Warning: major spoilers ahead for Episode 8 of Outlander Season 3, "First Wife." If you haven't watched yet, feel free to check out some of our non-spoilery articles until you get the chance to tune in.
Outlander spent the last several episodes building to Claire's ultimate return to Lallybroch and the rest of the people she loved in the 18th century, and "First Wife" finally delivered as Jamie brought his first wife and nephew home following the fire in his print shop in Edinburgh. At Lallybroch, Claire learned the big secret that Jamie has been keeping from her: he is currently married to none other than Laoghaire, and she's not happy to find out that Claire is back. So, when she found out that Jamie brought Claire back to Lallybroch, Laoghaire decided to pick up a pistol and swing by the threaten Claire. In a way, it was an oddly fitting reunion for these two nemeses, although the blood that was shed belonged to neither Claire nor Laoghaire. No, Laoghaire ended up shooting Jamie.
Luckily, the shot seemed to be a misfire more than anything else, and Laoghaire only managed to shoot Jamie's arm full of birdshot, which is hardly the worst injury Jamie has ever taken. Still, the bloody reunion set the stage for the rest of Season 3 in some pretty exciting ways. Jamie learned that the only way to get out of his situation with Laoghaire is to pay her a hefty sum of alimony, including the money to care for her two daughters moving forward.
In order to procure said funds, Jamie sent Young Ian swimming out to the silkie island to recover a treasure chest. Because nothing normal ever happens for Claire and Jamie, Young Ian was captured by what seemed to be pirates before he could make it back to land. The pirates have Young Ian and the treasure, all because Laoghaire shot Jamie and decided to make a mess for him in the aftermath.
Of course, Jamie does deserve some of the blame for the mess with his two wives, and he technically could have had Laoghaire locked up for owning a firearm despite the laws against gun possession after the loss of the Scots at Culloden, but he decided not to take Laoghaire away from her two daughters. Instead, he agreed to paying a big alimony, and now he, Claire, and Young Ian are in a lot of trouble.
Obviously Jamie and Claire aren't just going to give up on Young Ian, and we can bet that the next leg of Season 3 will kick off the voyage that drove the plot of the Voyager novel. The pirates have all the advantages, as there were plenty of them, they had a ship, and that ship didn't seem to have any distinguishing markings for Jamie and Claire to track them from port to port.
While Laoghaire isn't likely to join Jamie and Claire on their adventure, her impact will likely continue to be felt. After all, Jamie is on the hook for a large sum for Laoghaire, and I think the scene with the pistol makes it clear that she's not one to forget what she thinks she's owed. The specter of Laoghaire will linger over the series moving forward, even if not always totally obviously. We can bet that her daughter will have an increased role on the series moving forward, as a big deal was made out of her casting and book fans have an idea of what's in store. All things considered, Laoghaire set a chain of events in motion that could be catastrophic for the good guys, although probably quite fun for us to watch at home.
New episodes of Outlander air on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. Be sure to tune in to see what happens next for Young Ian now that he's been kidnapped. For your other viewing options, take a look at our fall TV guide.
