Outlander: Death Be Not Proud (7x03)

Okay, so, there were bits and pieces of this episode I greatly enjoyed, but it felt sort of... odd, as a full story.

Cons:

The Bugs haven't been real characters in the show up until this exact moment, it felt so odd to have such an emphasis on the story of the gold, and Murdina's death, and all that. I think part of the issue is in adaptation, where there are just so many things that happen in these books, so many subplots and minor characters who end up having their own significant plot moments, that in order to do justice to them all, sometimes it feels like something is coming out of nowhere. That's how I felt big-time in this episode, with the story of the Bugs stealing the Stuart gold from Hector's crypt at River Run, and then the two of them trying to sneak off with it, and Ian shooting Murdina, thinking she was Arch... it all felt like a scene straight out of nowhere, and it really overshadowed the central thing that happens here, which is that the house burned down. I wanted to linger more on that, instead of on these extra new developments that connected so little to anything that has happened at all recently in the show.

I know this is lifted straight from the books, but I wish Jamie's dreams of the future were a little less literal and magical. It seems too neat and tidy that he literally has visions of things like telephones, therefore pretty much confirming that what he's seeing is true.

From a pacing perspective, having the episode start with the house burning down, and ending with them leaving the Ridge to head back to Scotland, it felt like it all happened very quickly. The idea of returning to Scotland was another one that seemed to come out of nowhere and didn't have the proper buildup. I know these are all things from the books, but it didn't bother me as much there, because everything is given such copious room to breathe.

Pros:

This feels like an obvious thing to say, but I really liked Jamie and Claire in this episode. There were lots of sweet intimate moments of connection between them, with the two of them contemplating the loss of their home, the place for the new house to go, their trip to Scotland... I loved the scene where Jamie gives Claire a knife, and I was especially moved by the scene of Claire finding Adso and saying goodbye to him. I love my cat so much so I was feeling that really hard. The Ridge has been an important setting for these characters and it will continue to be, but it's also always a little exciting to get them out and about in the rest of the world. I'm so excited to see Scotland again, even though I know what's coming from here.

I like Bree and Roger in the 20th century more than I do in the 18th, I think. Brianna looks adorable with the bangs, I must say. And seeing Lallybroch, watching Brianna's face as she reads her parents' words in the letters... as much as I was complaining above about the Stuart gold plot thread seeming to come out of nowhere, I am excited about the way it kicks off things in the 20th century story. That's going to be something to keep an eye on for the next chunk of the show, for sure. (It's hilarious that Jamie trusts a boy as young as Jem to be able to find the Spaniard's cave, though. And the odds of it being undisturbed are so low!)

This review is a little on the short side of things, but that doesn't mean I disliked the episode. It just felt oddly transitional for an episode that had so many things happen; the over-emphasis on the story of Arch Bug and his wife felt odd to me, but I'm honestly super hyped for the Scotland stuff, in both timelines. There are some things that happen in the seventh book that I will be gob-smacked to see make it to the TV show, but if they do, I will throw a damn parade. I'll tell you when we get there, if we ever do...

7/10