Starz’s Outlander season seven episode seven finds Roger and Brianna getting to know Buck, while back in 1777, Jamie takes part in the first Battle of Saratoga. It’s a jam-packed episode that ends with heart-stopping cliffhangers for both timelines.
Episode seven, “A Practical Guide for Time-Travelers,” opens with the Continental Army set up in Bemis Heights, NY in September 1777. It’s just outside of Saratoga, and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) writes to Bree, telling her she’s uneasy about Jamie being a part of Daniel Morgan’s riflemen. She also reveals that she met William at Fort Ticonderoga and that seeing him made her miss Bree even more.
Meanwhile, the British army’s camped near Stillwater, NY, and William Ransome (Charles Vandervaart) joins the officers in a discussion of the state of the army. The Husseins are also involved in this meeting, and they speak of desertions and deaths during this war against the Continental Army. Hopes are high they’ll meet up with supplies and reinforcements in Albany. Unfortunately, the Continental Army appears to be camped between Stillwater and Albany – and its ranks are growing every day.
Brigadier General Simon Fraser (Angus Macfadyen) toasts this last push to overpower the rebels. However, their celebration is cut short when a secret message arrives, resulting in a huddle by the generals.
William and his friend Lt Sandy Hammond (Henry Ashton) take this opportunity to relax a little, but that’s also short-lived when William’s whisked away by Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert) for a talk. William learns Howell has altered his plans and will now take on the Americans in Philadelphia instead of meeting them in Albany.
Richardson has chosen William as his second, tasking him with couriering important messages to New York.
Brig. General Fraser briefly joins William and Sandy as they’re eating, and after some small talk, William follows him as he leaves. William respectfully requests to be allowed to stay and fight, rather than being used as an errand boy. Fraser believes he’s courageous and confirms that he’ll inform Captain Richardson that he needs to find a different messenger.
Jamie (Sam Heughan) hands Claire a book he found at the creek and teases her that she needs glasses to read now. Claire teases back, saying they’ll be blind as bats before the war’s over. Jamie promises he can still shoot straight. And it turns out that will be put to the test in three days.
Claire tells him to make sure he comes back to her – or else she’ll go looking for him. Jamie’s well aware that’s what she’ll do if he doesn’t return.
Ian (John Bell) captures a British deserter and learns what the redcoats have planned. With the new information, Jamie and the army quickly prepare for battle, with Morgan leading the charge.
Claire and Jamie share a passionate but brief kiss goodbye as Jamie heads off with his men.
We’ve now arrived at the first battle of Saratoga, September 19, 1777. William and his men are lined up, ready to engage the rebels who are just across the field. Hammond lightens the mood with jokes about women, and William confesses he’ll probably never see the woman he’s interested in (Rachel Hunter) again.
The friends are still talking about women when Hammond’s cut down by a bullet to his forehead. William’s stunned as blood flows from the wound, and Hammond drops dead.
The fight begins in earnest, but it takes the urging of Brig. General Fraser for William to get on his feet and into the fray. Once he does, he channels all his anger into killing the rebels.
The battle ends, and William stares at his deceased friend while listening to the men complain about burial duty. He orders them to keep digging deeper holes to bury these brave men who perished in battle. William even joins them to dig the graves.
Back at their camp, the officers toast to victory. William’s not in the mood to celebrate and walks away from the group. Simon Fraser joins him and points out that William’s a different man now that he’s survived a battle.
The camera pans over the battlefield, past the bodies of dead soldiers from both sides, before focusing on Jamie Fraser. Jamie lies motionless, head bloody, and arm outstretched.
Bree and Roger’s Family Expands By One
Roger (Richard Rankin) shocks Brianna (Sophie Skelton) when he introduces her to the nuckelavee – William Buckley MacKenzie (Diarmaid Murtagh). Buck reveals details of his past and of hearing the buzzing of stones at Craigh na Dun and traveling through time. He adds that he saw Roger in a store and thought he might have answers.
Buck wants to understand how Roger survived being hanged and how he ended up at Lallybroch. It’s all very confusing to him.
Bree makes Buck peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that he gobbles down while revealing that his son’s name is also Jeremiah. Buck appears to still be angry about Roger’s encounter with his wife, Morag, and refuses to accept that Roger was simply helping her. Roger patiently reveals that Morag is his five – or maybe six-times great-grandmother. That means Buck is his five or six times grandfather. Jem is named Jeremiah after Roger’s father, who was named for his grandfather, who was named for Buck’s son.
“We’re family,” says Roger.
That’s a lot to take in, and Buck replies, “You wouldn’t have anything stronger than coffee, would you?”
Buck also learns that Bree is Scottish and that her father is/was James Fraser of Broch Tuarach. Bree confirms she’s also a time-traveler.
Roger finds mention in the family archive that William Buccleigh MacKenzie died in 1778. Morag followed in 1793. He decides not to tell Bree or Buck what he found out but does learn from Buck that he came through the stones in 1778.
Rob Cameron shows up unexpectedly and uninvited, and Buck is given more sandwiches and a room to hide in.
Roger and Bree do their best to entertain Rob, and Roger even allows him to look through his dad’s old hymnals. Rob’s busy reading when Roger leaves him alone in the study just as Jem and Mandy arrive home.
A short while later, the family and Rob sit down for dinner. The conversation flows and everyone’s having a good time, but Rob gets a little too flirty. Bree and Roger try to end the night, but Rob doesn’t get the hint and suggests that a little more alcohol would be a great way to finish up the evening.
Before Rob leaves, he reveals that he’s divorced. His ex-wife was from France, and she took their son with her when she went home. Rob asks if he can take Jemmy with him and his nephew, Bobby, to the movies the following night. Jemmy can then spend the night at Bobby’s if that’s okay.
Bree agrees.
After finally saying goodbye to Rob, Bree and Roger are surprised to discover Buck’s now seated on the couch watching TV with Mandy and Jem. The kids don’t think he’s scary at all because Buck told them he’s their dad’s cousin.
Roger and Bree head out to the camper, and Roger confesses that he’s decided Buck isn’t his enemy and must be missing his children. He wants to let Buck stay in the house – now that Buck knows they’re related. Bree agrees but doesn’t want him just hanging around when they’re not home. She’ll take him to her work, and on Saturday, Roger can take him back to the stones.
The following day, Buck’s overwhelmed at the site of the dam even though so much of the landscape has remained the same. He reflects on the family he’s lost, and Bree wonders why he didn’t go back through the stones immediately. Buck confesses he was wary of the stones and didn’t understand what happened.
Buck asks if she can help him travel back through the stones, and Bree explains that his ring’s missing its gemstone because of the journey. She promises to help him find one so he can get back to his family.
Rob joins them, and it’s obvious Buck’s not impressed with him. Buck notices how Rob treats Bree, and after Rob walks off, he admits he thinks Rob was smiling a bit too much in Bree’s direction.
Later at Lallybroch, Roger finds Buck holding Jem’s toy plane. Buck thinks they’re incredible and believes his son would love this toy. Roger suggests he take it through the stones if Jem agrees.
Buck fills Roger in on his impressions of Rob, saying Rob has a “hot eye” for Bree. Roger reminds him he was wrong about him and Morag. He then confesses that he found the family tree and that it says he died in 1778. That might mean Buck never makes it back to his family, so they believed he died. Or he made it back and died that same year.
That night, Roger and Bree are alone when Roger tells her what Buck thinks about Rob. Roger also believes Rob’s flirty, and Bree responds by unbuttoning her blouse. Things get hot and heavy as Bree suggests Roger’s feeling “territorial.” Roger admits he’s feeling primal. What follows is one of the few sensual, passionate Roger and Bree sex scenes.
Roger gets up in the middle of the night and returns to his desk. It’s only then that he notices a bit of paper sticking out from the chest containing Claire and Jamie’s letters. He’s about to take a closer look when he hears Mandy scream.
Bree’s cradling their daughter as Roger rushes in, and Mandy yells, “Jemmy’s gone! He’s gone!”
Roger tries to calm her down by saying Jem is at Bobby’s, but Mandy insists he’s “not here.” Bree realizes Mandy means her telepathic connection with her brother is broken. Mandy woke up because the stones screamed at her, and she saw the bad man taking Jem to the stones!
Roger checks in with Buck and he hasn’t seen Jem. Bree calls Bobby’s mom and learns there wasn’t any planned movie outing and that Rob’s car is gone. (Rob lives across the street from his sister.) Roger believes Rob read the letters in the chest.
Roger and Buck drive to the stones, and Roger has pieced it together that Rob knew the time travel elements in his journal were real and not just part of a sci-fi story. However, Roger doesn’t know if Rob is a time traveler. He runs through the list of people who know how to travel and realizes he wrote down that Geillis Duncan believed you needed a human sacrifice to travel. Roger wonders if that’s why Rob took Jemmy!
They arrive at the stones, and Buck spots Jemmy’s scarf next to the stones.
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 1 “A Life Well Lost” Recap
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 2 “The Happiest Place on Earth” Recap
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 3 “Death Be Not Proud” Recap
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 4 “A Most Uncomfortable Woman” Recap
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 5 “Singapore” Recap
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 6 “Where the Waters Meet” Recap
- Outlander Season 7 Episode 8 “Turning Points” Midseason Finale Recap
