The Season 6 premiere of Outlander saw Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) grappling with the brutal attack she endured in Season 5.
While she looks okay externally, internally, she is still struggling — and recreated ether as a way to cope with it all. This week sees her still using this crutch, but much is going on at the Ridge, so she is also distracted.
Along with this, the Christies continue to upset the status quo regarding their personal beliefs.
The Christies continue to shake things up
While last week’s episode of Outlander merely introduced the new family, this week takes a deeper look into the characters.
Tom Christie (Mark Lewis Jones) is devoutly religious and grappling with the fact that Claire — a mere woman — is the doctor on Fraser’s Ridge. However, after he discovers he can no longer beat his daughter with a belt strap because of a hand injury, he finally succumbs and allows Claire to perform surgery on it.
Tom’s daughter, Malva (Jessica Reynolds), is strong-headed and determined to get a solid education under Claire. This leads to her shadowing Claire while visiting the pregnant Marsali (Lauren Lyle).
She also is brave enough to look her father down when he can’t punish her, and the sass on her is definitely endearing.
Meanwhile, her brother, Allan (Alexander Vlahos), is as devout as his father and suggests that Claire is a witch for all her ungodly ways, such as speaking and just existing in his space. Yeah, he’s a real douche.
A death on the Ridge… of sorts
Tom has insisted that a church be built on the Ridge before even building a house for himself. And, it’s perfect timing as Granny Wilson (Anne Kidd) dies in the latest episode of Outlander.
Well, temporarily.
You see, the woman had an aneurysm, which gave her the appearance of being dead. Then she woke up during the funeral, and all hell broke loose.
Basically, a bunch of people leave because of the devil’s obvious work here. Meanwhile, Granny Wilson’s daughter is ecstatic her mom is alive — even if it is only temporary as her body is filling up with leaking blood due to the aneurysm.
The woman manages to also argue with her son-in-law before making the final cross-over to meet her maker.
A birth on the Ridge — but not everyone is happy
Along with a strange death on the Ridge, there is also a strange birth.
Marsali, who has been having no help from her husband, Fergus (Cesar Domboy), is having a hard time being heavily pregnant. Claire insists she move into the big house leading up to the birth, and thank goodness for that because she very quickly has a strange pain during dinner that sees her being rushed off to Claire’s surgery.
Fergus is sent for, and Roger (Richard Rankin) gives the heavily drunk Fergus a stern talking to, and Fergus finally rushes off to help his wife, who is not properly going into labor.
Once he gets there, Marsali instantly forgets just how much of a s**t Fergus has been of late, and things get hot and heavy. It’s awkward but also endearing to see the old Fergus back again.
Fergus performs some moves he learned in the brothel to help “open the womb.” He explains to Claire that it’s to help bring on the birth, and it is awkward enough that everyone leaves the room as quickly as possible.
It is here that Claire gives Malva a talking to about how women can enjoy sex, and that doesn’t make them whores. Poor Malva has a lot to learn and a bunch of religious guilt to work through, and here’s hoping Claire can lead her down the right path.
Meanwhile, Marsali finally goes into labor, and a baby is finally born.
He is named Henri-Christian, but Fergus quickly sees that the wee lad is a little different. You see, Henri-Christian is a dwarf.
The brief moment we got to see the usual Fergus is now gone, and the a** takes off once more, likely to the still.
Meanwhile, Marsali takes one look at her new baby and declares he’s perfect.
Jamie grapples with his knowledge of the future
Last week’s episode of Outlander saw Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) take on the role of Indian Agent rather than let Richard Brown (Chris Larkin) get the gig.
However, this week sees Jamie struggling with what to do after the Cherokee ask for more guns. You see, he knows the outcome of the war, and he is worried about what will happen should he give weapons to the Indians.
After speaking to Claire, he decides not to mention the request to Major MacDonald (Robin Laing). Young Ian (John Bell) is suitably p**sed about this and has a chat with Brianna (Sophie Skelton) about the fate of the Indians.
Once he speaks to her, he decides that the Indians need all the help they can get and points this out to Jamie.
Along with this, Jamie also learns that Young Ian fathered a child when he spent time with the Mohawks. Because of this, his true allegiance is with the Mohawks.
Jamie then finally decides to ask for assistance on behalf of the Cherokee in their request for weapons.
Brianna invents matches
Finally, Brianna decides to invent matches in the latest episode of Outlander.
When Roger makes the announcement at the dinner table about Brianna’s exciting news, they get congratulated for being pregnant. It’s super awkward for Brianna, especially since fans also learn that the pair have been trying to conceive but have had no luck yet.
Along with the disappointment of not being able to conceive, Brianna’s match invention is not at all impressive to everyone at Fraser’s Ridge.
It seems everyone is so proficient at making fires in the 1770s that they just don’t see how great Brianna’s invention really is. Here’s hoping her next invention really excites her community.
Season 6 of Outlander currently airs every Sunday night on Starz.
Really disappointed with this episode.