We’re back! Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful,’ confronts Jamie with the consequences of his tenants’ betrayal and the decisions he must make regarding them, while Ian and Rachel face a test that threatens their marriage. Ready?
Here we go!
Tough Decisions in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful’
Jamie surprised us quite a bit with his decision in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful.’ Was it the right decision? Well, part of us understood why he did it. The families of the traitors aren’t to blame for what the men did. And when they all came to beg him to reconsider his decision to banish them, something stirred within Jamie.
They didn’t come to criticize his decision; on the contrary, they came to plead to him…and to accept whatever decision Jamie made. That showed Jamie, more than anything, that these women were innocent, and he was stripping them of their entire lives overnight. It wasn’t fair. It didn’t feel fair because they didn’t deserve it. They weren’t to blame for having husbands who thought of nothing but themselves.
And Jamie’s heart churned with guilt at the injustice he was perpetrating.
But he didn’t change his mind at that moment, though. But when Jamie saw Claire playing with her grandchildren, spending time with them, in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful,’ his guilt grew even stronger. Where would those women and their children go? What fate awaited them? The Ridge was their home. He couldn’t take that away from them.
And we definitely appreciated that Jamie made sure it was them he was protecting with his decision. Putting the land in their names and stripping their husbands of all power and control over it…and over them. Now it is those women they didn’t think about, those they didn’t listen to, who hold all the power—something quite unusual in that era. And the men are mere spectators, allowed to remain on the Ridge, making sure they never forget their place.
The roles have changed, and we love it!
MORE: Outlander Season 8, Episode 5 Review: ‘Send for the Devil’
Mercy Has a Price
That said, Jamie is in a complicated position in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful.’ In the end, Cleveland did help Jamie by killing the militia that was going to aid Cunningham and his minions. And he owes him a debt. That debt will lead him to fight in an increasingly brutal war and will guide him to Kings Mountain. And the decision he made makes him look weak. Even more so in the face of someone as cruel as Cleveland.
Neither he nor anyone else will see Jamie’s decision as that of someone who saved entire families from an uncertain fate, ensuring that traitors were brought to justice. They will see Jamie as someone who let treason on his lands go unpunished. And appearing so weak in front of someone like Cleveland is not the best course of action.
Furthermore, after what we see in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful,’ the traitors have even more reason to harbor resentment toward Jamie. Before, they betrayed him only to ensure their own survival. They think, like Cunningham, that the Crown will win the war and handing Jamie over would guarantee that Jamie’s actions as a soldier in the Continental Army wouldn’t implicate them when it was all over.
But now, they have a personal reason to hate him.
In Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful,’ Jamie not only stripped them of their lands but also of their power. Who can guarantee Jamie that they won’t plot to eliminate him in revenge? Not now, of course. But revenge is a dish best served cold. And they might well wait as long as necessary to exact their revenge on Jamie. It’s certainly unlikely—especially with Cunningham out of the picture—but it remains a possibility.
So, we’re back to the beginning: Did Jamie make the right decision? Certainly, it was the most Solomon-like…but it’s not the one we would have made. Yeah, those women and children were going to pay for a sin they didn’t commit, but the world is unfair like that. The innocent always pay for the guilty. That’s life. The decision Jamie reached was the fairest—and we’re proud of him for it—but also the most utopian. That’s not a bad thing. But for a show that adheres so closely to realism, it’s a surprising decision.
MORE: Outlander Season 8, Episode 4 Review: ‘Muskets, Liberty, and Sauerkraut’
Facing the Past
Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful’ faced Rachel and Ian with their toughest test yet. Rachel wanted to suppress her true emotions about this journey they undertook in search of Emily, for Ian’s sake. She knew he needed this. But she’s jealous. Emily was always a shadow in her relationship with Ian. She was his first love; she gave him his first child. Rachel knows Ian was devastated when he lost her.
So she can’t help feeling like she was second best, someone Ian settled for. But if he’d had a choice, he would never have left Emily. He would never have chosen her over Emily. And Ian’s attitude doesn’t help. He’s so clearly desperate to see Emily that it makes Rachel feel even more insecure. She doesn’t distrust Ian, not exactly. She distrusts the strength of their bond, their love. Rachel can’t be sure that this love wasn’t forged on the ashes of a much greater love.
Luckily, in the end, Ian realizes how insensitive and selfish he’s been being in OutlanderSeason 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful.’ He realizes how much it’s costing Rachel to give him this, how much she’s holding back. Unfortunately, Ian can’t do much to allay her worst fears when she confesses her feelings; quite the opposite, in fact. Ian doesn’t want to lie to her, but what he doesn’t say confirms Rachel’s worst fears.
So she makes a decision.
Rachel needs to know once and for all what she’s up against. And only by seeing Emily, by having her face to face, will she be able to do so. Only then will she be able to see how much of what she and Ian had is still alive. If she doesn’t, doubt and jealousy will always gnaw at her. And not only her. Rachel knows that Ian needs to see Emily and their son. If he doesn’t, Emily won’t just be a shadow in their relationship, she’ll be even more present. So Rachel makes it possible for Emily and Ian to meet.
And so, in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful,’ Rachel confirmed that there’s nothing there. There’s nothing between Emily and Ian. Yeah, Emily will always hold a place in his heart because she was his first love, they have a son, and together they suffered losses that left scars on them, but Emily is the past. Ian loves her. And Emily no longer feels anything for Ian. It’s just that Ian needed to close that chapter of his life. Rachel sees it now.
And when she’s face to face with Emily, Rachel doesn’t see a rival or someone who still loves her husband, but a mother protecting her son in the only way she can, even if it means giving him up. Exactly the same way Rachel would. That’s why there’s a mutual understanding between them, and Rachel makes it clear that her son is safe with them, while also allowing her to name him. They are a family, and they will protect each other as such.
MORE: Outlander Season 8, Episode 3 Review: ‘Abies Fraseri’
Other Stuff in Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 ‘Blessed Are the Merciful’
- Elspeth and Claire were wonderful together. In another life, they could have had a long friendship. But circumstances separated them soon. They both resisted, but ended up sincerely appreciating and respecting each other.
- Cunningham leaving for London is the best option. And it saves Jamie a lot of trouble.
- After all, the guy still wanted Jamie to feel sorry for him. But Jamie made that perfectly clear. Cunningham made his bed… now he must lie in it.
- That last look between Cunningham and Jamie…
- Rollo’s grandson is so cute!
- There’s a new Fraser in the family! We’re celebrating!
- Hunter…we love it!
- Henri Christian has completely won our hearts.
- Roger got the weapons!
- And he’s also clear that he wants to follow his calling.
- It’s interesting what he says about them not changing history, but rather being exactly where they need to be…
- William now knows the truth about Ben! And he can’t despise him any more. Not only did he change sides—something horrible in the eyes of someone as honorable as William—but he betrayed and made his entire family suffer. William could forgive him for the former… but not the latter.
- At least William now knows that Amaranthus was the one who came up with the idea; we were right about her!
- But even so, he fights over her with Ben in a typical male pi**ing contest…
- We hope William asks Amaranthus for an explanation.
- Denzel is the best!
Outlander Season 8 air at midnight on Thursday on the STARZ app and Fridays at 8 PM ET on linear.
