Outlander – Season 7 Episode 10 “Brotherly Love” Recap & Review

Episode 10

Episode 10 of Outlander Season 7 begins with a flashback to Mr. Murray teaching a young Jamie and Ian how to fight as a pair. In the present, Ian and Jamie visit the same site and assure each other that they are brothers. Ian soon dies with Jenny and Jamie by his side. Jamie refuses help and digs the grave on his own. He asks Jenny to join him on his travels but she decides to stay back till her children don’t need her anymore.

Meanwhile, Claire and Young Ian arrive in Philadelphia which is now under the British. She parts ways with Ian who hopes to find Rachel. She heads to Mercy Woodcock’s home and finds that the owner is a Black rebel woman. Henry Gray was given to her as a prisoner of war but Lord John didn’t want to move him after the British took over.

Mercy has feelings for Henry and is ready to assist Claire. Turns out, Denzell was the first to operate on him and he is in town with Rachel and William. Claire asks for Denzell’s help in cutting open Henry to find the bullet and he is shocked.

As for Rachel, she is shopping for food with William. Constant friendly banter is present but his mood dampens when she claims they will be enemies once the war resumes. Before he can say much, Rollo runs after something and Rachel believes Ian has returned. She calls out for him and Arch Bug watches her. Ian is indeed nearby when Rollo finds him.

In 1739, the timeline Roger and Buck have ended up in, Geillis is overly friendly with the men. Roger sends her away to find some medicine for Buck and tells him all about her, except for the fact that she is Buck’s mother. While Roger thinks finding her is a coincidence, Buck believes Geillis and Rob know each other from the 20th century, and he travelled back in time with Jem for her blood sacrifice.

Convinced, Roger snoops around till Geillis finds him. She doesn’t mind as she tries to hit on him till he politely rejects her. He wonders if she knows a faerie called Rob Cameron but she seems genuinely surprised and Buck’s theory goes bust. Roger believes that they were sent to 1739 so she could simply cure Buck’s pain. Dougal suddenly shows up with news about a strangely dressed faerie.

In 1778, Rachel and William wait with bated breath while Claire, Mercy and Denzell operate on Henry. It is a success as Claire finds the bullet in his intestine which Denzell wouldn’t have found had they not cut Henry open.

Mercy needs air as she recalls her husband and Claire correctly guesses that she is Walter’s wife. She assures Mercy that Walter held no grudges and died thinking of her. Meanwhile, William and Rachel bid each other farewell. He wants to confess his feelings to her but claims they will always be friends.

She heads to the stables where Arch Bug jumps her. Ian finds Denzell who tells him about their stables. He arrives to find Arch still wanting revenge for his wife. Both Ian and Rachel try to reason with him but he blindly attacks. He almost kills Ian but William who had retraced his steps to finally confess shoots Arch. He covers for them while Rachel takes Ian to Claire.

Ian feels guilty and Rachel finally understands why he wanted her to stay away. He declares his love for her and would even become a Quaker for her. However, she doesn’t want him to change and wants him for him.

Soon news arrives of Ian Sr.’s death. Young Ian is sad but accepts it. Jamie is in France to see Joan and has also run into Benjamin Franklin’s acquaintances. The letter also contains happy news as Jamie has now boarded a ship to USA and will reach any day.

In 1739, Dougal shows Roger dog tags with the initials J.M. and the latter grabs it before Geillis can see it. He waves them off and Dougal instantly falls for Geillis who takes him to her inner chambers. While they are distracted, a happy Roger reveals to Buck that his father, Jeremiah MacKenzie was a pilot who had disappeared without a trace. He believes that the faerie the locals saw is not Rob but his dad who has time-travelled.

Unfortunately, it all goes downhill in 1778. Mercy is a rebel spy and has been made. She has some urgent letters to pass on Claire offers to do so. She is almost caught but convinces the officers that she is foraging. She returns home to find news that Jamie’s ship has sunk and there are no survivors. She goes in shock and refuses to believe he is dead. Lord John worries for her but she locks herself in.

At the end of Outlander Season 7 Episode 10, Colonel Richardson tells Lord John that there is evidence of Claire as a spy. But as a courtesy to him, Richardson will hold off her arrest for a day. Lord John barges into her bedroom and tells her to marry him. It is the only way to protect her which is his last favour to Jamie. If she is arrested, Mercy, Denzell, Rachel and Ian, all become suspects.

The Episode Review

What in the soap opera did we just watch? But well, it wouldn’t be Outlander without some angst and bad news in every episode. We were so close though with Henry being saved, Ian and Rachel reuniting, Ian Sr. getting a peaceful ending and Roger finding his dad. 

But if Roger travelled to 1739 for his dad, is there a chance Rob is not in that timeline? And since he hasn’t made his way to USA in 1778 to get the gold does it mean he hasn’t actually time-travelled? It actually makes sense since the gold anyway exists in the 20th century and he simply needs to book a flight with Jem to get to the Ridge and find the gold.

By the way, anyone else find it funny that it is always Claire who has to get into a marriage of convenience because some Redcoat is after her? After all, that’s the whole reason she got married to Jamie. And now in Outlander Season 7 Episode 10, she has to get with Lord John days after learning Jamie’s dead. Well, okay we know he isn’t, but couldn’t they have at least tried to show him drowning or on the ship during a storm as a red herring?