Jamie and his militia arrive at Hillsborough to learn that Governor Tryon has proposed a rather unorthodox solution to deal with the threat posed by the Regulators and to resolve the growing political crisis.
20th Century Memory
Claire is at a St. Finabar’s Catholic Church and the voice over is asking how many times can her prayers be answered?
17th Century
Claire looking into her microscope and gets excited. Marsali enters the surgery asking after what Claire who has her look into the microscope where she sees paintbrushes. The two are very excited and hug. Eureka!
“Time is a lot of the things people say that God is. There’s the always preexisting, and having no end. There’s the notion of being all powerful–because nothing can stand against time, can it? Not mountains, not armies.
And time is, of course, all-healing, Give anything enough time, and everything is taken care of: all pain encompassed, all hardship erased, all loss subsumed.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Remember, man, that thou art dust; and unto dust thou shalt return.
And if Time is anything akin to God, I supposed that Memory must be the Devil.”
–A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Prologue (highlighted words Claire didn’t say in the show)
20th Century Memory
Claire meets Bree on campus to go out to eat. Bree wonders if Claire is okay and Claire confesses, she lost a patient who was allergic to penicillin but tested negative to the allergy. Bree says, “You never know what’s coming, do ya?”
17th Century
Bree and Roger are in bed together and Roger comments about Jamie’s lack of faith in him. Brianna doesn’t think the situation in Brownsville was that bad as when Jamie and Claire showed up everyone was happy singing and drinking. She things Roger is good with people which is why they loved him at Oxford.
Roger admits he’s been thinking there are universities in this time and mentions a MacKenzie university which doesn’t exist, but Brianna thinks it an idea that they teach, she could teach math. Roger says right now he’s committed to the militia and the oath his made to Jamie which means something to him.
In Hillsborough, Jamie and the Fraser’s Company ride into town and the local men think they are Regulators and want no part of them. Jamie assures them they are the King’s men, but they don’t seem all that impressed with the price being paid to join up. The townspeople don’t wish to join as the Redcoats are already benefiting from their hospitality. He sends them to the tavern where the rest of the King’s men are congregated.
At the tavern, Jamie finds Knox throwing knives the broadsheet of Murtagh. Knox let’s Jamie know the Governor wishes to pardon all Regulators. Knox isn’t sure he can face what he did at the jail if they aren’t at war. Jamie tells him to ask God for forgiveness and received it.
Knox does have a potential lead on FitzGibbons in the Ardsmuir prisoner rolls which clearly Jamie isn’t happen about. Knox wants to know if there are others locally that would hide him. He then asks Jamie to take a turn at throwing a knife, but he misses (which I don’t believe for a second).
20th Century Memory
Claire checks in on her patient Graham Menzies. (His story is told in the book Voyager Chapter 56, though the circumstances of his death are very different). Claire tells him he has gallstones, but they are too large to let pass and he has an infection in his bile ducts. Graham tries to distract her and reveals his Yank wife died.
She wants to put him on a course of penicillin before she can go in to remove the stones. Menzies is up for it as “it’s but one more scar, nothing worth brooding over,” which Claire remembers saying after Prestonpans.
17th Century
Claire is testing Kezzie for signs of allergy to penicillin but warns Marsali that everything you do as a doctor is a risk. Claire apparently has a syringe to inject Kezzie in the bum with (where she got this is beyond me as they aren’t common in the 17th century). Kezzie obeys after a little prompting and gets a rump full of penicillin and a swallow of laudanum. She then proceeds to take out his tonsils as quickly as possible with an excellent assist from Marsali and support from Lizzie and Mr. Bug.
When finished Claire wants Kezzie to go lie down but Kezzie insists on staying to support Josiah.
Meanwhile, at the cabin, Roger is trying to comfort a screaming Jemmy by dangling shiny objects from Bree’s jewel box in front of him but Jemmy isn’t having it. Roger tries to return them to the box by dumps it over. When he cleans up, he realizes Bree has a gemstone he saw last with Stephen Bonnet.
Roger recalls playing cards with Bonnet on the Glorianna. When Roger looks away Bonnet pulls out an ace. Roger confronts him about his use of the ace of hearts prior but backs down when he realizes Bonnet will kill him over it.
Brianna returns to the cabin after searching for chanterelles, but she had no luck. Roger confronts her about the diamond which stuns Brianna. Roger asks if it is Bonnets and how she got it. She confesses to seeing him at the jail. Roger is confused as to why Bree would keep a gift from Bonnet. She says it is their ticket home and she kept it so Jemmy could go back. Roger is curious when Bonnet would give her the stone and she confesses to telling Stephen Bonnet Jemmy was his child. Roger is stricken and asks if she was sure Jemmy was Bonnets. He wants to know what she really believes. Bree can’t answer because her true fear is Jem is Bonnets. Roger walks out leaving Bree shattered.
20th Century Memory
Claire goes to the watch the Blessed Sacrament where she meets Father Beggs who asks if she knew Graham Menzies. She tells him she was his surgeon. Claire knows Graham held the perpetual adoration as sacred, so she finds herself there.
17th Century
Roger is sitting under a tree when he hears movement and pull his gun. It is Claire and is startled he could have shot her though he’d probably miss. Roger says he was hunting and Claire wonders if he’s been doing it all night. Claire goes on to advise Roger reminding him she was married to Frank and their relationship was complicated. Roger asks if Claire regrets lying to Bree for most of her life and Claire tells him no. She wouldn’t have understood as a child. When she did tell Bree, we all saw her hurt and angry.
Claire warns him not to be careless with the time they have together.
Roger returns home to find Bree sewing. He comes bearing mushrooms. Bree wants to explain but Roger tells her it doesn’t matter. He’s sorry for everything. Brianna still looks upset and Roger realizes there is more. Bree tells him Bonnet is alive. She confesses to thinking she sees him everywhere, but that Mrs. Bug encountered him. She tells him about Lord John’s confirmation of Bonnet at their wedding.
Roger tells her Bonnet doesn’t matter and tells Bree as soon as they know if Jemmy can travel they will use the diamond to leave and go home.
In Hillsborough, Jamie realizes Tryon only wants Murtagh and the pardons are an attempt to flush him out. Knox is to continue looking for Murtagh and Jamie’s militia is to stand down and hand over the muster roll. Tryon also wishes Jamie to deliver pardons to the Regulators as one Scot to another.
20th Century Memory
Menzies wants to be up on his feet by Friday at 4pm for his perpetual adoration shift, something his wife felt was important.
Later, Claire realizes Menzies has died of anaphylaxis to the penicillin, but Claire chews out the nurse who tells her.
Joe finds her in a bar with a book The Impetuous Pirate which Joe left in the surgeon’s lounge. He heard about her outburst and she confesses she got to close to Menzies but wonders if he feels something is pushing you towards something. (Jamie maybe.)
18th Century
Jamie brings Knox the muster roll and Knox coaxes Jamie into a game of chess. Knox clearly likes Jamie and wouldn’t have anyone else by his side in battle. While they play a messenger brings the Ardsmuir prisoner list to Knox. Jamie confesses his name is on the list, but Knox is sure there are many Jamie Frasers, but Jamie says only one from Broch Tuaruach. Knox checks the roll and realizes FitzGibbons surname is Fraser. Jamie admits Murtagh is his godfather. Knox is shocked and believes Jamie released the men in Hillsborough.
Knox calls Jamie a traitor and Jamie says he’s no traitor. He’s cheated death at the in the duty of other men’s ambitions and has the scars to prove it, but he won’t stand by and watch his kin hunted.
Knox seems to be concerned for Jamie, but he won’t break his oath. Knox goes to call for his arrest. Jamie tells him first he swore and oath to his family. Knox goes to the door and Jamie attacks asphyxiating the man. He then stages the body in the bed and closes the flew to the fireplace making it seem like Knox died, burning the Ardsmuir prison roll in the fireplace as well.
Jamie takes the muster roll and pardons and goes out the window finding a kitten in the alley and Fergus waiting for him.
On the Ridge, Jamie returns home and is greeted by Claire who is working in the garden. They hug but Jamie tells her to be careful because he has a wee passenger. He named the kitten Adso after his mother’s cat which looked the same.
20th Century Memory
Claire asks Bree to go to London with her. Bree is reluctant but Claire wants to do it after her exams and says she took a leave of absence. Frank wanted to take her, and it will give them an opportunity to spend time together.
17th Century
Claire feed the kitten and thanks Jamie. She then asks if he remembers her patient Graham Menzies and it was her meeting him which took her to London, to Roger, and then to Jamie.
20th Century Memory
Claire stands in front of the perpetual adoration.
