‘Outlander’ Recap: “The Deep Heart’s Core”
This week’s episode felt like a nice chance to catch our breaths after several weeks of hard-hitting episodes. At least until about halfway through. You’d think that the Frasers would have learned by now that keeping secrets is a terrible idea for them. Yet here they are, keeping major secrets from each other again and complicating everyone’s lives because of it. The truth comes out this week, and it divides the family in more ways than one. Let’s take a closer look with our “Skins vs Swords” recap.
*Spoiler warning! The following recap contains spoilers from episode 410. Do not read further if you have not seen the episode and wish to avoid spoilers.*
Skin Score: 7/10. The episode opens with Bree and Jamie having a heart-to-heart in the woods. Bree is still blaming herself for being raped. Jamie forces her to acknowledge that she couldn’t have fought off Bonnet, and she finally seems to understand that what happened to her wasn’t her fault. She asks Jamie if he struggled with the same feelings when he was raped by Black Jack Randall. Jamie tells her that she’ll never forget what happened to her, but that time will let her heal. It’s a touching father-daughter moment, but it’s marred by the secret that Jamie is keeping about Roger.
In a second parental heart-to-heart, Claire and Bree discuss Bree’s options. Claire could perform an abortion if Bree decides to not continue with her pregnancy. Or Bree could keep the baby and return through the Stones to her own time, where she believes Roger is. Regardless of what choice she makes, she must make it very soon. Time is fast running out for either option, and both come with major risks.
Bree’s decision is further complicated when Lizzie confesses the truth about what happened to Roger. He came back for her, but Jamie, Lizzie, and Young Ian’s actions put him further out of Bree’s reach than ever before. Furious, she confronts Jamie and Young Ian over what they’ve done. The entire truth then spills out, including the identity of Bree’s rapist. The revelations divide the family down the middle.
In order to put their family back together, Jamie and Young Ian vow to go retrieve Roger. Bree insists that Claire go with them to ensure that Roger sees a friendly face. She also tells Claire to tell Roger the entire truth, including that the baby may not be his. Jamie insists that Murtagh take Bree and Lizzie to River Run to stay with Jocasta while they are gone. He then secretly tells Murtagh to go to Wilmington, find Stephen Bonnet, and bring him to Jamie. Bree’s worst fears are about to come true- her father is going to risk his life to kill Bonnet.
Sword Score: 9/10. We discover that Young Ian sold Roger to the Mohawk Indians after Jamie beat him. The tribe is on their way back to their home in Upstate New York. Roger and his fellow prisoner are being forced to walk behind the horses day after day. Along the way, Roger takes care to note every landmark, track the passage of time, and estimate the total distance. He is determined to escape and get back to Bree, no matter how far he has to travel to do so.
After being on the road for over a week, Roger’s fellow prisoner dies. Roger himself is exhausted and broken. He trips and falls and rolls over a steep bank. The rope holding him to the horse breaks. Roger seizes his moment to escape and literally runs for his life. Once he is safe from his captors, he immediately begins his journey back to Fraser’s Ridge.
Along the way, he makes a very important discovery: there are Stones right here in North Carolina. He pulls the rubies from the hem of his shirt and contemplates his options. He draws close to the Stones- close enough to touch- but we’re left wondering if he will pass through them. It’s a killer cliffhanger, especially with just three episodes left in this season. Next Sunday can’t get here soon enough.
Outlander airs Sundays at 8 pm on Starz. Viewers can catch-up anytime on Starz.com or the Starz streaming app. Be sure to check back here to FanFest.com for full episode recaps and future episode previews.
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