Outlander, Season 1, Episode 4: “The Gathering”

The official synopsis, courtesy of Starz:

As the Castle prepares for The Gathering, Claire plots her escape. But after a dangerous encounter with a drunken Dougal and an unexpected run-in with Jamie, her plans are dashed.

My synopsis:

We open on a scene that seems fraught with peril. Claire is running through the woods, breathing hard, seemingly desperate. Is she in danger? Is someone pursuing her? Yes, there are pursuers — but they’re not at all dangerous. Claire is playing games with the castle children, rollicking through silly chases with them, laughing and making herself the center of attention. But does this mean that Claire has settled into castle life and accepts that she must stay there? Not a bit. She’s a smart cookie, that Claire. She’s using the forest games to learn the routes in and out of the castle, leave behind ribbons and other items to mark her path, and study the sentries’ habits and schedules. Claire is determined to escape Leoch once and for all, and figures that the Gathering will provide her with the best opportunity, while the men of Clan MacKenzie are busy and distracted.

Still, Claire can’t help but feel that she’ll miss the community and the people she’s come to know over the past several weeks, the “simple joy” she sees as the folks gather to share food, songs, and games, the pleasure they seem to take in spending time together.

Geillis shows up early for the Gathering, surprising Claire in her surgery and making a lot of pointed statements. It seems as though Geillis knows exactly what Claire is planning, and questions her without ever saying exactly what she means. Claire is on her toes around Geillis at this point and send her on her way, but this is yet more evidence that all eyes are on Claire.

Claire plans to run off while everyone is attending the Oath Taking, a formal ceremony during which each man present swears his allegiance to Colum as Laird of the clan. Claire’s plans are foiled by the doting (but interfering) Mrs. Fitz, who drags Claire off to get properly dressed and then takes her to watch the ceremony. Finally, Claire slips out (after dosing her guard Angus with port laced with valerian root, a sedative) and heads for the stables. Her plan is to steal a horse and escape under cover of night.

This does not go as planned. First, Claire encounters a group of drunk and randy Highlanders who want to have some fun with Claire. She’s not having it, and neither is Dougal, who comes along and kicks their butts. But Dougal is quite drunk as well, and after getting particularly handsy with Claire, she bops him over the head with a stool and makes her escape… only to trip over Jamie, who’s been sleeping in the stable in the hopes of lying low until the ceremony is all over.

Jamie talks reason to Claire. She’ll never make it, if she tries to escape. There are guards posted throughout the woods. She has absolutely no chance of getting away without being noticed, and if she’s caught escaping, her treatment as an honored member of the castle will change dramatically, and she’ll end up locked up as a prisoner. Claire is forced to recognize the futility of escape — for the moment — and agrees to return to the castle with Jamie as an escort, as it’s clearly not safe for her to be out alone while there are so many drunk and horny men out and about.

Alas, the two are found, and Jamie is bustled off to the castle to take his oath before Colum. No big deal, am I right? thinks Claire. Nope, she’s wrong. This place is just teeming with political machinations. As nephew to the Laird, if Jamie takes the oath, he’ll stand a good chance of being next in line to be Laird himself, which would not sit well with Dougal and Colum. But if he refuses to take the oath, it’s a huge insult, and the MacKenzie men will have his blood. Basically, he’s screwed. Either way, he ends up dead.

Not to worry – Jamie can maneuver with the best of ’em. When Jamie gets to the front of the line, he tells Colum that he cannot make a pledge to him, as his loyalty is already given to the clan whose name he bears. But, he can offer friendship, and swears to be obedient to Colum and to serve the MacKenzies as long as he is on MacKenzie land. After a tense moment with lots of hands hovering over sword hilts, Colum smiles and drinks with Jamie. Whew! That was a close one.

The next morning, a large group heads into the forest for a boar hunt. Claire is brought along, because boars have very sharp tusks and the skills of a healer are likely to be needed. And they are. A man named Geordie is gored by a charging boar, and at first Claire thinks he’s treatable so long as she tourniquets the leg — but then she sees the blood on his shirt and looks beneath to see that his stomach has been ripped open as well. It’s fatal, she tells Dougal — and in a moment of surprising tenderness, Dougal holds the dying man in his arms, talking to him and giving him comfort until he passes. It’s a rare bonding moment for Dougal and Claire.

On returning to the castle, Dougal works off his rage over the loss of his friend by jumping into a very lively (and dirty) shinty game. This is one of my favorite action sequences in Outlander — check it out:

Finally, Dougal visits Claire in her surgery and praises her help with Geordie. He tells her that he leaves the next morning to travel through the MacKenzie lands to collect the quarterly rents, and he’s bringing her with him, as it will be good to have a healer along. Once again, Claire’s hopes rise — away from the castle, on the road for weeks, will she finally have the escape opportunity she’s been looking for?

Cameo Alert!

Author Diana Gabaldon and show creater Ron Moore each had cameos in this episode, and Diana even had a brief speaking part. They both looked fab all done up in period costume:

Steam factor:

This episode was pretty low on the steam factor, unless you count Angus and Rupert pulling straws to determine who gets first crack at the lovely wench stirring the pot of soup.

Fashion statements:

Once again, gorgeousness abounds! Can we just talk about the awesomeness that is Geillis? Her look changes so greatly from scene to scene, but you can always tell that she’s in control, but never just part of a crowd. First, she looks practically perfect as a presentable, proper wife of an important man, during the scene in which she visits Claire in the surgery:

But at the Gathering, her hair is down, and she’s wearing this amazing, flowing dress that sets her apart from the crowd even while not straying too far from what’s acceptable. All that, and a sly little hint of Jacobite loyalties, too — that brooch on her shoulder features a painting of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s eye.

Claire certainly look beautiful in her pretty party clothes:

And even Mrs. Fitz gets dolled up for the special occasion!

And as the riding party leaves in the final moments of the episode, Claire has yet another new garment. Check out the fancy fur on her traveling cloak! (Jamie looks pretty dashing too, with the jaunty angle of his cap.)

Key points:

Major facts that the episode gets on the table:

• Clan politics is serious business that can get you dead.
• Jamie is Dougal and Colum’s nephew, and if not officially a MacKenzie, he at least has the MacKenzie talent for manipulation and maneuvering one’s enemies.
• Dougal’s drunken pawing at Claire seems to reveal an unacknowledged desire on his part for the lovely Englishwoman. Claire had better watch herself around him.
• Healing in the Highlands gets pretty intense, and boars are deadly.
• Murtagh always has Jamie’s back.

Memorable lines:

Laoghaire asks Claire for a love potion, something to “open a lad’s heart to a lassie”. The kissing part is going fine, for sure, but she needs help “moving his heart forward.”

Claire is in too big of a rush to worry about Laoghaire, and gives her a concoction of horse dung, telling Laoghaire to sprinkle it near the man she wants, click her heels together three times, and chant:

“There’s no place like love, there’s no place like love… “

Gaellis’s matter-of-fact storytelling seems to contain a warning for Claire:

“The Highlands are no place for a woman to be alone.”

Character impressions:

With each episode, we see more and more sides of Dougal. Here, he’s the loyal brother at the side of his chief, but he’s also a political mastermind who isn’t afraid of a little murder if that’s what it takes to hold onto power. He’s never shown any tenderness toward Claire before, but between his drunken fumbling and his reluctant acknowledgement of her help with the dying man, we get the sense that he wants her and that he sees her as valuable.

Takeaway:

Claire still wants to escape and return to Frank more than anything, but she has also adapted quite a bit to her new surroundings and has carved out a place of respect for herself. Her friendships and entanglements with the Highlanders will be complications if she wants to see her plans through and get away.

Outlander, Season 1, Episode 3: “The Way Out”

The official synopsis, courtesy of Starz:

Claire decides to use her medical skills to aid her escape from Castle Leoch – with Jamie’s help, she tends to an ill child. During an evening’s entertainment, a story gives Claire hope for her freedom.

My synopsis:

We open on a train platform in the 1940s, as Claire and Frank, dressed in uniforms, say good-bye. It’s a typical wartime scene, except Claire is the one heading to the front. As the train pulls away, they share one last kiss, and Frank asks Claire to promise to return to him. “I will, Frank Randall. I promise.”

Quick-cut to the 1740s, and Claire is in Castle Leoch, once again being fussed over by Mrs. Fitz, who washes her hair and admires her purty skin. Claire is moved to confess the truth to Mrs. Fitz: Her husband isn’t dead. He hasn’t been born yet. Claire has fallen through time. She describes her journey through the stones and her need to return. Mrs. F. understands Claire’s meaning all right — she’s a witch! Slap!

But no, it was all a dream, and Claire realizes that she can never share her secret with Mrs. Fitz or anyone else at Leoch. Mrs. F. tells Claire that a big Gathering is taking place soon at Castle Leoch, during which the people of Clan MacKenzie come from all over to swear fealty to the Laird. It’ll be a big affair with tons of people, and they’re sure to need a skilled healer. Mrs. F. advises Claire to get in Colum’s good graces through her “physicking”, and Claire decides that perhaps if she’s successful at treating the illnesses and wounds of Colum’s people, he’ll be more inclined to treat her with kindness and allow her to leave. (Yeah, right…)

Claire sets up the surgery, sorting through all the odds and ends left behind by her predecessor (icky wood lice and ant eggs among the treasure trove) and finding some useful herbs and powders that she can use. Angus and Rupert are assigned to watch her pretty much round the clock, although they find her medical business horribly boring and tend to sneak off to the kitchen to drink whenever possible.

Claire finds out that a young boy has died, supposedly killed by demons after playing at the “black kirk”. Uh oh! Mrs. Fitz’s nephew Thomas was good friends with the boy who died. Young Thomas summons Claire to Colum’s chambers, where the Laird is busy terrorizing a tailor whose work was not up to standards. Colum then asks Claire to massage him in order to relieve the pain he experiences from his deformed legs. Claire complies, and the two share a less tense moment than they have so far. In gratitude for her skilled hands, Colum invites Claire to be his guest in the hall that night to hear a visiting singer.

Bad tailoring = knife at your throat.

At the hall, Claire hangs out with Laoghaire and tries to encourage the girl in her crush on Jamie, but Jamie isn’t especially kind to the poor girl, focusing on chatting with Claire instead. Claire has a bit too much of the Rhenish again and Jamie sees her safely back to her room in the surgery. Claire insists on checking on Jamie’s wound, and there’s a heated energy between the two as she stands very close to him to untie his stock and unbutton his shirt. Sparks and sizzle!

The next day, Claire and Geillis are picking herbs in the garden, and Claire hears that young Thomas is possessed by the same demon that killed the other boy. Father Bane is going to perform an exorcism! Claire is horrified, and Geillis tries to warn Claire away from interfering, but to no avail — Claire scurries off to the village and demands to treat the boy, earning herself a fierce enemy in the affronted Father Bane. The priest is a scary dude, forcefully splashing holy water all over the sick boy while Claire watches with dismay.

Back at the castle, Claire happens to see Jamie and Laoghaire stealing a kiss in the corner of the kitchen. Jamie sees Claire watching and gives her a look before diving back in for another kiss. Claire can’t help teasing Jamie about it over dinner later. It’s pretty hilarious, but Murtagh warns Claire off, saying that if Colum or Laoghaire’s father were to find out, Jamie could find himself stuck with a wife, and Laoghaire’s definitely not the wife he should have. (Well, obviously!)

Dougal offers to take Claire to the village with him in the morning to see Geillis so she can stock up on herbs and powders before the Gathering. Geillis’s workroom is half distillery, half witch’s lair, with potions brewing and a fire in the fireplace that backlights her just so — a slightly hellish symbolism, perhaps? A rabble gathers in the street as a young boy is dragged in for justice by — who else? — Father Bane. The boy is accused of stealing, but Geillis uses her feminine wiles to convince her husband, the judge in such matters, to be lenient. The boy is sentenced to an hour in the pillory and to have one ear nailed, which is just as gross as it sounds. Claire is again horrified by the local customs, and Geillis makes pretty clear that she knows that Claire is hiding secrets about where she came from and who she really is.

Jamie comes to bring Claire back to the castle, rescuing her from Geillis’s prying, and Claire convinces Jamie to help her free the boy while she distracts the crowd. After pulling this off, she asks for more help — they visit the ruins of the Black Kirk, and Claire realizes that the possessed boy was poisoned by a plant that grows there. Claire to the rescue! She bursts into the boy’s sickroom and provides an antidote, earning the love and devotion of Mrs. F and her family and the eternal hatred of Father Bane.

Once again listening to the singer that evening, Jamie translates a song for Claire, all about a woman who traveled through stones on a fairy hill to a time not her own, spent years there, but finally came back to her own husband. It’s an extremely literal version of Claire’s story, which made me laugh, but Claire took it to mean that others had been through her experience before and made it back to their own time.

By the end of the episode, Claire is more determined than ever to escape the castle and find a way back to the standing stones.

Steam factor:

Some intense looks were shared by Jamie and Claire as she opened his shirt to check his wounds. Can you say sexual tension? Claire may be too consumed with the need to get back to Frank to pay too much attention just yet, but Jamie sees to be very much aware of Claire’s awesomeness.

There’s also the Jamie/Laoghaire kiss, but let’s pretend that never happened, shall we?

Fashion statements:

So many gorgeous outfits in this episode! Mrs. Fitz seems to have a never ending supply of pretty lady clothes, as Claire looks terrific in every scene, dressed in lovely dark colors that set off her beautiful skin and rich brown hair.

Geillis takes the prize for this episode, though, with that crazy furry top of hers (that she seems to keep petting)…

… not to mention those amazing red shoes.

Key points:

Major facts that the episode gets on the table:

• Do not judge Colum MacKenzie’s appearance or try to cover up his legs. He’ll shiv ya.
• Geillis is sly and manipulative, and seems to know an awful lot about Claire. Claire had better watch out around that one.
• Jamie and Claire seem to be clicking. They have an easy connection and trust between them already.
• Laoghaire seems like a lovestruck girl so far.
• Murtagh is protective of Jamie, and make no mistake about it.
• The Gathering, in the next episode, will be a big deal.
• Claire’s healing skills are earning her the respect of the MacKenzie brothers, but this only makes them less willing to let her leave.
• Father Bane is not an enemy you want to have, Claire. Watch out.

Memorable lines:

Father Bane: “I smell the vapors of hell on you.”

Claire’s teasing of Jamie at dinner, after witnessing the kiss:

“Your lip looks a little swollen, Jamie. Did you get thumped by a horse? […] Those fillies can be dangerous.”

And Murtagh’s reprimand to Claire:

“That’s no the wife he should have. He needs a woman, not a lassie. And Laoghaire will be a girl until she’s fifty.”

Jamie, after freeing the boy nailed to the pillory:

“Ye wouldn’t expect me to be less bold than a wee Sassenach lassie, would ye?”

After an evening of drinking way too much wine:

Claire: “Are you implying that I’m intoxicated?”   Jamie: “I’d be impressed if ye weren’t.”

Character impressions:

Claire is making a name for herself as a healer, and although she doesn’t want to stay there, it seems as though she’s adapting to life in the castle and getting some satisfaction from being useful and doing what she’s good at. She seems to have earned herself a loyal supporter in Mrs. Fitz, but she’s also gaining enemies, and that’ll come back to bite her.

We see more sides of Jamie, who lets Claire learn a bit more about his background (he seems to want her to know that he’s an educated man, not just a roughneck). Jamie’s appears to be attracted to Claire, but he’s also a healthy young man, and with Laoghaire throwing herself at him, I suppose we can forgive Jamie for sneaking kisses.

Colum has a streak of violence that’s perhaps less obvious than Dougal’s, but he certainly knows how to threaten without ever raising his voice.

Takeaway:

Claire hasn’t made much progress in gaining the MacKenzies’ trust, but she is establishing herself as a lady and a healer and has earned some grudging respect. Her high hopes of escape seem like a pipe dream, though, but Claire isn’t one to give up easily.

Outlander, Season 1, Episode 2: “Castle Leoch”

The official synopsis, courtesy of Starz:

Claire is taken to meet the Laird. As suspicions about her grow, Claire befriends the mysterious Geillis Duncan. When the clan discover her medical skills, Claire goes from guest to prisoner.

My synopsis:

Our gang of Highlanders arrive at Castle Leoch with Claire in tow. It’s not clear how long they’ve been away, but they get a joyous greeting, especially from Mrs. Fitz, the head of the household of the seat of the MacKenzie. After goofily greeting the guys (and telling Murtagh how bad he smells), Mrs. Fitz gets a good look at Claire, who appears somewhat like a drowned kitty with her bedraggled hair and dirty shift ripped to well above her knees. Mrs. Fitz wants to drag Claire off to get presentable, but Claire insists that she must tend to Jamie’s wounds first. Although Mrs. F initially seems suspicious, once she discovers that Claire is a “charmer”, something like a “Beaton” (i.e., a healer), she readily assists with getting Claire the herbs and dressings she needs to take care of the dear boy.

Alone together in front of a fire, Jamie tells Claire how he came by the horrific scars on his back, which Claire sees as she tends his injuries. Conveniently (for the viewers), Jamie is shirtless, wearing just his kilt. Jamie tells the story of being imprisoned at Ft. William and flogged twice in the space of a week, and explains how he was imprisoned in the first place after trying to defend his sister Jenny from being raped by the scum of the earth, Black Jack Randall. Sadly, as far as Jamie knows, Jenny was unable to escape being assaulted, as Jamie was knocked out and taken away, leaving her in redcoat hands.

After Jamie compliments Claire’s skills and says that her husband is a lucky man, Claire breaks down and sobs over thoughts of Frank, and confesses to Jamie that her husband is not alive. (Quite true — he hadn’t been born yet as of the 18th century.) Jamie takes Claire in his arms to comfort her, but the moment of comfort becomes awkward. Is that a wee spark we see igniting between the two of them? Jamie assures Claire that no one will hurt her, so long as he’s around to protect her — but that she should be cautious as well, being an Englishwoman in a place where the English are decidedly unpopular.

After some much needed sleep, Mrs. Fitz yanks Claire out of bed and (finally) out of her torn, dirty clothes and into a proper Scottish lady outfit, corset and all. Claire is then taken to see the Laird of Castle Leoch, Colum MacKenzie, Dougal’s brother and head of the clan. Colum bids Claire welcome, questions her closely on how she came to be wandering in the woods. She claims to be an English widow who was traveling to family in France and beset by highwaymen, robbed of all possessions, and then nearly raped by Captain Randall before being rescued by Dougal and the gang. Everyone who meets Claire suspects her of something, it would seem. Claire is able to at least confirm when she is — she spots a letter on Colum’s desk dated 1743. Claire requests transport back to Inverness, believing she can find her way from there to Craigh na Dun and attempt to return to her own time through the standing stones. Colum tells her that she can accompany a traveling tinker in five days’ time.

With five days to kill, Claire attempts to fit in, keep her head down, and just get by. She is not very good at being unobtrusive. At dinner in the great hall, she overdoes it with the wine, playing straight into Colum and Dougal’s hands and having a hard time keeping her story straight. She also screws up big time by assuming that Colum’s son is Dougal’s son. Do we detect a big secret here?

Claire once again goes to take care of Jamie’s wounds, finding him out at the stables working with a young horse. They have a picnic lunch, during which Jamie shares more of his past with Claire, including the fact that he’s living under an alias as there’s a price on his head. Claire is highly irritated to be followed everywhere by Rupert, upon Dougal’s orders, but there’s no shaking him.

Still trying to keep busy, Claire heads out to pick plants and meets the mysterious but friendly Geillis Duncan, who seems to know more than she should about plants and their uses, including which are poisonous and which can cause a woman to abort an unwanted pregnancy. The notion of being suspected of being a witch comes up, which Claire doesn’t take seriously. Take it seriously, Claire!

Still, Geillis seems to be the closest thing Claire has found to a friend at the castle, and later Geillis acts as translator as various townsfolk bring their complaints in front of the Laird for judgment. A father brings his teen-aged daughter for punishment, accusing her of looseness and disobedience. Just when things look bad for the girl, up jumps our noble hero Jamie, who offers to take the girl’s punishment for her. Dougal and Colum take advantage of the moment to have their nephew beaten into a bloody mess. Claire takes care of Jamie yet again (what, is that the 5th time already?), and the two say good-bye, as she expects to leave the next day. The girl, Laoghaire (who turns out to be Mrs. Fitz’s granddaughter) seems to be lurking around to thank Jamie for his heroics, and Claire leaves them alone.

Alas for Claire, she’s stopped from leaving with the tinker at the very last moment. The brothers MacKenzie have decided to keep her at the castle and put her to work as the official resident healer until they can figure out what her true story is. They suspect her of being a spy for the English, and meanwhile intend to keep her. Claire is pissed, and accuses them of holding her prisoner. Only if she tries to escape, replies Colum.

We leave Claire, in despair, in the very castle cellar where she’d had such fun with Frank only days ago. Now she’s stuck in a place and time she doesn’t want to be, but at least she has the herbs, potions, and medical books to make the surgery her own.

Stand-out moments:

As Claire enters Castle Leoch, we see her walking through the hallways of the 18th century castle, interpersed with flashes from her visit there with Frank from the previous episode, allowing us to experience her displacement and the sense of unreality from having been in the very same place at two very different times.

There are some gorgeous shots of the countryside around the castle, and we get to enjoy a brief respite from worry as Claire acknowledges that some things, like boys playing in the yard with grown-ups who love them, are timeless.

Steam factor:

Nothing blatant, but when Claire tends Jamie’s wounds (again!), the chemistry between the two seems to ignite. She runs a hand over his scarred back and lingers for a minute. He seems to be painfully aware that he’s half-naked in front of this Sassenach woman. And when he holds her as she cries, the mood changes from comfort to something that both seem to recognize at the same moment as a physical spark between the two.

And hey, it’s our first glimpse of shirtless Jamie!

Fashion statements:

Mrs. Fitz transforms Claire from ragged wild woman in a torn shift to a proper 18th century lady in a terrific scene that shows all the various layers and steps required to dress from the skin out — shift, corset, bum roll, and more. From Claire’s bed-head:

to finished product, it’s a wonderful little vignette that captures being transformed from one type of woman to something else entirely.

We also get our first peeks at the stylish knitwear — mitts, cowls, capelets, and more — that give the day-to-day clothing of the characters such a distinctive (and cozy) look:

Key points:

Major facts that the episode gets on the table:

• The MacKenzie brothers are not to be trifled with. They’re master manipulators, and they’ve got their eyes on Claire.
• Little Hamish’s parentage is a sore spot.
• Mrs. Fitz is a formidable woman, but once she’s on your side, I think she’ll stay there.
• Jamie is a protector, of anyone who needs it. He puts his own body at risk again and again to save people. Oh, Jamie…
• Geillis Duncan is different from the other women Claire has met. She might be friendly toward Claire, but should not be trusted.
• Laoghaire. Ugh. I can’t even.
• Claire may be out of her depths for the first time in her life, but she’s not giving up without a fight.

Memorable lines:

A few classics from Mrs. Fitz:

“We’ll find ye something to eat. Something to wear that’s a bit more… well, a bit more.”

“What kind of corset is that?” “It’s a brassiere. Well, it’s from France.” “Ohhhhh.”

Jamie gallantry (be still, my heart!):

“Ye need not be scairt of me, nor anyone else here, so long as I’m with ye.”

Claire’s startling recognition about Frank, under questioning from Jamie:

“Is he not alive?” “No, actually. He’s not alive.”

And Rupert’s line to Claire:

“For a woman, ye do ask a fair amount of questions.”

Character impressions:

Jamie’s heroic nature becomes more pronounced in this episode, as he volunteers to take a beating for Laoghaire, a girl he barely knows, in order to spare her the shame of public punishment. Jamie shows a kindness and tenderness toward Claire when she breaks down in tears, and his bravery and vulnerability is evident as he lets her see both his physical scars as well as the shadow that’s stayed with him in remembering Jenny and Black Jack Randall.

This episode shows us the closeness of Colum and Dougal, who seem to understand one another without even needing words, the power struggles within Clan MacKenzie, and the suspicions that they all feel toward this strange Englishwoman who has the flimsiest of cover stories.

We get hints of relationships that will become more fleshed out, such as Murtagh’s support of Jamie, Laoghaire’s growing feelings for Jamie, and the odd sense of commonality between Claire and Geillis.

Takeaway:

Claire is certainly in a pickle, isn’t she? She may have ended up with the MacKenzie clan purely by accident, but now it looks like she’s there to stay. By dress and daily habit, Claire is starting to learn what it will take to fit in, and even more importantly, she’s starting to learn who’s on her side… and who’s not.