**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 716: “A Hundred Thousand Angels”
Written by Matthew B. Roberts and Toni Graphia, Directed by Joss Agnew
Pardon my French but —
What
The
F***??
SHE SAID NO COMMENT!!
Claire (Caitriona Balfe) obviously lived. I do wish they had played out the surgery a bit more to add SOME stakes when our faves are in peril. The last episode did SUCH a good job of making me genuinely fear for Claire’s safety — but we get to the season seven finale, and they’re just like, “LMAO, she’s fine!”
However, poor Jane (Silvia Presente) doesn’t escape the episode unscathed.
Can we give Silvia a shout-out here? It’s tough entering a beloved show as a new character connecting with the audience enough to make them care about your fate.
And care I did. I was seriously hopeful when Jamie (Sam Heughan) and William (Charles Vandervaart) busted into Jane’s room later in the episode. It was a twist I didn’t anticipate — Jane broke William’s heart AND MINE.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day.
As a reporter myself, I loved how Jane sassily evaded the colonial journalist’s questions at the start of the episode. She goes to the grave refusing to apologize for murdering a child rapist, and you can’t help but respect her for it.
I really didn’t want her to die, though! This was a new character I actually liked!!
Poor baby Fanny (Florrie May Wilkinson) immediately knows what’s up when they bring her a lock of her big sister’s hair.
ALSO, SORRY NOT SORRY FOR NOT REVIEWING THIS EPISODE IN A LINEAR FASHION.
Anyway.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Faith twist. Didn’t they bury baby Faith in the second season? Is this the producers’ sneaky way of forcing me to rewatch old episodes?
I DID think Jane looked like Brianna, but I legit gaslit myself into being like, “Don’t be daft. How on Earth could they be related? Go read a book about genealogy works.”
SPEAKING OF BRIANNA (Sophie Skelton), SHE FINALLY REUNITES WITH ROGER (Richard Rankin).
Seriously, what was the point of Roger’s arc? Was it so that Bri could meet her grandfather? So we could see Dougal and Geillis again?
Obviously, the family has to decide when they’ll return. Will they be reunited with Jamie and Claire or head back to the 1980s to deal with Rob Cameron?
What kind of Hallmark card do you get for Father’s Day that says, “Thanks for trying to save my girlfriend who did technically murder a guy, but honestly, he was a child rapist, so that bastard had it coming”?
I thought it was weird that William said, “I’ll NEVER call you father,” after they BONDED ON THEIR FATHER/SON RESCUE MISSION.
It’s almost like with the loss of Jane, William reverted back to the stodgy Brit he was before he found out the truth about his parentage.
MEANWHILE, LORD JOHN (David Berry), and CLAIRE REUNITE, AND JAMIE’S THERE, AND IT’S HILARIOUSLY AWKWARD.
THE REUNION I WAS HOPING FOR.
I would say the complex friendship Claire and Lord John developed in the latter half of this season was one of my favorite developments. It’s obvious Claire would never choose Lord John over Jamie, but the latter’s obvious jealousy was hilarious to watch.
Jamie would rather bust his bastard’s prostitute girlfriend out of jail than deal with that guy who slept with his wife once.
ALSO
ROLLO??
DIED??
I was just about to say I was still bored by Ian (John Bell) and Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) in this episode when ROLLO HAD THE GALL TO DIE RANDOMLY.
too SOON
Rachel surmises Rollo was holding out until he knew that Ian wasn’t alone. I thought it was sweet of her to note that she married Rollo, too, when she and Ian tied the knot. She refuses to let Ian bury Rollo alone.
I can’t crack a joke about the scene where Fanny frantically searches for Jane’s grave. It’s downright heartbreaking that she’s left in an unmarked grave due to the circumstances of her death.
Claire asks Jamie if they can go home. I completely forgot about Fraser’s Ridge until the familiar melody played softly under Claire’s request.
Jamie offers to take Fanny with them. She won’t want for anything under his protection.
AND THAT’S BEFORE HE KNEW THAT FANNY MIGHT BE HIS GRANDDAUGHTER?
The Faith reveal made sense after Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon) visited Claire in a dream. However, it still seemed a bit reaching. I’m unsure if that was a book twist or a show twist, and I’m trying to avoid reading the online discourse to avoid spoilers.
I felt like they could’ve done a better job foreshadowing the FAITH LIVED twist earlier in the season. They dropped a bunch of heavyhanded hints in this episode (yes, I looked back at the episode opening after I found out and exclaimed, “OH, THE DRAGONFLIES, DUH), but there was really no buildup of said twist until they needed some shocking ending to keep us hooked.
I genuinely love this show, but I have no idea how it will end with ten final episodes. This latter half of the season introduced many plot threads that never went anywhere. I want to be invested in Outlander!! But honestly, I’d watch a full season of Jamie and Claire being domestic icons and be happy!
Here’s to one more season of laughs, tears, thrills, and spills. I’m all in if y’all are.
Until next time!
