'Outlander' Season 4 Finale Spoilers: Reunion and Cliffhanger All in One

Starz's Outlander concluded its fourth season Tuesday night, and while audiences got the reunion they were yearning for, an intense cliffhanger was the ultimate conclusion.

Last week, audiences were left wondering the ultimate consequences of Roger's "suicide mission"–would Jamie and Claire be able to bring him home to their daughter, Brianna?

Spoilers ahead:

The finale opens up with dialogue-free footage of a Native American man circa 1960s or 1970s, wearing the opal Claire had found near the skull in the season's third episode. It may seem like an insignificant scene, but we're talking about Outlander here, nothing goes without explanation.

We are now in 1770, following Jamie, Claire and Young Ian into the Mohawk village. The natives grew suspicious of the Fraser's intentions, thus brought them to the village's elder. As Jamie speaks with the elder, Claire removes her scarf because a Mohawk seems intrigued by it; however, in doing so, the opal is revealed.

Misinterpreting the Mohawks' reaction to the jewel, she offers it in exchange for Roger but the village's elder asks them to leave immediately. Jamie already planned to return to the village again to rescue MacKenzie, but Claire is convinced there is a story behind the mysterious opal.

Outlander
Outlander Where: Starz (U.S.); Amazon Prime (U.K.) No. of seasons: 2 Think Game of Thrones with a lot more romance—and a lot more sex. Based on Diana Gabaldon's beloved book series about a woman transported... Starz

Just then, the Mohawk woman who had an encounter with Roger in the previous episode arrives with a band of men to retrieve the stone by whatever means necessary. Claire makes a last-ditch effort to trade the opal for Roger and asks for the story of the stone's important.

The Mohawk woman then tells the story of Otter Tooth, a man who showed up years before, who wore the opal and announced that the tribe would have to kill white men in order to survive. The man lived among the Mohawk, until he joined in on a scalping expedition and was booted from the tribe.

Otter Tooth lived in the forest, ranting about his exile and leading the natives to believe he was possessed. The Mohawks set out into the forest to kill him; they do, however, when his voices began to follow them they decapitated his body. When the voice continued to follow, the Mohawks took his head and buried far away.

"He said that the one who possesses the stone has the power to see how my people's story will end and that Otter Tooth's ghost walks with whoever carries it," the woman notes.

Claire reveals to the Mohawk woman that she, indeed, saw Otter Tooth the night she discovered the stone. The woman said she believed what the man had prophesized, and agreed the stone could help her tribe in seeing what lies ahead of them. Seeing this as an opportunity, Claire offers a trade: help her rescue Roger and she could have the stone.

Outlander Season 4 Finale
Starz

The following night, with the help of the woman, the Frasers sneak into the Mohawk tribe and find Roger. As they are attempting to flee, the Frasers begin to struggle with their rescuee. Roger is barely able to walk on his own, due to the fact he was heavily beaten for the past month. Soon enough, they are surrounded by Mohawks.

Claire yells, "Peace!" in their native tongue, but it does nothing. The woman who aided the Frasers is banished and the elder says "Dogface will stay in the village." In an effort to save his daughter's love, Jamie offers himself in place of Roger.

Jamie and Claire cling to each other in a heartfelt goodbye, but not so fast–Young Ian steps up and reveals he had already arranged for himself to take the place of Roger, a true "Man of Worth" moment.

Though Jamie calls his nephew's plan "brave and canny," he already begins to plan his rescue effort. The Frasers and Roger leave the Mohawks and Young Ian joins his new tribe.

Audiences got the rescue mission hoped for, but was not expecting the upcoming hook-up. Following forgiveness and a night of whiskey by the fire, Murtagh and Jocasta are introduced as the newest love connection.

Outlander: Murtagh and Jocasta
Starz

"We always wanted to play a romance between the two of them," said Outlander's executive producer, Toni Graphia in an interview posted to the show's Twitter page. "We love those two characters, and they're just perfect together because they're imperfect together."

Switching back to the Frasers and Roger, audiences now go from love to heartbreak. After a squabble between Roger and Jamie, it is then revealed to the already-wounded historian that Brianna was raped and is pregnant.

Dumbfounded by the revelation, Roger begins to questions his relationship with Brianna and whether he is the father to the unborn child.

"You cost me a lad that I love. And my daughter doesn't need a coward," Jamie says out of frustration.

Audiences are then tossed back to River Run, where Brianna has gone into labor. Jocasta, Phaedre and other slaves attend to Brianna as she is coached through the birthing process. She has a baby boy and is immediately smitten.

Two months later, Phaedre announces to Brianna that riders can be seen in the horizon, including Claire. As she rushes to the front of the house, baby in hand, Brianna immediately notices Roger is not with them.

"He's alive," Jamie says.

"We told him everything," Claire adds sadly.

As Brianna returns to the house, she looks out the window to see a lone man. In a whirlwind reunion, Brianna runs across the path to hug and kiss Roger.

Roger and Brianna: Outlander
Starz

All seems to be right in the world, but audiences are then delivered with the cliffhanger. Redcoats arrive with a letter to Jamie.

"He orders me to muster and lead a militia to fight the regulators," Jamie says, brow furrowed as he reads. "My first mission is to hunt down and kill the fugitive: Murtagh Fitzgibbons."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Hannah Preston works remotely from the Los Angeles area. She studied Journalism & New Media at California Baptist University and interned ... Read more

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