Ugh, the sheer excess of this finale pushed us to our very brink, delivering a tangled web of outcomes that were as confusing as they were captivating. With bated breath, I continually glanced at the episode timer, intuitively sensing that the pacing was woefully askew. Having neatly tied up the Geillis-as-antagonist saga with a neat bow, there remained a solid 25 minutes—hardly enough time for Claire and Jamie to indulge in blissful, uninterrupted lovemaking for the duration (though, one can dream!). They did their utmost, engaging in a steamy foreplay that was nothing short of exquisite, but once they succumbed to post-coital exhaustion, it became painstakingly evident that our journey through misadventure was far from over. How could we possibly endure a year-long hiatus without more heart-pounding peril?
Before into this unnecessarily aggravating extra layer of danger, let's address the aforementioned Geillis saga. Lord John sprang Jamie from his confines with remarkable swiftness, yet they still found time for a deep, romantic gaze—John's eternal yearning etched across his visage. It was amusing to witness John wield his legal and military prowess against Captain Leonard, though I suspect his face will resurface once more; Outlander has a penchant for revisiting characters like recurring bad pennies.
Geillis, as a character, defies logic, requiring the full force of Lotte Verbeek's considerable talents to propel her development. The show oscillates uncertainly between portraying her as loving or hating Claire, and her failure to slay Jamie while attempting to murder Brianna offers no clarification. Furthermore, it seems convenient that Geillis refuses to believe Claire's tale of traversing back through the stones, necessitating the digging up of photographs from the 1950s and 1960s featuring Claire and Brianna. These photographs, which a clever witch-adjacent individual like her could easily pilfer for dark rituals, beg the question: Why didn't Geillis simply administer the truth tea she gave Ian? We witnessed its efficacy in the previous episode, highlighted in the "scenes from last week" montage at the outset!
I'm wading into a tangle of frustration here, so let's backtrack to the enchanting shores of Jamaica. Geillis's slaves, aided by the smitten duo of Mr. Willoughby and Margaret Campbell (whose romance is delightfully charming), engage in eerie rituals. Claire discerns in their mesmerizing dances and mystical chants an echo of the peculiar dance of the stones. It transpires that Abandawe, a cavern in Jamaica, shares with the stones the peculiar trait of having a fragile temporal veil. Geillis has always relied on a blood sacrifice to traverse timelines—a practice that seems unnecessarily grim, hinting perhaps at her darker disposition. In contrast, Claire has typically been summoned by an individual's call. Except, perhaps, during her inaugural journey, but let's not linger on the intimate details of our alluring time-travel saga.
When Margaret uttered her prophecy about a 200-year-old infant requiring sacrifice to usher in a new Scottish monarch, many of us pricked up our ears in curiosity. Why Geillis harbors such an insistent desire to fulfill this prophecy remains a perplexing enigma. Is she overly patriotic? Surely, there must be simpler methods to alter the future than journeying forward in time to slay an innocent child?
Naturally, Claire and Jamie stand firmly against such barbarism. No baby's life will be extinguished on their watch! Instead, Claire unleashes a fierce strike across Geillis's throat, embodying a moment of Mrs. Weasley-esque maternal badassery. She teeters on the brink of being pulled into the temporal portal, but Jamie snatches her back just as the precipice looms. This should have marked the climax of our tale, yet it feels strangely hurried. Geillis is vanquished with startling ease, and Jamie is extracted from custody with equal swiftness, leaving few challenges to conquer!
In no small measure, this hurried resolution stems from a cardinal disappointment of this season: the absence of a central antagonist! Geillis and Captain Leonard, each appearing in mere three episodes, have been but fleeting adversaries. The narrative has unraveled as a series of disjointed escapades, devoid of the epic confrontations against the formidable Black Jack Randall that once defined our heroes' journey. The stakes, regrettably, have dwindled to insignificance.
Sensing our insatiable thirst for more, the finale abruptly unleashes a relentless hurricane upon the Artemis, hurtling us into yet another installment—Round No. 4,857,048, to be precise—where Claire, as ever, unnecessarily places herself in peril, only to be rescued by Jamie in a dramatic display of love that rips her from the ocean's clutches and into his arms. They ultimately wash ashore in Georgia, poised to embark on a fresh array of adventures across America. Yet, as the series lumbers on, the contrivances that propel them hither and yon appear increasingly contrived and mechanical. What escapades await them in this New World? Most likely, more of the same repetitive drama! Enjoy your break; we'll be here when you return.
