Recap: 506 Better to Marry than Burn

At Jocasta’s wedding, Jamie learns Tryon’s true motivation for ending the Regulator threat.

Scotland 1746

A coach is racing across the countryside when it is stopped by English dragoons. A man exists and explains they are fleeing the area of Culloden. His wife and daughter are required to leave the coach and we realize his wife is Jocasta. The dragoons are charged with checking all coaches by the Duke of Cumberland. One dragoon search inside but finds nothing and they are told they can move on. As the daughter (Morna) goes back to get in the coach she steps in mud and the dragoon leans down to assist her finding a chest of French gold under the coach. Jocasta seems surprised by the gold. Hector pulls a gun and the coachmen does as well shooting the lead dragoon. Hector’s shot goes astray and kills Morna. Hector Cameron forces Jocasta back into the coach as they flee.

River Run

Jocasta is remembering her daughter when Duncan Innes appears to give her a gift for their wedding. It is a small lavender pillow with the MacKenzie motto on it. Duncan is hoping with time they will find love but Jocasta shuts him down and Ulysses comes in to inform her of Forbes and Jamie’s presence downstairs. Duncan leaves and Jocasta and Ulysses speak candidly about her impending marriage.

Downstairs Jocasta signs her new will which leaves River Run and her holding over to Jemmy. Jamie signs the will as a witness.

At the party, Lord John is dancing with all the available women who are trying to catch him as a husband. John, Jamie and Claire join Tryon and his wife and learn Tryon is going to be moving to New York. Jamie praises Tryon for the pardons but Tryon confesses they are a ploy to prevent the men from gathering and plotting which is pointed out by Lord John. Tryon wishes it has come sooner so Knox were still alive. His wife chides him for his edict.

Mrs. Tryon and Claire go off together. They are chatting when Philip Wylie appears and seems to have eyes for Claire. Mrs. Tryon offers to distract him and Claire overhears two women talking about Dr. Rawlings advice and how she’s taken it to heart telling her husband their will be days in the month he can sleep elsewhere. But the other woman wonders if isn’t sacrilegious to prevent herself from bearing a child. Claire offers the opinion about woman who don’t have the means to provide for many children and the other woman get quiet.

Claire leaves and runs into Wylie. He compliments her much to Claire’s dismay and Mrs. Tryon comes to her rescue.

In Tryon’s tent, Tryon is explaining the Riot Act prevents assembly but also allows him to have anyone seen in Hillsborough to be hanged. Jamie asks why Tryon is doing this now that he’s headed to New York. He explains he wants to resolve this legacy of lawlessness. Jamie suggests mercy but to Tryon hanged is the mercy.

Inside, Claire is looking for Jamie when Wylie ambushes her. He suggests he knows the right people to find Chantilly lace like that he gives Jocasta for her wedding gift. Wylie mentions an Irish gentleman and Claire realizes he is talking about Bonnet. She goes to the parlor with him and suggests they go into business on Jamie’s whisky venture. She’s hoping Bonnet can move the goods but they would only deal with Wylie. Wylie also notices her wedding rings and wonders about them. He is shocked Jamie would allow her to wear another’s token. He wishes to show her his prize.

They go out to the stables where he shows her a stallion named Lucas. Claire is admiring the stallion when Wylie makes his move. She tries to fight off his advances but he doesn’t take no for an answer. She ends up pushing him into a trough of manure. He is incensed and lashes out at her as Jamie shows up threatening to gut him while Wylie claims Claire begged for it (what a sicko!). Claire reminds Jamie he’s at his man’s wedding and Jamie releases Wylie.

Claire tells Jamie Wylie’s connection to Bonnet and said she tried to tempt him with a business deal so they could get to Bonnet. Jamie tells of Bonnet’s knifing a man’s eyes via John’s news. Jamie has the idea of gambling with Wylie to get him on their side.

Jamie meets Wylie and suggests they gamble but Bonnet says he doesn’t have anything he wants.

Jamie finds Claire and says Wylie suggested Claire’s gold ring. Claire is angered Jamie would even suggest it. Jamie doesn’t see why she is upset and promises not to lose it. Jamie wants to get Bonnet. In the end she gives him both her rings.

Murtagh comes to see Jocasta. He brought her a pin he must have made. He doesn’t want her to marry Duncan. He wants her to wait. Jocasta tells him what happened to Morna and that her other daughters (Seonag and Clementina) died in the fires after Culloden. Murtagh tells her he loves her but Jocasta can’t be with a man who is willing to die for a cause again.

Claire goes out to the stable and Jamie appears. He is drunk. He won and still has her rings. Claire tells him he let Wyle use his Scottish pride to come between them. He tells her she thins too much like her own time and she needs to remember she’s still a woman. She slaps him.

Jamie kisses her and then she kisses him and the two have rather rough tumble in the stable.

Jamie won Lucas but traded him back for a whisky partnership. Jamie is planning to use the name Alexander Malcolm. Jamie confesses he wants to see Bonnet dead for what he did to Bree.

Fraser’s Ridge

Roger and Brianna stayed home rather than go to Jocasta’s wedding because Jemmy is sick. Bree speculates Roger is insulting Jocasta by not going to her wedding because she insulted him after their wedding.

Adso appears with a locust and Roger notices more of the pests outside.

The men of the Ridge are all at the big house voicing their opinion and telling Roger they need to burn the fields. Roger stops them from their ascent and reminds them firing the fields could burn everything and leave them hungry in the winter. Ronnie Sinclair wishes Jamie were there but Roger tells them all Jamie is 10 days ride away. Evan Lindsay wants to know what Roger’s plan is but he doesn’t have one yet.

Bree is encouraging Roger who had no faith in himself. Bree is trying to encourage him and Roger suddenly remember something Rev. Wakefield once told him about using smoke to drive away the locusts away in the American West. Roger poses they burn greenwood around the fields to create smoke.

At the cabin, Josiah and Roger are making smudge pots which have dung and oil. When they are heated they will produce smoke. His issue he doesn’t know how to push the smoke out into the field but Brianna has an idea.

Out in the fields everyone is getting pots smoking and firing the greenwood stacks. Roger mentions to Bree he thought he might have some run away cows to deal with not a biblical plague.

Everyone is out in the field and Bree is showing them how to fan the smoke with her make-shift fans covered in linens. In the skies above the locust swarm is coming and everyone hunkers down in the smoke as the swarm goes overhead.

After the locust swarm past, everyone is helping to put out the fires. They’ve saved most of the crop but lost some beans. Lindsay says he didn’t believe it would work but they owe him. Bree think maybe Jamie will promote him to Major which Roger hopes doesn’t happen. Jamie returns her rings promising Bonnet won’t take anything else from them.

In Wilmington

Forbes is meeting with Bonnet at a coffeehouse. Bonnet isn’t interested in coffee and Forbes jests they don’t serve ale. Bonnet takes offense. Forbes apologizes and then informs Bonnet his son is now the proud owner of River Run.