DISCLAIMER: This recap of Outlander Season 7 Episode 6, “Where the Waters Meet,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, time travelers! “Where the Waters Meet” falters slightly, weighed down by slower narrative pacing. While there are certainly vital story beats, I feel some scenes could have been shortened a bit without losing their impact. That said, Claire’s arc with Walter tugs at the heartstrings. The show has cast Mercy, his wife, so we’ll undoubtedly see her soon. The outing tackles death, which is fitting given Walter’s unfortunate end and the stench of war infiltrating every facet of life in 1777.
Meanwhile, Roger gets the spotlight in “Where the Waters Meet.” Knowing Rob’s place in the story makes Roger’s arc more intriguing to me. The writers do a great job of building Rob’s presence in the Brianna/Roger plot as he tries to insert himself into the MacKenzie family. Plus, that cliffhanger! I’m excited to see how that unfolds.
Ready to delve into “Where the Waters Meet”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with William (Charles Vandervaart), arriving at Fort Ticonderoga after the British overtake it. He heard his superior officer, Captain Richardson, was present. William learns of Simon Fraser’s plans to travel to New York and cut off the Continental Army from New England. He appears to approve of this. No, William. Come toward the light! Meanwhile, Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) lead a small group of rebels fleeing Ticonderoga across the river. Claire insists the few injured among them won’t last long on foot. Jamie reassures her, claiming he’ll carry whoever can’t walk and ensure the way is clear alongside Ian (John Bell).
Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) corrects one woman who believes Ian is a Native American and that he’ll harm them. Oof. The racism. Firstly, Ian might have affiliations with the Mohawk nation, but he’s not Native. Secondly, what a narrow-minded view of a marginalized community that suffers under the oppressive weight of colonialism. Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now and remove my 2023 goggles. This is 1777, after all.
Claire reassures the same woman who believes the Natives will hurt her. While in the woods, the group hears what they assume are Indigenous folks calling out to “scare” the rebels. Ian knows the Mohawk are siding with the British in this war. However, after tracking the source of the calls, they discover it’s a group of British soldiers mimicking Native chants to frighten their enemies.
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Meanwhile, in 1980, Roger (Richard Rankin) chats with an administrator at Jemmy’s school regarding the latter’s penchant for speaking Gaelic. Said administrator reveals precisely what Jemmy said to his teacher in Gaelic and how offensive it was. Roger states his belief that Gaelic shouldn’t be swept under the rug. Scotland shouldn’t forget her roots. It appears this response is what the administrator was looking for. He asks Roger if he’d like to teach a Gaelic course at the school. Gotta love unexpectedly walking away from a situation with a job.
Next, despite knowing the British are trying to scare them, the woman terrified of Native Americans flees the group. Claire tracks her down, but it’s too late — one (presumed) British soldier shoots the woman in the head. Another takes Claire captive. We later see she’s returned to the now British-controlled Fort Ticonderoga as a prisoner. She’s shoved into a gated area with the sick the rebels had to leave behind, including Walter Woodcock (Tobi Bakare). Claire asks one British soldier if they can have water; however, he ignores her. They also need food and medical supplies.
Claire reunites with Walter, whose leg is healing quite nicely following the amputation. Unfortunately, a health complication has arisen: Claire suspects he has an embolism in his lungs. She explains that it’s a possible side effect of surgery. She vows to keep a close eye on Walter. Meanwhile, William meets with Captain Richardson (Ben Lambert). He informs his superior officer that he failed to deliver those letters to the soldiers in Dismal Town. When William was bucked off his horse in the Dismal Town swamp, he also lost the letters. He did not read them as ordered by Richardson.
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William shares what he learned about the men Richardson wanted him to fraternize with: they’re men in the Continental Army. However, Richardson assures William that they’re spies for the British. (Sure, Jan.) Richardson also insists there will be more assignments for William. Claire tends to the wounded. She notices Walter’s coughing is worsening. She spots William outside the gate and marches right up to him, demanding they get supplies, food and water. It dawns on him who she is, and he shares this knowledge with her. Of course, Claire’s aware that William Ransom is Jamie’s son.
Claire asks William if he can deliver what she and the prisoners need, and he vows to make it all happen. At Lallybroch in 1980, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) describes the potential portal she saw on the job while Roger jots it down. They pull out a map and draw connections between said portal and the other places in Scotland where the stones are located. It’s all connected, y’all. Suddenly, Roger and Bree realize he’s about to be late for his first Gaelic class. She suggests he take his kilt while packing his lesson plan. Mr. MacKenzie is ready to teach.
Later, Denzell (Joey Phillips) informs Jamie and Ian about Claire getting kidnapped by the British. Ian believes he should infiltrate the fort because he shares ties with the Mohawk, who will undoubtedly be present due to their allyship with the British. Jamie reluctantly allows his nephew to be the hero this time. Claire receives what she asks for courtesy of William, delivered by another British soldier who reveals the arrival of their food stores has been delayed.
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Then, Roger teaches a class that includes Jemmy and Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton), Bree’s coworker. The school administrator observes while Roger oversees a group of people willing to learn Gaelic. They even sing a song together. Roger hands out reading material courtesy of his late father, too. Claire gives Walter a tea she made on the fly, hoping it thins his blood and slows the clotting in his lungs. He’d rather she spike it with something stronger. Thankfully, William gave her a flask of brandy. She adds some to the tea and helps him drink it. He’s now too weak to sit up. The end is near.
Claire urges Walter to think of the first time he met his wife while they were dancing. Meanwhile, after Roger’s class, he gets an offer to teach regularly, which he accepts. He chats with multiple students who thoroughly enjoyed his teaching. Rob approaches Roger and introduces himself.
Of course, Roger knows who he is. Rob insists that Bree is the best boss he’s ever had. He hands Roger the journal chronicling his and Bree’s time-traveling journey that inadvertently wound up in Roger’s lesson materials. Uh-oh. Rob asks Roger if he’s writing a sci-fi novel. Roger accepts the lie and runs with it. The conversation ends with Rob and Roger planning a dinner date with the family. This will end badly. (Book readers know this.)
In 1777, Claire closes Walter’s eyes after he passes away. RIP, Walter Woodcock. You didn’t deserve to die so quickly. Later, Claire reunites with Ian. William spots him, too, and flags him down. They chat it up. Inevitably, William discovers Ian is there to rescue his Aunt Claire. He accuses Ian of being a liar. Jamie shoots a few fiery arrows into the fort, causing the British soldiers to panic. Ian urges William to let this be the latter’s way of paying him back. A life for a life. William allows Ian to save Claire. However, next time, Ian won’t be so lucky.
Next, Jamie reunites with Claire in the darkness. Our family is back together again. She tells him that she encountered his son in Fort Ticonderoga. Later, Claire, Jamie and Ian catch up to the other rebels, who’ve set up camp with the Continental Army. Ian reunites with his dog, who Rachel was taking care of while Ian was gone. He tries to reveal something personal to Rachel (perhaps his feelings for her).
In true storytelling fashion, Rachel claims she knows what he’s about to say, getting his hopes up, only to state the opposite. Still, Ian insists that Rachel can spend time with Rollo whenever she wants.
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Colonel Daniel Morgan (Barry O’Connor) attempts to recruit Jamie to join his sniper group (excuse the modern slang). Now, at this point, Jamie is close to finishing his conscription, so he, Claire and Ian can travel to Scotland. While chatting with his wife, Jamie realizes he must stay and continue serving the cause. Claire supports his decision. They talk about death and who would be more important to lose — the woman or the man. Gender stuff! Newsflash: everyone is important.
Roger is letting loose in the kitchen while cooking. Music is involved. Suddenly, he spots a man peeking through the window. Could he be the reason why they’re missing food? Why there are food wrappers all over the yard? Is he the Nuckelavee? Roger runs outside and catches the man. It appears to be Buck MacKenzie (Diarmaid Murtagh), Dougal’s bastard son. Dun, dun, dun!
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What’s Buck doing in 1980? How much of a threat does Rob pose to the MacKenzie family? Will Ian finally tell Rachel how he feels about her? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Outlander streams new episodes every Friday at midnight on the STARZ app, with a linear debut at 8 pm on STARZ in the US and Canada.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
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