Claire and Ian arrive in Philadelphia to help the ailing Henry Grey. Roger and Buck receive an unexpected clue in their search for Jemmy.
Brotherly Love opens with John Murray, Ian’s father, teaching Jamie and Ian to sword fight. He’s teaching them to fight together. (In the books, Jamie is left-handed, and Dougal teaches him to fight left-handed, but John Murray teaches Ian to fight at Jamie’s right side to protect his weaker side.)
We come back to the present. Jamie and Ian are outside talking and walking. Ian is joking about his death. Jamie tells him in paradise he can have his leg back. The reminisce about when Willie, Jamie’s older brother, died.
Jamie carries Ian to his bed, what seems like much later. Jenny and Jamie stay with him as he’s dying. Ian looks to Jamie and says, “On your left, man,” then looks to Jenny and says, “Jenny…” before dying. (Of course, in the books, it would be on the right. And this on your left, just reminds me of Captain America.)
Jamie digs Ian’s grave out of stubbornness it seems. Jamie plans to go to France, to visit Joan, who is being taken to her convent by Michael Murray. Jamie offers to take Jenny with him, but she doesn’t want to go. She wonders where Ian is, and Jamie says he’s between them.
POSSIBLE SPOILER: I don’t like that Jenny tells Jamie she’s going to stay because in the books she goes to France then the Colonies with Jamie. I don’t know if they just aren’t going to go into this or she’ll show up later.
In Philadelphia
Claire and Young Ian arrive in an occupied Philadelphia. Claire goes onto Mercy Woodcock’s home. Lord John is happy to see Claire. He had faith Claire would come and purchased all the vitriol he could for her knowing how she’s been able to use it in the past via letters.
(Claire tells Ian sometimes people hold on until their birthdays which I find patently untrue. It always seems people don’t make it to their birthdays.)
Claire goes into see Henry, who Mercy has been taking care of well. Henry has been through three surgeries, the last by Denzell Hunter. Deny has been helping Henry but could only do so much.
Claire meets up with Deny who explains how he went in and got one musket ball but fears the other is near the hepatic portal vein. Claire tells him she did what he could. She explains she has a method of opening him up and would like his assistance.
Elsewhere, Rachel and William are in the market and William is complaining about the time she’s taking. William and Rachel talk about when they met, and it is clear William likes Rachel. Rollo runs off and Rachel follows believing Rollo knows Ian is back. She doesn’t find Ian, but Arch Bug takes note of her.
Rollo finds Ian.
Meanwhile, Clare, Deny, and Mercy are operating on Henry. Mercy is in charge of the drops of ether while Deny and Claire cut into him. Claire finds the musket ball in the intestine. She means to cut out the damaged section and stitch it back together.
Rachel and William wait, and William pulls out his rosary (from Jamie). Rachel worries over Rollo, hoping she hasn’t lost Ian’s dog. Lord John comes in to tell them Henry survived the surgery.
Claire goes out for fresh air and Mercy joins her. She confesses she and Henry are close. Mercy asks after Walter and Claire tells her he died. Claire let’s Mercy know Walter wanted to make up with her.
William walks Rachel to the stables where she plans to feed their horses. He seems to want more but doesn’t speak of it. When she enters the stable, she thinks she hears Rollo, but it is Arch Bug. He explains he will wait for Ian before he kills her.
Ian shows up at Mercy’s and Deny tells him where Rachel is.
Arch tells Rachel that he doesn’t plan to kill Ian so he can live with the pain of her death. Ian comes in and fights with Arch, though Rachel hinders him by asking him not to kill Arch. Ian is injured fighting Arch. William arrives, and shoots Arch. William tells Rachel he’ll take care of everything and to take Ian to Claire.
Rachel wonders if Ian loves her because when he told her he said it in Mohawk, which she doesn’t understand. He confesses his love. He tells her he would become Quaker for her but he’s not one in his heart. Ian wants to know how they can be together. She explains that Rollo is his wolf and his companion, and she knows Ian is also a wolf, but she knows he’s her wolf.
Claire goes to a community garden for supplies and must pass a British checkpoint though she’s realized they don’t seem to see woman as a threat.
Claire receives a letter from Jamie about Ian Seniors death and how he’s in France meeting some people sympathetic to the American cause. He tells them he’s booked passage on a shipped called the Euterpe.
Claire is in the parlor and Mercy rushes in. Claire asks what is happening and Mercy tells her she passes information to the Continentals. She explains she has a letter for General Washington and she’s positive people are looking for her. Claire offers to deliver it.
At the checkpoint, the captain questions Claire and she explains she needs arrowroot and what it is used for. He lets her through, and she delivers the message.
Claire returns to Lord John’s where John has obviously received some bad news. A captain of another ship is there with the news that the Euterpe had gone down with all hands. No one survived. Claire doesn’t believe it, but they say he has proof which has Jamie’s name on it. Claire doesn’t believe it because her heart would stop if his heart has stopped. John suggests her’s already has.
Claire is in her room suffering with the perceived knowledge that Jamie has died. She is in agony and ignores John’s attempts to help her.
Later, Richardson arrives to tell Lord John Claire will be arrested as a spy. She’s been delivering messages. John explains that Claire is a physician who has helped his nephew but she’s in mourning and is at church. Richardson gives John a day and departs.
John immediately goes up to Claire’s room and tells her they should marry because she will be arrested as a spy. She doesn’t care what happens to her, but he explains they will also arrest Ian, Rachel, Deny and Mercy too. She agrees to the marriage.
While this part has never been a favorite of mine it makes sense to me. We all know Jamie isn’t dead. But in the world of Outlander, Claire doesn’t know this. She’s faced with the belief that Jamie went down with the ship. And I fully believe that faced with something happening to someone Jamie loved; John would fully step up and help them even if it meant marrying Claire.
In 1739
Roger is still stunned to see Geillis who wonders if she’s a shocking sight to him. Roger explains he thought she’d be older. Geillis listens to Buck’s heart and feels like she knows him. Roger and Geillis exchange names before she goes out to get herbs for Buck.
Roger tells Buck about Geillis or Gillian and how she’s a murderess. But he doesn’t tell Buck Geillis is his mother. They both wonder if she knows Rob Cameron. They don’t think it makes sense that Rob would bring Jem to Geillis because he’s after the gold and it won’t be where Jamie put it for years.
Roger goes snooping around Geillis’ house and is caught by him. She wonders if they’ve met before. She suggests they are intimate, and he says he’s married and being married stops him from cheating. She asks what troubles him and he tells her about Jem. He explains people think it is a faery man who took him. He goes on to suggest she’s a faery because she’s so wise and the man who complimented her is Robert Cameron. She doesn’t seem to know who that is, and Roger is satisfied that she’s not involved in Jem’s kidnapping.
There is a knock at Geillis’ door, and she goes to answer. Dougal MacKenzie comes in with information about the faery man. Roger, of course, doesn’t recognize him but is shocked when he learns the man’s name.
Dougal gives Roger what he thinks is a charm but what Roger recognizes and RAF dog tags. The tags say J.W. MacKenzie. Dougal thought they could belong to Roger’s son because the first initial is a J (Jeremiah MacKenzie). Geillis seems intrigued but Roger wants to keep them to find the tinker. Roger thanks Geillis which brings her to Dougal’s attention. And those two go off together.
After the others have left the room, Buck asks after the charm. Roger explains what they are and that they belong to his father. Roger’s father disappeared in the middle of a war and was believed dead. The faery man who is dressed strangely would be a RAF officer.
I have to say the whole story-line with Roger’s father being back in time makes a world of sense. We know that Bree can travel because she inherited it from Claire. Jem and Mandy can because they are Roger and Bree’s children. It stands to reason that one of Roger’s parents is a time traveler and since Jerry MacKenzie disappeared without and trace he must have been near some standing stones.
