Outlander Season 5, Episode 9 recap: Monsters and Heroes

Brace yourselves Outlander fans, this week’s episode is a rough one.

Outlander proved this week that it rarely ever has a dull moment. The fifth season has proven that fact time and time again. Last night’s episode, “Monsters and Heroes” managed to surpass them all. What starts off as a hunting party turns into a very near-death experience for Jamie.

Yes, we almost lost our dear Jamie, and I think most of us are still trying to process it. But in any case, the episode starts off with Roger joining the hunting party as Brianna is unable to help out for the day. Jamie doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about it, but it ends up being exactly what he needs to save his life.

At some point, Jamie and Roger split apart from the rest of the group, with a plan to circle back to Fraser’s Ridge at the end of the day. Roger and Jamie manage to find a field of roaming buffalo, but the success is short-lived after Jamie is bitten by a snake.

More from Show Snob

• The Santa Clauses season 2, episode 6 recap “Wanga Banga Langa!”
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves season 1, episode 7 preview: Non-spoiler thoughts for Part VII
• Goosebumps season 1, episode 6 recap: “Night of the Living Dummy”
• Beacon 23 season 1, episode 3 recap: “Why Can’t We Go on as Three?”
• Upload season 3, episode 2 recap: “Strawberry”

We must remember that anti-venom was not a thing in the 18th century, and apart from sucking out the venom (which Roger attempted), there isn’t much that can be done. Over the first night, it seems unlikely Jamie will make it out alive. So he uses his potentially limited time to share a big secret with Roger — the plan to kill Stephen Bonnet.

In the event that Jamie dies, he wants Roger to take on the mission. At first, Roger seems hesitant and unsure of himself because after all, taking a life isn’t an easy task, even if it’s someone as horrible as Bonnet. But when Jamie reveals that Bonnet can try to claim Jemmy as his own son, Roger’s demeanor changes.

The next morning, Roger attempts to drag Jamie toward Fraser’s Ridge on a makeshift sled. Luckily, they are discovered by Ian and Fergus. Panic naturally ensued back at the Ridge when neither of the men returned after an entire day and night out.

Outlander fans have been on the edge of their seats this season regarding Brianna and Roger. Like, are they going back to their time or not? So while Roger and Jamie are trying to make their way back home, Brianna shares a special moment with Claire. She wants to know how her mother knew she wanted to be a doctor, and how she followed her calling with so much determination.

A lot of this stems from a place of uncertainty for Brianna who is an engineer. She hasn’t found a name for it at this time, unlike Claire who has many names for being a doctor–witch, healer, etc. But Claire reassures her daughter that she will find a way to bring her skills to this time if they end up staying in it.

And wiser words may have never been spoken because it’s those skills that play a huge role in saving Jamie’s life later on. Speaking of which, Jamie is brought back to the Ridge so our darling Claire can find a way to save his life.

Over the course of Outlander, Claire has gotten people all kinds of situations, but this one seems very unlikely. Of course, when it has to do with Jamie, we hit a dead end. Even though Claire has penicillin, you might recall that her syringe was intentionally broken during the Battle of Alamance.

Without a syringe, she cannot administer the penicillin into Jamie’s bloodstream. Drinking it orally will only do so much, and even the maggots that are found by the loving folks of Fraser’s Ridge can only stave off so much infection.

We inch closer and closer to the reality of Claire potentially amputating Jamie’s leg. Of course, if it’s between his leg or his life, she’s going to save his life. But after Jamie spots the saw from a distance, he’s extremely reluctant to let Claire do anything to his leg.

In fact, he refuses to let her and makes her promise she won’t. Sorry, buddy, there aren’t many options here, and Outlander fans need you to stick around for a long, long time. In any case, it’s Jamie’s nephew, Ian, who knocks some sense into his uncle, reminding him this is not about pride and ego.

But before Jamie tells Claire to go ahead if and when the time comes, it seems like he isn’t going to make it at all. He asks Claire to touch him as his feverish body inches closer to taking its final breaths. The next morning, Jamie is still alive and asks Claire to perform the amputation when she feels it is time to.

Meanwhile, Brianna is figuring out that the venom sac inside of the snake’s head (which Roger kept for some reason, and thank goodness he did!) can be made into a syringe of sorts. Yay for engineering! And with the new syringe made, Claire is able to inject the penicillin into Jamie’s leg (so gross!!).

And just like that, Jamie begins to heal. Phew, Outlander fans, that was rough.

A recovering Jamie shares with Claire that what he believed to be his final moments had him staring at a gateway. He had the option of walking through or coming back, and he chose to come back because he knows she needs him. Their love is there regardless of what the situation is, but with the war coming, he needed to be here, and here he is.

In the craziness of Jamie’s life nearly ending, the episode quickly glossed over Marsali giving birth to her and Fergus’ third child. Welcome to the Outlander family, little one!

And let’s not forget to mention how Brianna distracted a buffalo that wandered onto the Ridge and got uncomfortably close to Jemmy. Yeah, this episode was all sorts of madness, wasn’t it?

Did you enjoy this week’s episode of Outlander? Tell us in the comments below!