“Carnal Knowledge” dives deep into the entanglement between Claire and Lord John Grey as Jamie learns the truth about their one night together, while also gaining further involvement into the impending war.
Last week’s episode of Outlander left us on the edge of our seats as we learned that Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) is very much alive and well. However, his joyous return was more awkward than expected as his wife Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and friend Lord John Grey (David Berry) had slept together while he was presumed dead.
It’s difficult to call their tryst a night of passion; rather it was a night of mourning, where the intimate actions were taking place not with one another, but with Jamie. It was a weird and strange night, to say the least, and Jamie’s return had made things even stranger. Oh, and they got married too.
That brings us to this week’s intriguing episode, aptly named “Carnal Knowledge.” Without further ado, let’s get right into the chaos and reveals! Beware SPOILERS below.
Lord John Grey reveals he has “carnal knowledge” of Claire
The episode picks up where last week left off as Jamie escapes from the British soldiers with Lord John Grey as his “captive.” Of course, he’s not quite literally taking him hostage, but it is the only way to escape. The two of them find their way to the outskirts of Philadelphia, where the conversation takes place.
As Jamie is thanking Lord John Grey for taking care of Claire and apologizing for William (Charles Vandevaart) learning the truth about Jamie’s relationship to him, Lord John Grey is unable to keep the truth within him. He blurts out, “I have carnal knowledge of Claire.”
Jamie brushes off what he believes to be preposterous because he knows that John prefers men, and plus, why would Claire sleep with him of all people?
After a moment of serious pleading from John that this is indeed true, Jamie is ovecome with anger and punches him in the face, and persists to beat him up black and blue. It’s not a pretty sight. As Jamie is fighting with John, a group of men show up that know Jamie as Colonel Fraser and began suspecting John’s former identity as a British soldier. One of them recognizes him from days past and knows that he is with the British. Given Jamie’s state of mind, he lets John get taken away.
As it turns out, Lord John has been beckoned to resume his commission, which these men are not happy to hear about…
The chronicles of William
Meanwhile, William is rather displeased and very angry over the revelation that Jamie is his real father, a fact which had been hidden from him all these years. Lord John Grey, the father who raised him, lied to him all this time. (Biological) father and son are both fuming.
William pays Claire a visit at home and is distressed to learn more of the truth about his mother and his father’s relationship. While it wasn’t deep love, there was something there, as Claire explains to him, and most importantly, it was not a forced encounter. The circumstances under which William was raised were agreed upon afterwards, and while William may not like that, Claire reminds him it was out of concern for him and his life.
This is not to William’s liking, and he proceeds to go on a bender which takes him to a brothel where he hits one of the prostitutes there. She is quick to kick him out, but it’s a moment that reveals the depths of William’s agony.
Jamie Fraser is now Brigadier General Fraser
As for Jamie, he once again comes face to face with General George Washington. Given that he risked his life and brought correspondence from Scotland, George Washington can see the dedication Jamie has for this fight. He promptly makes him Brigadier General and asks him to take command of a battalion. This is all pending Congressional approval, of course, but nonetheless, it’s a big moment for Jamie, who hasn’t had the best day.
Jamie is happy to accept this honor, but as a fan, I worry what will happen if Jamie gets back on the battlefield. Wasn’t Culloden enough trauma?
Ian is captured
Ian (John Bell) and Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) run into a very frustrated William, who doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about their betrothal. Clearly William had a thing for Rachel, and now that is just another stab of pain and betrayal to add to the pile. William is further distressed to learn that not only Ian, but Rachel knows about who Jamie is to William. It seems the whole world knew, can we blame him if he’s angry?
Well, we can blame him for punching Ian and fighting him, and then allowing soldiers to arrest Ian for assaulting an officer. That was not cool, and in this climate, that could mean Ian’s life. Luckily, as Jamie is presumably making his way back to Claire, he runs into Ian being taken away by the soldiers. In this moment, we forget that Ian and Rachel didn’t know that Jamie is still alive. It’s a bittersweet reunion cut short because of Ian’s predicament.
Jamie goes promptly to William and tries to get him to have Ian released. If he does not, Jamie promises to tell everyone of the truth and why the fight occurred in the first place. Luckily this works, much to William’s disapproval, and Ian is freed thanks to his uncle Jamie.
Ending of Outlander Season 7, Episode 12 explained
As the episode reaches the end, a series of events take place that leave us on the edge of our seats. Lord John Grey is told to escape after being told that his captives are going to hand him over to the British for trying to ditch his commission. More on that in a second…
Claire and Jamie finally come face to face, which starts out as exciting for Claire until she learns that Jamie has learned of her night with Lord John Grey. She attempts to explain the complexity of that night, and how she was moments away from taking her life. It was a night that didn’t make sense, but the only thing that did was both her and Lord John Grey’s love for Jamie. They essentially made love to him, not to each other.
It’s not an easy pill to swallow, but Claire and Jamie have always had this insane level of understanding and love. They just seem to forgive one another despite whatever’s happened and to understand why things transpired the way they did. They find space and love for another (we love this couple!) through this weird situation, and end up making love. They’re essentially right back to where they wanted to be, but there is just one slight problem…Their love-making scene is intercut with Lord John Grey trying to escape. He ends up fighting someone, and a gun shot goes off.
Is he alive? Is he dead? If he’s dead, will Claire blame Jamie? What will this do to their dynamic? These are just some of the questions running through my mind, and I am nervous beyond belief to know what comes next. I guess we’ll find out next week!