**This is not a spoiler-free review of this episode. This review is also from a non-reader, and any comments revealing spoilers from the books will be deleted.**
Episode 807: “Evidence of Things Not Seen”
Written by Toni Graphia, Directed by Tracey Deer
WHAT THE HELL.
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL WAS THAT EPISODE?
I take back what I said about the last few episodes being a bit slow. BRING BACK THE BOREDOM!
Pain.
As the sole reviewer banned from reading the books before the season, I definitely get to watch the show with complete ignorance. (Trust me, I’m looking forward to reading ALL of Diana’s books once the show wraps.) It’s been a while since I’ve been tempted to Google “Did this happen in the book? (I NEVER HAVE, TRUST ME.)
But man, the fate of Fergus (César Domboy) had me TEMPTED. I’m curious to see if his death was/wasn’t in the books. Regardless of what I know (and don’t know) of the plot thus far, what I AM certain of is that FERGUS’S DEATH SENT ME SPIRALING.
The final season certainly has teased that his print shop wasn’t safe from unhappy readers (everyone’s a critic), but I didn’t expect there to be A SOUL-CRUSHING FIRE LIKE WHAT THE HELL?
You know what really hurt? Watching Fergus and Marsali (Lauren Lyle) enjoy a moment of marital bliss before the blaze. Some of the sex scenes this season have been a bit cringe-inducing, but I liked Fergus and Marsali’s because it felt genuine (the giggles! Fergus trying to be suave, untying Marsali’s stocking with his mouth but struggling a bit to get it off! It was so cute!)
I do wish they had given us a bit more time with these two before VIOLENTLY RIPPING IT ALL APART, but shoutout to Mr. Domboy for BREAKING HEARTS ACROSS THE GLOBE.
None moreso that Marsali. Lauren’s grief was HEARTWRENCHING. Honestly, it hurt me more to watch her in pain over the long-winded Faith storyline. Of course, I can’t IMAGINE the pain of losing a child, but I wish Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) had something new to focus on together in the FINAL EPISODES rather than a rehash of a season two storyline.
But what do I know?
It would be nice to see more development with Claire and Jamie as they face the King’s Mountain threat. I thought Jamie holding hands with Faith (Florrie May Wilkinson) at the end of the episode was sweet, but man, I just wanted more time with Fergus to be completely honest.
Oh yeah, William (Charles Vandervaart) was the WORST in this episode. I know I’ve been hating on Amaranthus (Carla Woodcock), but her explanation regarding her recent actions made sense. Was she using William? Absolutely. But she made an attempt to survive in a world where her husband is technically a traitor, so I couldn’t help but sympathize with her when she was finally honest.
Someone cast her as the first colonial Bachelorette.
Of course, Lord John Grey (David Berry) knows a thing or two about hiding your true self in a world stacked against you. I felt so bad for him when William called him a sodomite. I cheered when Lord John had had enough of William’s whining and kicked him out for being ungrateful.
William’s accusation that Lord John was taking Jamie as a lover was a low blow.
(Lord John voice) I’m simply too hot for this.
I thought it was ironic that our MODERN-DAY characters are all actively choosing to stay in the past, while Lord John would thrive in the present. A sad irony.
Speaking of diverging timelines, I thought it was so, so heartbreaking when Brianna (Sophie Skelton) asked Roger (Richard Rankin) if he would go back to their present timeline if anything ever happened to her. It’s a valid question. The moment where Brianna held Marsali while trying to fight back her own grief was one of the best scenes in the entire season. Grief is a universal human experience across centuries.
I thought it was so sweet when little Henri-Christian was determined to stay true to his father’s legacy. The show (or in this case, the paper) must go on. So did someone intentionally set the whole building on fire, or was it an accident? I think what made the whole situation worse was the fact that we never really found out.
Aye Sassenach, I felt a disturbance in the force.
I’m disappointed that the final season has had a distinct lack of Claire and Jamie. Sometimes I would start to forget that THIS WAS THEIR STORY IN THE FIRST PLACE. I’m not sure if it’s the same in the books, but there have been so many new characters that it’s almost like our two protagonists are lost in their own final SEASON.
I hope that’s fixed in the last three (THREE) episodes. Now, Bri asked Roger if he would go back if something happened to her. Is that foreshadowing a dilemma for Claire if something happens to JAMIE?
That shot of Jamie climbing up King’s Mountain was awfully foreboding. I do love that he’s back to wearing his kilt, though. In a show filled with PAIN, I’ll take all the small comforts I can get.
Until next time! ….UGH.
NEXT WEEK ON FRIDAY, APRIL 24TH, AT 8 PM ET: EPISODE 808: “IN THE FOREST.”
Synopsis: “Claire and Jamie receive an unexpected visitor on the Ridge.”
