Come sail over the sea to Skye with us this summer, as we take a trip through the stones to the first season of the television adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander book series. First published in 1991 with Outlander, Gabaldon’s multi-genre novels features the time traveling love story of Claire (Caitriona Balfe), a 1940s woman who finds herself out of time and place in Scotland in the era of the Jacobite rebellion. The U.S. pay TV network Starz debuted the Outlander TV series in 2014, with the show concluding its fifth season last year. In celebration of the ninth novel out this autumn and the sixth season of the TV series debuting in early 2022, we’re spending our 2021 summer vacation at Castle Leoch.
While at “The Gathering” at the end of last week’s episode, Claire found renewed hope that she will get back to her time. But will she execute on that hope?
It should also be noted that Outlander is very much an 18+ series, with graphic violence and sexuality throughout. And of course, spoilers within for both the tv show and the novel series.
This episode contains a content warning for a scene of sexual assault against a woman.
1. Pleasant Diversions
You have to smile and feel warmth at Claire’s maternal nature with the kids of Castle Leoch, playing a hunting game in the courtyard during the gathering. But there’s more than just chasing after children: Claire’s looking for her escape route. Wisely, she puts on a good poker face to Angus and Rupert Mackenzie, her ever-present chaperones. But in that courtyard and forest are bits of her clothing, and she’s taken other subtle steps through the episode to stage her escape, making sure all her plans fly under the radar of the ever watchful eyes of the castle. Frank’s spy training during the war has certainly rubbed off on her.
But Claire is also conflicted. She wants to go home, but she also enjoys the simplicity and hospitality of the gathering. It almost makes you want to root for her to get caught. And perhaps deep down, she wants to get caught too.
2. Seeing a Man About a Horse
In these recaps, I’ve spoken about the joy of finding subtle subtext missed on my first viewing, and Claire’s visit to the stables to pick a horse for the hunt the next day is no exception. The background music is that of the 1940s. The description of the horse Claire gets, Brimstone (an ominous name if there ever was one) is a horse that “if you’re not minding her every moment, she’ll turn for home first chance she gets.”
Sound a bit familiar?
Though I see a bit of sorrow on Claire’s face when she’s told Jamie is not in the stables, so perhaps there’s something tugging her back to 1743. Passing off powdered horse dung as a love potion to Laoghaire MacKenzie perhaps tips her hand even more.
Also of note is stable master Alec’s comment about the gathering not being one of Jamie’s favorite things. More on that later.
3. The Mysteries of Geillis
On one hand, you almost feel for Geillis in this episode. Her advice to Claire about how to make a life here shows a woman longing for a friend. But knowing her true identity and that she will eventually turn against Claire adds a darker tone to this friendly chat. Even though I know this eventual endgame with Geillis and Claire, it’s fun puzzling your way through their relationship, discovering the small signs of something amiss that you missed the first time.
4. Hey Don’t I Know You From Somewhere You Look Like That Lady
Two behind the scenes players make their way to the front of the camera in this episode. That’s author Diana Gabaldon as Iona MacTavish, who Mrs. Fitz greets with Claire on their way to the oath taking. (Also of note is Mrs. Fitz’s comments on Iona’s choice of attire. Burn!) And Ronald Moore, executive producer and showrunner, plays an extra as one of the guests in the oath-taking in the hall.
5. Je Suis Pret
The best laid plans of Claire Beacham go astray in rather violent means – – first in a drunken encounter with some men in the hallway, and second with Dougal MacKenzie. Once she’s past those two, it almost feels like smooth sailing, until Jamie thwarts her at the stables, the first time we’ve seen him all episode. The gathering is what thwarts her plans, as Jamie wisely advises: guards are everywhere. It’s a heartbreaking bucket of cold water for Claire, and Jamie does just what she needs in that moment: be a friend and take her back to the castle, safely via some tunnels to avoid a repeat of the assaults she experienced earlier.
Continued belowBut even that goes awry as the guards recognize Jamie: it seems someone was late to the party when someone should have been there early. Whatever the reason, Jamie is ready to face the music: je suis pret, I am ready, as he says. It seems that there is some family tension with the oath taking. If Jamie pledges fealty to Colum (and he has no choice, being an able bodied man), he ends up more favored in line to become Laird, and that’s something Dougal very much wants for himself at any cost. Jamie’s between a rock and a hard place, and Claire is heartbroken to realize his act of friendship put him right in that spot.
Crisis though ends up averted as Jamie pledges obedience to Colum while on his lands, and not loyalty, thereby keeping Dougal’s position secure and Jamie’s head attached to the rest of his body. Whew. Now we party.
6. The Hunt
There’s a LOT packed into this episode – – after Jamie’s “oath-taking” there’s still 15 minutes left, and the matter of a boar hunt. Claire is along as a healer, and it’s a good thing she is, as the boars get the best of more than one hunter, and almost Claire herself. (Those of the faint of heart and weak stomach may not want to watch these scenes while eating.) It’s also a moment for us to see Dougal’s tender side, as he, along with Claire, comfort a hunter (Geordie) who will not survive his injuries.
In a moment of gratitude for Claire’s compassion in Geordie’s final hours, Dougal extends an invitation for Claire to join him on the rent collection and leave her imprisonment in the castle. Sure, he needs a healer on the trip, but he also knows from earlier that Claire wants out of Castle Leoch. Dougal is a smart man.
When opportunity knocks, one has to answer the door – – even if the person on the other side is not who you may expect.
Time to go collect some rents.
The Lost Papers of Black Jack Randall (Our Afterthoughts Section)
- This episode corresponds with Chapters 9 and 10 of the Outlander novel, with its title borrowed from that of Chapter 9
- Nothing like some good innuendo to start off the show, as Claire finds herself staring up Angus’s kilt.
- The Gaelic continues to be without subtitles, reiterating that as much as Claire does find herself drawn more and more to the charms of the 18th century, there is still one part of her that stays locked to the 20th. In the coming episodes, however, there will be a more overt symbol of those dual identities.
We’ll see you next week for “Rent” and do let us know what you thought of the episode in the comments.
As of this writing, the first season of Outlander is available for viewing on Netflix, where seasons 2-4 are also available (except in the UK). In the UK, the show is available on Amazon Prime Video UK. All five seasons of the show are also available via Starz (in the United States).
