Outlander Recap: Sassenach, Bloody Sassenach
"War is inevitable, and death is, too," Claire tells us at the top of this week's Outlander. Before the hour is over, she's deep in the former and rapidly approaching the latter.
If you've been reading my recaps for a while, you know how I feel about the near-death scrapes in which Mr. and Mrs. Fraser regularly find themselves. Is it likely that this show would kill off either character, especially with the final season just an episode away? Heck no. But can we still get a little thrill off watching Sam Heughan and Caitríona Balfe play the scenes as though Jamie is keeping Claire's soul tethered to her body with man tears and his bare hands? Well, yeah, right? That's half the reason we're here.
Read on for the highlights of "Written in My Own Heart's Blood."
YET ANOTHER PARTING | Claire wakes at daybreak to see Jamie near their tent's opening. It's dawn on the day of what will become known as the Battle of Monmouth, and he's having trouble sleeping. He's contemplative as he kisses her knuckles, remembering how his mother died when she was 38 and how much her death affected his father. Claire is obviously older, and "to see those years touch you brings me joy," he tells her, "for it means that you live." They lay down together; even though he can't sleep, knowing that she's safe will help him, he says. "I can rise then with a clear mind and go to do what must be done." (Side note: There's a lot of nice, quiet work here, particularly on Heughan's part. Well done.)
Soon enough, it's time to head to the battle. He has a little freak-out that the last thing he said to William was in anger. "What if I never tell him I love him?" he worries. But Claire soothes him and tells him she loves him, and they kiss before he walks away. He quickly turns back, though. "It wilna be today, Sassenach," he says, and though she's smiling, she's holding back tears. "Promise me?" she asks. He does, then goes for good.

DR. FRASER ON CALL | Good thing Claire has her medical work to keep her mind off things... except the camp doctor, Dr. Leahy, is a sexist jerk who won't let her treat anyone inside the church that's serving as a field hospital. Instead, she and Rachel are forced to conduct triage under a tent outside. While the women attend to the wounded, Rachel confesses that she's worried Ian will hesitate to kill because of her Quaker beliefs, and that it will be to his detriment. "I'd be left alone with my principles," she says tremulously. Claire understands: Her own fear is that Jamie will go above and beyond the call of duty — because, have you met him? — and die in the process.
The ladies push those thoughts aside, though, and continue their work. Eventually, Claire gains entrance into the hospital after pulling off a rather impressive save... but the satisfaction of showing up Dr. Leahy is short-lived when the place gets evacuated because the British Army is approaching. Denzell and Rachel leave with the Continental Army, but Claire says she'll stay put with the patients that can't be moved. Leahy admits she's a "bloody good surgeon" and wishes her luck.
Meanwhile, in the field, Jamie gets word that the Redcoats are moving on the church where Claire is. As you might have guessed, he's worried.
WILLIAM'S RESCUE| Let's skip over to the Hessian camp and see how William is faring, given that he unwittingly marched straight into his own planned murder at the end of last week's episode. Ian approaches the camp with Lord John, who's posing as his prisoner, and says that Capt. Richardson want William turned over to them. The Hessians produce William, bound and gagged, then the whole thing falls apart rather quickly. In no time, William is free and Ian — clearly hearing Rachel's voice in his head — lets the Hessian leader off with a warning. (Later though, he circles back and kills him, because wolves gotta wolf.)
Lord John and William are very happy to see each other at first, but the relief of rescue has worn off by the time they're back at the British camp, and they argue in the tack tent. "James Fraser is an honorable, courageous man," Lord John insists, adding that Big and Little Red are very similar, and topping it off by saying that Jamie is "one of the best men I've ever met." Charles counters that Fraser is a traitor. "Things are not always so straightforward," Lord John "I Now Am Contractually Bound to Love 'Murica" Grey replies.
But soon enough, William has another problem on his hands: As he learns from an inconsolable Frances, Major Jenkins — who was at the brothel the night Harkness died — recognized Jane at the camp, accused her of murder, arrested her and took her away.

FAMILY VACATION | On to the MacKenzies! When Buck wonders aloud if his father was a time-traveller, Roger is so weird about it that he's forced to confess his ancestor's true parentage. Buck is angry, feeling that Roger "made a mockery of me" when they were all in each other's presence. Roger counters that he didn't want to do or say anything that would alter the course of history, but Buck correctly outs that as the feeble excuse it is: After all, Roger had no problem intervening to help his own father. It's a big mess, and Buck's feelings are really hurt, but Roger apologizes and asks for help doing one more thing.
That thing turns out to be leaving a letter in a desk drawer at Lallybroch in the hopes that Bree will find it, centuries later. Buck also offers to go back to the 1980s to make sure Brianna gets the message, which is sweet; it seems he's forgiven Roger for his executive-decision-making earlier.
In the 1980s, Bree writes Roger a letter and lets him know that Jem is safe and that they went back to find him. As she's putting in the same desk, she finds the note Roger left in 1739. She barely has time to say, "What the hell?!" before she's strapping on her bum roll and grabbing the kids for another go through the stones!

CLAIRE DOWN! | Back to Himself and Herself: Battlefield Edition. The British are retreating when Jamie and his men return to camp, and Claire is relieved to see her husband in one piece. But they haven't even had their happy reunion before an argument — and then gunfire — breaks out between some Redcoats and some Continental soldiers. Jamie yells for everyone to stop shooting... then sees that Claire's been hit.
Jamie runs to her, puts pressure on the wound and generally loses his s–t. He's crying as he carries her inside, where Dr. Leahy says there's nothing he can do. "This wound, the ball has penetrated too deeply. I'm very sorry," he tells Jamie before he leaves to save other lives at the main camp. "May the devil eat your soul and salt it well first, YOU WHOOOOOOOOOORE!" Jamie yells at his back, which is an impressive insult on any occasion, even moreso when your soulmate is turning the color of four-day-old liver on the table in front of you.
As Jamie's begging God "don't let it be now," a scout arrives to let Jamie know he's expected to return to the field. We flashback to a conversation Jamie and Claire had by a campfire, when they looked at the stars and he promised her: "The stars will not burn out, and nor will we." In the present, Jamie orders the scout to take off his coat and shirt. Then Gen. Fraser, his hands absolutely covered in Claire's blood, finger-paints his resignation letter — "Sir, I resign, J Fraser" — on the scout's bare back and tells him to leave. I repeat: IN CLAIRE'S BLOOD.

'THE STARS WILL NOT BURN OUT' | Oh, you thought a little imminent death would stop Claire from orchestrating her own care? Nope. She pants out that she needs Denzell's help, and Jamie sends a sympathetic soldier to get him. "I love you, Sassenach," he says, leaning close to her. "The stars will not burn out." As he's praying over her body, Dr. Hunter shows up — yay! — and Claire immediately starts giving him notes as he prepares to cut into her. Of particular note: The roquefort cheese that Lafayette sent her has mold on it that can help with potential infection; Rachel can make a poultice.
Soon, though, there's nothing else to do but the procedure itself. So Denny doses her with laudanum and promises to "do my best by thee." Jamie strokes his wife's hair at the head of the table, quietly whispering a litany of requests for her not to leave him. "I won't," she replies in a haze as the drug kicks in. When she's out, Denzell turns to Big Red with one command: "Jamie, pray."
Now it's your turn. What did you think of the episode? Hit the comments with your thoughts!