Outlander

My First Finale Highlights

I came into the finale with little to no expectations. Given yet another rollercoaster of a season, I truly could not predict what MBR, Maril and the writers might do.

But as I’ve said before: regardless of how I feel about the EP / writers, in Sam and Cait I trust. I watch for them, and I was always going to watch until the very end for them.

Some first moments thoughts:

The intro recap was so nostalgic. I may have started tearing up a little bit already.

I loved that they sang and showed what I believe was the original Season 1 intro. That hit me right in the feelings.

Jamie writing his last will and claiming Claire and Bree as Frasers was everything.

The last scene is the first scene?!?! I was not ready for that at all. I absolutely freaked out. I could imagine Sam and Cait trying to describe it before the finale, but nothing could have prepared me for the emotional hit of actually seeing it.

Jamie and Claire’s conversation was so heartfelt. This domestic Fraser life is what we have always wished for them: in bed, early in the morning, talking about life, holding hands. I was melting.

Claire saying they were not meant for a quiet life is the understatement of the century.

Jamie, Bree, and the Fraser Family Moments We Deserved More Of

The Jamie and Bree moment? I’ll take it. But we really should have had more. We needed more.

Honestly, we should have had more Jamie and Bree scenes since Season 4, but for some reason, those moments always seem to get cut. I will never understand why. Aside from Jamie’s relationship with Claire, his relationship with Bree should have been one of the emotional centerpieces of the show.

The Claire and Bree moment was also touching, but they deserved more than a hug. I would have rather had a full Claire and Bree conversation than Claire having one with Franny, if I’m being honest. And if I’m being greedy, I needed a Claire, Jamie, and Bree moment.

Was that too much to give us, writers? Was that too much to write? (I really am asking for myself)

Jamie and the Bees

Maybe it was Sam’s acting. Maybe it was the dialogue. Maybe it was both. But Jamie talking to the bees had me tearing up.

The way he asked them to look after everyone. The way it felt like he was giving a goodbye. I could not handle it.

Jamie and Claire by the River and the Tent

The Jamie and Claire scenes by the river and by the tent were everything.

Truly, e v e r y t h i n g.

Again, the only thing wrong was that there was not more of it. Those are the scenes that make Outlander what it is. Their quiet intimacy. Their history. Their way of speaking to each other without needing to explain everything. Their love that feels both ordinary and mythic at the same time.

Give me all of that. Always.

Claire’s Sadness

Claire’s sadness throughout the episode just pierced my heart.

You could feel her worry, pain, and grief more and more as the episode went on. Catriona Balfe is an amazing actress, and she deserves awards for this finale.

Claire and Jamie saying “I love you” in Scottish had me on the freaking floor. I had to repeat that scene over and over again. It was one of my favorite scenes, if not my favorite scene, in the entire episode.

Jamie and Claire should have been speaking Scottish to each other for a long, long time. We were robbed of those moments.

Claire’s War Flashbacks

Claire’s war flashbacks were painful to watch, in the best and most heartbreaking way.

I felt so much for her. We all know she does not deserve any of that pain. None of them do. And you could feel her clinging to all the love and life she has in her world - and her world is Jamie.

Waiting for “That” Moment

Knowing how Book 9 goes, I was waiting and waiting for that moment to happen.

And when it finally did, my thoughts were all over the place:

Why did they not take away the guns? Why is no one rushing to Jamie? Why is everyone just standing there?

But that scene with Claire, with her heart stopping - so, so, so good.

Of course, I remembered the whole shipwreck era, and I loved seeing that deep connectedness between Jamie and Claire again. Their love was all there. The bond, the fear, the pain, the impossible pull between them. It was all and always there.

And again: give Catriona Balfe all the awards.

Her acting in the last 20 to 30 minutes, especially Claire’s heartbreak and grief over Jamie, deserves recognition because I felt that to my core.

The Choice I Did Not Expect

I kept waiting for that other thing to happen, and I really did not expect it to not happen.

I thought they would show Claire’s power. I thought we would see the blue light. But nothing. And I was not expecting that.

I also was not expecting Claire “dying” to be the direction they would take. But honestly? I am not mad at it. It felt like a decision centered on who Claire and Jamie are, and on the depth of their love.

Her last breath was so good. I cannot. And then I felt for Bree, because oh my god.

At that point, my jaw was on the floor. It was the end, and I was feeling all the feelings.

That Final Zoom-In

That zoom-in had me holding my breath.

I had no idea what was going to happen. And then they “wake up,” and the show ends in this almost Inception-esque style.

My take?

They are alive. They are in their own time. That is how I choose to interpret it.

Maybe it was Claire’s blue power at work. Maybe it was Master Raymond flying in. Maybe it was Claire’s last bits of energy and power that pulled them back to life. Whatever it was, I cannot wait for them to shock everyone by being alive.

And hopefully, after all of this, Claire and Jamie can finally live their quiet, peaceful life until the end of their proper days.

Because after everything, that is what they deserve. ❤️