There are always some Outlander book storylines we would love to see ignored or forgotten, and there are some I was sure the series wouldn’t have time for.
One of those storylines comes up during Outlander Season 8 Episode 2, giving us a reminder of the tragedy that can befall everyone at home.
At the same time, we’re pushed into a mystery that is sure to take us through the season, giving us more time with William.
A Reminder of the Dangers at Home
Claire and Jamie have faced their fair share of problems, and the dangers usually unfold on the battlefield or the road.
It’s rare for Outlander to deliver a danger so close to home — not impossible, but rare.
Outlander Seasons 6 and 7 certainly had a couple, with the Christie situation and then everything with the Bugs, but they were on grander scales than the tragedy on Outlander Season 8 Episode 2.
Poor Amy Lindsay (previously Amy McCallum) was not long for the world. While she, Brianna, Rachel, and Lizzie were picking berries, a bear came upon them and immediately attacked.
It was just as shocking and devastating as I remember from the book, and the makeup for Amy’s wounds was on point. That is exactly how I pictured it all from the scene in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.
Now, I will say that this has changed a little from the book, and I’m happy for it. The scene in the book is heartwrenching and terrifying, and I don’t think the series could have captured it all.
Also, the book involved the children, while the show keeps them out of harm’s way. None of this takes away from the heartbreak and horror of the events.
Each of the women reacts in slightly different ways, with Rachel and Lizzie just trying to deal with the shock, and Brianna feeling like she needs to do something after failing to kill the bear in the first place.
Claire’s look at Jamie when she sees Amy’s wounds tells us everything that we need to know, and it connects back to Outlander Season 1 in a wholehearted way.
I found myself thinking back to the boar attack, where Claire gave Dougal one look to make it clear that there was no saving his friend.
Sometimes, things don’t need to be said, and this is one of those times.
Of course, Evan pleads with Claire to save Amy, but he also accepts that there’s nothing she can do. He knows that if there were, she would do everything in her power to do so.
The Ridge is there with Evan and the boys after this, and it’s a chance to see the family that has built up, even in Jamie and Claire’s absence.
It would have been easy for people to live how they wanted without their laird there, but it shows the example that Jamie has long set. So, even the new settlers are there to support Evan.
Although I do have to say that Captain Cunningham’s speech was somewhat questionable. And how did he take down the bear so easily on his own?
I felt bad for Amy’s son, who went out to hunt the bear.
He didn’t get a chance to avenge his mother’s death, not that there is much avenging when it comes to wild animals, but he was promised that the kill would be his, and Cunningham took that from him.
This whole storyline did bring Elspeth Cunningham back into the story, and it’s almost like she’s a completely different woman from the one we met just an episode ago.
It’s in the nature of the books, as well. Amy’s death brings an understanding and a level of respect between Claire and Elspeth, and I’m impressed that the show captured that in two short scenes.
The Ghost of Frank Lingers
Before Outlander Season 8 began, there were questions about whether Tobias Menzies would return.
He’d always said that he hadn’t been asked to return, and yet, his name popped up in the opening credits.
Of course, that led my brain to question whether we’d get some sort of figment of him now that Jamie knows what he looked like, or if we would have a flashback.
Instead, it’s his voice. I guess now that Jamie has put a face to the character, he can also give it a voice.
There’s no way he would forget Black Jack Randall’s voice, and so, it becomes Frank’s for him.
Frank’s ghost is there, almost taunting Jamie about death and what’s to come.
At first, everyone wants to believe that maybe there’s another James Fraser in the backcountry who will die at Kings Mountain.
Roger even suggests that, and it makes the most sense. There were hundreds of James Frasers over the years, and they wouldn’t have all remained in Scotland.
It’s such a popular name, and historians have always made it clear that there are times when multiple people of the same name existed, making their work harder.
As Benjamin Cleveland (who absolutely gives me the ick) shows up, it’s clear that Frank did get the right James Fraser, and that’s when the ghost of Frank really takes over.
The more Jamie thinks about it and accepts it, the more fear he feels.
I’m not really sure the intimate moment with Claire worked — and I’ve often thought that about a few of these intimate moments, even in the book — but it speaks volumes about the man Jamie is.
The more he thinks about his death, the more he thinks about Frank, and he is jealous of Frank, despite Claire choosing him.
Having Claire in that moment is his instinct to claim Claire, and while I understand it, I just don’t necessarily connect to it.
What I do appreciate is how Claire and Jamie discuss Frank and why he would be so obsessed with researching Jamie.
We can theorize it all we want, but Jamie makes a good point. It’s not about Jamie, but about Claire.
We know from the painting that he saw at the museum when he took Bree that he knows Claire eventually makes it back to the past. Frank likely wanted to know when.
Frank is one of the most fascinating characters in the Outlander universe — book and show — and I constantly find myself needing to know more, but just having this conversation between Claire and Jamie happen was enough for me.
As a side note, I also appreciate the conversation between Roger and Jamie, as Roger catches Jamie up on everything that happened in 1739. Buck decided to remain in the past. That’s all I needed to know!
William Goes on a Mission for Answers — And Gets a Mystery
Outlander Season 8 Episode 2 opens with a cute flashback that sets up the storyline to come.
We get to see newly commissioned Benjamin Grey with his younger brother, Henry, and his cousin, William. It’s in this that William gives Ben a small Army Man figure, and you just knew immediately that it was going to come up later.
I’m on the fence about including Henry and Mercy’s wedding. I get the reasoning for bringing William to Henry, but it wasn’t needed.
I guess there was so little time spent with them during Outlander Season 7 that I just didn’t really care about it, and Henry hearing that his brother had died at his own wedding was just unnecessary.
I also have to question why John wouldn’t send word to Henry before all this. Something about the whole setup didn’t sit right.
It doesn’t become a big thing, though. Instead, it’s a launching pad for William’s story as he seeks information about Ben’s last days.
That’s when the bigger mystery starts.
After getting Ben’s clothing back, William immediately checks for the small figure, and there’s a small smile when he doesn’t find it.
He knows. Everything is starting to fall into place.
Benjamin isn’t dead, and now the bigger question is what happened to him.
Of course, he needs to find out the truth, and that means desecrating the grave Ben was supposedly buried in.
I’m impressed there was actually a body in there, and I appreciate that it was clearly not Ben.
Yes, this is all part of the book, but even from the book, I was surprised they bothered to bury a body in the grave that was supposed to be Ben’s.
It adds to the conspiracy, as it would suggest there was already a body there before someone decided to fake Ben’s death.
I’ll admit that this was a story I didn’t expect to see play out in full on the Outlander TV series, but I’m glad it does.
Not only does it offer William a real storyline of his own, but the whole arc gives him a chance to see life through a different lens.
I think it’s going to be important for how William’s story ends in the books, and it’s definitely going to play a part on the TV show.
It also helps to take a break from the heartbreak at the Ridge, which can be heavy at times, even when that is broken up by the joy of a child being born.
Young Ian’s reaction to his son being born — and the mention of the beloved Rollo — certainly brought light to the episode that nobody else could have.
While I enjoyed the Outlander Season 8 premiere, this second hour is stronger, and I’m excited to see where this epic tale continues to go.
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