On last week’s episode of Outlander, we saw Claire start medical school while Jamie devised a plan to be turned in to the British by his sister so that her family might benefit from the reward. I felt sorry for Frank, still trying to make a marriage with a woman who seems to reject him. Please note that the following contains spoilers if you haven’t seen the latest episode.
It’s 1956 in Boston when “All Debts Paid” opens. Claire suggests an impromptu date night with Frank, but he’s already seen the two movies she proposes that they watch. It seems that she and Frank have an arrangement to see other people, so he’s evidently seen a few films without her. Baby Brianna from the last episode is now a school-aged child.
Jamie is again in the custody of the British after his capture at the staged return to Lallybroch and his family. The year is 1755 and he finds himself locked away in Ardsmuir Prison. The other prisoners revere Jamie, and due in part to his notoriety, he is the only man chained. He discusses the new prison governor with an ailing Murtagh. It turns out that the new man in charge is Major John William Grey, and he wants Jamie to act as prison spokesperson, as he did with the previous governor.
Two years have passed when we go back to the Claire storyline. The Randalls are hosting a party at their home to celebrate Claire’s graduation from medical school. The plan is to move the party to a restaurant, but Frank is unable to attend due to work. When Frank’s work arrives in the form of another woman, a humiliated Claire suggests to her guests that they leave early for their reservation.
Duncan Kerr is found wandering and rambling about cursed gold when he is picked up by the redcoats, and taken to the prison. Jamie agrees to be an interpreter for Grey, in exchange for Murtagh receiving medicine and a blanket. Jamie’s shackles are also removed. Before he dies, Kerr mentions cursed gold and the white witch that will come for Jamie. Jamie tells both Grey and Murtagh what the man said. Murtagh says he still thinks of Claire and wonders what happened to her and her unborn child when they went through the stones.
Meanwhile, an inebriated Frank returns home and Claire confronts him about having his girlfriend come to the house. Frank reminds her that living separate lives was her idea, and that no one believes they have marital bliss. Claire suggests that he file for divorce, but he fears that he will never see Brianna again, as was the case with their friend Jerry and his children when he divorced Millie.
Back at the prison, Jamie agrees to dine with Grey, and he asks the governor to allow prisoners to hunt for food since they aren’t getting enough. While out on the approved hunt, Jamie escapes as the redcoats are watching the men check the traps they set for game.
A fugitive for a few days, Jamie accosts Grey, and reminds him of their history together. Grey had vowed to kill Jamie after the debt to him was paid. Jamie gives him the opportunity, but he declines to do so. As a result, Jamie is returned to prison.
Jamie is again summoned by Grey and they appear to bond over a chess game. Both men suffered losses of people they cared about. While Jamie says that Claire is gone, Grey lost a man who was a dear friend to him. Jamie is angered by the consoling hand Grey places on his own, and threatens to kill him if it isn’t removed. Could he be remembering Jack Randall’s brutality?
As if things weren’t bad enough in the Randall household, Franks tells Claire that he was offered a job at Cambridge and wants to move to England with Brianna, now that she is a high school graduate. He’s also changed his mind on the subject of divorce, planning to marry his girlfriend as soon as he is free of Claire. Claire is upset by the prospect of divorce, but she can’t handle the thought of losing Brianna. Claire admits to Frank that she’ll never forget Jamie.
Speaking of Jamie, he’s separated from the other prisoners when then prison is being closed. The others are being sent to the colonies, but Grey leads him to his new life as a servant before riding away.
You might want to have tissues handy for the final scenes, as it’s a real tear jerker. Claire’s colleague tells her that Frank was in a car accident. He’s on a gurney when Claire tells him that she did love him very much, and that he was her first love. She kisses him for the last time, but did he hear her teary confession?
I felt bad for the Frank character before, but I feel worse for him now. He was divorcing himself from Claire, and moving on with someone who he thought truly loved him, when he gets into an accident. Claire no longer has to worry about Brianna moving to England, and now she can think about Jamie without Frank’s interference. What about Murtagh going to the colonies? Will we see him again? I can’t believe this is episode three already; I can’t wait for more!
