The seventh season of Outlander concluded not with a whimper, but a wail – the kind of primal cry that suggests something truly earth-shattering has occurred. And in the world of Claire and Jamie Fraser, where time travel, war, and heartbreak are practically Tuesday’s brunch menu, that takes some doing. But the finale, “A Hundred Thousand Angels,” managed to deliver a twist that even the most seasoned time-travelers probably didn’t see coming: the possible survival of Claire and Jamie’s daughter, Faith.
Yes, that Faith. The one we all mourned back in Season 2, the tiny soul lost to a stillbirth that ripped Claire apart and left viewers reaching for the tissues. “A Hundred Thousand Angels” opens with Claire fighting for her own life after complications from surgery (because apparently almost dying once a season isn’t enough for this woman). While hovering between worlds, she has a vague, possibly hallucinatory encounter with Master Raymond, the apothecary and fellow time-traveler from Season 2, which nudges her subconscious towards a revelation that’s about to rock the Fraser clan to its core.
Back in the land of the living, a young orphan named Frances enters the picture. Connected to the recently deceased Jane Pocock, whose tragic storyline with William reached its somber conclusion, Frances sings a lullaby that sends chills down Claire’s spine – the same lullaby Claire sang to baby Faith. A lullaby, mind you, that wouldn’t exist for another hundred-plus years. If that isn’t a giant, flashing, neon sign pointing to a time-travel mystery, I don’t know what is. As if that weren’t enough, Frances also carries a locket engraved with the name “Faith.” Coincidence? In Outlander? Pull the other one, it’s got a thistle on it.
While this Faith bombshell takes center stage, the finale doesn’t skimp on the other emotional gut punches Outlander is known for. William’s grief over Jane is raw, and Jamie’s awkward attempts at paternal comfort only highlight the complicated nature of their relationship. Roger and Brianna reappear, Ian and Rachel are starting a family, Rollo the very good boy sadly crosses the rainbow bridge, and Lord John Grey continues to be Lord John Grey – always there, always helpful, always a subtle thorn in Jamie’s side.
The potential return of Faith overshadows everything else. It’s a twist that reframes everything we thought we knew about Claire and Jamie’s history, and it throws their plans to return to Fraser’s Ridge into serious question. Season 8 now has the unenviable task of either delivering on this monumental cliffhanger or finding a way to explain it away that won’t disappoint fans who are already clutching their pearls (and possibly their time-travel stones).