We’re back! In Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,’ Jamie and Claire prepare to face off against Cunningham, while Brianna and Roger find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, and Fergus discovers his origins…and must decide what to do about it. Ready?
Here we go!
Discovering the Past in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut’
We finally know why Percy was after Fergus! But beyond that, Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,’ allows us to explore more of Fergus’s origin. He is the son of the Count of Saint Germain and Amélie, a noblewoman who ended up scorned and in the brothel where Jamie and Claire found Fergus. Now Fergus understands why that woman was harsher and more unkind to him than to the other children in the brothel.
Fergus was a living reminder of her misfortune. Of everything she lost. Fergus was six years old when she died. And now he doesn’t quite know what to feel. Confusion, that’s for sure. And a strange emptiness. Not exactly a loss, since Amélie wasn’t a mother to him; she never was. But an emptiness, as if a piece of the puzzle of his life had just fallen into place only to fall out again. Fergus would have liked to be able to talk to Amélie. But that’s not possible.
However, beyond understanding his past, this inheritance that Saint Germain left him means nothing. Fergus already has wonderful parents. And, inheritance or not, he doesn’t want the world to know that a man he didn’t know and who never loved him was his father. He only has one father, and his name is James Fraser. And, like Marsali, we are proud of Fergus for this. We love him even more for it.
Furthermore, Fergus knows firsthand that Saint Germain wasn’t the good man Percy insisted he was in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut.’ He almost killed Claire. He remembers it well. So all Fergus can think is, why? He knows there’s a reason Percy wants him to sell those lands, a reason they’re willing to pay so much money for them. Marsali is more innocent in that regard, but Fergus learned from a very young age that nothing is free.
And he doesn’t want his family to have any more trouble.
They’re already suffering the consequences of seemingly supporting the Crown. And they’re taking a huge risk by printing pamphlets in support of the Continental Army. They’ve been attacked several times. He doesn’t want to tie himself to another cause just because he didn’t think things through. They don’t need that money, and he doesn’t want that money.
So, for Fergus, the Saint Germain heritage changes nothing—though we think this will come up again soon. But for us, it changes everything. As Brianna mentioned in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,’ Beauchamp is Claire’s surname. Is it possible that Fergus is related to her?
Recall that in Outlander: Blood of My Blood, we discovered that Claire had a brother. At the moment, we don’t know what became of him, but is it possible that Fergus’s mother is the daughter of Claire’s brother? We think so. We’ll just have to wait and see.
MORE: Outlander Season 8, Episode 3 Review: ‘Abies Fraseri’
Accepting Who You Are
Brianna arrives at the Grey house in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,’ and meets William for the first time after learning they are brothers. Both William and John are overjoyed to see her; the affection is palpable. And Brianna soon realizes the real reason she’s there: William.
She’s the only one who can understand how William feels in this moment. The pain, the confusion, the feeling of betrayal, the sense of not knowing who you are, wanting to know more but, at the same time, not wanting to know anything. Brianna experienced the same thing when she learned the truth. And the truth is, this conversation does William good. He realizes that they are his family. That he already knows them, he already loves them. And he knows they are related, but that doesn’t change anything.
They have always treated him like family. And he loves them as such.
Earl of Ellesmere, a Grey—it doesn’t matter; he was always William to them. And it will continue to be so. So it gives him perspective. The Jamie situation is another matter, though. William still has too many mixed feelings about him. He’s not ready yet. But Brianna knows it’s just a matter of time. She’s been there. And now she loves Jamie more than anything.
However, there’s someone who isn’t happy about Brianna’s visit: Amaranthus. She feels threatened in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut.’ A woman who clearly has the affection and trust of William and John? A woman William treats with such familiarity? That could jeopardize her plans. Because we’re sure that seducing William is a plan.
William, innocent as he is, thinks Amaranthus is jealous. But that’s not the case. She just hadn’t factored in the arrival of someone like Brianna. And, as always, she manages to twist things to keep manipulating William. So he ends up confessing the truth. And Amaranthus sees the heavens even more open than before. Bastard or not, to the world, William is the Earl of Ellesmere. And if he renounces the title…it can pass to Trevor.
So she doesn’t hesitate to show William the way. If he marries her, he can relinquish his title and live the life he desires, without expectations, without feeling like a fraud…by her side. What Amaranthus isn’t telling William in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,’ is that in this way, she ensures that both her son and herself will have protection and a title. And, most likely, when he renounces his title in favor of young Trevor, she will disappear as quickly as she arrived—or at least, the romantic part.
Amaranthus doesn’t love William; she’s just playing with him. She’s toying with his feelings. He is an honorable and good man. And his innocence in matters of love is evident. So he’s the perfect man to secure her and little Trevor’s future. And, to top it all off, William comes with a title. So yeah, we can’t stand Amaranthus. She didn’t need to play games with William for security. She chose to hurt him. And we’ll never forgive her for that.
MORE: INTERVIEW: Sophie Skelton & Richard Rankin on Roger and Brianna’s New Fears in Outlander Season 8
Veiled Threats
Elspeth suddenly appears at the Fraser house seeking Claire’s help in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut.’ Against all odds, Claire earned the respect of this unpleasant woman. And, against all odds, they both enjoy each other’s company. Once you get past Elspeth’s sharp edges, you discover she’s a witty, strong woman with a rather dark sense of humor. She’s a woman of character who won’t be pushed around by anyone—not even her own son.
And Claire admires and respects that. Just as Elspeth does. She recognized in Claire a kindred spirit in the things that matter. And perhaps in another life, they could have been friends. But not in this one. Although neither of them says it out loud, they both know it’s only a matter of time before they clash. If they aren’t already. That’s why they try to extract information from each other, while also doing their best to avoid the elephant in the room and keep the peace.
So they make a sort of truce. But that fragile truce breaks down as soon as Cunningham arrives at the Fraser house in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut.’ He and Jamie have declared war on each other, and he doesn’t want his mother anywhere near them because he doesn’t trust that they won’t use her against him. So he’s eager to get his mother out of the Fraser house. And yet, Elspeth informs him that Jamie isn’t there. And that sets off alarm bells for Cunningham.
He knows that Jamie isn’t going to accept his offer and is preparing for battle.
And he doesn’t hesitate to threaten Claire. She’s alone. What’s stopping Cunningham from attacking her now? What’s stopping him from kidnapping her and forcing Jamie to join him? But that’s something Elspeth isn’t going to allow. So when things get intense, Elspeth, while not saying anything directly, doesn’t allow things to escalate.
And therein lies the key.
Elspeth isn’t going to stop her son from taking up arms against Jamie with his militia. Even though she doesn’t like the idea because Jamie gave them a home on his land, she considers it a necessary evil. But she won’t allow him to threaten a defenseless woman who only tried to help her.
Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut,’ may have made it clear that Elspeth and Claire are destined to be enemies, but Elspeth draws a line for her son: his problem is with Jamie, not with Claire. So he won’t use Claire to achieve his ends. An honorable man fights his battles head-on and doesn’t use innocents to do so.
And it’s a line Cunningham doesn’t intend to cross.
MORE: INTERVIEW: John Bell & Izzy Meikle-Small on Ian and Rachel’s Future in Outlander Season 8
Other Stuff in Outlander Season 8 Episode 4 ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut’
- A family scene between Roger, Brianna, and Fersali! We love it!
- We need the whole Fraser family together at least once this season.
- Brianna says, “our mother.”
- We always get emotional when Fergus says out loud that Jamie is his father.
- The way John talks to Jamie, with so much longing and love…
- And how he passes on his stubbornness to his sons, LMAO.
- They have to be friends again; we need them together!
- The scene with Brianna and William is pure gold!
- The moment they welcome her into their home. You can see the affection and trust between them.
- And we really liked that John and Brianna talked, although we missed Brianna confronting him about what she just found out about Claire and him.
- Fersali supporting each other like that. They’re the best!
- Rachel is very strong. I don’t know if we would let our husband go see his first wife.
- But she understands they have to go. For her and for that child, Ian’s son. That’s why they’re meant for each other.
- Ian will always be there for Jamie. And he wants him by his side in that battle, no matter what. They’re father and son in every way that matters.
- Jamie has to tell everyone what that book really says…and how all the pieces are starting to fall into place.
- It seems Jamie isn’t in the favor of the Continental Army, so he’ll only be able to count on his own men to fight against Cunningham and his militia…
- But then, how do they end up fighting the Continental Army at Kings Mountain? Do they end up accepting him back into their ranks?
- Roger defending Jamie gave us chills in the best way.
- Now, Roger is going to have to fight…and maybe serve as chaplain. Let’s hope he’s alright.
- It’s only right that Brianna apologized to William. She so badly wanted to tell him…but it wasn’t her secret.
- Buck is alive! And we love him! She’s finally home with his family.
- Fanny is so cute! And little by little, we’re learning more about Jane and Faith through her…
- We never thought Fanny would get along so well with Elspeth, of all people.
Outlander Season 8 airs at midnight on Thursday on the STARZ app and Fridays at 8 PM ET on linear.
