Minute-by-Minute Recap: Outlander Season 3, Episode 10, “Heaven and Earth”

Want a minute-by-minute recap of Outlander Season 3 episode 10, “Heaven and Earth?” We give all the details…

Do you find yourself gabbing obsessively about Outlander to your friends and family? Wishing your Sunday nights included a living room full of people with whom to watch, discuss, comment, cheers, jeers and well, experience alllllll the feels? Dinna fash, Obsessenach—you are not alone.

Good news—we can get new family and friends pour ourselves a dram and, through the magic of technology, enjoy it together! As we brought to you during Season 2, we’ll be LIVE blogging all the episodes in Season 3. Like the Outlander Cast podcast, it will be SPOILER FREE for non-book readers.

Not into distractions during your visit to the World of Outlander? That’s okay! Our LIVE blogs double as episodic recaps to serve as a trusty viewing companion on your second, third and umpteenth re-watches (hey, we get it).

So get all your post-18th Century gadgets ready and settle in, because the best things in life should be shared with a buddy. Hi, buddy.

[8:00 p.m.] Adult Content. Check. Adult Language. Check. Strong Sexual Content. *awkward silence* I’ll be going now. Ya’ll can just fill in the blanks.

Just kidding. I’m back.

[8:01 p.m.] Previously on Outlander we became intimately acquainted with the inner workings of Marsali’s face. Her eyes and mouth are, apparently, connected and an eye roll is always combined with a sarcastic mouth twitch, proving that an art exhibit of teenage facial expressions through the ages would contain only one image.

[8:02 p.m.] Can we stop touching that damned horseshoe already? Fergus secured rose hips, cloves, lavender, and orange peel as a potpourri for Marsali. If it doesn’t make the cabin smell better they should be able to brew a fine tasting tea.

[8:03p.m.] Jamie looks through the spyglass and sees Claire giving the other ship’s captain hell. Despite his panic he must also be thinking “that’s my girl.”

[8:04 p.m.] The side eye game is strong here. Jamie is finding that it’s easier to free Claire from a frenzied witch trial, an army fortification, a mad Duke’s house, and the grip of the 20th century than a British Man-O-War. Hopefully, all that practice will eventually pay off. At this point Jamie could call “rescuing Claire” a hobby.

[8:05 p.m.] Casks of créme de menthe…I thought we would never speak of them again. I kid, Jamie is never more than a few steps ahead of his past. It follows him like the longing for delicious cheese and wine follow me.

[8:06 p.m.] Claire just schooled Mr. Jones on the differences between shite and vomit. Someone failed him earlier in life but it’s good that he’ll be able to spot the difference from this point forward.

Incredibly important ’80s throwback moment:
It seems that Claire isn’t the only time-traveler here as a young Corey Feldman is playing Mr. Pound. Please let there be vampires. And Jason Patric. And Gremlins. And Goonies. And Corey Haim. Sorry, I just took a mental tour of the poster-filled walls of my childhood bedroom. I’m back now. As you were!

[8:07 p.m.] Claire just switched from badass doctor to every over-protective mother in the history of the world (complete with the terrifying momma eyes). Had my mother ever ended a tirade with the phrase “by putting them in your mouth you’ve fouled them again” I would have gladly taken whatever punishment followed my fit of laughter. Also, I feel ya Mr. Pound, it’s always a shame to let the ___________ (fill in the blank with your favorite adult beverage) go to waste.

[8:08 p.m.] While Claire’s headwrap is amazing Mr. Pound is concerned about the sun’s impact on her Claire hair. Tricorn hats are famed for being SPF45. If you don’t believe me look it up (please don’t).

[8:09 p.m.] The number of casks of grog used is directly proportional to the number of men that can be saved. I like it when Claire does medical math.

[8:10 p.m.] Claire is feeding the sick sailors scalded goat’s milk and pounded biscuit. I’m not sure I could “keep that down” and I definitely don’t have typhoid.

[8:11 p.m.] This interaction between Claire and Mr. Pound is so sweet and not unlike her working with wee Fergus at Prestonpans. She seems to have a knack for building relationships in the midst of circumstances that would bring most people to their knees.

[8:12 p.m.] The surgeon’s handwriting is fabulous. I can’t help but wonder if he’d still be with us if he had focused less on letters and more on the illness onboard his ship. Claire has been done in by obsessive penmanship.

[8:13 p.m.] Conditions are bad but Claire’s dress and headwrap are fabulous.

[8:14 p.m.] Move over Typhoid Mary, Joe Howard is coming through and he’s got his infested hands in your lunch plate. Why did Claire have to be pressed into service on a British ship to finally find a group of men willing to protect her and value her knowledge?

[8:15 p.m.] Fergus’ skills as a pickpocket are clearly in decline. I’m pretty sure that I could have swiped two pieces of bread with more finesse than that.

[8:16 p.m.] Oh great, and now Jamie needs him to be a pickpocket again. Jamie is calculating his odds. He’ll have seven men against 20 if he attempts a mutiny. What’s with all the math in the episode?

[8:17 p.m.] I just did that thing where I forgot to breathe. Jamie’s lines, delivered so well by Sam Heughan, are stunning. “…if you did, you would move heaven and earth. You would risk arrest and death, even hell…you would do it as easily as the prick of a pin. Until you risk all you cannae speak of love.” Who would know this better than James Fraser, the man who has risked all time and time again for one woman—Claire.

[8:18 p.m.] I’ve never taken a sewing class but if this is what they teach, I’ll keep on avoiding JoAnn Fabric thank you very much.

[8:20 p.m.] Would it be wrong to take this moment to comment on Claire making that tricorn hat her own?

[8:21 p.m.] Every man is wrapped in a flag. How did they know how many to bring? One for each sailor? Does every man bring his own flag just in case? Do they go with percentages? Why is there so much math?! I’m renaming this episode “Typhus and Arithmetic.”

[8:22 p.m.] Compartmentalization: separating certain areas of your life so you can do your work. Listen to the woman Mr. Pound. She might be a skilled doctor but she is a world-class compartmentaliz-er.

[8:23 p.m.] That rabbit’s foot though. There is something about boys carrying around random dead things and giving them to people that they care about that is both disgusting and heartwarming.

[8:25 p.m.] Oh Claire it does me good to hear that profanity storm perfectly punctuated with “I am no gentle woman.” Can I suggest using that quote for the next Caitriona Balfe fundraising t-shirt? I’ll pre-order 10. Those looks between Mr. Jones and Mr. Pound are priceless.

[8:26 p.m.] Portugese Frigate…it sounds like the thing you say when you’ve had enough of whatever is going on in your office and you decide to call it quits for the day.

[8:27 p.m.] James Fraser’s name winds up in the strangest places and its appearance rarely signals good things. Just once can’t he be on a list of people who won a free dirk or two drams of whisky at the local pub?

[8:28 p.m.] Oh look, Claire is alone with a man who’s threatening to…no…wait…this time she’s the one doing the threatening. I am somehow ok with this.

[8:29 p.m.] Fersali are adorable. I don’t even care that Marsali is Leg Whore’s daughter.

[8:30 p.m.] “Daddy’s locked up below-decks and that woman of his is on some other ship.” It’s the line used by every teenage girl trying to put her boyfriend at ease right before a snogfest.

[8:31 p.m.] While Marsali might not be fond of her stepfather right now she at least recognizes that his heart is in the right place. Good on ya girl.

[8:32 p.m.] Claire is scheming again. It suits her.

[8:33 p.m.] Fergus is a better eavesdropper than a pickpocket these days. Must every assembled group of men on this show discuss the rape of women? Don’t any of them ever just crave a biscuit (maybe pounded with some scalded goat’s milk) or some alone time to write poetry?

[8:34 p.m.] Is it just me or does Claire appear to be looking for an excuse to use that knife?

[8:35 p.m.] Mr. Tompkins I don’t mean to downplay the rough few weeks you’ve been having but the scars from the fire appear to be the least of your worries. Even without them you would have had a tough time finding a match on most any dating site.

[8:36 p.m.] Annnddd there’s the creme de menthe and the pickled tax man. It’s a cocktail party in a barrel!

[8:37 p.m.]  I love the Noah’s Ark feel of Mrs. Johansen’s quarters.

[8:38 p.m.] Please let Mrs. Johansen help. She’s stuck down there with goats and chickens all day long and is desperate for an excuse for fresh air.

[8:39 p.m.] “My goats need grass.” I have no idea what she’s talking about, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll be using this phrase in the days to come to rationalize a great many things.

[8:40 p.m.] Fergus just used a James Fraser move on James Fraser by declaring that he would give up the woman he loves if that is the only way he can protect her. Well played Fergus. Well played.

[8:42 p.m.] It’s a sign that I’ve watched this show too much that when I hear “we’re over the worst of it now” I expect the ship to mysteriously catch fire and force everyone on board to jump into the water where they will be stung non-stop by jellyfish for two days and then eaten by sharks.

[8:43 p.m.] Did you hear that? It was the sound of the other shoe dropping. Outlander must maintain a karmic balance by never allowing joy to stand alone even for a minute. Death always looms around the corner and this time it has come for dear, brave Elias Pound.

[8:44 p.m.] Kudos to Bear McCreary for always finding the right notes to stir our hearts during these moments.

[8:46 p.m.] More kudos to the Outlander crew for these poignant underwater shots.

[8:47 p.m.] Claire knows all too much about the heartache of losing and leaving a child. I don’t believe that her grief is only for Elias.

[8:48 p.m.] The mischievous twinkle in Mrs. Johansen’s eye is everything. It turns out that her goats quite literally need grass and their hunger pangs will be the ticket to Claire’s freedom.

[8:49 p.m.] Claire has had so few true friends in her lifetime. It’s good to see her call out this new friend as she makes her escape.

[8:50 p.m.] Captain Oathkeeper puts a quick stop to Claire’s hasty retreat. Can’t someone around here break a promise? Just once?

[8:51 p.m.] James Fraser wearing those glasses and looking at those pictures…how does a man who has been vomiting for days without the benefit of a shower or a toothbrush look so sexy? This is not a rhetorical question people. I need to know!

[8:52 p.m.] And now Marsali drops a James Fraser bomb on James Fraser.

[8:53 p.m.] The next generation of Frasers is showing a great deal of promise so I’m going to try to overlook the fact that Jamie’s adopted son will be marrying his step-daughter once they arrive in Jamaica. Hogmanay at the Fraser house will never be boring.

[8:54 p.m.] Mrs. Johansen tells Claire to jump like this is something that both of them do every day. Trust her Claire. She knows water. What could possibly going wrong?

[8:55 p.m.] If only Claire had time to sew a Batman wetsuit. Instead she’ll have to settle for a makeshift knapsack.

[8:56 p.m.] Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ indeed. I am covered in goosebumps!

I thought I would be disappointed by Jamie and Claire’s continued separation but I wasn’t. We finally saw Claire begin to get comfortable in her 18th century skin once again. With nowhere to run she was forced to deal with the situation at hand, and she did so admirably while gaining the respect and gratitude of the surviving men on the ship. Jamie spent most of the episode helplessly locked below deck while his daughter and son/daughter-in-law and son used the wisdom they had gained from him in their short lives to both free him and save him to fight another day. I loved this subtle passing of the torch to a new power couple that we will, no doubt, grow to love in the coming episodes. As has been the case for every episode this season, Sam and Cait’s acting were phenomenal. Their portrayals of grief, joy, and desperation have left me breathless more times than I can count.

I don’t usually talk much about the inner workings of this show because, honestly, I don’t understand them. However, I am stunned at the visual effects used to create the story of this magnificent ocean voyage. Remember, that the ships you see on screen are on dry land in South Africa. If you want to know more about this digital magic, I encourage you to read our very own Jayne Coleman’s blog post from earlier this week. She recently had the good fortune to interview Dries du Preez, a visual effects artist, who works on special effects in South Africa.

Later this week the Americans among us will celebrate Thanksgiving. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for creating and being part of an amazing Outlander community. I am thankful for the Outlander friends that I’ve made this past year and I hope to make a few more in the years to come. To those of who you are celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

Finally, whenever Ashley hands over the live-blogging reins, my only goal is to not break anything. If you read this blog and thought it was worse than watching wee Fergus get his hand chopped off with a sword, then please come back next week when Ashley will resume her spot at this ship’s helm and set us on a course to Jamaica.