Wee Cap Episode 810 Series Finale
Title: And the World Was All Around Us
I was out of town from 7-7 today driving about 350 miles so just caught up with the episode at 9 PM. I'm exhausted so there may be ramblin' ahead.
In the “Previously”, a lot of references to Madam Blanche and the title card had the blue flowers by the stones. A bit too much telegraphing?
We open with the flames of a cross fire burning outside of the Mason’s meeting house. Jamie turns and looks at his volunteers. He throws out a Jes Suis Pres while Roger and the MacKenzies Toulach Ard and the rest of the clans follow with various versions of yada yada.
JAMMF narrates his last Will and Testament. Claire gets all his property and goods. Bree gets 2000 acres. Grandchildren get 100 pounds each and his books that Roger will decide how to distribute. He leaves his mother's silver stag broach to Jenny, his tools and weapons to Ian and to Marsali he leaves his quills and stationery. And to William he leaves his Bible and his special whisky, The Sassenach. OK, I'm kidding it's the JFS-close enough.
The dawn comes and Claire wakes to Jamie stroking her cheek. They cannot pretend this is like any other day. Claire tells him she was talking to the bees last night. She saw some sleeping in a flower, holding each other. Claire tells him that the quiet life was never meant for them. Jamie is grateful that he has lived to see his grandchildren. He seems to have accepted that he’s going to die today. Claire talks about how she and Uncle Lamb traveled so much, she never really had a sense of home. She tells him the vase in the shop window story on her first trip to Scotland from Season 1. She didn’t buy it because she went to the stones in search of a “certain blue flower”. He asks her if she ever regretted touching that stone.
Roger and Bree are looking over the land where their house will be. He said he will start on it when he returns and she makes him promise he won’t be a hero. She also asks him to bring her father home.
Claire goes to talk to Fanny who is upset that Claire is going to the battle. She wants to go with them. Fanny tries to tell her that she has learned a lot about medical care and could help her. She tells her that she needs Fanny to stay and look after everyone there. Fanny is like Geez, Granny I just found you and now I have to lose you?
Jamie finds Bree on the porch and gives her Frank’s book. He tells her he is grateful for how Frank raised her and taught her. He tells her how much she looks like her mother whenever she has love in her eyes.
Ian and Rachel are walking hand in hand and stop at the bottom of the hill to the big house. They kiss and say goodbye without words. In the meantime, a scared Bree and a sad Claire embrace. Jamie goes to talk to the bees. They managed to film this on a very bright and sunny day. He asks the bees to feed and protect Claire if he is killed. He recites a line from a Yeats poem that won’t be written for another 100 years. Claire must have taught it to him.
The “army” begins their trek and meets up with Cleveland and his men on the way.
Cool hat Claire! It looks more Australian than Colonial.
Scouts said Ferguson was wearing a red checked shirt (aka plaid) riding a white stallion. It seems they will launch an attack from all sides, which will trap anyone on the mountain. Jamie hears Frank say that Ferguson had 1000 troops and the colonials had 900. Jamie finds Claire by a stream and asks if he forgives her for coming here. She said “only if you die”. He tells her he was sitting on the porch with Davey and said Mandy showed him a bone coming with mud and asked if she could heal animals. Mandy said she can “hear” Jem and Claire when they are not there. She can only feel Jamie. They can see auras apparently.
Jamie asks three things of Claire if he dies. (didn’t he ask for three things when they were married?)
Find a priest to say a mass for his soul
He thinks Davey can’t go through the stones since his aura is same color as Jamie’s. He wants Claire and the others to go through the stones and leave Davey with Ian. Claire says NOPE.
Remember me
Later in the tent, just as before he sent her back at Culloden, they have one last time of making love. Poor Sam had to sit through the back prosthetics for that one. He sleeps later but she just stares at him, almost taking a picture with her mind.
Ian is in full war paint. Jamie comes out of the tent with a serious, determined look on his face. He tells Roger and Claire to wait until someone needs them, when it is safer.
This scene gave me a wave of gratefulness to those who fought to make our great country and I pray for someone to come to restore her to something even better than what has been torn from her for the last couple of years.
Jamie gives a pep talk to the troops and Roger blesses them. He sends the troop off and asks Roger to look after Claire. Jamie bows to Claire before he turns to join them. Claire can’t stand the idea that she can’t tell what is happening.
The battle has started, the British have the high ground, the men are coming up the hill. Reminds me of the battle of Little Round Top at Gettysburg.
Claire packs a pistol to go toward the battle site. Roger warns her but she’s having none of it.
Bree, Rachel and Izzy are shucking corn talking about how they are worried. Fanny overhears them and says we must stay strong for them or they might not come back.
Jamie hears the silver whistle from Ferguson just as Frank wrote. Buck, Ian and one of the Beardsley twins is right with him. Guns turn to bayonets and swords. Roger and Claire check the wounded. The shopkeeper is dead. Claire looks up to see a man who looks a lot like Jamie roll down the hill. (I actually thought it was Jamie for a second.)
She tries to get up the hill, slips and loses her bag with her supplies and pistol. He’s almost a goner at one point and the Beardsley boy kills the man with an ax, must have gotten lessons from Ian. Claire is in the thick of it.
Ferguson is still on his white horse blowing his stupid whistle. Jamie saves Buck with a good shot.
The battle seems to be slowing down as Claire hides behind a tree. The colonials take some prisoners. Jamie is climbing up the mountain and Claire and Jamie lock eyes but Ferguson rides toward him. Jamie swings his sword and cuts Ferguson’s sword in half. (I got an Aragorn moment there.) Jamie tells her the battle is theirs and she needs to attend to the wounded, so she starts to go back down the hill to the medical tent. The men are celebrating but I have a bad feeling about this. He asks Ferguson if he will surrender and Ferguson shoots him in the chest. (Bad job with your prisoner there guys.) Claire feels a pain in her chest and turns around to run back up the hill. Jamie is already losing blood through his mouth. Buck and Ian kill Ferguson.
Jamie tells her he is not afraid. He looks at Claire and says Forgive me, Sasseenach. His eyes close.
She is crying and yelling but can barely breathe. Ian is devastated, Roger kneels as do the others. It is hours later and the only ones that remain on the hill with Claire holding Jamie are Roger and Ian. Ian tells her that he’s gone but she does not move. Roger tries too. Claire says “he just needs to rest” over and over.
Nightfalls and she still has not left, sobbing over his body. She calls out “What do I do” as the moon shines on them. Daybreak brings Roger back to them and she has not left. This is truly heartbreaking. He tells her it is time to bury him, time to take him home.
He walks away and Claire says “he is home”. She closes her eyes and looks to take her last breath. Is this a Notebook ending or is she sleeping?
We return to Scotland and a young Jamie looks up at the window of a younger Claire in the rain observed by Frank. They did a nice job making Sam look 23. Then he is at the stones, touches the big one and walks away before he disappears like Shoeless Joe Jackson in the corn. Blue flowers suddenly grow at the base.
A montage of previous seasons plays.
Then we return to the site of Jamie’s death and Claire is still beside him with full white hair. They both open their eyes and take a breath.
Are they in North Carolina or heaven?
After the credits, it is present day and DG is signing her books at a book store. A fan notices an old leather journal on the table and DG says ‘it’s a wee bit of inspiration.” I don't know why but it irritated me that she said "wee".
After I watched the episode, I read an article where MBR says “He wanted the everyone/world to be devastated”. I watched this series for my love of love. If I want to be devastated, there are plenty of other shows that provide that.
Thank you Cait, Sam and the cast and crew for giving us your all for these 8 (technically 9) seasons. There are several episodes over those years that I’ll never forget. This one I will need to rewatch because I'm sure I missed some of the nuances due to fatigue.








