their everyday life to the extent that their future was changed. In addition to unequivocally changing Jamie and Claire’s future, the outcome of Brianna’s trip undoubtedly proved that time-traveling could change the past, even if only for people who wouldn’t be considered important enough for their story to be part of history.
The Jacobite Gold Will Play A Big Part In Roger & Brianna’s Future Story
Outlander season 7, episode 2’s action-packed ending almost glossed over Mrs. Bug’s betrayal of the Frasers. Indeed, the Bugs not only hid part of the Jacobite gold in Jamie and Claire’s home on Fraser’s Ridge without telling them, but they also stole from their family, as that gold was originally taken by Aunt Jocasta’s husband, Hector Cameron. The Jacobite gold already caused much disharmony, as its discovery prompted the Bugs’ employment termination first and Mrs. Bug’s death later. However, Jamie’s decision to melt it and hide it in case Brianna and Roger needed it in the future will cause them even more problems, endangering Jemmy.
With Outlander season 7 following the series’ seventh book, An Echo in the Bone, Brianna and Roger’s presence in Scotland will soon be struck by crisis. Indeed, Brianna’s colleague Rob Cameron learns from Claire’s letter about the gold and Jemmy knowing its position in the book, leading him to kidnap Jemmy. If that weren’t enough, by implying he brought Jemmy back in time, Cameron even manages to separate Brianna and Roger, with the latter deciding to time travel to the 1700s to search for Jemmy. Even just knowledge about the Jacobite gold will mean trouble for the Mackenzies in Outlander season 7, especially considering what happened in the Outlander books.
Arch Bug’s Threat Will Come Back To Haunt Ian
Killing Mrs. Bug deeply affected Young Ian, even if he only shot an arrow to protect Jamie from the gun aimed at him. Almost half of Outlander season 7, episode 3 was devoted to Mrs. Bug’s mourning, given that she was a grandmother figure for Ian, but also always there to care for those at Fraser’s Ridge, making her betrayal first and death later particularly impactful. Despite her death being caused by a split-second reaction that will surely haunt Ian for some time, what happened to Mrs. Bug will also come back to hurt Ian via Arch Bug, who promised vengeance.
Indeed, An Echo in the Bone lets Arch Bug maintain his promise to him, as Young Ian eventually finds someone else to love after being heartbroken about his wife Wakyo’teyehsnonhsa for a long time. While the attempt on Ian’s new love is miraculously thwarted by William, Arch Bug almost manages to cut off Ian’s arm in the action. Given that all the heartbreak was prompted by the discovery of the Jacobite gold, it wouldn’t be too far off to believe the myths saying it was cursed, especially for the drama related to it in the 18th as well as the 20th century in Outlander.
Jamie’s Prediction About Where He’ll Die Eerily References 1 Book
Mrs. Bug’s death prompting talks about burial choices between Jamie and Claire in Outlander season 7, episode 3 hinted at a major An Echo in the Bone story that can possibly appear in Outlander season 7. While the exchange between Jamie and Claire started as serious, as Claire asked him where he would like to be buried, Jamie lightened up the mood by saying it would have been more probable for him to be “drowned, burnt, or left to rot in some battlefield” than buried at all. Despite still not meeting his end in the Outlander books, one storyline in An Echo in the Bone sees Jamie presumed dead because of a shipwreck, proving his prediction right.
Adso’s Comeback Aptly Marks Jamie & Claire’s Departure From Fraser’s Ridge
Fraser’s Ridge has been Jamie and Claire’s home for almost ten years by the end of Outlander season 7, episode 3, making it the only place Jamie and Claire stayed for long together. Adso the cat was a central part of their family, staying with them since Outlander season 5, episode 5, and accompanying them in a primarily happy period of their life, as they also had Brianna and Roger with them on the ridge. Claire’s reunion with Adso was poignant because seeing him confirmed he was safe after the last time they saw him was when the Committee of Safety besieged their home in Outlander season 6’s finale.
However, meeting Adso happy in the forest at the beginning of their trip to Scotland also had another meaning. As Fraser’s Ridge was effectively Jamie and Claire’s home, which they were leaving without knowing when they would return, seeing Adso marked the perfect farewell. After all, Fraser’s Ridge was as much their home as it was Adso’s. Saying goodbye to their cat before embarking on a perilous journey across the ocean was the perfect conclusion for their mostly idyllic time at Fraser’s Ridge before going on another adventure that will indeed mark a change of scenery in Outlander season 7.
