‘Outlander’ Recap: ‘Hello, Goodbye’

12/22/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sophie Skelton as Brianna Fraser MacKenzie in Episode 713 of ‘Outlander’ – ‘Hello, Goodbye’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 713 of ‘Outlander’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

Sometimes, there is a worry that crosses the minds of fans when it comes to the shows they love. In that, they find themselves concerned that an ambitious season of storytelling, is going to let them down. Because now and again, some shows introduce a ton of storylines and plot threads within a season, and sometimes… those storylines don’t get resolved or get resolved in a rushed manner, and a loyal fan wants that to not be the case. They want everything to be handled in a proper manner, wherein resolution takes place and there’s care in said resolution. Because fans just want to go on a complete journey, and there is nothing wrong with that in the slightest.

But what’s fascinating about this, is that there are but a handful of shows that never generate this concern. For they always offer up great and complete stories that wrap up every thread with a neat little bow and Outlander on STARZ is one of them. For great care goes into this show and those behind the scenes know what the fans want and need, and never was the care more evident than during this week’s episode. Because let’s be honest… we’ve spent a lot of time in the Revolutionary War era, with Claire and Jamie, and rightfully so. Because they’ve had some major stuff to deal with, and that has put Roger and Brianna on the backburner, until this week’s episode came along.

But make no mistake about it, ‘Hello, Goodbye’ still had some storytelling matters to handle at the dawn of the United States. After all, Young Ian was getting married to Rachel, and we were able to settle in and enjoy the nuptials of these young lovers. In fact, we got our first taste of a Quaker Wedding. Wherein silence and reflection came into play. But once that was done, the young couple went off and learned what it meant to be husband and wife, and Jaime and Claire buried the last of their concerns about what happened with John so Jamie could prepare to march to war. And on the good news front, John seemed to be safe after all, after meeting the right kind of British soldiers.

Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie in Episode 713 of ‘Outlander’ – ‘Hello, Goodbye’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

However, there was mention that this episode took the time to look at other stories, and in between the lovey-dovey moments, were some harrowing journeys. For instance, Roger… went through it emotionally in this tale. Because his search for Jemmy resulted in quite the surprise. In that, he was able to discover traveling stones in the hillside, and near those stones… were his father. Which allowed for Roger to spend time with his dad and teach him about history and in his own special way… tell him he loved him. Not to mention, Roger even tried to repair his own timeline by sending his dad back through the traveling gateway. With mixed results. Just because his memories did not change, and well… that emotional encounter, and the lack of progress in finding his boy, helped Roger finally realize… that Jemmy wasn’t in the past after all.

Which is a great thing, because he would have searched until the end of his days to find his son, a reality that Brianna spoke to in this tale during her incredible journey. Because she wanted her son back, and since Rob wasn’t saying a word regarding the whereabouts of her son, she was forced to leave Rob to his own devices in her home while she went to find Jemmy. But thankfully, the connection shared in this family, and the fact that Jemmy listened closely to his mother’s story about how she escaped the dam, helped him to come home. For Rob did indeed stash him there. But while Jemmy was home at last and safe, Rob managed to escape, leaving Brianna worried about what lie ahead with this ruthless nut out in the world.

All of which made for a satisfying episode. One that featured far less commentary and depth on life than we are used to… but that’s fine. Because we needed to see Roger find some peace regarding his father and he needed a moment to think about the nature of his long and winding quest. Plus, we had to know what was going to come forth out of Brianna’s conundrum, and it was lovely to see her kick ass and take names in this story and be reminded how well she can handle herself. But of course, we needed to see the Revolutionary War story move forward as well. Since that cannot be ignored and all are deeply involved, and well, we got what we needed and now we can see what lie ahead from a series that always delivers when it comes to the storylines it introduces. Until next time.

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