[This is not a spoiler-free review of the episode. If you have not seen the episode yet, read it at your own spoiler risk.]
Episode 810: “And the World Was All Around Us”
Written by Matthew B. Roberts, Directed by Emer Conroy
This entire season of Outlander foreshadowed Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) death. As soon as Frank’s book appeared with the return of Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) to the past, the looming date of the battle at Kings Mountain and Jamie’s death continued to rear its ugly head for Jamie, his family, and the viewers. The final episode of Outlander dealt with the matter of Jamie’s death in an episode filled with goodbyes and promises.
With a callback to The Fiery Cross, Jamie calls upon the men in his militia to remember their oaths and clan mottos as they prepare to depart for battle. It’s like a pep rally, but Scottish. Jamie also prepares his last will and testament, which gives viewers a quick glimpse of the people important to him, even though some of their roles in the Outlander story ended in previous episodes.
There is a focus on bees in this episode. Rightly so, since this season focuses on Diana Gabaldon’s novel Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) tends to the beehives in the beginning, Jamie and Claire discuss the bees while in bed, and Jamie talks to the bees again before he leaves Fraser’s Ridge.
The conversation between Jaime and Claire on their last morning on the Ridge carries immense weight for the central couple of this series. Claire recalls the vase she did not get at the very beginning, telling Jamie that part of her story, and why she did not buy it. It is a deep conversation between the two lovers and soulmates who may be on the precipice of one of them no longer being present.
The goodbyes among the family members continue as Jamie and Claire get closer to leaving. Jamie says goodbye to Brianna, who is ever hopeful of Jamie’s return. Roger also says goodbye to Brianna, and Brianna begs him to bring her father back home with him. Fanny (Florrie May Wilkinson) struggles with her grandfather and grandmother leaving her behind, rationalizing that she is ever so helpful to Claire and should come with them. For such a young girl who struggles with death and abandonment on a level that few other family members can relate to, Claire’s reassurances that they are connected no matter what leave little to calm Fanny’s soul. Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) says goodbye to Ian (John Bell), the first time since being married, and for something that may result in great harm.
The Fraser’s Ridge part of the militia meets up with Cleveland’s militia to form one unit to defeat Ferguson’s Loyalist militia. We learn from Frank’s narration that there are about 900 of them to Ferguson’s 1000, who are more well-armed than Jamie’s. That’s worrying, right? There is the thought of why Jamie didn’t prepare more for this battle, like taking the higher ground before Ferguson. While Outlander continues to remind us that the past cannot change, even in the face of the actions of those who already know the outcomes, it makes sense to take advantage of knowing what is coming.
The conversation between Jamie and Claire by the stream on the eve of the fight continues the conversation they had in their bedroom at the Ridge, but this one is more dire and direct. It is in this conversation that we learn that Mandy sees people as color and can also “hear” people when they are not around. Mandy does not see Jamie as a color but like “water” and also says the newborn brother, Davy, is the same. This knowledge seems to convey that Davy may not be able to travel through the stones and will be stuck in the past, his time. Jamie wishes again that Claire would go back with the family to the future if he passes, but Claire is adamant about staying where she can feel Jamie around her. Jamie even suggests they leave Davy behind with Rachel and Ian. This request feels like a typical man’s comment, even though it comes from a place of love. Jamie also wants a Mass said for his soul and to be remembered by his loved ones.
The day of the battle arrives, and Jamie does what he can to protect those he is closest to—he gives Roger a large wooden cross to wear, hoping it will prevent him from being injured or killed — and tells Claire to stay back until the fight is over. We know how good Claire is at taking direction from Jamie.
With a rousing speech to his men, the battle begins. As the sounds of the battle make their way to the infirmary tent, Claire is too anxious about Jamie’s fate to stay put, and she dares Roger to stop her . . . so he comes with her. There is a recurring theme in this series: Claire puts her life at risk and thus puts others at risk while trying to protect and save her. And in the last episode, in true Claire fashion, she does just that. The woman is no longer a healer, but a woman with only one thing on her mind—to save her husband from death. Her dodging bullets and men rolling down the mountain allowed the thought that maybe it is Claire who dies, as she has no thought for the protection of herself or others. Honestly, in that sequence, she probably deserved it because you cannot help your husband when you yourself become injured.
Somehow, Jamie makes it through the battle alive by the skin of his teeth, even almost taking a fall when Ferguson rides up to him on a horse, sword in hand. Jamie’s strength gives him the advantage in this small fight, breaking Ferguson’s sword and knocking him to the ground. The men celebrate as the Loyalist militia gives up. Jamie and Claire celebrate. With Ferguson as a prisoner, Jamie asks for his surrender. He exclaims that he will never surrender and shoots Jamie with a concealed weapon.
There is a slow-motion scene of Jamie realizing he is shot, blood coming out of his mouth, and falling to his knees. Surprisingly, all of the men around him just watch; no one dives forward to help Jamie. The reaction instead is to shoot and kill Ferguson. Somehow, Claire is the first to reach Jamie and attempt to help him. Unfortunately, Claire lost her medical bag in her trek up the mountain, not that there was much she could do in this instance.
Jamie dies, and Claire is inconsolable. She stays there for hours, holding him, cradling his body. Ian tries to rouse her from Jamie, but it doesn’t work. Claire spends the night in the same position. Roger tries to reason with her, saying he must be buried and taken home. She responds, “He is home.” Roger leaves her again, and Claire appears to either pass out or die. There was a thought that they might be trying the same ending as The Notebook.
What follows is the return to the scene of Ghost Jamie staring up at Claire, brushing her hair from the first episode of Outlander. We see his face this time—it is indeed Jamie. Frank (Tobias Menzies) approaches him, and Jamie turns and disappears. He reappears at the stones of Craigh na Dun, touching the stones and admiring that this place is where it all started, Claire and Jamie’s love story. As he departs, the forget-me-nots grow up from the ground at the base of a stone, waiting for Claire to find them. Inferring from Jamie’s earlier comment to Claire about Purgatory, Jamie is choosing to roam time and space, waiting, and his first stop was to see Claire before he met her. How absolutely fitting for a soulmate.
We return to Claire and Jamie on Kings Mountain, and Claire’s hair now appears mostly white—a call back to La Dame Blanche and what Adawehi told her about gaining her full powers in season four. Before the screen goes black, both Claire and Jamie gasp.
There is a post-credits scene that tips the series’ hat to author Diana Gabaldon, who infers that the book Outlander comes from Claire’s journal. There is a vase in the background with blue flowers.
The series finale of eight seasons of Outlander did not kill off either of its main characters, letting the central couple live on in whatever capacity this supernatural revival leaves both of them. The viewers are left with imagining what happens next, or turning everyone into anticipated readers waiting for Diana Gabaldon to finish her last book to see what happens to book Jamie and Claire.
While I do not find any issue with the ending, this season of Outlander was hit-or-miss. Seeing it as a whole and knowing the endpoint, there were choices made for its characters and storylines that seem irrelevant or had no payoff in the end. We all know that not everything from the books can ever be included in a season of television, especially one with only ten episodes. There are too many cooks in the kitchen in terms of writers and producers who want to put their own spin on Outlander and introduce characters and plots that do not serve the ending or the spirit of Jamie and Claire. Things became so convoluted in the end, especially when the focus shifted away from the main characters. While Jamie and Claire’s story has concluded for now, there is always a rewatch or a reread to revisit one of the greatest romantic couples of recent fictional history. They, along with Diana Gabaldon, are the reason we love this show and why we continue to come back to it.
