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Claire and Jamie’s lovely home on Fraser’s Ridge is no more because people wanted something they hadn’t rightfully earned.
There is a full recap of Outlander Season 7 Episode 3 if you click that link, and there you will find the full story behind the episode.
Here, we’re going to discuss what these developments mean to the story as it progresses.
The good news is that the fire did enormous damage, but the people of Fraser’s Ridge fought hard for their friends’ home, reminding everyone of what makes life on the Ridge so special.
Claire and Jamie just said goodbye to their family, and with the fire, all of their memories were lost, as well. It’s a difficult pill to swallow, but they have each other, which is what matters most.
When you’re a time-traveling family, you have to count your blessings because of that ability, even as you mourn what’s left behind when you part.
In the future, Brianna and Roger received a large box of letters from her parents, centuries late but acting as a salve for the pain of leaving their loved ones behind.
Time travel often works in that give-and-take fashion. Claire and Jamie are left without their memories at the same time Brianna and Roger are blessed with hearing about them in the future.
As is often the case on Outlander, when you’re down, you can expect more of the same. Mr. Bug’s greed set in motion a chain of events that will forever change life on the Ridge.
The Jacobite gold has been in the wind, but the destruction of Jamie and Claire’s home uncovered a secret — Mr. Bug had found the gold and buried it under their house well before Outlander Season 7.
Perhaps I missed the reasoning behind that. Why on earth would that be the hiding place for something so precious? Digging around in the burned-out ruins of someone else’s home isn’t a wise thing to do under any circumstances, and the Bugs’ greed destroyed their life due to their own actions.
Ian had every right to shoot whoever was looting their homestead, especially when they took a shot at Jamie, but when he realized it was Mrs. Bug and not Mr. Bug, he was bereft, immediately wanting to make it right.
But I have to wonder why Mrs. Bug died from an arrow to the shoulder. It didn’t seem to be a fatal wound. Perhaps that was an error on the part of the production, or maybe it was because she was otherwise in ill health. It just seemed unfair all around.
People have been dying left, right, and center this season, but saying goodbye to someone so close to the family when it could have easily been avoided takes a toll.
Mrs. Bug’s death and funeral were almost surreal, with Mr. Bug asking Claire to sing for his departed wife while holding such a deep grudge against Ian for killing Mrs. Bug.
Ian was willing to give his life for Mrs. Bugs, but Mr. Bug thought that was too easy. An eye for an eye would have had Bug taking Rollo’s life.
My heart dropped, and I was never happier than when Ian reconsidered what he was willing to do to atone for killing someone who had no right being where she was or doing what she was doing in the first place.
Mrs. Bug made a fatal error. Rollo did no wrong. It was not like for like.
Seeing the Bugs torn apart like that hit Jamie like a brick. He was already feeling low on Outlander Season 7 Episode 2 after saying goodbye to Brianna, but now it struck him that it’s a keen possibility that someday, Claire could die, leaving him alone and adrift.
There are too many goodbyes, and with Claire giving up so much to be with him, he prays to God that he’ll be enough for the woman he loves so dearly.
Claire: We will make it back here one day, won’t we?
Jamie: I never thought I’d see bonny Scotland again. Tis that’s where we’re bound, so aye, we will.
Claire: Jamie, you will always be enough.
Claire has made her choices with a clear head and a clear conscience. Of course, pain is involved, but their bond is unbreakable. There is no place either of them would rather be than with each other.
Still, Jamie yearns for family and wants to keep his promise to his sister to return her son. With a war coming, there is a lot at stake.
Jamie doesn’t want to take any chances.
It’s a genuine possibility that his nephew could get pulled into the war, and he doesn’t want to be responsible for that. He also has no desire to pick up arms against his son, who has already joined the cause, fighting for the British army.
With so much to lose and their home already gone, Jamie wants to leave Fraser’s Ridge and return to Scotland.
It makes perfect sense for this point in the show to do that since Brianna and Roger are poised to purchase Lallybroch. I’m keen to discover if, upon their return, they’ll be able to sense the presence of a family so close but so far apart.
Quantum physics suggests that time doesn’t exist and is relative, so feeling a presence wouldn’t be unheard of in that scenario. I’m likely grasping at straws because my heart aches for the distance between a family filled with so much love.
The promise of keeping them alive in their hearts comes by way of the missing (and now hidden again) Jacobite gold. Jemmy has inside knowledge of where it’s stashed, and with a run-down Lallybroch to restore, will they really let it languish undiscovered?
It would be fun for them to go on an adventure in search of the gold, but that would also take them away from Lallybroch, as the gold is in North Carolina.
Would it even be possible for young Jemmy to retrace his steps in a world vastly changed over hundreds of years?
Another possibility would be to travel back to North Carolina in search of it. With war on the horizon, that seems like a risk far too great to take.
The episode ended on a positive note, at least, with Claire finding her beloved kitty cat just as they found their way to the property line of Fraser’s Ridge.
Finally, a show that doesn’t kill the cat!!
With their old life behind them and new adventures ahead, what are your thoughts about the remainder of the season?
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.