**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.**
Lord John breaks the bro code.
Episode 711: “A Hundredweight of Stone”
Written by Sarah H. Haught, Directed by Lisa Clarke
I’m just going to say it.
Please don’t ban me from the Outlander fandom for this.
But.
I LOVED THE CLAIRE/LORD JOHN TWIST.
Don’t fret, dear; after the ceremony’s over, I’ll take you to Sephora.
Don’t get me wrong, I will always love this show — but it was starting to feel a bit formulaic. I genuinely did NOT envision Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Lord John (David Berry) finding themselves in bed together after a drunken night of grieving Jamie.
It’s probably the most complex pillow talk on a television series I’ve observed. Obviously, Claire and Lord John aren’t in love with each other. But for one moment, they only had each other in a storm of grief, pain, and loss.
Also, the cut to the pair of them in bed together the next morning?
COMIC PERFECTION.
I NEARLY PASSED OUT FROM LAUGHTER. Comedic Outlander is back!
It’s been interesting watching their friendship evolve. The unlikely spouses admit they weren’t making love to each other but to the ghost of the man they mutually loved.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before NotDead!Jamie (Sam Heughan) reappeared. More on that in a second. This episode arc has been the only time I enjoyed watching Claire and Jamie separated. There’s no doubt that Claire loves Jamie, but how is she when it comes to loving her friends?
(Well, after too much whisky, Claire took the loving part of friendship a bit too far, but I digress!)
It was fun watching her grow without Jamie by her side. Her gentle questioning of Lord John’s love life in bed was quite sweet. Again, this part of the episode demonstrated pure, platonic love, the complete opposite of the fiery passion Claire feels for Jamie.
Can someone free Bree from the B plot, please?
Meanwhile, in the present day, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) continually finds herself waiting and uttering the occasional F-bomb out of frustration.
Can you blame her? She’s not the type of woman to just wait around. Also, I genuinely want to watch her react to the news that Claire and Lord John slept together.
REUNITE THE FRASERS ALREADY PLEASE.
However, it appears I spoke too soon, and Brianna quickly finds something to do.
That is, something to smack. Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton), that is.
It turns out the asshole kept poor Jemmy in the present. Bree realizes quickly that he tricked them so Bree and Roger would be separated.
However, if Rob thinks Bree is an easy target, he doesn’t know who her father is.
Threatening Bree with nonnegotiable terms, Rob sleazily asks her to pour him a glass of wine. Seizing the second when Rob drops his guard, Bree wisely smacks him with a large pot.
And I’m like, Miss Girl, have you been going to Pilates? That swing was impressive.
I’m still bored by these two; I’M SORRY.
Meanwhile, Bree’s mom also smacks Lord John with a proverbial pan. Claire calls out Lord John for refusing to endorse Henry Grey’s (Harry Jarvis) wish to marry Mercy Woodcock (Gloria Obianyo).
Once again, these two continue to engage in complex conversations, and I am here to help.
After Claire basically calls Lord John a hypocritical bigot, her new hubby astutely points out that he knows better than anyone the type of danger Henry and Mercy would endure should they tie the knot.
It’s not that he’s against their union. Lord John simply accepts the dangers of their reality in the time period, whereas Claire’s modern sensibilities overrule her. I loved this scene, too, because both arguments made perfect sense, and you could easily sympathize with Lord John AND Claire at that moment.
SO SUE ME, I LIKE THE JOHN/CLAIRE DYNAMIC.
Lord John brings Claire a Sephora haul — a beautiful blue, custom-made gown for a dinner soiree later that night. What initially appeared to be a peace offering following their fight ultimately seems to be a ruse.
After all, the party is for a bunch of Redcoats. Once again, though, Lord John and Claire argue about the implications of Claire’s appearance at the party. I respect her dedication to the American cause, but Lord John astutely points out that she can’t be a Colonial if she’s hanged for treason.
Lord John might’ve broken the bro code a few scenes ago, but he is truly trying to keep Jamie’s beloved wife as safe as possible.
Good heavens, I keep mixing up Henry and William,
Speaking of Jamie’s bastard son, poor William (Charles Vandervaart) is at Lord John’s party pining over Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small).
Ironically, Claire ends up mothering the child her (not dead) husband had with another woman. After she notices a different woman flirting with William at Lord John’s British bonanza, William admits he’s still in love with the Quaker woman stealing everyone’s heart.
Poor lovelorn William won’t get the girl this episode, but he will get his own Jerry Springer moment once Jamie (Sam Heughan) returns.
Normally, I would’ve welcomed Jamie’s quick return from the (not) afterlife, but for once, I genuinely enjoyed watching Claire forge a new connection outside of her redheaded hubby.
However, it’s a testament to Caitriona’s acting skills when you can literally see the joy return to her soul once she realizes Jamie is alive. However, his return comes at a cost.
William overhears the BIG REVEAL of the episode — Jamie is the father! Understandably bereft, William flies into a (very posh; he is British, after all) rage.
However, Jamie’s son has no time to properly grieve in the moment. Jamie takes Lord John “hostage” when the Redcoats hot on the Scot’s tail close in.
Oh, and Roger didn’t find his dad. How the hell is he supposed to know that Jemmy’s in the present with Brianna? Is his dad actually alive? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Until next time Outlander fans!
THIS WEEK, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13TH, AT 8 PM ET: EPISODE 712: “CARNAL KNOWLEDGE”
Synopsis: “Lord John Grey is put in a precarious position. William struggles to understand a surprising revelation.”
