Recap / Outlander S 7 E 8 Turning Points

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Recap of Outlander
Season 7, Episode 8:

Turning Points

Jamie joins the Continental army in the second battle of Saratoga and finds himself in the one place he's sworn to never be: on the opposite side of the battle line from his son. William struggles to cope with the brutal realization that war is far more deadly and much less glamorous than he'd imagined. Roger and Brianna frantically scramble to find Jemmy.

Tropes

• After-Action Healing Drama: Jamie and many other men need medical care following the first Battle of Saratoga. Jamie ends up needing hand surgery.
• Anger Born of Worry: Claire chews Jamie out something fierce but finally admits she's just upset because he scared her and she'd feared him dead.
• Big Brother Instinct: Denzell warns Rachel of the dangers of marrying a man like Ian. He also tells her that is she wishes it, he'll intervene and tell Ian to never speak to her again or inform him that Rachel only sees him as a friend.
• The Big Damn Kiss: Ian finally lays a big one on Rachel.
• Breaching the Wall: The rebels' native allies join the battle by blasting a hole in the wall of the fort.
• The Bus Came Back: Archie Bug has returned and notices Rachel, a pretty girl, walking around with Rollo, Ian's beloved dog.
• The Chain of Command: William's promotion to Captain means he no longer has to accept orders from Captain Richardson.
• Claiming Via Flag: As the battle dies down, the victors replace the British flag with the American.
• Cliffhanger: Roger and Buck are headed back to the past to search for Jemmy.
• Comfort the Dying: Jamie allows Simon Fraser the opportunity to speak and hear Gaelic one last time and to be with family once more before he dies.
• Commonality Connection: Jamie Fraser and Daniel Morgan were both nearly whipped to death by the British and carry extensive scarring on their backs, which was later used to drum up support for a rebellion against the British.
• Call-Back:
  • Jamie is sea sick while on the ship, as usual. Claire offers to do acupuncture like Yi Tien Cho did for him in season 3, but Jamie declines.
  • Jamie tells Claire this is the second time in William's life that Jamie has come within inches of shooting a fatal shot at his son. He's referring to having to shoot Ludvic Ransom who was threatening to kill the newborn William in season 3. Jamie's shot came so close to the baby that it tore his swaddling.
• Continuity Nod: Daniel Morgan mentions that Sugar Loaf Hill, the unguarded hill that forced the Continentals' retreat from Fort Ticonderoga in episode 5, has been retaken.
• Decapitated Army: Shooting General Fraser sends the British into retreat.
• Decapitation Strike: True to real life, the rebel army intentionally targeted officer knowing that their deaths would create so much confusion the foot soldiers would have to retreat.
• Disaster Scavengers: The episode opens with a mother and her son scavenging the battlefield corpses for anything of value.
• Doomed by Canon: Simon Fraser is a Historical Domain Character destined to die in the Saratoga Campaign.
• Due to the Dead: General Fraser's men sit vigil at his death bed, fulfill his request to retrieve Jamie from the opposing camp, obey Jamie's request that the tent flaps be left open in accordance to Highlander tradition, and barter in their surrender terms the General's last wish that Jamie accompany his body home to Scotland.
• Exact Words:
  • Claire promises Benedict Arnold that history will remember him. She doesn't, however, tell him why.
  • William questions if Claire's condolences are regarding General Fraser, Lieutenant Hammond, or the British loss in battle.
• Face–Heel Turn: When Claire tells him of General Arnold's future infamy, Jamie notes that all of the men love General Arnold and would follow him anywhere. As in real life, this is what make his eventual betrayal so devastating. Additionally, the real Benedict Arnold not only turned coat, he rejoined the battle on the British side and staged devastating attacks on various colonies using his insider knowledge of their defense.
  Claire: His name will become synonymous with being a traitor. Two hundred years from now, if somebody betrays you, you call them a Benedict Arnold. It's all he'll ever be remembered for.
• Field Promotion: One of Simon Fraser's last command requests was to have William promoted to captain.
• Foregone Conclusion: Claire and any Revolutionary War aficionados know that the rebels are destined to win the Battle of Saratoga.
• Hard Head: Jamie got kicked in the head by a horse but it doesn't appear to have had any significant effect on him.
• Hat Damage: Jamie accidentally does this to Willie when he's trying to avoid Simon Fraser.
• Historical Character's Fictional Relative: Jamie and William are this to General Simon Fraser.
• Historical Domain Character:
  • Benedict Arnold. American viewers learned in grade school history that he is the most notorious traitor in American history. What they may not know is that, had he died at Saratoga, he would have instead been remembered as one of the most talented and celebrated generals.
  • Horatio Gates. He was hailed as the "Hero of the Battle of Saratoga" as most didn't realize he stole the glory from Daniel Morgan and Benedict Arnold. In history, he's best remembered for his connection to the Conway Cabal, a failed conspiracy to remove George Washington as Commander in Chief of the army. This was rendered moot by Gates' disastrous defeat at the Battle of Camden, in which he mounted a horse and fled 180 miles from his troops in just four days. He was immediately relieved of command and nearly court martialed.
• Historical Person Punchline: Claire has a conversation with a rather charming man who amiably discusses medicine and philosophy for over three minutes of screen time. At the end of the interaction, she finds out that the man is the infamous Benedict Arnold.
• Hollywood Healing: In just two weeks, Jamie's hand that Claire described as just shy of being split in half, has healed enough to have the stitches removed and be ready to go back into battle with no issues.
• Hypocrite: The scavenger and her son think that the rebels deserve to die for defying the King, but think it's perfectly okay to steal and kill for their own personal benefit.
• If Only You Knew: When William says that Claire seems to have seen a great deal of war, she responds that she's seen more than he could imagine possible. Considering that she's directly witnessed the Rising of 1745, the American Revolution, and World War II, this is a massive understatement.
• In-Universe Nickname: Gates' men call him "granny gates" behind his back.
• I Will Wait for You: Rachel agrees to watch Rollo while Ian is in Scotland because it means that he will return for them both.
• Kick the Dog: The lady scavenging Jamie's unconscious body goes through his pouch, finds his picture of Willie, and callously throws it to the side.
• Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Jamie is known as a crack shot but he is unwilling to kill his cousin.
• Kiss-Kiss-Slap: Ian kisses Rachel. She likes it but slaps him for taking liberties with her.
• Last Request: Simon Fraser's last living request is for Jamie to be summoned so that he can die in the presence of family. His final request is for Jamie to take his body back to Scotland for burial.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Claire angrily asks Jamie if he thinks she has nothing better to do than to follow him around, patching him up when he gets injured.
• Manly Tears: Jamie tears up at seeing Scotland for the first time in four seasons and roughly ten years, after leaving for what was only supposed to be a few weeks' journey.
• Mistaken from Behind: Played for Drama. Jamie sees a Red Coat that matches William's build and hairstyle get bayonetted. He yells out his name, but realizes it's not him once the man turns around.
• Noodle Incident: It's never explained how Denzell's patient injured his rectum in battle.
• Offing the Offspring: Jamie's biggest fear during the battle. In trying to save Simon Fraser, he nearly makes this come true.
• Oh, Crap!: Jamie's reaction when he realizes he almost shot his son in the head.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: In the book, Jamie loses a finger in the battle. However, instead of writing in an injury that would've required careful sfx editing so that the actor never again has all of his fingers, they downgrade the injury so he just has a gnarly, easily applied scar on the palm of his hand.
• Precision F-Strike: Claire threatens to kill the two scavengers who were planning to kill Jamie and take his belongings. The duo stare at Claire trying to gauge if they can take her.
  Claire: Just fucking try me!
• Rousing Speech: Daniel Morgan gives a campfire speech about why the Continentals hate the British. At the end the crowd roars with laughter, cheers, and toasts a drink to him.
  Daniel Morgan: And why, oh why, do we hate the British, friends? [reveals whip scarred back] The British Army did that. To one of their own, mind you. My crime? An officer struck me. AND I FOUGHT BACK! See, they don't like that, fighting back. Gave me 499 lashes.
• Shout-Out:
  • To The Bible.
  • While discussing ambition with General Arnold, Jamie quotes Robert Browning.
• Spiteful Spit: The scavenger woman spits at Jamie before walking away.
• Start of Darkness: The final shot of the battle is General Arnold on the ground in pain (in real life, the injury would shorten the injured leg, giving him a permanent and painful limp). The next scene has him asking Claire if he's wrong to resent Gates stealing his glory. Claire agrees that his resentment is justified, even as she knows that growing resentment will lead him to a terrible decision.
• A Taste of the Lash: Daniel Morgan shows his scarred back, the result of receiving 499 lashes for striking a British officer.
• Unknown Relative: Simon Fraser and William Ransom take a liking to each other without knowing that they're distantly cousins through Jamie.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: Ian and Rachel clearly like each other but still have yet to decide to commit to their attraction. Rachel is deciding if it's worth being permanently excommunicated, as the Quakers will never accept a man as violent as Ian. Ian is still worried about Archie Bug and his threat to return when Ian has something as valuable as a wife to lose.
• Violently Protective Wife: Claire holds a young boy at knife point then grabs a sword and threatens to kill the mother-son scavenger duo if they don't get away from her husband. And everything about her body language convinces them she's very serious.
• War Is Hell: Claire invokes this idea.
  Claire: War is a terrible business, William... No matter who wins. That's the part no one tells you about.
  William: I am beginning to see that.
• Wham Line: "We're leaving the war."
• Wham Shot: The coastline of Scotland.
• Would Hurt a Child: Claire threatens this to get the knife-wielding woman away from Jamie.