Season 2 has begun! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode right after viewing, to share some initial thoughts, questions, reactions — you name it.

Warning:

I may be talking about events from this episode, other episodes, and/or the book series… so if you’d rather not know, now’s your chance to walk away!

Outlander, episode 203: “Useful Occupations and Deceptions”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Jamie’s days and nights are dominated by political machinations, while Claire finds solace in her healing skills. As their plan to stop Culloden progresses, the past threatens to derail their forward momentum.

My take:

Major plot points:

• Jamie is busy morning, noon, and night running around drinking and hanging out in brothels with Charles Stuart, trying to get close to the Bonnie Prince in order to learn his plans and perhaps find a way to stop them. And when he’s not doing that, he’s over at Versailles playing chess with the French finance minister.
• Poor little Mary Hawkins! Sex seems terrifying (and disgusting) to her, but luckily Claire is there for some sex ed.
• Claire realizes where she’s heard Mary Hawkins’s name before — according to Frank’s family bible, Mary Hawkins married Jonathan Randall (BJR) and is one of Frank’s direct ancestors.
• Murtagh manages to have a little fun with Suzette the housemaid.
• At the advice of Master Raymond, Claire begins volunteering at L’Hôpital des Anges, where she encounters Mother Hildegard (played by the fabulous Frances de la Tour), a nun whose musical talent comes in handy later on.
• Jamie’s new plan to undermine Charles involves intercepting his mail to read all of his secret correspondence and find out where his support is coming from — so he hires a young pickpocket to work for him. Fergus is adorable.
• Jamie and Claire finally have (probable) proof that the Duke of Sandringham is involved with the Jacobite cause, perhaps playing both sides.
• Claire has not told Jamie that BJR is still alive, and when she shares this information with Murtagh, he cautions her not to tell Jamie — but by the end of the episode, it seems that he must be told in order to avoid him finding out by accident. Claire has the opportunity, but for once Jamie is looking happy, and she can’t bring herself to tell him such awful news.

Insta-reaction:

Fergus! I love wee Fergus. It’s funny trying to picture this little cutie as a suave grown-up with a hook for a hand… but we don’t have to worry about that for several years yet.

Jamie and Claire have only been in Paris for a few months, but they seem completely comfortable now acting like lord and lady of the manor, dropping things for the servants to pick up and bossing people around. And do they trust Jared’s servants so completely that they feel free to discuss their plotting against Charles Stuart in front of them? Seems sloppy to me.

Trouble in paradise — Jamie and Claire are at odds for much of this episode. Claire feels useless doing nothing but dressing up and going to tea, but Jamie is pissed when Claire’s not home waiting for him once she does find something to do. Still, by the episode’s end, Jamie has grudgingly admitted that having Claire assist at the hospital is useful as well.

Claire’s visit to Master Raymond, while triggering her return to the medical field, also contains some random dialogue about herbs and their uses. But is it random? Claire questions why Raymond has a particular poison in his shop, and he responds that he lets his customers think they’re buying poison, while in fact he’s selling them non-lethal bitter cascara, which produces a dramatic and immediate effect — thus satisfying the poisoner’s need for vengeance, but letting the intended victim survive. Book readers may recall that this is put to use down the road… let’s see if the same is true in the TV production.

And as Suzette points out, rather saucily, to Murtagh, there’s nothing going on in the bedroom between Jamie and Claire. Jamie is still tormented by his nightmares and flashbacks, it would seem. Meanwhile, Murtagh is getting some! Good for Murtagh, and good for Claire for providing birth control.

The BJR issue is a thorny one. Early on, Murtagh advises Claire not to tell Jamie that BJR is still alive. If Jamie knew, Murtagh says, he’d head straight back to Scotland to try to get revenge, and would most likely end up imprisoned and then hanged. But once they realize that the Duke of Sandringham is involved and that they’ll need to try to get further information from him, Murtagh encourages Claire to tell Jamie the truth. If he encounters the Duke’s secretary, Alexander Randall, it’ll only be a matter of time before Jamie learns the news, so it’s better that he hears it from Claire and Murtagh.

It’s finally occurred to Claire that since BJR is supposed to wed and have a child in 1746, according to the historical documents, then Frank’s existence is in jeopardy if Jamie kills BJR before he can marry Mary Hawkins. If BJR dies without having children, then Frank will never be born 200 years later.

Another episode of great costuming. Claire’s yellow hooded cloak is so rich and expensive looking. She sticks out like a sore thumb out on the streets.

It’s great to see her back in the hospital later on, wearing a nurse’s apron and back to the business of dealing with yucky stuff. It’s funny to see how excited she is about having spent a day lancing boils and tasting urine. Oh, and the baby bump is finally making an appearance, if only briefly visible in a scene where Claire is in her shift for about half a second.

And then there’s Bouton! So even the animal members of the cast have to be ridiculously adorable.

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

In some ways, this episode was fairly uneventful. There were no big dramatic moments, no stunning visual surprises, no major reveals. The chess game played by Jamie and Duverney is perhaps a good metaphor — the pieces were shuffled on the board in this episode, with strategy and countermoves — but chess itself isn’t all that thrilling from the spectator’s point of view (at least, it isn’t to me).

I’d be more interested in seeing more of the dynamic between Claire and Jamie and the state of their marriage (see below), given all of the pressure and tension, but this episode was mostly about the politics.

That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the episode. I did. But while various bits were set into motion, not all that much new or different really happened.

Still, sometimes a bridge episode is necessary to get from one big moment to another. There’s a lot of maneuvering that still needs to happen. And there’s still the big secret hanging over Claire and Murtagh for now — whether or not to tell Jamie that BJR is still alive. Until that bit of information is out in the open, I don’t see how Claire will truly be able to face Jamie and be his partner.

And furthermore…

If I didn’t know better, I’d truly be worried for the state of Claire and Jamie’s relationship.

Claire and Jamie are both deeply unhappy in Paris, for different reasons. Claire feels useless as a society woman, life revolving around social visits, tea, and card games, until she gets back to using her medical skills. Jamie comes off like a bit of a jerk at first with his reaction to Claire’s volunteering — but after some thought, I have to admit that he has a point.

Jamie is a man who values honor and honesty above all, yet here he’s been forced into a life where his every moment is spent on deception and betrayal. He’s not a natural-born spy, and he feels degraded by the life he’s living. Yes, he and Claire chose this path for the greater good, to save Scotland and the Highlands from the terrible destruction that Culloden will bring. But knowing there’s a higher purpose does nothing to alleviate the dirt Jamie feels clinging to him on a daily basis as he lies, steals, spies, and hangs out in brothels — all things that Jamie would never do if he were able to be true to himself.

So when he slams Claire for being all giddy about working in the hospital, he’s not wrong. Jamie asks Claire, “When do I get to feel good?” And he’s right. They’re in this together, but Claire seems to have forgotten that Jamie is suffering from his actions just as much as she is suffering from boredom and inaction.

I’m not saying that she’s not doing good by working at the hospital. Clearly, she’s helping people. But she seems to have lost sight of Jamie’s struggle to carry out their mission and what it’s doing to his soul.

Add to that Jamie’s ongoing PTSD, their lack of sexual intimacy, and the looming hell that will break loose when Jamie discovers the huge secret that Claire has been keeping from him, and there’s definite cause for concern about the Frasers’ marriage.

But hey! Let’s end this insta-reaction on a happy note! How much did you love the scene between Jamie and Fergus? Probably not as much as I did!

Season 2 has begun! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode right after viewing, to share some initial thoughts, questions, reactions — you name it.

Warning:

I may be talking about events from this episode, other episodes, and/or the book series… so if you’d rather not know, now’s your chance to walk away!

Outlander, episode 202: “Not In Scotland Anymore”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Life in Paris is not without its trials as Jamie struggles to triumph over his past. A fortunate meeting with Prince Charles present opportunities, while the Duke of Sandringham’s presence brings complications.

My take:

Major plot points:

• Jamie seems to be suffering some serious PTSD. It’s implied that he and Claire have not been able to make love, since he’s tormented by nightmares and visions of his abuse by Black Jack Randall.
• Jamie and Claire seem to be fitting in pretty well in their new life in Paris, wearing fine clothes and rubbing shoulders with the upper class.
• Murtagh is stuck like glue to Jamie’s side, but yearns for Scotland.
• Jamie meets Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Stuart), and tries to convince him that the time isn’t right for an uprising. Charles makes clear that it’s God’s will that he reclaim Scotland for his father. Money will be the key to his success or failure.
• Claire has a new friend, Louise, who provides entry to the French court at Versailles.
• The Duke of Sandringham is in Paris, along with his secretary, Alexander Randall, younger brother of BJR. The Duke is nasty and slimy, and reveals to Claire that BJR is very much alive.

Insta-reaction:

Another great episode! This Paris-centric hour is in many ways setting the stage for what’s to come, introducing a few key new faces and throwing in some lighter (okay, hilarious) moments to break the tension.

Charles Stuart comes across as a light-weight buffoon who thinks he’s fulfilling a higher purpose, but knows nothing about the practicality of life in Scotland, having never set foot there.

Master Raymond gets a brief scene here, but we’ll be seeing more of him. He’s pretty much exactly as I pictured him! I loved his shop, especially the taxidermy crocodile hanging from the ceiling.

Louis de Rohan is a treat. There’s no explanation of how Claire came to be friends with her so quickly, but she’s quite a hoot and it’s good for Claire to have a female friend who’s not secretly psycho (miss you, Geillis!). Mary Hawkins is just as gawky and timid as she’s portrayed in the book, and as for Alexander Randall, it’s too soon to tell. He doesn’t look as much like BJR as he does in the book, but that’s okay. It looks like this plot point will work itself out just fine.

This episode is our first full-on vision of the Paris look for the show, and it’s a stunner. Once again, Terry Dresbach has done a fabulous job with the costumes — including two key costumes that are iconic for book readers, the red dress:

and the swan dress (aka, the nipple dress):

Neither one disappoints. Beyond those, Claire’s look is just perfect, from her shopping outfit to her robe (I want one), and even her oddly stiff get-up with the tie around her neck.

Okay, let’s talk about the scene that really cracked me up — the waxing scene! Louise was hilarious. I loved how she hit the waxing dude every time he pulled off another strip. Claire’s reaction was priceless — but so was Jamie’s later on when he realized what Claire had been up to. His astonishment was too cute.

And speaking of Jamie’s reaction — how great was the look on his face when he first saw Claire in the red dress?

Just the perfect combination of being completely wowed by his wife and utterly scandalized by how revealing her dress is. She’ll need a bigger fan, indeed.

It’s terribly sad, of course, to see how much Jamie is suffering, and how he can’t rid himself of the horrible memories that plague him whenever he and Claire become intimate. Have to wonder whether they’ve made love at all since Wentworth. Kudos to Sam Heughan for his portrayal of Jamie’s pain. Even in little gestures, such as Jamie’s absent-minded stroking and cradling of his damaged hand, we see his vulnerability and the constant reminder of the damage done.

Finally, it’s great to see so much quality time between Jamie and Murtagh. Murtagh has shown us, over and over again, that his sole purpose is keeping Jamie safe. It’s a lovely relationship, and it was nice to see them having their equivalent of play-time, working on building up Jamie’s strength with a little friendly sword work. Looks like Jamie enjoyed it too!

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

This episode was a visual treat, and it’s fun to see the main characters all prettied up and adapting to their new setting (although in Murtagh’s case, not adapting very willingly — really, dirty knees at Versailles!). While there are lighter moments, the political intrigue has the potential for real danger, the nastiness of the Duke lets us know that the scheming may truly hurt Claire and Jamie, and the reveal that BJR is still alive is devastating.

Claire is left with the burden of knowledge about BJR, and we’re left to wonder what she’ll do next. Should she tell Jamie, knowing that this can only worsen his trauma and nightmares? How much more damage can Jamie’s psyche take? But can Claire hide this from Jamie, and does she have the right to do so? And what will it do to their relationship if she doesn’t tell Jamie, but he finds out that she knew?

On a different note — Claire should be about four months pregnant at this point. I’d imagine that we’ll start seeing a little baby bump in the next episode or so, but the pregnancy didn’t seem to factor into this episode at all.

I enjoyed the episode, and thought the acting and production were both terrific… but like Murtagh, I miss Scotland! If I had to guess, based on the episode titles, I’d say that we won’t get back to Scotland until episode 8. Don’t get me wrong, I’m finding Paris interesting and well-done, but the heart of the show is really in Scotland.

And further…

Last week at this time, the new version of the opening credits were nowhere to found online, but now they’re here! Alors, the Skye Boat Song, with a wee bit en français. Et voila!

Season 2 has begun! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode right after viewing, to share some initial thoughts, questions, reactions — you name it.

Warning:

I may be talking about events from this episode, other episodes, and/or the book series… so if you’d rather not know, now’s your chance to walk away!

Outlander, episode 201: “Through a Glass, Darkly”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Returning to her own time, Claire must reconcile her future with the life she left behind. Shifting back to 18th century, Jamie, Claire and Murtagh arrive in France, but learn that Paris presents its own challenges.

My take:

Major plot points:

• Claire is back! We open with Claire lying on the grass at Craigh na Dun. She’s back in the 20th century.
• The Battle of Culloden is 200-year-old history, and it ended just the same — with a British victory.
• Frank still loves Claire and wants a life with her, even after she tells him that she married and loved another man.
• Claire is pregnant with Jamie’s child.
• Frank’s conditions for a life with Claire: They’ll raise the child as their own, not the child of another man. And Claire must give up her obsessive research into historical records, looking for a mention of Jamie. She has to let him go. She agrees.

• Back in the 18th century, Claire and Jamie arrive in Le Havre, France. They intend to save Scotland and the Highland way of life by preventing the Jacobite Rising. Basically, they’ll be spies working to undermine Bonnie Prince Charlie.
• Jamie’s cousin Jared believes Jamie sincere in his desire to work with the Jacobites, and agrees to make introductions, while at the same time setting Jamie up to run his wine business and live in his home in Paris.
• Claire almost immediately makes an enemy of the Comte St. Germaine by publicly declaring a crewmember from the Comte’s ship to be infected with smallpox. Because everyone hears, it can’t be covered up, and the Comte’s ship and cargo must be burned, according to the law, in order to prevent an epidemic.

Insta-reaction:

Love! That’s the quick version. Besides being ecstatic that the show is back, I simply loved the unfolding of the story, the quality of the production, and the interesting spin on the plot.

The 2nd book in the Outlander series, Dragonfly in Amber (which forms the framework for season 2) opens with a scene that made book readers freak out and think they missed something or picked up the books out of order. The book begins in 1968, as a 40-something year old Claire arrives in Inverness with her 20-year-old daughter Brianna, soon after the death of her husband Frank. What? How is it 1968? What’s Claire doing in the 20th century? She just spent 20 years with Frank??? What the hell???

I actually thought the TV show opening was a clever way to both startle the audience and give a context for what happens in the season. Claire wakes up on the grass between the stones at Craigh na Dun, as her voice-over tells us that she wishes she were dead. As she wanders down the road in her sturdy Scottish gown, a car pulls up behind her and the driver asks if she needs help.

What follows is a reminder of just how fantastic Caitriona Balfe’s acting is. Claire has an absolute melt-down on the road, asking the befuddled driver what year it is and who won the Battle of Culloden, then collapses in sobs as she hears that the British won after all.

The reunion between Frank and Claire is affecting and dramatic. Frank has never given up hope, is still madly in love with his wife, and wants her back, desperately.

I know fans, especially book fans, tend to have an anti-Frank reaction, and I get it. We love Claire and Jamie together. We don’t want to see her with Frank. But that’s the story, and while their reunion and resumption of their marriage happens mainly off the page in the book, discussed but not shown, for purposes of the TV production, it feels important to see how Claire resumed her life with Frank.

I’ll admit, though, that I have a hard time understanding why Claire would want to pick back up with Frank. Yes, she loved him in the past, but that was a long time ago. Jamie is, and always will be, the only person who truly owns her heart. Just look at Frank and Claire’s faces when they first see each other: Frank is practically shining with love. Claire is confused, alarmed, unsure — but there’s no hint of love in her face.

Still, I suppose it makes a sort of logical sense. It’s 1948, and Claire is pregnant, without a place, a home, or a cent to her name. She’s completely displaced, and deeply in mourning for the man she loves. She has no reason to doubt that Jamie died at Culloden, so there’s nothing left for her in the past. In the 1940s, Jamie has been dead for 200 years, yet she’s carrying his child. She owes it to Jamie to stay healthy and create a life for this child. Frank is offering her a home and a family, and is a man who desperately loves her and wants to be a father. What are Claire’s other options? In today’s world, she wouldn’t need him quite so much, but then? Being with Frank and raising a child with him seems like the only way forward, and she does care for him, even if she loves another man.

Other takeaways from the 20th century scenes:

Wee Roger is absolutely adorable. I love how he’s included in these scenes, just so we’ll remember later on that we know him and he matters.

Frank burns Claire’s 18th century dress, and it made me want to scream! He’s a historian, for Pete’s sake. Donate them to a museum! Those things are valuable!

On a more serious note, when Claire first sees Frank approaching her, she recoils in horror as she sees Black Jack Randall’s face instead. So how is she to move forward and build a life with this man, when every time she looks at him she sees the man who tortured her husband? Seems to me like an insurmountable obstacle. Add to that the fact that Frank seems to have inherited a bit of his ancestor’s capacity for rage and violence. Sure, Frank keeps it in check, but every once in a while it comes out. Claire looked truly frightened by Frank’s reaction to the news of her pregnancy — and the fist he made and the way he loomed over her were no joke.

Okay, when the episode shifts back to Claire and Jamie, my mood improved by about 100%. I can’t help it. They make me swoon.

There’s a terrific scene-change as we see Frank reaching a hand to Claire to help her off the plane that brought them to America, and as Claire reaches out, it’s Jamie’s hand she’s taking to descend from the ship that carried them from Scotland to France.

Claire and Jamie are wonderful together, and Murtagh is right there with them, the faithful, devoted protector. I’d hoped for a few moments of peace and rest for Claire and Jamie — but of course, since I’ve read the book, I knew that wasn’t actually to be.

Here’s where I had a bit of trouble with the TV production. After Jamie’s horrific experience at Wentworth Prison, they escape to the abbey for a few days’ recuperation, then immediately board the ship to France. It can’t be more than a week that has elapsed. And immediately, Claire urges Jamie to jump right into plotting to change the future.

At least in the book, we knew that more time had gone by. After Jamie’s escape, they sail directly to France and he spends a couple of months recovering at the abbey before they start planning their next moves.

So watching the episode, I was almost annoyed with Claire. The man has just been through hell. Give him some time to rest! Maybe take it easy, go for walks in the countryside, ease him back into feeling like himself again. Fine, there isn’t really time — if they want to stop the Jacobite rebellion, they need to act now. Wheels are in motion, so it’s now or never. But still — I was wishing that Claire and Jamie had even a tiny breather to find a way back to health and happiness before all the intrigue and danger kicks in.

I thought the explanation given in the episode for Claire’s plan was excellent. Claire tells Jamie about the disaster that Culloden will bring for the Highland people, and Jamie’s response is to question why they should try to stop the Rising, rather than working to help it succeed. A very good question, and an approach that would feel much more honorable to Jamie. It’s simple, though: Claire’s knowledge of the past and the history of the Rising is surface-level, at best. She doesn’t know the specifics of why the military campaign failed or have enough details about strategy or tactics to be able to pinpoint what they’d need to do differently in order to change the outcome. Given all that, the only option is for ensuring that the disaster doesn’t happen is to prevent it from ever beginning.

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

Thumbs up! The fact that the show is able to offer surprises even when the source material is so well-known is a huge credit to the production team. The construction of the episode gives us a sense of what’s at stake this season — the future of the Highlands as well as Jamie and Claire’s relationship — and lets us know from the outset that something tragic is on the way. Of course we all hate that Claire has left Jamie  and returned to the 20th century, but as the season unfolds and we see why and how that happened, we won’t be able to shake off the knowledge that a dark end is coming. Talk about setting the mood!

I’m thrilled to pieces (obviously) that the show is back. This looks like it’ll be an amazing season, and I simply can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

And further…

The opening credits — that amazing version of the Skye Boat Song — have been revised for season 2! The images have changed, and the song itself is altered to include a portion in French. I haven’t found the video of it online yet, but I’ll share it as soon as I do!