Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 5, Episode 10

Posted in Outlander by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Season 5 is here! I’ll be writing an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode soon 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 510: “Mercy Shall Follow Me”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Jamie and Roger implement their plan to eliminate the threat looming over them, but it goes awry. Brianna is forced to confront her greatest fear and fight for her and her son’s lives.

My take:

Major plot points:

Well, I’ll go into detail below. The basic fact to know is:

This episode brings the Stephen Bonnet storyline to a close.
Good riddance.

Insta-reaction:

Good-bye, Stephen Bonnet.

This episode is quite a departure from the source material, The Fiery Cross (#5 in the Outlander series). While the book deals with yet another violent encounter with Stephen Bonnet, he remains around to torment the Frasers some more through book #6, A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

The show appears to have made the decision to wrap up his storyline this season, and they’ve moved the major events related to Bonnet’s capture and death up in the timeline. And that’s fine by me.

Bonnet has been lurking in the background this season, seemingly having latched onto the idea that Brianna’s child is his and suddenly dressing and presenting himself as a gentleman. Here, we learn a bit more about his motivation. He’s learned from Gerald Forbes, Jocasta’s lawyer, than wee Jemmy is set to inherit River Run. By law, the child’s property would rightfully belong to his parents… so if Bonnet can claim Jemmy as his son, he’ll also be able to claim River Run. Especially as he’s in cahoots with slime-bag Forbes to get Jocasta and her husband Duncan Innes out of the way so he can get his hands on the fortune right away — with Forbes getting a nice cut as a reward.

Forbes manages to screw things up when he meets with Jocasta. Jocasta is feeling generous and wants Forbes to write up an addendum to her will, giving money to Fergus and Marsali, Young Ian, and even the servant Lizzy. It seems to be Lizzy’s name that pushes Forbes over the top, who starts to rage about Jocasta giving away his money and then tries to suffocate her with a throw pillow. Fortunately, Ulysses rushes in to save the day (and snap Forbes’s neck), but of course, that probably spells doom for Ulysses.

Meanwhile…

Jamie and Roger and Ian have a plan to waylay Bonnet and kill him once and for all. Roger is insistent that he’ll be the one to take the shot. Jamie promises to avenge Roger if he gets killed. (This made me laugh… oh, Jamie, never change). Roger promises the same. But their promises end up not mattering, because Bonnet doesn’t show up where he’s expected.

Instead, he comes upon Claire and Brianna at the beach. Dammit, Bonnet, why did you have to interrupt such a lovely moment? Honestly, I could have watched Claire and Brianna racing on the beach and collecting shells for a few more hours. It was a beautiful, happy scene, and Outlander really doesn’t give us a whole lot of happy, does it?

Bonnet shows up and threatens both women, manages to knock Claire out and then Brianna, and leaves with Bree. When Claire comes to, face-down in the sand, Brianna is gone.

Bree wakes up in strange but well-furnished surroundings, and learns that she’s on an island, in a house that belongs to Bonnet. At first, he tries to playact with her, treating her as if he’s a gentleman, talking about raising their son together and wanting to learn to be proper. He’s clearly nuts, but he’s a lucid kind of nuts. Brianna plays along, because what choice does she have? She dresses up in the fancy gown he gives her and sits down to dinner with him, teaching him about table manners, and later reads to him, cleverly pretending to read him Moby Dick. (Bonnet is illiterate, it would seem.)

The playacting seems to be working to keep Brianna safe, until the next day when she convinces Bonnet to let her go get Jemmy and bring him back so they can all be together as a family. But when Bonnet insists on a farewell kiss, the jig is up. He can tell Brianna is faking, and the nice-guy gloves come off. He forces her to watch while he has sex with a prostitute named Eppie. When he leaves the room, Bree begs Eppie for help, but she refuses. Things look bad for Brianna.

Back in Wilmington, Claire, Jamie, Roger, and Ian follow clues to Madame Sylvie’s brothel, where Claire treats Eppie for pain and Eppie agrees to help, telling them where to find Bree. Our brave heroes show up just in time, as dirtbag Stephen Bonnet is about to sell Brianna to some random sea captain who’s also a complete dirtbag. Brianna is saved.

In the end, rather than killing him on the spot, the Frasers take Bonnet back to Wilmington to face justice, and he’s condemned to death by drowning. He’s left out in the water, chained to a pole as the tide comes in. As the water starts to rise above his chin, Brianna takes aim and shoots him, killing him but saving him from drowning, his worst fear. Roger asks if it was mercy or to make sure Bonnet was really dead, but Brianna gives no answer.

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

I’m glad this storyline has been dealt with and finished. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if the show skipped or condensed most of book 6 and moved straight on to #7. A Breath of Snow and Ashes has some of the most dismal and disturbing plotlines in the series, and I wouldn’t be sorry not to have to see those acted out on my TV screen.

As for the Bonnet plot, I appreciate that the show wrapped it up all in this episode. The kidnapping and island business goes on for a long time in the book, and also includes some pretty sadistic, cruel treatment that Bree is forced to endure (while pregnant!). I’m glad the show didn’t go as far as the book does, and that we didn’t have to see Brianna suffer longer than necessary.

Can we just go back to the beach scene, before Bonnet’s arrival? Both women, Claire and Brianna, looked so happy and beautiful, carefree and enjoying themselves and enjoying their time together. I love seeing the moments where Claire and Brianna’s love is center stage. This was perfect.

Ah, only two episodes left this season! Where did it all go?

Last episode and this one have been my favorites so far. As I said last week, I think the episodes that are about the people and their relationships are so much stronger than those that focus on battles and politics. More of the Frasers and Mackenzies, please!

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31Dec2018

Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 4, Episode 9

Posted in Outlander by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Season 4 is here! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode soon 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 409: “The Birds & the Bees”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

As Brianna struggles to compartmentalize the trauma she’s suffered in the wake of the tragedy that befell her in Wilmington, she refocuses on finding her parents.

My take:

Major plot points:

Brianna deals with the aftermath of her rape.
Brianna finds Jamie and Claire!
The family spends time together at Fraser’s Ridge. Jamie and Brianna start to bond as father and daughter.
Roger is forced to sail further with Stephen Bonnet’s crew before he’s able to return to Brianna.
Brianna is pregnant, and tell Claire about the rape.
Jamie beats Roger to a bloody pulp, believing he’s the rapist.

Insta-reaction:

The first meeting between Jamie and Brianna is all we could have hoped for! But first, we deal with the aftermath of the rape that occurred at the end of the previous episode.

Brianna returns to her room, stunned and bloody, but refuses Lizzie’s attempts to assist her. While she won’t tell Lizzie what happened, Lizzie sees Brianna’s bruises and her bloody petticoats, and draws her own conclusions.

Roger comes to look for Brianna, but is intercepted by Bonnet, who reminds him that he signed on to be part of Bonnet’s crew for the entire voyage, and they’re not done yet. It would cost Roger a limb or his life to try to run off, so he reluctantly leaves to sail onward with the Gloriana to Philadelphia.

Brianna hears that Roger came looking for her in the morning and left with the Gloriana’s crew, so she rushes to the waterfront, only to find that the ship has already sailed. She believes that Roger is sailing back to Scotland, to return through the stones to the 20th century. Lizzie rushes up with big news — apparently, a Scot’s wife performed surgery on a man at the theater the night before! Sure sounds like something Claire would do, right?

Brianna finds Jamie, and the meeting is lovely and *sniff* there may have been some off-screen tears *in my living room* to go with the tears in Jamie and Brianna’s eyes. Claire is stunned to see Brianna as well. Man, it’s beautiful seeing the three of them together!

Bree meets her cousin Ian, and they all travel back to Fraser’s Ridge together (along with a smitten Lizzie). Murtagh is staying at the Ridge for a while, laying low to avoid capture as a Regulator, so it’s a happy time for the family to be together (and for Murtagh to share embarrassing stories about Jamie’s youth.)

Jamie and Brianna get time to bond and get to know one another. He acknowledges that Frank was a good man who loved Brianna, and tells her that he doesn’t want to take Frank’s place. Brianna starts calling Jamie “Da”. *sniff* *dammit, eyes, stop that!*

Time passes. Eventually, Claire uses her mommy super power to guess that Brianna is pregnant. She’s about two months along, says Brianna, but doesn’t know who the father is. She tells Claire about the rape, but not who did it. Claire shares the news with Jamie. Later, Claire finds her missing wedding ring among Brianna’s belongings, and realizes that Stephen Bonnet is the man who raped her daughter. Brianna confirms this, but makes Claire promise not to tell Jamie — she’s afraid that Jamie would try to find Bonnet to get revenge and would end up getting killed himself.

And we end with yet another “Poor Roger!!” moment. Roger finds his way to Fraser’s Ridge. Lizzie sees him coming, and identifies him to Ian as the man she saw man-handling Brianna in the street. Ian brings her to Jamie, where she tells more of the story, including what Brianna looked like when she returned to the room in the inn after being raped. Jamie goes off in a fury and pounds Roger until he’s a bloody, unconscious mess. He then throws him over a horse and tells Ian to get rid of him.

All together now — poor Roger!

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

The episode feels very true to the book, down to the details of Jamie and Brianna’s meeting, as well as the ending with Jamie and Roger. True, some elements are altered or embellished, but the overall story flows from the source material, and it’s quite effective.

I can’t say enough good things about the acting here. Caitriona Balfe has one of the most beautifully expressive faces on television, and she’s stunning here as Claire experiences both the joy of reuniting with the daughter she never expected to see again, and the horrified pain of a mother who learns about the suffering of her child.

Not to shortchange the rest of the cast — Jamie and Brianna’s initial scene together is lovely and emotional, and their subsequent conversations are just the right mix of nervousness, hesitation, love, and joy. They look wonderful together as well – such a terrific father/daughter pairing.

Oh, Roger… We never actually believed that he’d leave after storming off like that last episode, did we? Of course not! His beating is brutal and horrible to watch, as Jamie takes out his fury on the face of the man he believes hurt his beloved daughter. It’s scary seeing Jamie like that, and Roger’s life is hanging in the balance.

And furthermore…

Just a beautifully created and performed episode, capturing the small moments as well as the big ones. Kudos to the show — so well done.

I can’t wait for next week! Although I’m already getting in some pre-Droughtlander mourning, knowing there are only four episodes left in the season. How did season 4 go by so quickly?

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23Dec2018

Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 4, Episode 8

Posted in Outlander by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Season 4 is here! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode soon 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 408: “Wilmington”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Roger’s diligent search for Brianna pays off when he finds her in Wilmington, but their romantic reunion comes to an abrupt halt when she discovers pertinent information that he intentionally kept from her.

My take:

Major plot points:

Everyone is in Wilmington!
Claire and Jamie visit Fergus, Marsali, and their new baby Germain, then go to the theater with Governor Tryon.
Jamie keeps Murtagh from being arrested.
Brianna and Roger are reunited, spend a blissful night together, fight, and part.
Brianna has a horrific encounter with the despicable Stephen Bonnet.

Insta-reaction:

The end of this episode is so upsetting that I don’t really feel like writing a reaction post at all… but for the sake of being complete, I’ll go ahead — but it’ll likely be a short one. I’ll talk about all the other stuff first, before getting to Brianna and Roger.

Episode 408, “Wilmington”, brings all the main characters to the same place, although they don’t all cross paths at this point. Claire and Jamie are in town to visit new parents Fergus and Marsali. Marsali is overwhelmed by her love for their baby boy, Germain, and she and Claire share a sweet moment discussing the joy and pain of motherhood.

Jamie and Claire have been invited by the governor to attend the theater and meet more of North Carolina’s bigwigs. It’s fun to see Jamie’s Paris clothing back in action, and Claire looks lovely as always in her fancy clothes from Aunt Jocasta. At the theater, Claire notices that one of Tryon’s associates seems to be in pain. Doctor Claire wants to jump in and offer treatment, but is basically told to stick to lady stuff and let menfolk deal with doctoring. Okay… but later, when Claire performs surgery on the man’s hernia in the theater lobby, with an audience looking on, she definitely gets some respect. And applause.

Meanwhile, Jamie learns from Tryon that a trap has been set for a bunch of the Regulators, and…

Oops, sorry, fell asleep for a moment there. Ugh, the Regulators. That piece of the plot is just not interesting. (My apologies, Murtagh — even you can’t make it exciting to watch a gang of people being pissed about taxes.)

So anyway — Jamie learns that this trap planned by the governor will lead to the capture of a bunch of insurgents, along with their leader, Murgh Fitzgibbons. While Claire is performing surgical heroics, Jamie slips away for a moment and sends Fergus to intercept Murtagh just in the nick of time, enabling him to avoid capture after all.

Moving on…

Who would have thought that the highest drama in an Outlander episode would have nothing to do with Claire and Jamie? Once again, we have an episode where the truly important elements belong to Roger and Brianna. After searching and searching, Roger finally finds Brianna in a tavern, where she’s inquiring about how to get to Cross Creek. She turns and sees Roger. They have a lovely moment, before she realizes that he followed her back through time — that wasn’t the plan!

They argue, both in the tavern and out on the street, and Brianna’s maid Lizzie watches through the window. From Lizzie’s perspective, it looks like Roger is some rando who dragged her mistress outside, yelled at her in the street, and then pulled her off somewhere. That’s not going to be a problem later on, is it?

Bree and Roger soon admit how happy they are to see one another, and Brianna finally tells Roger that she loves him. They find a conveniently empty barn nearby where they can smooch. One things leads to another and… no, they’re not quite tearing off each other’s clothes just yet — they’re getting married! There’s a Scottish tradition called handfasting, kind of an informal way for them to marry one another, and so they do. It’s a sweet, romantic moment as they pledge their love, declare themselves man and wife, and then proceed with having a wedding night. It’s Brianna’s first time, and she enjoys it, as does Roger.

Unfortunately for Roger, his post-coital pillow talk gives away the fact that he knew about the obituary describing the Fraser’s Ridge fire, and that he knew about it before Brianna had left to find her way to her mother. Brianna is furious that Roger withheld this information from her. He yells that he just wanted her to be happy, and what could she have done anyway? This, Brianna tells him. She would have done exactly what’s she doing — find her mother and try to warn her. Their fight escalates, Roger seems to be saying that she needs to listen to him because she’s his wife now, Brianna overreacts to his having discussed their business with Fiona, and before we can take more than a few breaths, Roger storms off. (To be fair, Bree tells him to go. But he goes! He shouldn’t have gone.)

In tears, Brianna makes her way back to the inn where she and Lizzie are staying, and her night goes from bad to the worst. Because of course Stephen Bonnet is there gambling, with Claire’s ring in his hand, and when Brianna asks to buy it back from him, he drags her into an adjoining room, beats her, and rapes her. It’s a terrible scene, which doesn’t get shown on screen; instead, we see the men continuing to drink and play cards even as Brianna’s screams can be heard from the other room. When he’s done, Bonnet gives Bree the ring as “payment”, and Brianna shuffles off in shock.

Like I said, just a horrifying conclusion to the episode.

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

It’s hard to criticize the show for the plot in this episode, because while events are slightly altered, it’s really at heart all from the book. The reunion, the hand-fasting, the wedding night, the argument and separation, and then Bree’s rape — maybe they happen with different timing and slightly different context in the book, but it’s all there.

Does it make sense for Roger to leave Brianna like that, even while she’s telling him to? Not at all. He just traveled 200 years and crossed an ocean to find her. Is he really going to just leave the love of his life, to whom he just pledged himself til death do them part, to figure things out all alone in a time not her own? It’s a plot point that has to happen, because it drives so much of what’s still to come, but I kind of hate it. They’re both hotheads and neither backs down when they’re angry, and the show has done a good job of showing us this in earlier episodes.. but it still is hard to believe that Roger would walk out like that. And, let’s give him a little credit, that Brianna would push him to go.

The Bonnet business… well, the least said, the better. It’s ugly and awful, and again, critical to future plot developments, but still a disgusting thing to have to watch. At least here the show has an improvement over the book, in which Brianna goes to Stephen Bonnet’s ship to retrieve her mother’s ring, basically walking right into danger. Not that what happens is her fault in any way, but her innocence and lack of judgment in the situation feel out of character for a savvy 20th century city girl. Here in the episode, Brianna doesn’t seek out Stephen Bonnet, simply has the misfortune to cross paths with him.

My overwhelming feeling after watching this episode is a mix of sorrow and anger. The Brianna and Roger storylines end in such an upsetting way that it’s hard to focus on Claire and Jamie’s parts of the story or to feel at all good about what I’ve just watched.

And furthermore…

Okay, all that said, I’ll end on a more upbeat note. First off, here comes the General! (Sorry, Hamil-geeking out for a second…) No, he’s not a general yet, but it’s still quite fun to see George Washington, and to see Claire trying to keep cool around the future father of the nation.

A few episodes ago, I mentioned that Claire’s medical treatment of Rufus on Jocasta’s dining room table was probably meant to replace the hernia surgery she did there in the books. Well, here we get the hernia surgery, performed for an audience as in the book, with Claire putting all those doubting men in their place by saving a man’s life through her amazing skills (and without ruining her glorious white fancy dress). Claire rocks. If I ever go through the stones and travel back in time, remind me to take Claire along!

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16Dec2018

Insta-Reaction: Outlander, Season 4, Episode 7

Posted in Outlander by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Season 4 is here! My intention is to write an “Insta-Reaction” post for each episode soon 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 407: “Down the Rabbit Hole”

The official synopsis (via Starz):

Brianna follows in her mother’s footsteps and travels through the stones back in time to 18th century Scotland where she struggles to make her way to the Colonies to find her parents.

My take:

Major plot points:

Roger follows Brianna through the stones at Craigh na Dun.
Brianna sets off on foot across the Highlands to get to a harbor and try to find passage to the Colonies.
She becomes injured, and is taken in and cared for by Laoghaire and her daughter Joan.
Laoghaire is not pleased to discover that Brianna is Claire’s daughter.
Brianna meets Ian Sr. at Lallybroch, who helps her on her journey.
Meanwhile, Roger secures passage on board the Gloriana, captained by Stephen Bonnet, who is just as cruel as we expect.

Insta-reaction:

Episode 407, “Down the Rabbit Hole”, is (as far as I recall) the only Outlander episode so far without Jamie or Claire appearing at all — and yet, it’s quite a strong episode, filled with important plot developments as well as great character moments.

Three cheers for the Outlander casting team, for giving us the treat of seeing Frank Randall and Ian Murray again, and for introducing us to two characters who’ll be a regular part of the Fraser family’s lives for years to come — Joseph and Lizzie Wemyss. And, well, I’m too much of a Laoghaire hater to say it was a treat, but yes, it was a good surprise to see her back on the show again too.

First off, Brianna’s journey. She made it through the stones safely, and is now walking across the snowy Highlands towards a harbor, where she plans to secure passage to America so she can find Claire and Jamie. Her mission, as she sees it, is to warn them about the fire that lies in their future, hoping to save their lives. I’m not sold on her plan here, though — wouldn’t it be smarter (and faster) to find transportation, rather than walking the whole way? It certainly would have been safer, since Brianna stumbles down a hillside and severely bruises her ankle, making it almost impossible to walk. Finally, she passes out from exhaustion, and wakes up in a snug bed, cared for than none other than the (evil, conniving ) Laoghaire.

At first, it’s kind of hard to hate Laoghaire. She’s sweet and kind toward Brianna, making her welcome and caring for her while her ankle heals, giving her warm clothes, a place to sleep, and good company. Little Joan is delighted to have Brianna there, and the two are quite sweet together. Brianna even sings “San Francisco (Flowers In Your Hair)” to her, which is a cute little anachronism. When Brianna overhears an argument one night between Ian Murray and Laoghaire, she learns that Laoghaire’s deadbeat former husband is short on his alimony payment yet again. Brianna hears the sad story of Laoghaire’s true love being bewitched and stolen away from her. Oh, Bree, if only you knew.

Eventually, of course, the truth comes out, and Laoghaire is horrified to learn that Brianna is the daughter of the whore/witch Claire. Bree attempts to leave, but is locked in by Laoghaire, who decides to report Brianna as a witch as well. Little Joan saves the day, rescuing Bree and taking her to Lallybroch, where she’s welcomed by her uncle Ian. The two are soon parted, as Brianna books passage to America, along with a servant girl (Lizzie*), whose father begs Brianna to take her in order to keep her safe from a man who wants to defile her.

*Side note: Anyone else startled by Lizzie’s appearance? In the books, she comes across as frail and delicate and always sickly, but here’s she’s taller than Brianna and looks pretty robust! I’m sure she’ll be fine, but it’s one of those book vs TV moments that’s kind of startling.

Throughout the episode, we see Brianna’s memories of Frank Randall, the man who raised her and loved her. Brianna feels a certain amount of guilt toward Frank, since on the night of his fatal car accident, he’d told her that he and Claire were planning to divorce, and he asked her to come to England with him. Brianna had been so upset that she left him without saying “I love you” back to him, and has been carrying that memory ever since. Over the course of the episode, she seems to have come to terms with her relationship with Frank, so that finally, she sees a vision of him (in what I thought was a pretty corny moment) smiling at her on the docks, as if giving his blessing to her journey.

And now let’s return to poor Roger.

Poor Roger! My familiar refrain. What that man suffers! He pursues Brianna through the stones, dressed in period clothing (and wearing some very silly looking trousery/gaucho/breeches type thing). And whoa, he even shaved his beard! Why, though? We’ve seen plenty of Highlanders with facial hair, right?

Beards are glorious, aye?

Roger makes it through the stones and goes straight to the harbor (as Brianna should have done), and is directed to the captain of a ship about to sail for the Colonies — and of course, it’s Stephen Bonnet, and we know he’s a bad’un even if Roger doesn’t. Bonnet tells Roger that he’s not taking any more passengers, but Roger is persistent, and finally convinces Bonnet to take him on as a crew member.

During the voyage, there’s a smallpox outbreak, and here’s where Roger first sees Bonnet’s true colors. Bonnet orders that anyone with signs of smallpox be thrown overboard, since the disease may otherwise spread throughout the ship. The first victim is a little girl, whom Roger tries desperately to save. But Bonnet does as he wishes, and has an awful Jamie Lannister moment.

Not quite the Outlander scene, but pretty darn close

On board his own ship, Stephen Bonnet is the law, and everything and everyone is under his power. Roger hides a woman with a baby — the baby has a rash and the woman is afraid that the crew will throw the baby overboard, even though she’s sure it’s just a normal baby rash. The woman’s name is Morag Mackenzie — and book readers know that her child Jemmy is in the direct line of Roger’s ancestors. By saving the baby, he’s ensuring his own existence a couple hundred years later. Bonnet discovers the child, and threatens to kill Roger as punishment, but a flip of a coin saves Roger’s life. Bonnet is the worst.

Insta-reaction wrap-up:

For an episode without Jamie and Claire, “Down the Rabbit Hole” really rocked. Brianna and Roger’s story is in many ways the heart of Drums of Autumn, and it’s great to see their TV journey kicking into higher gear. We know things won’t be easy for these two, but it’s good to see them on their way. Poor Roger! I can’t help it saying it over and over again, since it always ends up feeling appropriate. So far, we’ve seen him give up his 20th century life, his career, his well-being, and his beard to chase after a woman who doesn’t want him to chase her. She specifically said in her letter now to follow her, so of course that’s exactly what he decides to do. Not that they’re not meant to be, but he really does go through all sorts of torments of hell because of this decision.

Bonnet is despicable, and his easy ability to flip from smiles and friendliness to deadly, amoral murder is a big part of what makes him so scary.

I loved seeing Ian and Lallybroch once again, although I wish Jenny had been home! And I was almost charmed by Laoghaire, who comes across in her first several scenes as sweet, maternal, and caring, a woman deserving of compassion… until she launches into one of her anti-Claire crazypants tirades and loses my goodwill completely.

I suppose the show needed to keep the Brianna and Roger stories in balance throughout the episode, but I did start to feel that the “hanging out with Laoghaire” story stretched out longer than was needed. Thankfully, we’re done there, and can pick back up with Brianna in America in the next episode.

And furthermore…

Hurray for Brianna’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Wonder bread! In Voyager, Claire brings the same kind of sandwich through the stones with her and eats it in Edinburgh before seeing Jamie for the first time, but that was omitted from the show in season 3. It’s not particularly important, just a fun little detail to throw in for a bit of color and yet another nod to the source material.

And — hold up! — it was hard to get a good look… but was that Claire’s ring on Bonnet’s hand?

And a final word:

Is anyone else already getting sad over the fact that we’ve passed the half-way point of the season? It seems like season 4 just started, and now suddenly there are only six episodes left!

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