Outlander: Bree Goes “Down the Rabbit Hole” to Confront Her Heritage

Watch our full video recap of this week’s Outlander in the clip below.

I don’t even know where to start with this episode, so I guess my first question is this: Does someone hiking in a fictional story always have to turn their ankle?

I have not read Drums of Autumn, on which Season Four of Outlander is based, in a few years. I also chose not to re-read it before the season began, because I did not want to be constantly comparing them—this is a review of the TV show, not the book. But a lot of this episode seemed like new information.

Bree heads through the stones, turns her ankle and acts like a very prepared Girl Scout. Roger has shaved his beard and changed into old-fashioned clothes and heads through the stones himself.

At one point he says: “Time is not a reality, but a concept.”

And Outlander loves to link people in a myriad of ways, through loose connections and mirrored relationships.

Much of this episode is about Bree’s relationship with Frank. The episode doesn’t make it explicit, but we’re definitely led to think that he knows what will happen to Jamie and Claire: For instance, Frank has a copy of the Wilmington Gazette. He is a historian, and it makes sense that he could figure that out.

But I do not remember that from the book. (Purists will certainly let me know in the comments if I’m wrong about that.) However, I’m not wrong that’s what the show wants you to think. It feels like that is the reason for the divorce: He knows Claire goes back. In fact, he knows before anyone else. It’s clear that he’s still in love with Claire, but he knows he can never really have her.

Bree ends up with Laoghire, the woman who has been hurt by Jamie, and has felt the sting of Jamie and Claire’s undying love.

Outlander makes you feel like Jamie and Claire’s love ruined other people’s lives. And yet, 20 years of their lives were ruined because of their love for Bree… It’s a tangled web.

Laoghire starts out being nice to Bree, mothering her just like Claire has mothered her child, Marsali. But as soon as she finds out who Bree really is, she loses it.