Previously on Outlander: Claire saves a boy from “demons” (illness), another boy gets his ear nailed to the pillory, and a bard sings a song about a time traveler. Jamie is still hot.
Welcome back! Brush up on the drinking game rules and pull up a seat. (Or nurse your hangover, because I counted at least three shots from last night’s episode.)
Claire is hellbent on escape, having planned her getaway down to how many paces she needs to take between ducking for cover. She’s been playing hunting games with the children in the woods, leaving hair ribbons to mark her path, but Dougal’s shadows want to get back to the festivities at the castle. She sets them off chasing a woman and goes to find a horse and steal a knife from the kitchen, when Mrs. Fitz insists that Claire attend the gathering that night.
Before Mrs. Fitz gets Claire gussied up, Geillis finds Claire’s food stash and asks Claire if she’s pregnant. Claire hedges that he’s not alive, and reveals that she and Frank were unable to conceive. Geillis, 18th Century Life Coach, offers advice on everything from making promises to how much valerian root one needs to put in their husband’s tea to make sure he doesn’t accost her overnight. Geillis knows something is up, but lets it drop after warning Claire that the highlands are no place for a woman alone. (Drink throughout this entire scene.)
At the gathering, Diana Gabaldon makes an appearance (Iona), cattily exchanging words with Mrs. Fitz, before it’s time for the oath-taking. Murtagh translates (drink!). Claire tries to run off, and when her shadow begs her to stay until he’s “bagged a lass” (gee) for the evening, she hands him some drugged port and encourages him to share it with everyone.
Before she can escape, though, Laoghaire begs her for a love potion. (That girl just drips with wide-eyed sincerity. She’d be really annoying if I didn’t feel so sorry for her.) It seems the cute blonde stirs Jamie’s nether regions, but not his more sentimental organs. Claire gives her dried horse dung and tells her to tap her heels together and chant “there’s no place like love.” How anyone kept a straight face during this scene is beyond me.
Okay! Back to escaping! But first, Claire has to be accosted by handsy drunkards (chug your entire drink, pour another), only to be rescued by Dougal – who does the same damned thing. (Chug.) Claire knocks him out with a stool.
Back to escaping, for real this time! Except, wait – Claire trips right over Jamie in the stables, effectively ending her escape plans for that evening. (He calls her Sassenach – shot!)
Jamie, for his part, has been hiding out to avoid the oath-taking. He’s caught between the two uncles – if he swears the oath to Colum, Dougal will probably kill him because he wants to be Laird. If he doesn’t swear the oath, Dougal will probably end up killing him anyway. His solution is to promise to obey Colum as long as he remains on Colum’s lands.
And finally, we are off to slaughter a wild pig, but not before the wild pig manages to slaughter someone else. Dougal and Claire nurse (drink) and stay with the felled man (Geordie) until his dying breath, which reveals a softer side of Dougal. Gee, when he’s not getting fresh with Claire he has a heart? It was a difficult scene to watch, and not just because of the blood and gore.
Dougal bestows a grudging respect on Claire, having realized that she’s seen men die violent deaths before (drink) – which leads him to invite her to tag along on their road trip to collect rent. I sincerely hope there are some Crossroads style sing-alongs and shenanigans up in here.
Kilt Drops: 0
I was very afraid we might see up an unwanted kilt there for a moment, though.
Sasse-WHAT?
- “Anything catch your eye there, lass?”
- “I’ll just be settlin’ my cock to roost in that tonight!”
- “Something in port makes my husband fart like an ox.”
- Loved the use of 1940s torch songs to call back to the 20th century.
- I always fight with sticks to get over my grief at losing a friend.
What did you all think? Not enough Jamie, right?
Next episode: Claire cautions the Scots against fighting the British.
