Outlander Season 7 Episode 13 Review: Hello, Goodbye

Outlander Season 7 Episode 13, “Hello, Goodbye,” gives Claire and Jamie a much-needed break from the spotlight in favor of showcasing emotional high points for Ian and Roger in their respective storylines.

After the John and Claire of it all, we needed a good pallet cleanser, and this episode is just that.

It boasts swooning romantics and heart-pounding time-travel plots reminiscent of Season 1’s high points as Outlander snaps back into form.

It’s been a hot second since we’ve had a blossoming romance to explore all the momentous firsts with. You forget how breathtaking young love can be.

Ian and Rachels’ wedding comes after many weddings throughout Outlander’s history and is incredibly rushed. So, it is reasonable to assume their nuptials may blend into the background of the episode.

However, the show takes a page from Rachel’s lovely personality. It delivers a Quaker ceremony as unique as her, from a moment of silence to an informal sharing of speeches.

It is an untraditional and fascinating way to bring two people together in matrimony, but it feels all too right for Ian and Rachel’s untraditional relationship.

The sex scene that follows might be a standout of the series. It showcases the couple’s vulnerability and personality through tender choragraphy and gentle declarations of love.

It’s hard to make any romantic milestone feel new on a show that has done so countless times with countless pairings, but Ian and Rachel’s big day is refreshingly theirs.

Outlander makes the right choice to sideline almost all other conflicts central to Philadelphia and the Revolutionary War to focus on this momentous wedding.

We didn’t need to comment on Rollo’s age; that felt unnecessary. The wolf-dog will live forever.

Roger’s pursuit of Jemmy and his father continues to parallel Claire’s journey through the stones in the first season.

Thankfully, Outlander doesn’t just rely on the familiarity of the subject matter. It dives into the mystery of the fairy man roaming the highlands, finally allowing us a satisfying conclusion after episodes of nail-biting detective work on Roger and Buck’s behalf.

Roger’s reunion with his father is brief but impactful.

Richard Rankin makes us feel the weight of every exchange as his father reveals a part of himself to Roger.

Also, it’s fascinating that the scene leaves the effects of saving his father up in the air for now. The brief glimpse of a new memory suggests we might get an uplifting update when he returns to his time.

Surprisingly, the storyline doesn’t stale after Roger’s father departs. Instead, the episode uses the goodbye as a jumping-off point to pivot back to Brianna with the realization Jemmy is not in their time. The show could have easily drawn out this realization for another handful of episodes. 

Finally, our girl Brianna brings this episode home with a badass mother-daughter manhunt.

I could watch her race around Scotland all day in her sports car, one hand on the steering wheel, the other comforting her child in the back seat. The team-up between mother and daughter to save Jemmy also makes for an enjoyable action sequence.

It is heartbreaking to see Brianna’s triumph short-lived. Of course, this woman just overpowered her captor and found her son without ever calling for backup or childcare. But all the police care about is where her husband is.

It’s all too painfully accurate a reminder that regardless of the time, women do not get the big hero moments that Jamie Fraser does. They are so often reduced to seductresses and victims.

However, Brianna is a Fraser. Seeing her decide to go above the law, gun in hand, as she prepares to defend her home has us chomping at the bit to see what happens next.

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What did you think of this episode of Outlander? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Outlander airs Fridays at 8/9c on STARZ.

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