Another Major Character Died on 'Outlander' and I Didn't See It Coming At All (2024)

WARNING: Spoilers for Outlander ahead.

Justice has finally been served on Outlander, and by that I mean Stephen Bonnet is dead. Personally, this season has felt pretty uneven so far, but Sunday's episode knocked it out of the park, both in terms of the cast's performances and sheer entertainment value. Let's see, we got a beachside kidnapping, a spooky island mansion, and a rescue mission—all tied up in a neat bow, much like Roger's low ponytail. In a lot of ways, this episode played out like a finale, and considering the show's main antagonist is decomposing in a river somewhere, it'll be pretty interesting to see how the next couple of episodes go down for those of us who haven't read the books. Until then, here's what you need to know:

The Plan to Kill Stephen Bonnet? A Total Bust.

Remember Jamie's genius idea to meet up with (and murder) Bonnet under the pretense of selling him whiskey? It doesn't exactly go as planned, by which I mean it epically fails. Jamie, Roger, and Young Ian attempt to wait for Bonnet at the designated spot, but instead, three of his crew members show up. So ... where's Bonnet? On the beach, where Claire and Brianna are living their best lives gathering seashells.

Bonnet Kidnaps Brianna on the Beach.

After staring at a whale flopping around in the ocean for a few minutes, Brianna and Claire separate (always a great idea!) and approximately two seconds later Bonnet shows up and attacks Claire. Brianna hears her mom's cries for help and tries to intervene, but Bonnet knocks them both out and kidnaps Brianna, leaving Claire lying on the beach.

Bonnet Tries to Literally Sell Brianna.

Bonnet is even more unhinged than anyone expected. First of all, he's living all alone on an island in the world's creepiest mansion, where he basically decides to pull a sinister version of Beauty and the Beast on Brianna. He gives her a fancy new gown, he makes her have dinner with him—it's a whole attempted Stockholm Syndrome-y thing.

Brianna quickly realizes that the best way to stay safe involves placating Bonnet, and what follows is a highly weird night wherein she reads to him, he gets emotional about fatherhood, and then he tells Brianna about his nightmares. It's all pretty bizarre, but Brianna sensibly plays along to save herself, and even convinces Bonnet to let her go home and get Jemmy. Well, at least until Bonnet wants to seal their agreement with a kiss, at which point he realizes Brianna has no real feelings for him. Unfortunately, he reacts in the worst way possible: by forcing Brianna to watch him have sex with a prostitute, and then selling Bree to a business associate for six pounds.

But Hark! Claire, Roger, and Jamie Save the Day.

While Brianna's busy dealing with Bonnet's insanity, Claire and Jamie visit his favorite brothel and meet Eppie—aka the prostitute Bonnet just had sex with. Claire manages to convince Eppie to give up Bonnet's location in exchange for some medical care, and the whole crew storm in to save the day right when Bonnet's about to sell Brianna. Roger ends up beating Bonnet to a pulp on the beach, but Briana ultimately decides she wants justice to be served in the court system.

Brianna Shoots Bonnet in the Head.

Bonnet is sentenced to death by drowning, but rather than let the punishment play out as intended, Brianna shows up on the riverbank and shoots him in the head while Roger stands beside her. That's officially the end of Stephen Bonnet—though it's unclear if Brianna shot him as a mercy killing, or because she wanted personal vengeance.

P.S. Aunt Jocasta Is Almost Smothered to Death.

Did I not say this episode was dramatic? While everything's going down with Bonnet over in Wilmington, his lawyer Mr. Forbes rolls down to River Run and casually tries to smother Jocasta with a pillow. Why? Because Jocasta asked him to draw up a legal document giving away her assets—which would have messed up his and Bonnet's sinister plans to steal her estate. The good news? Jocasta's butler Ulysses saves her and kills Forbes. The bad news? Jocasta now has a dead body on her hands.