STARZ’s hit series Outlander concluded its sixth season with quite the cliffhanger for fans as Claire was locked up in a Wilmington jail cell awaiting her trial for murder, while Jamie frantically tries to reach her after his own rescue by Ian and the Cherokee. Season 7 picks up right where we left off, so let’s jump into the biggest moments of the season premiere.
Brianna and Roger See a Familiar Face
Roger has begun his training as a minister under Reverend Macmillan. Brianna and Roger head to the church where Brianna stays to help the other women while Roger and the Reverend leave to minister to a nearby group of soldiers. When they arrive, the prisoners are not impressed and Roger quotes Muhammed Ali which a prisoner, Wendigo, recognizes. He and Roger talk as Roger remembers him as one of the men involved in Claire’s abduction. He swears he was trying to help her escape and Wendigo begs Roger to help him so he can return to his own time.
Upon returning to the church Roger packs some food and a hammer which Brianna finds in his bag when he greets her. She’s suspicious and he tells her about Wendigo. Brianna isn’t ok with helping him as he stood by and did nothing while Claire was brutalized. Then he fled the scene when Jamie and his men arrived. In her eyes, he did nothing at all to help Claire and shouldn’t be helped. Roger tells her that while he was in Bonnet’s crew he had to stand by when Bonnet through a child overboard and the mother jumped in after it. He was outnumbered and would have also been killed, he understands what it is to have to stand by in order to survive. Brianna isn’t convinced and walks away to the beach.
Later, Roger finds her again and he agrees not to help Wendigo but instead will pray for God to help him. Brianna tells him to go ahead and Roger says a short prayer for the man and the two seem to put it behind them.
Claire’s Time in Wilmington Jail
Claire finds herself in the Wilmington jail where she gets aquatinted with her cellmate Sally Ferguson over a game of cards. The sheriff’s wife oversees any of the women’s needs (when she’s not passed out drunk) and makes an exception to serving Claire dinner when she’s already missed mealtime for the day. The following morning as the women clean various clothing items or things about the jail, an officer charges in asking who is the healer among the group. He knows only that there is a murderess, a forger (Sally), and a few other criminals in their midst. He doesn’t want to take the murderess though, so Sally quickly claims the murder charge for herself and the officer takes Claire quickly.
She finds herself aboard the HMS Cruiser which is anchored just off the Wilmington coast. Aboard the ship, Claire is directed to care for the Governor’s pregnant wife who has been sick for a full night. She’s drinking several tonics and the two chat as Claire makes her ginger tea to help her stomach. The Governor’s wife shares that they have lost three of their six children, and is wary to have Claire as a healer given her charge. It seems Claire’s story has already circulated through the town. Claire professes her innocence and promises to do everything she can to help the woman. With her improving, Claire overhears the Governor and an officer discussing reclaiming a nearby fort from the rebels. The Governor is intent on sailing there and Claire quickly enters the room asking when she’s to be returned to shore. The Governor informs her she’s not leaving anytime soon and can consider it her service to the crown. Unfortunately, Officer MacDonald is present and brings the Governor up to speed on both Claire’s charges and Jamie’s questionable loyalty due to his resignation as an Indian agent. He is dismissed and Claire assures him she is innocent though she says nothing about Jamie’s resigning. She does tell him that she knows the pain of losing a child and only wants to do everything in her power to help his wife.
Realizing she won’t be allowed to leave the ship, Claire insists she needs supplies to care for his wife but he only tells her to write a list and an officer will retrieve them. Thinking fast, Claire writes a letter with the list to Thomas Christie who the officer finds at the local tavern. Christie promises to retrieve the items and asks for the ship’s location, which the officer gives, and he will meet Christie in the harbor and take him to the ship as needed. On the list, Christie finds a few items but most importantly the last item reads “vir meus” which is Latin for “my husband.” Christie immediately heads off to find Jamie.
Jamie Arrives in Wilmington
Ian and Jamie ride on to Wilmington where they arrive to find Claire gone from the jail. The Sheriff’s wife informs him that Claire was taken by soldiers and the other women give what little information they have. Upon leaving the jail Jamie spots a familiar horse, but his attention is pulled away when Thomas Christie finds him with the letter from Claire. She wants him to come to her on the ship, and Jamie immediately heads to the harbor.
He is rowed to the boat where Claire happens to be on the deck asking after blankets for the Governor’s wife. They finally reunite as Jamie rattles off his credentials for boarding the ship to the officer. Jamie and Claire share a passionate kiss at long last only for the officer to inform them that’s not permitted. Jamie is taken to the Governor who rehashes his questionable loyalty to the crown. He requests that he and Claire be allowed to leave as her charges are unfounded, but the Governor isn’t persuaded. It’s then Jamie points out that the Governor declared martial law over the colony of North Carolina, putting Claire in his direct custody. Rather than allow her to simply leave, the Governor tells Jamie to return home and recruit 200 armed men to the service of the crown. When he receives word of those men he’ll know Jamie’s loyalty and will free Claire. Jamie agrees and leaves, whispering to Claire of the deal and not to worry that he will return for her tomorrow.
At the tavern, Jamie and Ian contemplate his next move. He has no intention of raising arms for the crown, but he doesn’t have to ponder long as Thomas Christie, who is a bit drunk, finds him and asks for a word.
The Confession of Thomas Christie
Christie finds Jamie and Ian inside the local tavern and asks him for a favor, for the chance to do something meaningful. He and Jamie share words and Jamie is sure Christie is drunk but it’s clear no amount of persuasion will convince him not to do what he intends to do: confess to save Claire. Christie is taken to the ship where he meets first with Claire. Alone in her healing room, Christie tells her that he killed Malva and that she was his niece, not his daughter. In Scotland, he signed up to fight for the Stuarts asking his brother to look after his wife and his son. The two had an affair while he was away, and by the time he returned, Malva had been born. His wife was hung for the charge of witchcraft, and Christie sent for both children. He believed Malva to also be a witch, watching her charm men and “work her wiles” on them. Christie tells Claire that he killed Malva to prevent another witch from being born, but also because he believed Malva would take a life before her time came. Christie assured Claire that Malva was poisoned by them when the flux took over the ridge. He found Malva alone making her love charm and she confessed to the poisoning.
Claire realizes that Malva was making the charm for Jamie, and Christie confirms that Malva always lusted after power and position. Not only is he confessing to save Claire, but he also tells her that he loves her deeply and believes saving her is the right thing to do. Claire doesn’t believe Christie would have killed Malva, but he insists that he did and tells her that he wants to do this for her. He believes he’s finally found someone worthy of the love he’s been trying to pour into the world. He hands her a written confession also informing her that another copy was sent to the local Wilmington printer. With that, Christie calls for the guard and heads to the Governor’s office to confess.
Later at the inn, Jamie and Claire lay in bed after the trying day. Claire asks Jamie if he believes that Christie killed Malva, and they agree that it doesn’t seem to make sense. He tells her that Christie was in love with her and whether he did or not, Christie finds dying for her so she can live her life worthwhile. Jamie tells her he would do the very same for Claire if it ever came to it.
Jamie’s Revenge
Jamie sneaks away after Claire falls asleep. Richard Brown stumbles drunkenly into his half-lit room, removing his gun and stumbling to the other side of the room for another drink. From the corner, Jamie speaks up. Brown offers Jamie a drink who declines, telling him he recognized Brown’s horse outside the tavern. Brown reminds him that he can’t kill him, Brown’s kin would seek vengeance on Jamie’s family if he does. Jamie lets him know that Ian and the Cherokee are paying them a visit to take care of that issue. Realizing what’s to come, Brown tries to remind Jamie he’s a good and moral man who wouldn’t murder him in cold blood. Jamie says he’s also a violent man and any goodness in him prevails because of Claire, and Brown tried to take her away from him. Jamie charges across the room at Brown.
Outlander airs Fridays on STARZ at 8 p.m. ET and is available on the STARZ app beginning at midnight.
