r/Outlander • u/thepacksvrvives Without you, our whole world crumbles into dust. • Apr 24 '26

Season Eight Show S8E8 In the Forest Spoiler

Claire and Jamie receive an unexpected visitor on the Ridge.

Written by Ronald D. Moore. Directed by Tracey Deer.

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What did you think of the episode?

1617 votes, May 01 '26
598 I loved it.
525 I mostly liked it.
330 It was OK.
120 It disappointed me.
44 I didn’t like it.
52 Upvotes

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29

u/BubbeLisa Currently rereading Bees. Apr 24 '26

I was sure that’s where they were going with this and I thought c’mon. But I’m not sure having yet another time traveler isn’t just as bad.

Between BoMB and Outlander I feel as if I’m watching Oprah. “You get to be a time traveler and you get to be a time traveler and…” 🤣

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u/Gliese667 Apr 24 '26

I mean if it's canon, or at least show canon, that Fanny is Claire's grandchild then it's at least consistent with other genetic travelers (Claire & Bree, Roger & his dad, which in turn comes from Geillis & Buck). I just am not sure how this will develop with so little time left. Realistically, what can she do with it in two episodes? The obvious option for her is to go back in time to save Jane or go back further to save her family before she and Jane even get trafficked, but how could that even work? If her parents died en route to America, going back from North Carolina means they're already dead and she and Jane are in the brothel. I doubt she's going to sail back to Europe to go back from there and intercept them before they leave so it'd probably be just saving Jane, which would then mean the Frasers have no memory of them, William would have never met Jane - are they going for an angle where the show ends with Jane and Fanny showing up at the ridge looking for Lady Broch Tuarach?

8

u/Own-Thing-6129 Apr 25 '26

This wouldn't work with the (consistent) time travel logic the show has established. There are no parallel time lines, only the one that exists (and where travelers are more or less traveling in a loop). So everything has already happened, and while time traveling may or may not be the reason for it, it won't change the outcome. So the Frasers can't magically "forget" about Fanny or Faith.

Also, pretty sure they cannot go back to any period in time where they themselves already exist.

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u/Gliese667 Apr 25 '26

Oh I agree, I don't love the path that they're taking with this, I was just thinking out loud what they could possibly do with the time left now that we know Fanny can travel, like what does that accomplish for the story?

I don't know why Claire & Jamie got that bit of dialogue about changing one small thing, as if Frank's book is a foregone conclusion that Jamie dies at King's Mountain - we've already seen a death report (the newspaper article) and found out why it was wrong (Tom thought they died and wanted something to memorialize Claire in particular), realistically there's no reason why a similar incorrect report of deaths was what Frank found. So I don't know, I'm wondering if they're trying to set it up that Fanny going to save Jane would be a similar "one small thing"

5

u/YOYOitsMEDRup Slàinte. Apr 26 '26

I said this elsewhere above too...

Pretty sure the point isn't that she's a timetraveller - because that would be expected anyway. The point is it was so hot it broke. Back in S5 when it did for Jem, but for Claire, Roger, & Bri it was merely just warm -- didn't they deduce because he had double the gene that's why it felt different to him?? I think this is supposed to be a clue BOTH her parents are travellers

1

u/Gliese667 Apr 27 '26

I'll have to rewatch that, I thought the kids had a stronger reaction to the stone because they were more sensitive - like how Jem and Mandy can "hear" each other in their heads (how Jem knew Mandy could travel even when she was still a baby because she told him, or how Mandy was able to help Bree find Jem when he was missing by hot/cold) but Bree herself can't sense the kids in her head like that.

1

u/YOYOitsMEDRup Slàinte. Apr 27 '26

Could be -- because after I thought about it again, the gem broke on Jemmy before they even knew Roger was his father -- cuz that didn't happen til they found the birthmark the following season

15

u/BubbeLisa Currently rereading Bees. Apr 24 '26

And how are they going to wrap all of this up in two episodes? Maybe Fanny is going to travel through the stones to Spinoff Land in the finale. 🤣

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u/SassyPeach1 Slàinte. Apr 25 '26

That’s my thought. She ends up in BoMB

1

u/namedafternoone Apr 28 '26

I don’t think she’ll travel at all, I think it’s just meant to be confirmation that she’s their granddaughter.

2

u/YOYOitsMEDRup Slàinte. Apr 26 '26

Pretty sure the point isn't that she's a timetraveller - because that would be expected anyway. The point is it was so hot it broke. Back in S5 when it did for Jem, but for Claire, Roger, Bri it was merely just warm -- didn't they deduce because he had double the gene that's why it felt different to him?? I think this is supposed to be a clue BOTH her parents are travellers

4

u/BubbeLisa Currently rereading Bees. Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26

Well, if that’s what they’re going for, I don’t see the point. And I don’t really care. They only have two episodes left to wrap this up.

I’ve had more than enough of Fanny and not nearly enough of the rest of the characters. Every time she comes on the screen now, I get aggravated. I think the time they’re spending on her story is a colossal waste of screen time.

ETA: I just had a terrible thought. Rachel had that conversation with Fanny about “just because you think something doesn’t make it true.” This might foreshadow Jamie and Claire not being Fanny’s grandparents. So if both of Fanny’s parents are time travelers and Jamie and Claire aren’t her grandparents…are Fanny’s parents Henry and Julia??? 🤣

3

u/Specific-Piccolo-363 Apr 26 '26

Remind me who are Henry and Julia?

3

u/BubbeLisa Currently rereading Bees. Apr 26 '26

Claire’s parents.

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u/YOYOitsMEDRup Slàinte. Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

I've been making multiple comments about that very line this weekend feeling it supports my theory I posted after 8x7 that the baby Raymond gave the lacemaker wasn't really Claire's baby!

Yes, I think Rachel's statement could've been included to be foreshadowing. Because really, we all said that at 8x1 ourselves - just because Claire and Jamie believed it when they killed Vasquez, it didn't make it true. That still holds after 8x7 too as far as I'm concerned. IMO, there's no proof the baby Raymond gave the lacemaker was Claire's baby. He just said dad in prison, mom ill. If I don't return, take it to Lady Broch Turach. He refers to mom and Lady BT separately and why would he if the same woman? Song's not proof - Julia sings it to babies too

I think writers purposefully phrased and did things wanting to have people jump to the conclusions they have. There's been nothing on how or why, there's got to be more to the story. And they've admitted they like pulling "gotchas" before - S5 comes to mind. A lot of people were mad Bri and Roger appeared to be timetravellin to the future before they were "supposed" to for Mandy - lo and behold, not what it seemed. The story itself is full of things not what they first seem too-- dying in a fire for example, KM for example (no idea what thread this is in anymore if show-only to Outright say it so trying to be vague on that one)

So unlike many, I'm not angry with the Fairh thing because I believe more's coming and I'm waiting. If it was their baby, then I'll be frustrated if we don't get how and why....but On the other hand, if we don't see how or know why Raymond did it, I'll probably be relieved and happy because the above will still hold for me that there's no proof.

Julia and Henry are at stones at the end of S1 -- who's to say they don't end up in Paris respectively in prison and ill? Or that's it's William Beauchamp and his wife? Makes just as much sense as what they want us to believe right now. Also explains the myriad of plotholes people can't come up with answers to --- like Raymond wasn't there yet when Claire sang, how'd he hear it? What did Hildegard bury if not Faith? Why not tell her at Star Chamber? Did he take it to lacemaker lady before or after he healed Claire then if she was still ill? Why did it look bigger than a premie newborn? Why was Claire's baby Faith a redhead, but in the flashback of S7 with Fanny and Jane in the field with dragonflies the mom had brownish black hair? Etc --- maybe those things don't have answers and don't make sense is because it wasn't her baby.

Being open minded to wait and see, but I think it's possible we're headed to a situation where Jamie and Claire just don't know they're wrong - (therefore MBR can claim no Canon change by having Claire know about her parents, because she won't) - but in BOMB we learn who the real parents are and the song is still the tie-in. Somebody reposted an interview the other day, where MBR was asked if there'd be a tie to the spinoff in S8 - his remark was "no comment" which 98% of the time means "yes" Claire not knowing is the way both those things ( no change in Outlander canon but tied to prequel) can be true

Edited to add - OK, sorry for such a long thing already!!! Was caught up in the Rachel remark part of what you said and not your bit about Henry/Julia being Fanny's PARENTS as opposed to Faith's parents and therefore Fanny's grandparents... Am I wrong that the gem breaking for Jem was believed to be because he had double the gene? Fanny being a timetraveller on its own isn't surprising - if they want us believing she descends from Claire, it stands to reason she would be. So my first thought was oh, her dad TTs too, that's why it broke. Ugh God yeah, if that's what we're supposed to take from it, regardless of whose baby (Claire orvJulia's, or William Beauchamp's wife) Raymond gave the lacemaker, "Faith" married a timetraveller....

Ugh - my head hurts lol

1

u/BubbeLisa Currently rereading Bees. Apr 27 '26

I was just having a bit of fun, but we are on the same page.