Spoilers ahead for episode 5 of Foreign Season 7, titled “Singapore”.
There were big questions about Foreign after the fourth episode, ranging from what awaited the crop of new characters to why on Earth an episode set primarily in 18th century colonial America would be called “Singapore”. The answer to the first question involved rat stew and attempted murder, with the answer to the second being related to Clearknowledge of World War II. The revelation that makes me nervous about the future, however, involves Young Ianthe discovery he made and the comments left by the actor John Bell about his character in season 7.
Since nothing can be too good for too long Foreign, I think I’m justified in feeling a bit nervous for Ian as the show is running out of episodes in the 2023 TV schedule! So, let’s first see what happened to him in “Singapore”.
Young Ian has good news
A brief time jump led young Ian to reunite with his aunt and uncle at Fort Ticonderoga, where he was able to use his Mohawk ties to help the revolutionary cause. He was more than a little reluctant when a senior officer asked him to deliver a message to a Mohawk chief that would involve a meeting with his ex-wife. Your’teyehsnonhsaa.k.a Emily.
Before leaving for the village, young Ian had a chat with Claire who revealed that he hadn’t completely gotten over the loss of his child with Emily, even after talking about it in Season 6. Claire cleared up his worries that they had lost their child because his mind was weak, and set him straight on reproduction in a scene that was both sweet and sad, in light of Faith’s own belated miscarriage of Claire in the season 2.
And Ian had a big surprise when he arrived in the village and met Emily! He learned that she now had a son and a daughter and asked to meet her son. Anyone who saw the brief look on her face probably guessed what was going on when she pulled him out, giving the little boy’s name as “The fastest of the lizards.” And this little boy sure looks half Scottish!
Young Ian quickly made the same deduction but didn’t say it out loud, with John Bell putting in a fine performance. Emily allowed him to choose an English name for his unrecognized son when the boy would inevitably have to walk into Ian’s world, and Ian honored both his father and uncle by choosing “Ian James.”
He gave no indication that he intended to disrupt Emily’s life and family by trying to claim parental rights, but it was a touching moment that hopefully allays her fears about knowing whether or not he can father children and pursue love again. Surely it was just a nice, quiet story before the Fort Ticonderoga evacuation storm and nothing bad is going to happen to young Ian, is it? LAW?!
Sadly, the fact that Ian had something to smile about reminded me that not too long ago he was devastated and offered his life in payment for another. I’m referring, of course, to when Young Ian shot and killed Ms Bug in a fatal case of mistaken identity (and scene that left the actress genuinely choking on fake blood). After the death of Mrs. Bug, which must have been filmed in a very specific way, Mr. Bug swore revenge on young Ian, but not in the form of killing him. Arch Bug intends to wait until Young Ian has something to take, and then he’ll see him again for revenge.
Although Arch Bug has yet to appear since he made that wish in Episode 3, he certainly wasn’t kidding when he made that threat! When I spoke with John Bell about Young Ian’s priorities in Season 7 earlier this year, I asked the actor if Mr. Bug’s promise was going to weigh on his character or if Young Ian had bigger worries to be made. Bell shared:
No, I think those last words from Arch Bug will haunt him for a while. He just wants to protect his family, so when someone threatens his family, he’s ready to act, basically. Get out that axe, get out that hatchet! But, you know, he’s shown he’s fully prepared to do what’s needed when the time is right. It’s just that love of family.
Now I’m a few pounds behind Diana GabaldonIt is Foreign saga, so I don’t know if tragedy is on the way for Young Ian, and there are certainly ways Arch Bug could exact revenge without finding out and then target little Ian James. Young Ian is very fond of his family and even seems to feel sparks with them. rachel hunteralthough William – who has no idea that Young Ian is her cousin – also seems to be interested in Rachel, with the not insignificant complication of her allegiance to the British. All in all, Ian has a lot to lose without his secret son coming into play.
Anyway, whether his son is in danger or not, the fact that he receives good news in the first half of season 7 makes me nervous on his behalf in the second half. The supersized seventh season will air eight episodes this summer and then the remaining eight at some point in 2024, so we can wait a bit to see if Arch Bug reappears to ensure Ian gets some bad news after learning he’s a dad. . Not everything can be as fun as Sophie Skelton And Richard Rankins wondering if they would go for the lost Jacobite gold!
What’s next for the extended Fraser family on Outlander?
For now, keep tuning in to Starz Fridays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of the exploits of the extended Fraser family in Foreign Season 7, or stream new episodes a little earlier when they become available through the Starz app on Fridays at midnight ET. Revolutionary War has only just begun on the hit drama, and it remains to be seen how far the series fights before it ends with the eighth season. Foreign of course, isn’t afraid to use time jumps, so even readers familiar with Diana Gabaldon’s saga probably can’t guess what exactly will happen on screen!
Plus, it looks like more time travel could be in play, and not just in dream form like Jamiefuture visions of . Brianna seems to have accidentally discovered a new place where time travel is possible after her workers trapped her in a tunnel, and I half-expected her to emerge a few hundred years earlier than her hadn’t planned it. Luckily she wasn’t wearing any jewelry, I guess!
