Episode 3 of Outlander opens with a very dramatic rescue as things get heated on Fraser’s Ridge.
Along with this, Marsali (Lauren Lyle) and Fergus (Cesar Domboy) continue to have drama, and the Christies continue to settle into their new lives.
So, let’s have a closer look at what unfolded on Sunday night.
Roger saves the day
Episode 3 opens quite dramatically. Wee Henri-Christian, who was only born in last week’s episode of Outlander, is seen floating down the river as a gaggle of wee s**ts trailing behind to see if the spawn of the devil sinks or floats.
That’s right, welcome to the 1770s, where dwarves are considered Satan’s work and all manner of strange beliefs abound.
Luckily, Roger (Richard Rankin) is there to save the day and rescue Henri-Christian before his woven basket reaches the waterfall. He also baptizes the lad and gives the boys a stern talking to — particularly Henri-Christian’s older brother, Germain (Robin Scott).
Although, Germain says he was merely going along with the kids’ plot to show them that his brother wasn’t evil.
In the end, Jamie (Sam Heughan) punishes all of the kids by giving them a choice — touch the red hot poker or touch Henri-Christian.
The kids are terrified at first because of the superstition that dwarf babies will burn to the touch, but, finally, one child touches him, and the others quickly follow when he doesn’t get burned.
The sheer revolting behavior doesn’t stop there regarding Henri-Christian, though, and one of Tom Christie’s (Mark Lewis Jones) followers accuses the baby of being grotesque and then wonders why she and her husband get a beating from Fergus.
Fergus and Marsali continue to suffer
It has been a rough season for Fergus and Marsali. Mostly, it’s because Fergus believes he is useless after not helping Marsali when Lionel Brown (Ned Dennehey) attacked.
There was a brief reprieve in last week’s episode of Outlander that saw him helping Marsali bring on her sluggish labor.
However, seeing his son born a dwarf quickly brought things back down again.
Fergus continues to drink heavily, and Marsali shows him the door in the end because no matter what she says — not even when she admits to killing Lionel — Fergus sees it as her trying to save him when he believes he should be the one doing the saving. You’ve got to love the sexism of the time.
However, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) does manage to have a heart-to-heart with Fergus, and viewers discover that Fergus is terrified of what will happen to his son when he grows up.
He knows from first-hand experience (no pun intended) what it’s like to live with a disability. Not that being a dwarf is a disability, but, for the times, that was the normal belief.
In addition to this, he also knew dwarves who worked in brothels and feared that lifestyle for Henri-Christian.
Claire gives him a good talking to and explains that Henri-Christian will be fine and that dwarves aren’t caused because women are beaten while pregnant. Even this still doesn’t fix things.
Finally, Fergus decides that it is all too much, and it is only the fact that Jamie sees him wander off that Fergus lives to see another day.
Jamie gives him some hard truths, and, finally, Fergus sees that he is worth something, and he is patched up by Claire and sent back home to Marsali, where she welcomes him with open arms.
Tom Christie continues to be pig-headed
Tom Christie has arrived in Season 6 of Outlander as a reminder of Jamie’s past and as someone who is deeply religious — probably to the point of fault.
This week, he finally agrees to have his hand operated on, and Claire gets to it — even though he refuses ether.
Luckily, Jamie is on hand to hold down Tom, who starts squealing like a stuck pig, which he quite literally is once Claire starts operating.
Afterward, Tom stays over in the big house so that Claire can tend to him, and she soon discovers the downside of having a patient is that she can no longer get her nightly ether fix.
Although, the pair do have a good chat, and it looks like things might be getting sorted there until Claire lends him a book that is much too racy for him.
Also, if you were starting to think Tom’s story arc was beginning to mellow, think again. Now that his hand is working, he can finally go back to beating his daughter, Malva (Jessica Reynolds).
Her brother, Allan (Alexander Vlahos), appears to be heartbroken as he listens to her punishment.
Is there romance on the cards for Malva and Young Ian?
Speaking of young Malva, who is determined to be anything but what her father expects of her, she seems to be keen on Young Ian (John Bell).
The favor also appears to be reciprocated, and the pair start courting. He walks her home, and they chat while they work.
During this time, she admits that her mother was hanged as a witch. Well, that would explain why Tom keeps going on about her burning in hell.
In this episode, after a bit of snooping by Jamie, it is also suggested that Malva might not even be Tom’s daughter. The plot thickens with this family, and that’s not even the most of it, according to the book storylines for this family.
Major MacDonald comes through with the guns
The final major storyline touched upon in Episode 3 of Outlander is the arrival of Major MacDonald (Robin Laing) back at Fraser Ridge.
After Jamie spent a good deal of time in the last episode deciding whether or not the Native American Indians should be granted their request for guns ahead of the American Revolutionary War, he finally decided they should have them and requested Major MacDonald send for them.
The guns have now arrived and, along with them, the news of the Boston Tea Party event that pretty much sparks the war.
How quickly this will occur remains to be seen, and viewers will have to tune in next week to find out more.
Outlander airs Sundays at 9/8c on Starz.