Review of 'Outlander' 4.9

"We haven't had much luck in changing history," Jamie says to Claire in Outlander 4.9. That's not the only thing they haven't had much luck in, in this sterling episode.

And, actually the first part of the episode, or most of the episode, was luck galore for our major characters. Jamie meets Brianna for the first time, and Claire is reunited with her daughter. It was hard to keep a dry eye during these scenes.

But, of course, when it comes to Outlander, happiness is usually short-lived. So, before the episode is over, Roger makes his way back to North Carolina, only to be beaten to a pulp by Jamie, who mistakenly thinks Roger raped Brianna, because Lizzie didn't see the whole story. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

One important bit of information we learned tonight is that Roger practiced the "withdrawal" method with Brianna, meaning Bonnet the rapist is the more likely father. Of course, the withdrawal method is far from perfect, so Roger still could be the father. If Brianna has the baby—which, notwithstanding the talk about abortion in coming attractions, I'm guessing she will—it would take DNA testing in our current age to know for sure. Or it's possible that Bonnet knows (for whatever reason) that he can't father a child, so DNA testing might not be necessary (once again, I'll mention that I haven't read the novels).

Excellent acting by everyone, with special kudos to Sophie Skelton as Brianna (as well as Caitriona Balfe as Claire and Sam Heughan as Jamie who are always brilliant).