Previously on Outlander: Jamie convinces Lord Lovat to give him men for war.
The title of this episode, the Fraser family motto, translates to “I am ready”—but is anyone on this show really ready for what’s about to befall them?
While Jamie and Murtagh whip the ragtag band of rebels into shape (sometimes literally, when an English boy is able to get into the camp unbeknownst to anyone else), Claire is left to deal with the fallout from her own past: WWII. The preparations for war have triggered traumatic flashbacks to the time where she and two American soldiers were ambushed on a road—she was the only one to survive, by lying in a ditch and listening to her friends die.
Claire hadn’t dealt with that portion of her life—she locked it away for two years and never thought about it, until once again, she found herself in a war encampment, where people she knew and loved were very likely training to die.
Meanwhile, Dougal shows up, and he’s having a hard time accepting that Jamie is in charge now. He also threatens to tell Jamie about his and Claire’s agreement to wed if Jamie died—which, she says, Jamie already knows about. After a tongue-lashing from her and some harsh truths from Jamie, he eventually gets back into line.
Finally, the young British boy who was able to infiltrate the camp was saved from being tortured by none other than Claire. She pretends to offer herself to Jamie (“Scottish barbarian!”) in exchange for letting the boy go. He offers up the information Jamie wants when it appears Jamie will “ravish” this poor Englishwoman—and enables Jamie to steal pins from the wagons that carry the cannons, and burn the wheels.
Kilt Drops: 0
SHOW, SERIOUSLY. Having Jamie turn down sex in favor of hitting the road? That’s just cruel.
Wit and Wordplay
William Grey: “Red Jamie, the unprincipled and traitorous rebel!”
This line was perfectly delivered. New motto?
Corporal Grant: “Yeah… we just get K-rations pretending to be real food. We call it shit on a shingle — sorry ma’am.”
Yum, Shit on a Shingle. Which, according to the internet, is chipped beef and cream over toast, and NOT just my mother’s favorite swear.
Sasse-WHAT?
- I’m assuming that the kid, who declared himself honor-bound to Jamie, is popping up again sometime. (Book people, feel free to share—just tag your comment with book spoilers if it is one.)
- Training montage! Too bad the Rocky music would be anachronistic.
- Dougal has long nipples. That’s not an observation I was emotionally prepared to make.
- Offering the men land in order to motivate them to fight…what could go wrong later?
- The “ravishing” scene looked like foreplay. I was SURE we were going to get an epic kilt drop later. Maybe Jamie was still retrieving his family jewels from the crotch shot Claire landed.
Next week: War begins!
