The bulk of “Sticks and Stones,” however, focuses on the mental torment Claire is growing through. For most of the episode, she’s still not sure if she killed Malva or not in an ether-imposed stupor. Fortunately, she confides everything she’s feeling to Jamie, including how she’s been using ether to shut out the voice of Lionel Brown in her head.

Jamie does all he can to console her but Claire is doubting her life choices, specifically coming back in time to be with Jamie. If she never came back in time, for example, Bree wouldn’t either, and wouldn’t have gotten raped. Even when Claire finds out that it was Lizzie knocking on the door the day Malva got murdered and that she truly didn’t kill Malva, she’s still completely wrecked emotionally.

Jamie as always has the kindest words to say to his beloved. “Without you, our whole world crumbles into dust,” he tells his wife. Claire seems a little bit better. But the next day — just after she and Jamie say goodbye to Bree, Roger, and Jemmy, who are heading to Edenton so Roger can get ordained as a minister — the Brown’s “Committee of Safety” comes riding up to Fraser’s Ridge and says they’re there to arrest Claire for Malva’s murder. It’s not looking good for Claire, though we’ll have to wait for next week’s episode to see how things play out.