‘Outlander’ Season 7 Episode 6 Recap: “Where the Waters Meet”

The war is well and truly on, and Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and the crew are in the thick of it. Well, sort of. They’ve actually had to abandon Fort Ticonderoga after the Red Coats attacked and took it over, so Outlander Season 7 Episode 6 (“Where the Waters Meet”) starts with everyone on boats as they make their great escape and the Frasers try to keep everyone alive. Fun, an adventure! 

Once back on dry land, however, it’s pretty clear that the stragglers they’ve brought with them aren’t up to the task of hiking through dense woods to avoid the British. One woman in particular, Mrs. Raven, has a serious fear of Native Americans, so Young Ian’s (John Bells) presence is a bit triggering. Sadly, when they hear the Red Coats pretending to be Indians to try and trick the group, she becomes so terrified that she shoots herself in the head. Claire, who’d gone to find her and bring her back to the group, is of course captured. It wouldn’t be “Outlander” if Claire wasn’t abducted or otherwise traumatized at least every couple of episodes. 

She’s taken back to Fort Ticonderoga, where the Red Coats are milling about, and is put into a glorified pig pen with pretty much zero security or any indication whatsoever that she’s even a prisoner. It’s bizarre, but we don’t have time to think about it because Walter’s here! Sadly, he’s looking a bit worse for wear and will die by the end of the episode from a pulmonary embolism. RIP, Walter! Nevertheless, Claire seems pretty at home there and even relaxed as she demands food, water, and medical supplies and runs about looking after everyone. 

Eventually, Ian sneaks in to try and get her out, but when William cottons on to the fact that he’s not a scout but a rebel, he’s none too pleased. Still, Claire saved William’s father’s life — Lord John Grey, that is — and Ian saved William’s, he kinda owes it to them to let them go. He does, of course, and this gives him a chance to show just how much he’s torn between his head and his heart. Earlier in the episode, he tells Captain Richardson that he’s desperate to prove himself and make up for the fact that he failed to deliver the letters in his care. However, it seems like deep down, he knows that maybe the rebels have a point and that fighting for the British may not be the way to go. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, especially once he comes face-to-face with Jamie, which is clearly inevitable. 

Eventually, after Jamie fires some, well, fire arrows into the Fort and sends things into disarray, Jamie and Claire make their way out and back to Jamie in the woods, and they move south to meet up with the militia. Claire’s pretty excited that Jamie’s service is nearly done, but it’s not long before he tells her he’s been asked to stay on longer to become a sniper and he’s accepted it. Claire isn’t exactly surprised, but she knows how serious this is — it’s nearly time for the Battle of Saratoga, which is a huge turning point for the war. However, at least if he’s just shooting people from far away, he’ll be in less danger. At least that’s Claire’s theory. 

Flash forward to 1980 and Jemmy has insulted his teacher, calling her a “haggard old goat-breathed daughter of a witch,” which is something he clearly learned from Jamie. The headmaster informs Roger (Richard Rankin) that Jemmy’s insults as well as his love of speaking Gaelic isn’t exactly kosher these days, but when Roger speaks up to defend the language’s importance, the headmaster reveals he was totally baiting him and that his passion makes him perfect for the role of Gaelic teacher. How is it that this guy has only just met Roger and knows the easiest way to win him over is to stroke his ego? 

His class seems to be a hit with the young students and the parents alike, though their enthusiasm is a bit over the top. They even start singing Gaelic songs in perfect harmony and tune despite never having heard them or knowing the language, which is a bit of a miracle. As it turns out, one of the kid’s dad is none other than Rob Cameron, who got a hold of Roger’s time-traveling diary by mistake since Brianna (Sophie Skelton) threw it in his bag with the other course material. Oops! 

Rob baits Roger by questioning whether he’s writing a book, and Roger said he’s thinking about it, but there’s an awkward tension there that makes it clear Rob knows a bit more than he’s letting on. He doesn’t think what he’s read in there is fiction at all, but what he’ll do with that information remains to be seen. (I mean, I know what he’ll do because I’ve Googled it, but I won’t spoil you.) 

It should also be mentioned that Bri has told Roger about the weird time portal-y thing she found in the tunnels under Lock Errochty when she was locked in there. She doesn’t quite know what it is, only that it was an energy field that felt super weird. Roger notices it’s on a bizarrely triangular path with one of the stone circles they know about so it could be creating another portal there, but they don’t dig into this too much. 

Ooh, and we finally get to find out who the mythical creature that’s been watching the MacKenzies all this time. As it turns out, it’s not a nuckelavee — it’s actually William Buccleigh. If you, like me, are thinking, “Huh? Who’s that?” you’re not alone. He’s one of Jamie’s ancestors and happens to be the reason Roger was wrongly hanged after the Battle of Alamance back in Season 5. How the hell he got through the stones to 1980 is anyone’s guess, but we won’t get the chance to find out because Roger punches his lights out before it can happen. Well, that was rash!

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.