Episode 105 is pure fire, and for multiple reasons. First, I love this opening sequence with seeing Ellen getting ready. It looks at first like she is prepping for her wedding, although we find out later it’s just for the May Day celebration. Ellen looks exquisite, and her dress reminds me of Brianna’s wedding dress, but an older, more elegant version. Although all of those candles in the tent and the way the tent material drapes makes me worry about a fire. I mean it is a fire festival and all but…

Ah opening credits….I hate to say this but I think I’m starting to like this original song by Bear and Julie better than the original show. Maybe because it’s more unique than the Sky Boat Song? Sacrilege to admit I know. My hide will be more tanned than the way Julia’s would be tanned by Davina. Poor Julia can’t escape, and yet Davina’s right. Trying to say Henry’s child is really Lord Lovat’s puts her in a real pickle, and not just because he likes to call her his “English Rose.” Poor Brian finds out that he was important enough to Daddy Lovat to get a seer to do a fortune telling for Brian, and is yet hit with the blow that Julia had to sleep with his daddy. Sweet Brian says he would have helped her while Mom Davina is shooting daggers at Brian with her eyes. Looks like Julia is not hitching a ride with Brian to the Highland Prom.

Meanwhile, Ellen and Jocasta are enjoying their ride in the carriage exchanging barbs at each other. Ned, riding shotgun, finally turns around and tells them to pipe down, telling them they are worse than their brothers. Ned Gowan, throwing out zingers since the 1730s.

Brian is still sore about Julia’s news as he gets his horse ready and Murtaugh comes by to bother Brian as he finishes getting his horse ready. Meanwhile, Ned telling Ellen the terms of a little Midsummer fun is kinda like your cool aunt being the chaperone at Prom. Not as bad as your parents, but doesn’t give much wiggle room. Ellen and Jocasta go meet up with Malcom. It’s really fun to get bits of lore around Craig Na Dun and to see people dressed up in costumes and things being built for Beltane. If Outlander Season 1 makes you feel like you’re in a different world, this surpasses it with the folklore. 

I spot a Beauchamp! Henry mentions to Ned the concerns that Lord Lovat wrote about Ellen’s virginity. Lovely chat for a celebration. Ned does his best to put that fire out but he’s definitely uneasy. 

Meanwhile, Malcom does his best to woo Ellen, and they start the dancing. However, Brian, smoothly steps in during the dance. We finally get that iconic shot of his hand around Ellen’s waist and Ellen almost reverently whispering Brian’s name. It’s that reminder that Malcom seems very much a boy where Brian is a man. That little smile Ellen gives before having to look elsewhere is so sweet. We definitely see that sweet smile older Murtaugh talks about in Season 1 of Outlander.

Speaking of Murtaugh, he spies Ellen too, but Jocasta comes to talk to him. He’s got a few smooth lines of his own that he says to Jocasta before they start dancing. In some ways you can’t help but feel sorry for Jocasta that she’s married to someone so much older.  However, Murtaugh quickly finds his way to Brian to ask if he put in a word with Ellen. Brian, worst wing man ever, comes up with an excuse. 

No surprise, Ellen is named May Queen. She gets to pick her May King. Malcom steps forward like the cat’s in the bag and the bag is floating down the river. But Murtwugh shoots his shot and steps forward. Two more step forward before Brian can’t help but join the line. Ellen plays the part well and tries genuinely look at each man to give them a chance. But you can tell in the quick eye exchange that she wants to pick Brian with all her heart. I love their subtle facial expression and eye exchange here, especially Brian, how he so carefully let her know not to pick him. Ellen knows she has to pick Malcom. Perhaps this is part of what brings about later events in the episode. Not getting to choose the man she wants makes the wanting even stronger. Caution is thrown to the wind and she uses the excuse to going to the fertility blessing with Jocasta to got off and find Brian.

Meanwhile, back at the Lovat ranch, his seer is doing some crazy stuff with eggs, foreshadowing, and even saying stuff about perhaps little Claire. Man, if I knew cracking eggs was so powerful, I’d have a coop built to be a palace. Last episode they were railing about the milk blessing. What kind of blessings are these chickens getting? Can you even make an omelette or quiche? Does that mean you’re eating your future? All I can think about is all the eggs Rocky would swallow in the morning before training. He should have paid better attention so he could have seen the future and then wouldn’t have gotten so beat up. Meanwhile enough things are said that Julia looks pretty nervous. She’s playing one hell of a game of BS right now.

Meanwhile, it finally comes out between the sisters why Jocasta resents Ellen. She thinks it’s Ellen’s fault she had to marry, but Ellen let her know there were actually worse options that she steered their da away from. They make a deal that what happens at Beltane, stays at Beltane and go their separate ways.

Ellen and Brian meet up, and boy does it heat up fast. Unfortunately Murtaugh does spot them and discovers why Brian was such a poor wing man. Things are not going to end well for Murtaugh. He was already spiraling after losing the May Day King competition. 

Brian and Ellen head inside the abandoned tower and abandon all practical thoughts. They both exchange some smooth words about light, darkness, and need. Ellen then delivers the memorable line, “Ruin Me.” Move over Bridgerton. Outlander still has the best lines. Brian, who is always quick to do the right thing, (granted if he really wanted to the the right thing, he’d walk away but would be no fun), tears a bit of his tartan and wraps it around their hands so they can be handfast and married before anymore ruining happens. Although Brian does find out that doing all that manual labor with fixing the wall earned him some key husband points once his shirt was removed. After they have thoroughly ruined each other and their clothes in the dirt, they have some lovely pillow talk (moss talk? Dirt talk? Tartan talk?). Brian talks about his father, and how that lead him on a pilgrimage and eventually led him back to Scotland. He asks if Ellen has any regrets about their ruinous choices. She very eloquently states that she’s doesn’t. It’s a quite beautiful speech about how she hasn’t had much choice in life but she would choose this time and again. She is very much a MacKenzie here, shining but not burning.

Meanwhile, back at the Beltane tailgate (wait, does that make it a horse gate? Or wagons gate? Tent gate? Tent tavern? tent bar?), Murtaugh is drowning his sorrows and getting sloshed. He unfortunately runs into Mr. Bug, who took it personally that he challenged Malcom as the May King and knocks him down. As if Murtaugh hasn’t already had a bad enough day….

Back at the Tower of Doom, aka Leathers, Davina tries to tell Lovat the truth about Julia’s child’s true parentage but he’s too high on the hog that his son is going to be king. We also find out that it was all Davina’s idea to have the seer come. Lovat says Davina is one of the few he trusts so he trusts her with Julia’s care but if she speaks of her true thoughts, he’ll have his henchman take her out. Wow, Lovat has clearly been practicing daily gratitude for Davina.

We then get a lovely scene with Henry and Ned. Henry can’t find Julia, and Ned opens up about he was parted from his love in Edinburgh and came north to start over and found a family in clan MacKenzie. Henry can’t give up though, not when he’s got Julia and two children on the line.

Somehow Ellen hid her dirty clothes and is about the change when Malcom comes to talk to her. He gives her the luckenbooth and declares his love for her. It’s sweet enough to make us wonder if they might have been happy if she hadn’t fell for Brian first.

Meanwhile, Murtaugh’s really gone. Jocasta finds him hurt and drunk in a tent. She tries to help him and comfort him. The both understand that they want to be wanted by someone. They kiss but then Murtaugh says “Ellen” and the whole thing is ruined for Jocasta. I do understand Jocasta’s hurt and frustration. I’m the youngest of 4, and my older brother and oldest sister were smart and funny and very good at school and sports. While they inspired me and I wanted to be like them, it was also hard to be compared to them and easy to feel like I never measured up.

It’s a wonderful scene to see the nighttime festivities of Beltane with the fires and the dancers. I was so worried by how they cut the promos that Brian’s look on his face was fear that Ellen was marrying another. But now that we know it’s just part of the Beltane celebrations and that Brian has thoroughly ruined Ellen, we can see that this is a look of love, admiration, and maybe even a little bit of pride that she is his. And yet Malcolm planting that kiss on Ellen is that reminder that it’s just a little complicated, and seeing Henry and Julia in rough shape shows that it’s even more complicated for them. And while it’s lovely to see Brian and Ellen together, we are only halfway through the season with a lot to go. 

What happens now? Do Ellen and Brian continue to wait things out? Does he kidnap her soon and they ride off into the sunset? How are Julia and Henry ever going to find eat other? How strongly do the ties that bind, whether from handfasting for vows said in a church, keep our couples together?

Today’s Dram: is a Montana Soffrington. Lemon sorbet with a few ounces of gin and fizzy water added to it. It’s light and springy for our Beltane celebration, yet the Gin and fizzy water can give a kick as good as Mr. Bug, although the lemon sorbet helps it to go down sweetly like Brian on Ellen.

Comfort Food: While most of our characters do need something, that Soffrington was not cold enough to cool down the fire from all of the handfasting. Ruinous Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers are keeping that fire going.

Song: Carlos Santana’s “Smooth.” Both Ellen and Brian have their silver tongues and smooth ways. But it also talks about it being hot, and I’m still trying to cool down over here from that ruining scene.