‘Outlander’ Recap: ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L-R) Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan as Claire and Jamie Fraser in Episode 702 of ‘Outlander’ – ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 702 of ‘Outlander’. To revisit the Season Seven Premiere, click here.
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When we last settled in to discuss the iconic STARZ series, Outlander, we talked at length about the nature of love. Of how it pushes us to do things we might not normally do in life in both a positive and negative manner. Since love can have a toxic effect upon us, one as strong as the positive effect, and well… the show’s exploration regarding the nature of love is still top of mind a week later, simply because the series is still eager to examine it and dissect it and really work to understand love and its power, as evidenced by this week’s episode. For ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ took the time to explore different dynamics of what love pushes us to do and to further define the ups and downs it entails and it accomplished this feat… shortly after handling some other matters from the past.
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For instance, this episode finally informed us of who exactly killed Malva, and as it turned out… it was her half-brother, Allan. Who, we learned, also felt the need to cross a lot of lines in his relationship with Malva. To the point where he was revealed to be the father of her child and the person that took her life out of jealousy and well, his (gross) actions, and the dangerous breakdown of his psyche that came from the collapse of his family, prompted Ian to end him and put that whole saga to rest at last. Not to mention, this is a story that featured a brief reunion between Lord John Grey and William Ransom and the Fraser family. Which allowed for Brianna to see her half-brother again and brought forth a moment of farewell between John and Jamie, since John desperately wanted Jamie to fight for the crown in the war, and Jamie refused and parted ways… to ensure their good standing would be maintained. 

But while there is one other blast from the past to discuss, we’ll save that for later. For it is indeed love that we are here to discuss, and this is an episode that explored in great detail… how love will motivate a parent to risk everything to save their child and keep them safe, and how part of truly loving someone is letting go and that was examined… by way of a blessing in the Fraser homestead. For little Amanda was born to Brianna and Roger and that did indeed bring good tidings and joy to the household. For little Amanda was lovely and vibrant and the proud parents were over the moon. But alas… the joy didn’t last. For Claire noticed some health issues with Amanda, the kind related to her heart, which could not be fixed in the 1700s, but certainly could through modern medicine in the 20th Century and well… that meant a choice had to be made.

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Sophie Skelton and Richard Rankin as Brianna Fraser MacKenzie and Roger MacKenzie in Episode 702 of ‘Outlander’ – ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Specifically, either sit and watch little Amanda slowly die from her heart defect, or travel, and find a period in the future where she could easily be healed and enjoy the life she was given in this tale and well, mom and dad decided upon the latter option. So… they made plans to head to Boston and travel into tomorrow and that brought forth some powerful moments for certain. The kind where Jamie and Claire were in essence, forced to say goodbye to their family, their grandchildren even, and that was no easy task. Because they are so close, and have indeed been through hell together, the kind that makes a family bond strong. But love, and the hope for a better tomorrow for their family… prompted this duo to let them go and grieve accordingly, but true love gives us the strength to do so. For we know deep down, love like that… transcends time and is never forgotten.
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Thankfully, Brianna and Roger and their family made it past the threshold and traveled well, since they and the audience were privy to the fascinating sight of a jumbo jet flying through the air, but their journey and their decision really was the second half of the exploration. Because make no mistake about it, this duo and their children risked life and limb to travel through time… out of love. Because there was an incredible joy and bond formed between Brianna and Roger, and little Amanda, and the resolve in their eyes regarding making her well, spoke volumes about how much we will risk in the name of love, in a positive and beautiful manner. One that all of us can relate to in some form or fashion since we’ve either gone the extra mile in the name of the love of our kids or can think of a time our parents did that for us. 

However, while that made for a beautiful episode, there was mention of one more blast from the past in this tale and well… that came about by way of Wendigo Donner. Who in the finale of this tale, broke into the Fraser estate with his mates to grab hold of more gems to travel through time. A moment that made it seem suffering was in the cards for Claire once again. But the scuffle that followed and the sheer ignorance of Wendigo and his idiot friends, brought forth an explosive cliffhanger that should hopefully bring about his long-awaited and long overdue end. But that aside, this episode really did offer up a lot of moving beauty. Courtesy of a wonderful examination regarding love, and some fine writing and fine acting and well… now that we’ve reached the end of this chapter of the journey it is onto the next. One that will undoubtedly feature repairs for the Fraser estate (because there’s no way Jamie and Claire will be devastatingly wounded or lost) and a new chapter for this couple, and adventures untold with their daughter, grandchildren, and son-in-law… far in the future… and let’s hope that features a visit to Disneyland. Until next time.

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