Previously on Outlander: Dougal decided they could use a healer on their journey to collect Collum’s rents. Claire is still hellbent on escape.
Don’t you just love road trips? Me too! Kitschy motels, gas station snack foods, obscure tourist attractions, and lots of singing in the car. This isn’t that kind of road trip.
While traveling across MacKenzie lands, Claire meets Colum’s lawyer, New Gowan, as they bond over their love for the poet, John Donne. Ned tells her that Colum’s rent comes mostly in the form of grain and livestock. It’s Ned’s preference that they no longer accept live pigs. After asking about his cough, Claire handily treats Ned’s asthma (DRINK) by having him smoke some kind of weed in his pipe. But not that kind of weed.
Dougal and his men tell dirty jokes around the campfire, mostly in Gaelic. Claire takes offense at their exclusion of her. Jamie brings her a bannock and assures her that they don’t hate her, but they still don’t trust her. She stomps off in a huff and doesn’t even eat her bannock. It’s okay Jamie, I like bannocks! (It’s like a biscuit, right?)
Claire wanders off while the rents are being collected and meets a village lady who brings her to where the woman are working wool. Claire joins them in the charming ritual that involves chanting and hot piss.
Angus (At least I think it’s Angus. I’m still having trouble telling the bearded mountain men apart.) comes and drags Claire back to the group, where she embarrasses herself, trying to reclaim a goat that was paid as rent, to give back to a family with a hungry baby. Dougal ridicules her, claiming she’s drunk. Which? Fair. This scene attracts the attention of a young English soldier in the village who wants to know if he can offer Claire some assistance. The Scotsmen tell him to mind his own.
That night, they stop at an inn, where Dougal gives a speech in Gaelic, using Jamie’s scarred back, to elicit donations from the men in attendance. He collects a “respectable sum” and then orders Claire to mend the shirt he ripped off Jamie. She refuses out of pique, but relents when Dougal makes it clear that he doesn’t care if Jamie wears rags. Not interested in pity, Jamie grabs the shirt to mend himself. What ever happened to hot dudes who can sew?
At another campfire, Claire gets all uppity about not wanting to eat stolen food (the chickens that were collected from the Watch, who had indeed stolen them from a family who couldn’t pay for protection). Angus has had enough of her tongue and pulls a knife on her. Just another day in the Highlands where Claire has forgotten her place. Not learning her lesson, she later confronts Dougal and accuses him of lining his pockets with the money they collect in their evenings at the inns.
The next evening, while listening to Dougal’s speech, she finally catches a word she knows, amidst the Gaelic. She realizes he’s speaking about the Stuarts. She flashes back (forward?) to a lecture about the failed Jacobite rebellion, courtesy of Frank and Reverend Wakefield. Maybe I’ve become too accustomed to dirty and bearded mountain men, because Frank looks far more attractive than the last time we saw him. But now Claire realizes that Dougal is planning to use that money to raise an army, to rebel against the English.
Claire overhears Jamie and Dougal arguing over the use of Jamie’s scars in his rebellion propaganda. Typically, Dougal doesn’t really care what Jamie’s opinion on the matter is. Claire attempts to comfort Jamie by firelight, where he looks amazing, and calls her “Sassenach”. (DRINK.)
The next night, Claire wakes to strange thumping noises outside her door, goes to investigate, and trips over Jamie. HE WAS SLEEPING OUTSIDE HER DOOR, to prevent any unwanted visitors who might wander up from the taproom. Then she scandalizes him by inviting him to stay in the room with her. He’s far more cognizant of her reputation than she is.
At breakfast the next morning, Claire is trying to tell Ned Gowan that they would be on the losing side of a war against England (DRINK) when a brawl breaks out. Afterwards, while tending to wounds and doling out a lecture, Claire finds out that it was her honor that was being defended, after someone called her a whore. These dirty mountain men are just precious. Fact: All Scottish barroom brawls require bagpipe music.
While saddling up the horses, Jamie tells Claire their destination is Culloden Moor, in a few days time. In flashback, we see her walk the Culloden battlefield memorial with Frank. She recalls the tragic fight that will claim so many lives in just three years, and wonders how many of her traveling companions will be among them.
Claire goes down to the river to wash. Dougal follows, because he’s still suspicious of her intentions, especially since she’s been hinting to New Gowan of the hopelessness of a Stuart rebellion (DRINK). They’re soon surrounded by Redcoat soldiers, led by the same officer she met in one of the villages. He wants to know if she’s traveling willingly with the MacKenzies. We do not get to hear her answer.
Kilt Drops: 0
You are on premium cable, show. It’s time you started living up to your end of the bargain.
Sasse-WHAT?
- Claire’s hair clearly misses the ministrations of Mrs. Fitz. What is she thinking riding around the countryside like that? Claire’s hair is why scrunchies were invented.
- “Angus can kiss my English ass.”
- “You’re a guest of the MacKenzie. We can insult you., but God help any other man that does.” This probably shouldn’t have won me over quite as much as it did.
The show seems to be taking its sweet time maneuvering certain characters where we want them to be. But at least the scenery is beautiful, right? Oh, and Scotland seems pretty too. What did you think? Pick up any new road trip ideas? Ready to dye some wool, old school style? Tell us in the comments!
Next episode: Claire appears to be at a military base with Black Jack Randall. Surprise – he doesn’t trust her either.
