Hello the House!
It’s so good to have Outlander back even though with every wonderful episode, we inch closer to the end.
At first, I was a little underwhelmed with the episode. I was hoping for more excitement and surprises. Then I sat on it and thought. I enjoyed the weekend with my family, and it reminded me that what most people want is a good life. While that may look different for a lot of people, for me these days it’s looking more like contentment, peace, and enjoying the little moments with the people I love. I’ve moved beyond the days of chasing ladder climbing, proving myself, and seeking worth in what I do. And in many ways our beloved characters have been doing that for a while. Not that it’s not important to have those things, and sometimes that is part of our life for a season. But our characters went out seeking to make a better world and while they did that in many various ways, they also came back a little battered and with the realization that life is short and what really matters is investing in the people you love. And when you do that effectively, you make small changes around you and make the people around you better, which in turns starts a ripple effect sometimes more powerful longterm than trying to be a key playmaker. And in our busy modern world where people are on the run going from one activity to the next, I think we could take a step back and enjoy the little moments and start normalizing that instead of keeping up with the rat race.
I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the cold open. It was a little brutal and jarring. There were some highlights, like seeing Claire wear a cap for once and try to play the part of a submissive wife. While this scene is not in the books, we have see similar scenes in the books where Claire has rarely donned a cap to play the part. The captain who killed Frances’s parents got what he deserved. The amount of cringe going through me as he went on and on was unreal. Claire has always had little patience when it comes to sexist jerks. That combined with the fear and confusion of trying to make sense of Frances’ past and if she really related to them, as well as Claire’s PTSD, it’s no wonder Claire reacted how she did. Some might say Claire isn’t a killer but you can see the tremors going through her as she hears the captain go on and on. I think Claire would have stabbed him no matter what because of her sense of injustice. But the second stab is definitely because Claire knows what it is to be raped. And the third stab is for Jane and her mother suffering such cruelty. I love how Jamie just goes with it and helps Claire finish the guys off. He doesn’t get mad at her, he just helps get them out of there.
Do I believe Frances’ is their granddaughter? I don’t know. It’s not definite in the books yet. Part of me would love it and yet hate it at the same time if it were true. I’m waiting on passing judgement on that for now. However, in the show, we see it’s opened a door for Claire and Jamie. It was always hard for them to talk about Faith. Now they talk with such ease about not only Faith but other things of the past, like Frank. It’s evident they’ve been searching hard for information about Frances’s parents as they’ve traveled home. And while we may not know how much time has passed since last we saw them in Season 7 (although by the size of Rachel, at least a good 7-8 months), you see the ease between Jamie and Claire and Frances. And while part of them wants to tell Frances the family connection they think they have, Claire’s right to say they can’t. How would any of it make sense to a kid? Nor do they want to jeopardize the relationship and trust they’ve built with her.
We get to see the lovely moments they have with Fergus and Marsali and the kids. We see Jamie in adult parent mode trying to not tell Fergus what to do but still strongly hinting that treasonous papers is not smart for a family man. And Fergus totally throws back at Jamie what he used to do in Edinburgh. Claire is spoiling the kids with cookies for breakfast. We see more of Jamie’s humor out in this episode. Meanwhile it’s good to see Frances playing with other kids and getting to be a kid, even though we hear Fergus reference his own childhood and how it’s not easy to grow up in a brothel. It’s wonderful to see them understand the hardships they’ve gone through and show love and support, not judgement.
And while the family scenes with Fergus and Marsali are lovely, there’s no place like home. Jamie and Claire make their way easy to the Ridge. What they come home to is much like coming home after a long absence, like moving away and returning, or kids coming home from college for the summer to find that weird juxtaposition that everything seems the same and yet some things has changed. Their house is still gone, and in fact grass growing where their front step used to be. Yet Young Ian is there to greet them and show them their new home. Materials have been repurposed, their friends on the Ridge have shared what they could spare and their time to build a house for Mac Dubh. It’s not as grand but it will be just right. Rachel looks ready to pop any day, and I think Ian did all the nesting for them by building Claire’s surgery.
But speaking how things aren’t the same…Hiram Crombie has built a fancy new trading post. And while Claire is stoked that the 18th century version of Target is so close now, it comes with some strings attached. Hiram’s new business partner is Captain Cunningham, who formerly served in the British Army. I don’t know which is more uncomfortable, having a loyalist in the camp or seeing the love fest between the Captain and Hiram. As they kept trying to give all the glory to each other, it just reminded me of my students when they are newly dating and try to one-up each other by saying who loves the other more. And while it’s nice to see Amy MacCallum has married one of the Lindsey brothers, you can’t help but get a bad feeling about Captain Cunningham and that others might see him and Hiram more as leaders of the Ridge now.
Maybe I missed this but are Ian and Rachel in Jamie & Claire’s old cabin? Or are Lizzie and her husbands? By the way, I love when Lizzie stops by and how it’s still awkward for Jamie that she’s married to both Beardsley boys. I only ask about the house situation because the MacKenzies are back but they gotta live with Jamie and Claire. They’ve got plenty of room so it’s no big deal. But you immediately see the difference between Frances and Jemmy and Mandy when Jamie is given “Goodnight Moon.” Frances marvels how each picture looks like a painting. It’s a reminder that the Mac kids will have some adjusting to do. While the Macs are glad to be safe with Jamie and Claire, there’s a lot of unanswered questions and filling in that needs to happen. However, it’s great to see Jamie’s trust in Roger and already asking him to meet Captain Cunningham so Jamie can get a second opinion. It’s also lovely to see the ease Bree has with Jamie like in the books. It always seemed a little stilted in the show and more emotional moments with Claire. It’s lovely to see Bree and Jamie casually chatting and her reassuring him that Williams will come around. Perhaps some of Jamie’s freedom and ease in his relationships with Claire, Bree, and Roger stems from the fact that Williams knows the truth. It was always a burden that Jamie couldn’t claim or acknowledge William. And while he wouldn’t make it common knowledge in order to protect William, Jamie does seem a lot lighter.
Despite all these happy moments, it doesn’t change the world events happening around them or the unkindness of others. Bree goes hunting with Jamie and catches him up on the events surrounding Jemmy’s disappearance (I really hope we get to see more in episode 2 about them catching each other up instead of it all happening offscreen. I mean, Ian knows the truth now. I’d love to see him asking Bree questions about the future.) Bree and Jamie come across two men strung up and killed. It’s a reminder that even though they aren’t on the front lines, they can still feel the echoes of war. Mandy, who is just sitting on the porch playing with her Raggedy Ann doll, aka Esmeralda, gets slapped by Captain Cumningham’s mother for just being a kid from a different time not understanding the social rules of a earlier century, although I do love the Wicked Witch of the West references.
One thing that for sure didn’t disappoint was all the scenes with William and Lord John. Out of the frying pan and into the fire (which Bilbo Baggins says in The Hobbit, which also reminds me that I’m so glad they were able to keep in there that the Macs give Jamie The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien). John has traded Philadelphia for Savannah because his nephew Ben went missing, who also happened to have a new wife and child. There’s no better scene than Lord John having to try and stay professional with two soldiers while holding a crying, teething baby and dealing with his drunk son. William is officially in his identity crises, and John basically tells him to grow up and be a decent human. I love how he says he doesn’t care if Williams considers himself Ransom, Fraser, or Gray, there’s no reason to be rude. However I do think Williams has a point about Amaranthus. It seems awfully convenient of her to show up on John’s doorstep a few days after he comes to town.
The best scene though has to be when Jamie starts reading Frank’s book. He sees Frank’s picture on the dust jacket and realizes he looks exactly like Black Jack Randall, and we hear his voice. At the exact same moment, Claire touches his shoulder, almost scaring him. And while us fans have known from the previews that Frank’s book will foretell the future, I love to hear Jamie wondering how truthful Frank was. I think these moments, where we see our characters look back at their past and openly discuss things, as well as reminisce, are the touchstone moments of the episode. I loved the scene of Jamie recounting how they first said they loved each other at Lallybroch. You can feel the wanting emanating from Jamie. And while it fades to black, and we don’t see more, it’s a reminder how Sam Heughan knows how to act out desire and wanting so well.
It’s really easy to see this episode as just the chess game being set and finding out who the new players are and remember that happened to the old players. But if you really think about all the nuances in each scene, there’s more going on than is being said and a lot that hasn’t been said between the characters that we the audience know but the characters have still to find out about each other. And for all the changes on the Ridge and all we don’t know about Frances, there’s still a lot for us the viewer too.
Sidebar: People have made a big deal that show Jemmy doesn’t have red hair like the books. However, there’s been so much media the past week but I believe I saw on Sophie’s Instagram a sweet picture of Jemmy and Frances sitting together, and they totally look like cousins. Maybe there’s a recessive blonde trait in the family they both ended up with.
But I digress! I’m definitely looking forward to next week’s episode. It’s the beginning of the end. As most of our characters have been reminded of lately, make each moment count. I can’t wait for the next episode!
Slainte!
Dram: In honor of William’s poor choices, my Dram of choice is actually a cocktail called, The Suffering Bastard.
No comfort food this week. Getting Outlander was comfort enough, except for maybe seeing how some people handled cutting up meat at the trading post.
Song: Gotta go with the classic, Country Roads