RECAP: ‘Outlander’ Season 8 Episode 5 — “Send For The Devil”

You can tell Outlander Season 8 Episode 5 was meant to air on Good Friday. If not, it’s quite coincidental that this recent episode of Outlander calls for a lot of prayer. Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) have, as always, acquired a new family member. This time it’s Jamie’s cousin Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh), whom Jamie has told about his supposed future death at the Battle of Kings Mountain. He rationalizes that since Buck is a time traveler, like Claire, he ought to know there’s trouble ahead.

Buck has agreed to fight by Jamie’s side at King’s Mountain. Buck’s getting to know his new young cousins, including Fanny (Florrie May Wilkinson), but hears a rustling in the woods and sends them back to the house for safety. Jamie, sensing trouble, follows Buck to the edge of the woods. A man emerges–Aaron Whitaker (Tomisin Ajani), last seen in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3. Aaron warns Jamie that Captain Cunningham (Kieran Bew) is coming for him. Opening credits time, anyone?

At the house, Aaron tells Jamie that Captain Cunningham is calling in men from Ninety-Six, a settlement nearby, to capture him and turn him in to Major Ferguson (Leon Ockenden) for treason. Jamie thanks Aaron for warning him. Aaron felt he owed Jamie after Claire helped his family two episodes ago, but he doesn’t want anyone to know he was the one to tip Jamie off. Jamie says nothing was owed to him and will make sure no one knows Aaron was involved. Good to see some decency between acquaintances on the Ridge, because this is about the last we’ll see of it for Outlander Season 8 Episode 5.

Trouble is a’brewing in Outlander Season 8 Episode 5.

Meanwhile, as Outlander Season 8 Episode 5 shifts to Savannah, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) paints a portrait of Amaranthus (Carla Woodcock). William (Charles Vandervaart) and Brianna have a nice exchange that brings them closer to feeling like actual siblings, not just strangers who both happen to be Jamie’s long-lost children. Brianna’s determined for William and Jamie to actually have a relationship.

She tells William that she didn’t find out Jamie was her father until she was nineteen and was angry at Claire for lying about her parentage. “How did you overcome it?” asks William, who’s softened by knowing more about Brianna. “I got to know our father,” Brianna says.

Jamie tells Buck and Claire that he suspects Captain Cunningham and his militia will ambush him after the next Freemasons’ meeting. Even though the Masons are forbidden from bringing weapons to their Lodge, he wouldn’t put it past the Captain to hide arms nearby and attack at the end of the meeting. “Why not kill him now?” Buck asks.

Jamie says he wants to find out which tenants on Fraser’s Ridge are loyal to Cunningham. He believes the only way he can stop the attack is by “making a deal with the devil,” and sends Josiah (Paul Gorman) out of town with a mysterious letter.

At the Continental camp, Roger writes Brianna, believing he’s where he’s needed most. It’s not exactly like he had a choice, as Roger was forbidden from leaving the camp until after the next battle. “God willing, I’ll see you soon,” Roger writes, but prays to God that he’ll survive, or else God will have Brianna’s wrath to answer to. Roger comforts a young drummer, Christophe (Lemuel Adou), who’s scared of being sent into battle.

“Just remember God is with us,” Roger reassures him, saying that he’s scared, too. Christophe, who’s French, responds, “Je suis prest.” Roger repeats Christophe’s words. Season 2 throwback! Outlander Season 2 Episode 9 was titled “Je Suis Prest”: French for “I am ready,” and historically the motto of Clan Fraser.

Lord John’s (David Berry) been making inquiries to get word about Roger, but Brianna’s not patient enough for an answer. She resolves to go to the Continental camp. William volunteers to accompany her there. William gives her an American flag on behalf of Lord John, saying they can hang it in the window to signal that a Patriot lives there, but if questioned, Lord John will have to deny he knew Brianna’s political affiliations.

Jamie pulls from reserves, calling upon the Devil for survival much to Claire’s chagrin.

At the battle, Roger tends to the wounded, praying with a dying soldier before rescuing an injured Christophe. He takes Christophe to a camp doctor who turns out to be Denzell Hunter (Joey Phillips), Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small)’s brother. As a viewer, it’s fun to see their paths cross as they’ve never met before and aren’t aware they’re part of the Fraser family. You’d need a diagram to explain: Roger’s father-in-law, Jamie, is the uncle of Denzell’s brother-in-law, Young Ian (John Bell). Got that?

Anyway, they eventually realize they’re connected, but it’s totally offscreen, which is a huge bummer. In a tense episode, a fun moment where they discover their family connection would’ve been nice! Denzell tends to Christophe, and Roger assures the boy that God is with them. “Please heal my friend,” Roger prays in desperation before returning to the battle, where an explosion knocks him off his feet.

At the Frasers’ house, Jamie assures Claire that Captain Cunningham won’t come for women and children, but Claire asserts that she knows where the guns are if necessary. Jamie suits up in a kilt–remember when Outlander used to be about Scotland?–and Claire quips, he looks like he could scare the devil. “Tonight I need the devil on my side,” Jamie says reluctantly.

He’ll be backed by the Ridge men from Ardsmuir (Season 3 throwback!), and Buck is on the watch for the men from Ninety-Six. “I think it will be an evil night,” Jamie says. How many times is this man going to have to defend the Ridge before this show ends, gosh darn it? Outlander Season 8 Episode 5 marks the halfway point of the final season. It’d be surprising if there weren’t at least one or two more fights on the Ridge before we reach the end.

The Freemasons’ meeting begins. Jamie opens with a prayer emphasizing the importance of peace. As the meeting goes on, a number of men leave, arousing Jamie’s suspicion. Cunningham asks to speak, which Jamie obliges, and preaches on the importance of loyalty to one’s country and sovereign.

Jamie responds by pointing out that no Scotsman would ever take an oath to an English king. As Lindsay (Gary Lamont) closes out the meeting in prayer (again, take a shot every time a character prays in Outlander Season 8 Episode 5), Jamie sneaks out to prepare for a fight.

The frequency of prayer is impossible to miss in Outlander Season 8 Episode 5.

Just like in the previous episode, the Frasers’ house endures intense weather. This time, there’s an oncoming thunderstorm, and, as in the previous episode, Mrs. Cunningham (Frances Tomelty) has come to wait it out. She wants to pray with Claire, knowing that her son and Claire’s husband are bound to battle each other that night.

Claire chastises Mrs. Cunningham for trying to get Jamie killed, but Mrs. Cunningham says Jamie has earned his own execution for being a traitor to the Loyalist army. Whatever weird little pseudo-friendship Claire and Mrs. Cunningham have had this season is definitely over. They resolve to pray, but sip whisky in silence instead.

Jamie investigates the trading post, trying to find Cunningham, who’s furious that Jamie found out about the plan to ambush him. The building’s empty, but Cunningham arrives as Jamie tries to leave. They put down their weapons, but Cunningham pulls a knife on Jamie and stabs him near the shoulder. It’s played like it’s a huge danger, but it’s also Outlander Season 8 Episode 5, and the show isn’t going to let Jamie, aka MacGyver in a kilt, die now.

A gunshot rings out in the distance, and Jamie’s nearly convinced he’s been shot until Cunningham collapses. Buck to the rescue! Jamie, Buck, and Lindsay take Captain Cunningham back to the house. He’s still alive, but Claire discovers that the musket ball in his back has paralyzed him. Livid, Mrs. Cunningham slaps Jamie, who hisses that her son had no intention of killing him. “You can ask your son what his intentions were,” Jamie seethes.

After some awkward flirting, William says he knows Amaranthus was joking when she suggested marriage in the previous episode. Amaranthus says she wasn’t kidding about getting married, but they don’t have to get married immediately to have sex. Risky move in an era where sex before marriage is a huge scandal! Amaranthus seems totally unfazed by the idea of marrying, or at least having sex with, her dead husband’s cousin/bestie, and they start making out. Their banter is cute, but what’s her deal?

In the morning, Brianna and William arrive at camp. Brianna and Roger have a classic “crying while running towards each other” reunion. Roger’s knee is a bit injured from the explosion, but he’ll be fine. He introduces Brianna to Denzell, who civilly reunites with William, and mentions that William used to have a thing for Rachel.

Again with the convoluted family trees in Outlander Season 8 Episode 5! Say it with me now: William used to be in love with Denzell’s sister Rachel, who’s now married to William’s cousin Young Ian. How is this not the weirdest family connection in this episode?

Familial connections (more specifically, the strangest ones) also pop up, and their connections are complicated.

And that’s not it for William and convoluted family reunions, because he locks eyes with Ben (Alex Bhat), his presumed-dead cousin! The cousin he spent the last few episodes looking for! It’s a happy reunion until, mid-hug, William realizes he just got engaged to Ben’s wife, who can no longer be considered a widow if Ben’s alive. William punches Ben in the face. Yikes! Can’t wait to see how Amaranthus takes this!

Claire tells Jamie that Mrs. Cunningham only came to the house to pray with her. Jamie says he thought he was done for until he realized Captain Cunningham had been shot, not him. Jamie asks Claire to write down the names of every Ridge tenant who joined Cunningham’s side in the ambush, so Claire can destroy them if they eventually get Jamie killed or hanged. As Claire writes their names down, a huge group on horseback arrives. It’s Josiah and “the devil” himself: Benjamin Cleveland (Turlough Convery).

Cleveland’s annoyed Jamie wants his help hunting Loyalists now–remember, this is a guy who gets sick pleasure out of torturing and killing Loyalists–but apologizes for not arriving in time to fight on Jamie’s side during the ambush. “Send for the devil and the devil appears,” Claire quips, looking really tired of dealing with villains. Aren’t we all? Wouldn’t we love to see Jamie and Claire sip some whisky and be problem-free for once? That’s too fantastical for anyone, even if this is a show about time travel.

In any case, we leave Outlander Season 8 Episode 5 with a shot of Jamie, Claire, Cleveland, and many Fraser allies entering the house, awaiting Jamie formally making a deal with “the devil.” A foreboding note for a show that has built its drama on foreboding notes. Where’s all that prayer when the Frasers need it most?

Outlander Season 8 Episodes 1-5 are now streaming on Starz, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

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