'Outlander' Season 5 Episode 3 'Free Will' Promo: Claire and Jamie visit the Beardsley cottage of horrors
One of the best things about 'Outlander' is that it is delightfully genre-bending, which is in part why fans keep coming back for more. With a strong grounding in Diana Gabaldon's original books, the series has incorporated some of the most interesting smaller story threads that are self-contained, but introduce new interesting characters into the 'Outlander' universe.
The upcoming episode is one such contained story arc that feels more like a period horror piece like 'The Witch'. This means we will take a break from the larger political intrigues of Governor Tryon and the Regulators, even though they will hover in the background, framing the events portrayed.
In last week's episode, we saw Jamie return to Frazer's Ridge to raise a militia to fight against the Regulators. Episode 3, titled 'Free Will', takes up the story after he has reached Frazer's Ridge and, with Claire, starts the process of recruiting men (and boys) for the militia, riding across the Carolina wilderness. Roger Makenzie, having been named Captain in the season premiere, will also accompany them when they go out to recruit.
The promo for the episode shows Jamie telling Claire while camping, that Stephen Bonnet is alive. Both of them are thankful that they can spare Brianna this knowledge, not knowing that Brianna already does know and is churning out PTSD-induced sketches of Bonnet the monster from her memory.
Then, in the next scene, we see a young man, still in his teens, running away from the Frazer's camp while someone shouts "Thief!" When Jamie finally catches him, he tells him that he is "indentured" to a man named Mr. Beardsley. (Fans of the book will know the Beardsley story that 'Outlander' will be showing.)
Claire and Jamie decide to visit the Beardsley home to investigate the matter. They reach a cottage that looks shuttered and abandoned. Jamie is shocked to suddenly see a face at the broken window by the cottage door. Just before this Claire has told Jamie, "There is something very strange about this place." Jamie and Claire enter the house and interact with the hostile woman. Claire asks "what is up there?", heading up the stairs. The woman tries to stop her but Claire has already opened the upstairs door to see something so horrific that she stumbles away in shock.
What does she see? That's what we'll find out on 'Outlander' on Sunday, March 1 at 8:00 pm ET/PT, available on STARZ, the STARZ app, and STARZ On Demand.