Behold, fellow Outlander enthusiasts! It appears that perhaps the decision-makers have taken heed of our grievances concerning the scarcity of Jamie and Claire's screen time during certain segments of the previous season. This episode, with the exception of a scene where Claire educates Marsali on mold types and a fleeting glimpse of Roger and Fergus enlisting men for Jamie's militia, is a veritable feast of Jamie and Claire. Now, hold your horses before you get all worked up in anticipation (I see you, I know your excitement), because "Free Will" is undoubtedly one of the least romantic and most peculiar episodes of Outlander I have ever laid my eyes upon. And trust me, this is saying quite a bit, considering it's a show about a woman who plummeted through rocks and traversed time and space.
It's not as if there aren't moments worthy of swooning. Jamie returns home from the debacle at Hillsborough, tasked with mustering his men to form a militia in anticipation of war with the Regulators, to find Claire peacefully asleep in bed. The Frasers are overjoyed to reunite, and Jamie unloads all the quirky dramas that unfolded — recall when Knox outright murdered someone? — and elucidates his purpose for returning. Claire endeavors to console him by reminding him that the conflict may very well amount to nothing, as the Regulators aren't a significant entity in her time, presumably because she has memorized virtually every history book ever created. They harbor hopes that amassing a sufficiently large army will deter the Regulators, causing them to retreat without resorting to deadly confrontation. Regardless, Claire informs Jamie that she intends to accompany him. "You need my help," she asserts. "I always have and I always will," he replies. And then I literally faint because, oh my goodness, that was scorching hot.
After tasking Fergus with rushing to the printer to create 18th-century recruitment fliers — unbeknownst to him, Fergus pens Jamie's decree on the back of one of Claire's "Dr. Rawlings's Recommends" papers, which will likely prove significant later — the group ventures into the woods, leaving Bree and her cascading red curls in charge of Fraser's Ridge. Honestly, her hair looks so exquisite that I fully comprehend her reluctance to return to the 1960s. Speaking of Bree, now that Jamie and Claire are off on their own, Jamie reveals to his wife that Bonnet is in Wilmington. She's understandably upset, albeit finding solace in the fact that Bree remains unaware. Of course, we know that Bree is indeed aware and is now all alone at Fraser's Ridge, and this entire situation is poised to deteriorate further before it improves. But, we have no time for such melodramatics: It's time to delve into the saga of the Beardsleys.
In the woods, things take a bizarre turn, swift and decisive, as is the unwritten law of the wilderness. Recall that hunter with tonsillitis named Josiah, who made Lizzie douse her head with cold water merely after catching a glimpse of him? Well, the group catches someone stealing their camp food, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Josiah, but he's deaf. Jamie discovers the actual Josiah wandering in the woods too, and he clarifies: This is his identical twin brother Kezzie. After their entire family perished during the boat voyage, they were both enslaved for 30 years to an abusive trader named Mr. Beardsley, a truly despicable individual. Josiah, who escaped a year ago, returned solely to liberate his brother. Jamie, the humane, ginger-haired angel, vows not to send the brothers back, but he must purchase their indentured servant papers to preclude Beardsley from reclaiming them in the future. Josiah responds with, "Thank you, and good luck with that."
As the remainder of the group trudges onward towards Hillsborough, Jamie and Claire veer off towards the Beardsley abode, embarking on an unexpected detour that could only be envisioned as an "Outlander" morphing into a horror film scenario. Truly, the setup is perfect: an abandoned house secluded in the heart of the woods, leaves swirling in the wind, a sinister figure peering through the window, sudden shocks guaranteed, goats in cupboards, bodies hidden upstairs, and characters making decisions so reckless they border on the absurd. See? A horror film in the making.
Upon meeting Mrs. Fanny Beardsley, Jamie is promptly informed of her husband's demise, offered the twins, and summarily shut out. Claire breathes a sigh of relief, thinking, "Well, that was the easiest escapade yet!" Jamie, ever the noble fool, disagrees, determined to secure the papers that will free Josiah and Kezzie. Such conviction, yet such naivety! On their second attempt, Fanny reluctantly admits them. Stepping inside, it becomes evident that this house is a veritable lair of horrors, repulsive and stench-filled, causing both Jamie and Claire to gag.
Fanny remains clueless about the papers' whereabouts, prompting Jamie to gesture towards potential hiding spots and implore her to search. This drawn-out exercise in futility is compounded by her eerie demeanor. Claire, noticing a stain on the ceiling and realizing the foul odor stems from something far more sinister than goats, decides—like a brave, albeit foolish, college student in a horror flick—to venture upstairs.
Upstairs, they discover Mr. Beardsley, a man who has seen far better days; in fact, he resembles a corpse. Barely alive, Claire diagnoses him with a stroke or, as it was termed in those times, an apoplexy. He's been lying there, decaying, for about a month. Even more horrifying: beside his withered form lies a bowl of food, revealing that Fanny has been keeping him alive solely to inflict upon him the torment he once dealt her. Claire, ever the compassionate healer, can only muster, "At least the maggots have kept his wounds clean," a statement quintessentially Claire Fraser.
Here's the grim tale: Beardsley had brutally murdered his first four wives and was assaulting Fanny, his fifth, when he collapsed and suffered a stroke. Ever since, she has been torturing him for his past cruelties. While none of this is justifiable, even Jamie and Claire acknowledge, in theory, her motivation. When Fanny catches Claire attempting to aid Beardsley—Claire, who took an oath to heal, recall?—she snaps, lunging to strangle him. A struggle ensues with Jamie, and surprise, surprise, Fanny goes into labor amidst the chaos.
