‘Outlander’ Recap Season 5, Episode 11: “Journeycake”

With only one episode left in Outlander Season 5 and two of the major storylines wrapped up — the Battle of Alamance has concluded and Stephen Bonnet is finally dead — we need to set up a cliffhanger, and “Journeycake” certainly achieves that. With Claire (Caitriona Balfe) kidnapped by the self-named Committee of Safety and Roger (Richard Rankin), Brianna (Sophie Skelton), and Jemmy’s attempted journey back to the future having hit an unknown hiccup of sorts, the future seems very much up in the air at this point, leaving the show ripe for a sixth season.

Outlander as a TV series has always played around with Diana Gabaldon’s source material, picking and choosing which bits to portray as written and what to change entirely, and this episode marks a pretty steep departure from the books by having Roger and Brianna to immediately decide to head back to the 1960s once they realize Jemmy can travel due to an incident with an opal necklace worn by Young Ian (John Bell).

As written, this journey doesn’t happen until Brianna and Roger have a second child, a daughter, who needs medical care not available in the 1700s. And, while it’s clear that the hop forward didn’t quite go as planned (though it’s not clear in what way just yet), it’s a decision that’s likely been made for a particular purpose that may be explained next week or even next season.

We’ve also been set up with references to Otter Tooth, the ghost that appeared to Claire last season. Young Ian presents her with a book that previously belonged to him that’s written entirely in Latin. From this book — thank goodness for Jamie’s Latin-reading skills! — we basically learn that Otter Tooth was a time traveler who felt out of time and place. It’s this conversation that leads Young Ian to cotton on to the fact that something about Claire isn’t quite right, and he’s finally let in on the family secret that Claire, Brianna, and Roger are time travelers. Oddly enough, he takes the news pretty well and doesn’t seem at all freaked out. He is pretty bummed that he can’t join in on the stone crossing fun, however.

Speaking of which, it was good of Jamie to let Brianna know that she has a brother in William, though it almost seemed as if he told her when he did as a way to manipulate her into staying in the 1700s. It didn’t work, of course, but she seemed genuinely pleased to know that there was a sibling to share her bloodline out there somewhere (England, to be precise).

It was great to be reunited with Ulysses (Colin McFarlane) this week, especially after he saved Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) from the greedy, murderous Forbes last week. He’s hiding out in a forest cabin due to the fact that he’d likely be hanged for killing a white man regardless of the circumstances and we learn not only that he’s been a free man rather than a slave all these years thanks to Jacosta and that he stayed with her because, well, he clearly loved her (even if he didn’t say as much).

As for Claire’s kidnapping, we have the Brown brothers to thank for that, and all because Lionel (Ned Dennehy) discovered that Claire is actually the infamous Dr. Rawling’s that’s been shelling out some rather forward-thinking medical advice that people of the times are understandably a bit suspicious about. They cover her head and drag her out of the house after distracting Jamie with a fire that takes him away from the Ridge, leaving him to light the fiery cross signifying that it’s time for another battle. Frankly, I can’t wait.

A few other notes:

• “Journeycake” spent an inordinate amount of time talking about, preparing, and even eating peanut butter & jelly. Claire was obsessed, to the point that she sat out de-shelling peanuts and presumably grinding them all herself. Hilariously, Jamie’s first experience with peanut butter was that it was too paste-like, though I finished the episode feeling quite hungry.
• Marsali (Lauren Lyle) is pregnant. AGAIN. Didn’t she literally just have a baby? I’m not sure how much time is supposed to have past here, but man, they work quickly.
• Claire’s middle of the night hot flash made me wonder if this is the start of menopause for her. Nice touch having Jamie go down on her in front of an open window. How thoughtful!
• No, seriously, who didn’t finish watching this episode craving a peanut butter & jelly sandwich?

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.

Watch Outlander Season 5 Episode 11 ("Journeycake") on Starz