#Outlander Re-cap, Season 8, Episode 2, "It's So Sad I Can Bearly Stand It" (Working Title)

William and his cousin Henry are shooting pool in a fancy London drawing room when their cousin Ben arrives in full Red Coat regalia and tells his cousins he is off to Boston to report to General Howe.  William plunks down a metal toy soldier which Ben had given him years ago.  Ben says he will keep it in his inside pocket forever. 

Claire and Fanny are in Claire's surgery and she is teaching Fanny about medicine.  Claire explains to Fanny that she may be completely herself in their home but she must be careful what she shares outside her home as people might not understand.  This is excellent advice even if you haven’t grown up in a brothel.

Roger and Jamie are sawing a log in half in the woods.  Jamie tells Roger about Frank’s book and gives him the names of men he will fight with in the war.  Roger hasn't heard their names before. Jamie’s curious why he would fight with men he doesn’t know.

Captain Charles Cunningham the possibly untrustworthy former redcoat rides up on his horse.  Jamie lets him know he’s a Mason (the secret men's club kind not the kind who builds stone walls) and tells him they’re going to have a Lodge meeting.  I’m wondering if this is a keep your friends close and your enemies closer situation.

Back in Philadelphia, William’s cousin Henry is marrying Mercy Woodcock the African-American lady who nursed him back to life. William gives a toast welcoming her to the family and apologizing that not everyone in their family is doing so.  Henry asks what’s bothering him and William finally tells him that his brother Ben has died in a POW camp.  William says he’s going to find out every circumstance of his death.  Way to ruin a wedding William.

It’s a beautiful day on Fraser’s Ridge, the children are frolicking and the women are berry picking. The ants are biting Amy so she moves to a different area.  I really wish she wouldn’t but nobody ever listens to me.   Suddenly a huge bear comes running across the hillside, attacks Amy and almost bites her head off.  The sound of a rifle shot and screams from the women alert the men who run to help. Jamie bursts into the Surgery, shouting for Claire who tries to save Amy but she is too severely injured and she can't help her.  Amy’s husband Evan comes running in and tells his wife he loves her and he will take care of her boys.  As she is dying, Roger prays for the family.

William goes to the redcoat’s camp to try to determine what exactly happened to his cousin Ben.  The officer has all the compassion of an HOA board member and tries to blow him off. William is taken to Benjamin’s grave which is desolate and muddy.  A super friendly soldier gives William all of Ben’s belongings.  Private Talkative said Ben was recovering well but then suddenly died overnight.  Williams looks in Ben’s uniform pockets and the toy soldier is not there.  Later that night, William goes to Ben’s grave and digs it up.  Someone else is buried in Ben’s grave. Dun dun dun!!!

Claire is cleaning Amy Lindsay’s body to prepare it for burial when my new favorite character Mrs. Cunningham arrives with Amy’s funeral shroud.  Apparently all the cool girls sew their own funeral shrouds ahead of time and I’m grateful that I’m not cool.  Claire asks Mrs. Cunningham if they can be on a first name basis.  She says, yes her name is Elspeth. 

Evan Lindsay, Jamie and Brianna gather to go capture and kill the bear who killed Amy. Aiden is allowed to go and personally avenge and kill the bear but he’s just a little kid and I think he’s going to need a lot of therapy in 15 years or so.  I hope he has good health insurance.  When they reach the woods, they find Captain Cunningham has already killed the bear and is in the process of cutting off its head. 

Back at the Fraser’s House, Claire, Brianna and Rachel are making sour kraut to help Rachel with her pregnancy symptoms. Ian is lurking in the background worrying about his wife.  Rachel goes into labor and their baby is born and Ian wants to name him Marmaduke. That’s one of the dumbest things I can remember him saying since he’s been a grown ass adult.  Luckily Rachel says no way. 

The world’s rudest man shows up at the Fraser’s House and introduces himself as Benjamin Cleveland.  He is proud to say he and his boys are raising a militia to protect them from undesirables like Native Americans and former redcoats.  He wants Jamie to join them.  He admits to murdering and hanging Tories in the trees because he hates them.  Cleveland tells Jamie the names of his other buddies, and they’re the ones Frank wrote Jamie will die fighting with. Jamie tells him to hit the road.  Roger and Jamie are going to have a Lodge meeting to see if they can uncover more info about what’s what. 

The menfolk of the Ridge arrive at the church/meeting house for a Lodge meeting.  They make a point of saying no weapons are allowed in a meeting.  #Foreshadow? Jamie opens the meeting by saying religious and political differences must be set aside.  Captain Cunningham gives his condolences to Evan Lindsay.  He goes on to say he lost his wife in childbirth and his son died two years ago in battle. He said after his son died, he opened his eyes and said ‘don’t worry, I’ll see you again in 7 years’ then died again.  

Claire’s asleep and Jamie is wearing his sexy Ben Franklin glasses reading Frank’s book.  Frank’s voiceover is taunting Jamie and he gets a bad case of the heebie jeebies and wakes Claire up for a quick few minutes of nerve calming, sumthin sumthin.  I know a lot of viewers are going to be as happy as Jamie because that’s what they always say they want more of on the Outlander fan pages.  Claire is immediately ready to 'join the festivities.' Personally, I can never be completely lost in an episode and as they’re older now, my mind wanders to hormone supplements and Estradiol cream, but this is fantasy so I decide I may as well just go with it.

Note:  Caitriona Balfe directed this episode and I’m not surprised because the shots were extremely artistic and reminded me somewhat of what you might see in a 'foreign film.'  I loved the nature shots, the vantage points seemed like there were really well lit, emotional two-shots…it was perfect to me. Well done Ms. Balfe!