Outlander Review: Down the Rabbit Hole (Season 4 Episode 7)
Outlander Season 4 Episode 7, “Down the Rabbit Hole,” has absolutely no appearances by Jamie and Claire — zero appearances. Yet it may just be the best episode so far this season!
This is the most outlandish episode the series has produced to date with not just one time-traveler but two as both Brianna and Roger find themselves on the other side of the stones.
Truly at the peak of this season’s climax, “Down the Rabbit Hole,” is aware of the stakes and in return delivers a heart-pounding installment with twists and turns not even fans of the books could see coming.
“Down the Rabbit Hole,” is a brilliant yet blunt reminder to fans that Outlander is an adaptation, not a direct copy of the book series.
The neat thing about adaptations is if done right they can elevate the source material and actually make certain elements that were lacking in the original source material better.
This newest installment proves Outlander is willing to sacrifice storylines from the books, but in no way do they mean to sacrifice the quality of the story. That much is clear as the strongest moments on this episode are spent fleshing out Brianna and Frank’s bond as father and daughter — something never really explored this deeply in the books.
That is where decisions like this elevate the story because we finally get an explanation as to why Brianna favours her father’s name. We have always known she shares a connection with her father, but now we know more as to why.
Brianna and Frank had only one scene together before this episode and that really is not enough to solidify these two loved each other. This development seems only fitting — and fitting it is as their scenes together give us some much-needed value and warmth.
In many ways we watched Claire fall in love with Jamie and now we’ve gotten to see Frank fall in love as a father. It humanizes him and shows the man, not as a scorned lover but a man who may have put his feelings aside, in the end, to let Claire be happy.
Every moment spent examining the character from a different perspective is time well spent in this episode.
I particularly love the reveal that Frank was aware the obituary for Claire and Jamie existed. Not only is that another layer of time travel drama that complicates the story in a fascinating way but it means Frank always knew Claire would find her way back to Jamie again. That little tidbit justifies many of his actions in his final days.
Another emotional but great addition is the revelation that Brianna was in the car the night of her father’s deadly car accident and her final moments with him were spent fighting to keep her parents together before choosing to get out of the car.
That knowledge makes Brianna’s short reunion with an image of Frank that appears on the dock right as she is about to start her dangerous journey even sadder.
The moment of knowing silence between the two characters is enough even for those that do not sympathize with Frank to get emotional over.
Their love for each other has been developed well in these brief scenes and will certainly make warming up Jamie all the more complicated for Brianna — which only adds to the anticipation surrounding their first meeting.
Another highlight of this episode includes Roger immediately grabbing his silliest 18th-century Scottish garb and going through the stones to find Brianna.
I don’t know what’s more adorable, the man’s determination to follow her to the ends of the earth or the fact that he has Fiona walk him to the stones like she was seeing him off to his first day of time-traveler school.
Also, is there a local store in Inverness that supplies accurate time travel apparel because business must be booming?
Roger’s time spent on the other side of the stones is just as captivating as Brianna’s and his empathy towards the people he meets along the way is so endearing. Unfortunately, Roger’s luck lands him right in the crosshairs of Stephen Bonnet.
Lucky for us, that means we get to spend more time with the wicked villain as Bonnet torments the passengers of his ship and threatens Roger’s fate with a coin flip.
Outlander would be smart to include Bonnet as much as possible in the upcoming storylines because he truly steals every scene he is in and elevates the entire episode with his devilishness.
Bonnet is disgustingly delightful in everything he does but that just makes his character all the more compelling and terrifying to watch.
This man keeps us on our toes and we can’t help but love to hate him for it. Having his wicked personality contrast sweet Roger’s feels like a perfect match.
The most surprising reveal, however, comes in the form of an old foe, Laoghaire.
With Jenny noticeably absent on this season so far, someone has to give Brianna a warm welcoming. Who would have ever guessed that the gracious host would be Claire’s mortal enemy? Brianna is not off to a good start.
None the less her time spent with Laoghaire is rather fun to watch.
Outlander attempts to reshape the girl’s past mistakes by making solid connections between Laoghaire and Frank’s situations. The show even throws in her sweet daughter in hopes some redemption can happen before the hour is out.
Unfortunately, Laoghaire is not as forgiving as Frank and upon finding out Brianna is Claire’s daughter, calls her a witch and locks her away.
Yep, some people don’t change but you have to respect Laoghaire for managing to keep us on our toes once again. Wolf in sheep clothes that girl will always be.
Frankly, Brianna’s visit with Laoghaire provides some much-needed excitement to her storyline that sweet loveable Ian just can’t provide for half the episode. But man is it good to see Ian again and it’s even better to see he kept Claire’s over the top fur coat — that coat is so extra I love it.
Thankfully Jenny absence isn’t felt too terribly with the strong performances Ian and Laoghaire deliver in Brianna’s presence.
Yes, “Down the Rabbit Hole” is controversial but it is arguably the best episode of Season 4 so far.
Instead of feeling like a rehash of Claire’s journey through the stones, Brianna’s journey has new dangers and a fresh perspective. Yet, the roots of Claire’s story are not lost as the episode is riddled with old faces and warm Scottish hospitality.
This may not be the Outlander some fans were expecting but this episode’s departures from the source material in no way commits injustice to the name. If anything it only enhances Outlander’s story.
Despite taking a huge departure from Brianna’s journey in the books Outlander does everything right with this newest installment — even if it is at the cost of the source material.
What did you think of this episode of Outlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Outlander airs Sundays at 8 E/P on STARZ.
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Alicia Gilstorf
Alicia is a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic and a Critics Choice Association member. She credits her passion for TV to workplace sitcoms, paranormal dramedies, and coming-of-age stories. In her free time, Alicia loves to curl up with a good book and lose herself in a cozy game. Keep a lookout for her coverage of Ghosts. You can also find her work on Eulalie Magazine and Cool Girl Critiques. Follow Alicia on social media: @aliciagilstorf