Outlander season 7 episode 15 recap: In the face of Death

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Outlander season 7 episode 15, "Written in My Own Heart’s Blood.”

The stakes have never been higher for Claire and Jamie as they participate in a pivotal battle that puts their lives on the line. In the penultimate episode of Outlander season 7, no one is sure they will see another day on American soil while in Scotland, Bree and Roger make plans to come together.

Let’s recap the events of this new episode of the hit series.

A lifetime of conflict

If one thing can be said about Claire and Jamie Fraser, it is that each of them has seen enough war to last a lifetime, and yet, they keep getting involved in more. As this new episode of Outlander opens, fans are reminded of that fact as Claire’s voiceover talks about the inevitability of war over images of the main characters facing various conflicts throughout the series. From season one up until now, it is true they rarely lived through peaceful times.

As the sun then rises on the Continental Army camp, we find Jamie wide awake, telling Claire to go back to sleep as he cannot. He says he has been thinking of his mother and recalls his last sight of her, when she was laying in her coffin and his father insisted upon spreading her hair across the pillow to ensure the last image he had of her was true to who she was.

This was the first time Jamie saw a dead person and he recalls how his mother didn't have one white hair. Indeed, she died at the age of 38. Claire, who almost seems to be getting grayer by the day, mentions her own set of white hair and Jamie says he loves to see the years reflected on her, as it means that she lives. They lay down for a cuddle before Jamie has to go off and do what must be done.

This is the day of the Battle of Monmouth, in 1778, and Claire will not say good luck or good bye to Jamie as he prepares to lead his men against the British. He says “I love you will do” before wondering if he'll ever get to say it to his son, William, and deploring that the last words they exchanged were angry ones. Jamie promises to return safely and then sets off as Claire watches with worry.

In a flashback, we find Claire and Jamie sitting by a campfire, and she talks about how she feels something is different about the battle ahead. She mentions feeling a void, an abyss, all her life and being able to ignore it most of the time, but not this time, and he wonders if she means death. Perhaps, she acknowledges, it is just fear of what comes after.

Doing what must be done

While Jamie is off to the frontlines, Claire tries to assist Captain Jared Leckie with taking care of the wounded back at a church being used as a field hospital. However, despite Denzell Hunter vouching for her, Leckie isn’t keen on letting a woman operate on the injured soldiers and won’t allow her inside the building. Instead, Claire then goes outside with Rachel to set up a triage system.

She prepares with Rachel, who is also quite concerned about the looming threat of death. When Claire says she is worried that going above the call of duty might get Jamie killed, Rachel says she worries that Ian will hesitate to do what he has to do and die because of her and her non-violent principles. The two women have to reckon with the fact that all of them are just doing what they think must be done, and keep going.

As the battle goes on, Claire does what she knows best and cares for many injured soldiers. When one in bad shape is brought to her, she takes him inside the church and ignores Leckie’s protest. She saves the man by preventing his lungs from being crushed with air, and Leckie has to admit Claire knows a thing or two about medicine. He won’t say it though, and instead argues with her as she contradicts his treatment plan.

Quick and easy rescue

Meanwhile, Ian and Lord John have arrived at the Hessian camp in order to rescue William. They pretend to be sent by Captain Richardson and ask for William to be handed over to them. The Hessian leader, Oberst Von Schnell, is skeptical of their true motives and asks for money but when Ian appears to have none to give, the fighting starts. Ian and John get the upper hand and Ian decides to let Von Schnell go, and the latter tells him he will regret it one day.

Lord John explains to William that he was being used as a political pawn because of who his family is, and despite everything that happened between them, William is glad to see his father. As Ian takes his leave, Lord John and William return to the British camp where they have another argument about William’s true parentage.

The young man is still angry with his father for lying to him his entire life and when he says he is not a Grey and wonders who he is, John insists that he is his son… and that James Fraser is one of the best men he ever met so William could have done worse in terms of biological dads. William, however, still only sees Jamie as a traitor to the Crown and has a hard time getting past that aspect of his real dad’s character.

In the woods, Ian has a change of heart, perhaps recalling his misadventures with Arch Bug. So he catches up with Von Schnell and decides to kill him after all, admitting that the Hessian was right: he would have regretted not doing it.

Back at the British camp, a sobbing Fanny finds William and explains that her sister Jane has been arrested for Captain Harkness’ murder, as a soldier on the camp recognized her from the brothel. She is devastated that William wasn’t there to protect Jane, but he assures Fanny he will not let her sister be hanged.

Family matters

Back in Scotland, Buck wonders if his father was a time traveler, given the fact that Roger’s was one, that Roger is one, and that his son is one as well. Roger caves and tells Buck his mother is Geillis Duncan, and that she is the time traveler parent. Buck is beyond himself that Roger never said anything when they were at Geillis’ house, and doubles down on it when Roger admits that Buck’s father is Dougal MacKenzie, the man who came to see them at Geillis Duncan’s.

Buck feels like a fool and wishes he could have talked to them with that knowledge in mind, but Roger explains he was worried it might alter the course of History. Buck is so fed up he is ready to part ways with Roger but the latter insists that he helps him with one last task.

The two of them return to Lallybroch and see Brian Fraser again. Roger’s plan is to write a letter to Bree and leave it in Brian’s desk, hoping that in 1980 his wife will miraculously find it. And he is right to hope so because she does! As she was herself writing a note to Roger explaining her plan to time-travel to find him, Bree stumbles upon Roger’s letter which tells her exactly where and when he is.

Back at Lallybroch, Buck shows Roger a letter of thanks he has written to Geillis, and as Roger thanks him for all his help in searching for Jemmy, Buck recalls the story of how he met his wife. The tale isn’t the most romantic story and Buck eventually concludes that perhaps Morag is better off without him, so he volunteers to go through the stones and tell Bree where Roger is in case she did not get his letter.

However, in the 80s, Bree and the children are ready to go. Preparing in front of the standing stones at Craigh na Dun, Bree is telling Mandy and Jemmy to set their mind upon reuniting with their father, but Mandy is so eager to see her dad that she runs ahead to the stones, with Bree and Jemmy chasing behind her.

A bloody good surgeon

The Battle of Monmouth isn’t going great and the Redcoats are coming Claire's way, so the church site is being evacuated. In true Claire fashion, Mrs. Fraser refuses to go and leave injured men behind. While Rachel and Denzell leave, Leckie admits Claire is a great surgeon and begs her to shelter inside the church with him, but Claire won't let the men outside die.

Meanwhile, Jamie is alerted that the British are coming to the church site and he makes his way back there. Lieutenant Bixby comes to Claire and tells her that General Lee was relieved of his command after he tried to retreat before adding that the Americans are winning. Jamie arrives at the church site and is about to reunite with Claire when British and American soldiers start arguing. Shots are fired and Claire is gravely wounded.

Jamie rushes to put pressure on the wound then takes her to Leckie who seems in over his head and says that there is nothing to be done as the bullet is buried too deep in Claire’s stomach. There are other men who can use Leckie’s help so he decides to leave as Jamie curses him.

Young Charlie Whelan shows up with orders to bring Jamie back to General Lee, but he isn’t about to leave Claire in this state. We briefly return to the flashback and see Jamie talking about hope and how the stars are not burning out and neither will they. Back at the church, Jamie tells Charlie to take off his shirt and, using Claire’s blood, he writes a message to Lee that reads “Sir, I resign.”

When Claire asks for Denzell, Jamie sends for him and prays while he waits, telling God he will not let him take Claire away. Denny then arrives and Jamie asks him to save Claire. An aid from Lafayette has also stopped by, as the general heard about Claire being injured and sent a care package to help with her recovery. Hearing it contains cheese, Claire instructs Denny to make penicillin out of the mold from the cheese. After Jamie begs Claire not to leave him, Denzell asks him to pray and begins to operate.

As the episode ends there, the suspense lies not in whether Claire will survive, but in how Denzell will manage to save her, and then in what comes next. Also, will Bree and Roger manage to reunite and if so, when? The answers will come in the last episode of Outlander season 7, coming soon on Starz and MGM+.