We’re back! In Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ news from an old friend creates tension between Jamie and Claire, while Cunningham’s true intentions are finally revealed, and William continues his investigation about Ben, bringing him closer to Amaranthus. Ready?
Here we go!
Jealousy in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri’
A letter from Lord John turns Jamie and Claire’s relationship upside down in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri.’ Jamie had made peace with the fact that Claire and John slept together—sort of. He can usually manage to keep that information tucked away in a remote corner of his mind. But when he saw John’s letter, it all came rushing back. For him to write a letter is so…intimate. It shows that the trust between them, the friendship, the complicity, isn’t gone. It’s still there.
And jealousy blinds Jamie in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri.’ He doesn’t want Claire or any member of their family to have anything to do with John. He already has enough to thank him for regarding William. And he’s angry about that too. Because he can’t hate the man in peace. He’ll always be grateful to him for raising William like a son.
He understands why it happened, but Jamie is a jealous man and can’t help hating that it happened, can’t help feeling resentment towards John and Claire, and worst of all, can’t help imagining it. Imagining Claire in another man’s arms kills him. It’s like a knife to a live flame on his skin. Nothing will stop Jamie from being with Claire for the rest of his life, but he can’t control what he feels. And a part of him feels that in their bed there are three, not just Claire and him. Most of the time he can ignore it, but not now. Not when John has physically reappeared in their lives.
As for Claire, she can’t stand that Jamie can’t understand what happened and move on. She did nothing wrong. Claire thought Jamie was dead, and with John… they were remembering him, together. They were devastated, and in that moment, they were making love to the same man, even though it was their bodies that were joined. Claire knows she can’t control Jamie’s feelings about what happened, but she’s also determined not to let her husband hold a grudge and distance himself from her.
MORE: Outlander Season 8, Episode 2 Review: ‘Prophecies’
One Soul
Despite everything, as we see in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ Claire knows she did the right thing by confessing the truth to Jamie. She could have lied to him, but that’s not who they are. They swore to each other’s honesty long ago, and she would never break that promise. They just have to get through this, together. Claire has to figure out what’s really hurting Jamie so much. When she does, when Claire understands, she can take over.
Claire doesn’t just make love to Jamie. She takes him. She makes him hers…and marks him. Because he is hers as much as she is his, no one else’s. She merges with him. She makes Jamie feel the unconditional way she loves him. And how there never has been or will be anyone else for her. Claire may have given her body to John, but she gave her to Jamie many years ago. And that will never change. Claire manages to exorcise the ghosts that were preventing them from being one, because this isn’t just about Jamie; it’s about them. They are one soul. They always have been. And it’s beautiful.
Once the minor crisis involving John passed, Claire questioned the meaning of Frank’s book in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri.’ She remained mad that he tracked Jamie down and didn’t tell her, preventing her from being with him much sooner. So, is this about revenge? Or is it torture? Would Frank be so twisted and full of hatred as to let them know the date of Jamie’s death just so they would torture themselves waiting for it to happen or trying to prevent it?
Jamie knows that, if he were in Frank’s shoes, he would forever hate the other guy for taking Claire’s heart from him. And we think Frank feels the same way about Jamie. That said, it’s pretty clear that not everything is black and white. It’s gray. So we think that, just like Jamie, gratitude is also included amidst all that hatred. So we don’t think Frank wants to torture Jamie and Claire, only inform them of what’s going to happen. That way, they can decide what to do with that information.
And, if you ask us, we have an idea of what they’ll do.
MORE: INTERVIEW: John Bell & Izzy Meikle-Small on Ian and Rachel’s Future in Outlander Season 8
The Blue Light in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri’
In Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ Claire’s abilities are put to the test. And even she can’t explain how she saved that baby. All she has are feelings…and memories. She knew that child was dead despite her attempts to save him, but she felt how she could do it, so she followed her instinct. Jamie is just as surprised as Claire. But Jamie has seen too many things with her that he doesn’t understand, and, with or without the blue light, he believes Claire.
And what happens here is very important. Claire saw Master Raymond do the same thing to her when she was dying after giving birth to Faith. He saved her. She did see that blue light, but what she felt was very similar to what she just felt with that baby. And Master Raymond told her that she emanated a blue color, like himself. So he was telling her that Claire has the same healing powers as him.
Furthermore, Claire asks Jamie about the color of his hair, and he reveals that it’s starting to turn white. Remember that Adawehi, Claire’s wise Cherokee elder friend, told her that she would reach her full power when her hair turned all white. So Claire’s powers are beginning to manifest. Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ is proof of this. What will her full potential be? We can’t wait to find out!
The point is that what happens with that baby makes Claire and Jamie question what happened to Faith again. And we know for sure that they reach the correct conclusion: Master Raymond saved her with his powers. Although that doesn’t explain why he didn’t tell Claire and didn’t take Faith with her. So we hope to see him soon because he has a lot to explain.
MORE: Outlander Season 8, Episode 1 Review: ‘Soul of a Rebel’
Betrayal
We knew we were right not to trust Cunningham! In Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ we finally discover what he’s up to. And it’s more serious than we thought. He came to the Ridge with the sole mission of recruiting Loyalist soldiers…and arming them for war. And he did, right under Jamie’s nose. Now, Jamie’s facing a Loyalist militia on his own land. And the part of us that’s so mad with this guy that we just want to kill him wanted Jamie to kick him off his land without hesitation.
However, we understand why he doesn’t. It’s not just Cunningham. Jamie has just returned, and the Captain has been settled on the Ridge for some time now, so he has several men loyal to him. If Jamie banishes him, the men loyal to Cunningham will rise up against the Frasers. And Jamie needs to prepare before that happens—because we know for sure it will. Furthermore, banishing Cunningham wouldn’t solve the problem, as there would still be men loyal to him on the Ridge.
So Jamie is quite right not to banish Cunningham immediately in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri.’ On the other hand, do we think Cunningham is sincere in his apology to Jamie? Not exactly. We think Cunningham respects Jamie. He considers him a man of honor and doesn’t like to lie to or betray such a man. But it’s clear he doesn’t regret what he did and will do whatever it takes to help the crown win this war, including lying, betraying, and attacking Jamie.
For Cunningham, there is no option but for the crown to win the war. He is convinced they will—even though Jamie knows better. And he would prefer to have a man like Jamie fighting by his side, but if that’s not the case, Cunningham won’t hesitate to act against him and, when the time comes, seize his lands. That’s a threat he made very clear in this episode.
So there’s no middle ground.
Jamie can’t ignore the war any longer. He’s either with Cunningham and his Loyalist militia, or he’ll be considered a traitor—with all that entails. We know he won’t be joining Cunningham. But we’re not sure he can protect the family alone. So the war is knocking on Jamie’s door again…and he feels like all the pieces Frank mentioned in his book are falling into place. What will he do now?
MORE: INTERVIEW: Sophie Skelton & Richard Rankin on Roger and Brianna’s New Fears in Outlander Season 8
Manipulation in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri’
After what William discovered about Ben’s death in the previous episode, he’s convinced that Ben managed to escape the Continental Army and is now in hiding. So he doesn’t hesitate to tell John in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri.’ However, he doesn’t get the reaction he expects. John doesn’t believe him. And we understand why. With William going through such a difficult time, feeling so lost… John knows William needs a purpose, something to keep him from dwelling on what to do with his life.
Investigating Ben’s death and seeing ghosts where there are none seems like the perfect distraction. But William isn’t playing games. He knows something is going on, he knows Ben is alive. And he needs John to believe him, to trust him, and to help him. So John decides to give him a chance… and William having to go to one of those parties he’s now so desperately avoiding is just an added bonus (wink, wink). The point is, if there’s something going on, they’ll know, and if not, that party will allow William to start getting back to his old life—or at least, that’s John’s hope.
And John is right. At that party, they both find more than they bargained for. But clear answers about Ben still elude them. And in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ William becomes increasingly certain that he has to keep digging. As for what happened to Ben, he’s certainly alive. But we don’t think he’s hiding precisely to avoid the Continental Army. Rather, he joined them. And we have a very clear idea of why he did so…and of Amaranthus’s role in all of this.
Because we don’t trust her.
We don’t think Amaranthus is deliberately evil—she surely married Ben for convenience, which was normal at the time—but it’s clear she’s not innocent. There’s no doubt in our book that she knows the truth about Ben and took refuge at the Greys’ house to benefit from their influence. That would provide safety for her and little Trevor. And we can understand that. We would have done the same. But then she met William and saw that he’s a man of honor, noble, and quite innocent and naive in matters of love. So she took her plan a step further.
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Security at Any Price
What could provide her and Trevor with more security than a Count? So Amaranthus decided to seduce William. And we see it clearly in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri.’ In previous episodes, Amaranthus was quite subtle. Some flirting here and there…but in this one, she went all in. The first step was casually walking in while William was changing and giving him the waistcoat. Talking about Ben and portraying herself as a grieving widow softened William’s heart, and learning more about Amaranthus’s past accentuated that feeling.
And she knows it. Every move, every conversation Amaranthus makes is calculated. She knew she would have William in her grasp if she appeared vulnerable and fragile. William is a gentleman, so she would appeal to his heart and his protective instincts. So she did just that, she manipulated him…and it worked. So much so that William returns the kiss she dares to give him.
The only thing Amaranthus hadn’t counted on in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri,’ was William’s investigation about Ben. He catches her off guard when he hands over his uniform, so she can’t help her reaction. But once William realizes her slip-up, she immediately covers it up and takes control of the situation again. However, during that brief moment, we saw the real Amaranthus for the first time.
And she doesn’t like William meddling in her affairs. That’s why, when William finds Ben’s toy soldier among Amaranthus’s belongings, she doesn’t let him snoop around. She quickly changes the subject and closes that drawer. And we feel sorry for William because we think he’s going to develop genuine feelings for Amaranthus and she’s just using him. When he realizes the truth, it’ll break his heart.
And from that moment on, we hate her for it. Amaranthus didn’t need to play with William’s feelings or hurt him to protect herself and her son. She chose to do it. We can understand her going to the Greys’ house and not telling the truth, but this? This is going too far. So Amaranthus will never have our sympathy.
MORE: Outlander Season 8 Review: A Heartfelt First Step in Its Farewell
Other Stuff in Outlander Season 8 Episode 3 ‘Abies Fraseri’
- We like seeing Percy again, although we’re still quite intrigued by his relentless search for Fergus. We don’t think it’s a bad thing at all, though.
- We love that John protects the Frasers like that. He would never betray them.
- The point is that there’s an exchange between Percy and John, which will lead to something interesting in the future. But Percy would have helped John for free, we’re sure.
- It broke our hearts to see Fanny’s excitement over that hair arrangement and how her eyes lit up at the prospect of having it, only for those pigs to make her feel bad.
- And then when she thought she had to leave because Jamie was angry with William and she was only there for him… she so desperately needs a home, a family, to feel safe…
- That’s why we loved that both Claire and Jamie made it clear to her that she belongs there, with them. And that Jamie takes her to that place, a place where she can talk to Jane, remember her… it’s beautiful.
- Remembering Murtagh broke our hearts.
- We’re not sorry that those vile soldiers are dead. They deserved it for what they did to Fanny.
- But we are worried that Cleveland has those weapons and is so vigilant on the Ridge. His knowledge of Cunningham doesn’t help.
- So far, Cleveland hasn’t objected when Jamie tells him not to interfere in his lands or his affairs, but how long can he keep Cleveland at bay? He’s a dangerous enemy, almost as dangerous as Cunningham. And it’s clear this isn’t over.
- William finally found out that John was in Ardsmuir Prison and connected the dots regarding him and Jamie. Will he confront him about it?
- “I would always hate him for take your full heart.” “Your hair is every color of the earth, but there, it’s the color of the moon.” “Did I break the skin?” “You do that every time you touch me, Sassenach.” Jamie Fraser is the King of Men for a reason. And we’re drooling.
- Jealous Jamie is something else entirely.
- He doesn’t want to let Claire tell Brianna about the letter or let Roger and Brianna go to Savannah. LOL.
- It’s actually adorable that Jamie thinks he has the power to make decisions here.
- We need him and Lord John to get back to their old relationship.
- Brianna already knows that Claire had something going on with John…
- That passionate scene reminded us of the ones in season one. And we love it!
- The dialogue is straight from the book in this fight, and we really like that.
- “Do you think we’ve gotten that out of our system?” “Our?” “Our.” My babies!
- The waistcoat Amaranthus knitted is beautiful.
Outlander Season 8 air at midnight on Thursday on the STARZ app and Fridays at 8 PM ET on linear.
I absolutely detest the fact that Jamie went over-the-top ballistic about John and Claire having distraught drunken sex ONE night – as a married couple who thought Jamie died. First, Jamie never thanked John for saving Claire from execution by marrying her. When John told him the truth about the one time, Jamie beat him so hard he nearly caused John to lose an eye. John had volunteered to marry a pregnant Brianna, to save her from being married off. John had come to Jamie’s aid MANY times over the years. Grow up, Jamie.