Introducing a new, important character into a long-running series is always difficult, but they're doing nicely with William. And yes, maybe Claire getting captured was a bit contrived, but Claire and Ian interacting with William was absolutely the highlight of this episode.
I loved how Claire came into the camp and immediately took charge, harassing the redcoats loudly for water and food, organizing care for the patients. Sadly, it wasn't enough to save the very likeable Walter Woodcock. Leaving him behind didn't save his life, after all; moving him so soon after major surgery had to be what killed him. At least Claire was there to hold his hand and make him as comfortable as possible, considering the lying-in-the-dirt situation, but William's brandy flask was what probably made the biggest difference. Claire saw Jamie in William, who was clever and decisive, but most of all, kind.
This was a good episode for Ian, who was indeed the right one to infiltrate the camp and exfiltrate Claire. It was honorable and classy of William to thank Ian for saving his life, and to pay back that debt by releasing Claire.
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| Sam Heughan looks good doing anything, doesn't he? |
William is almost literally surrounded by relatives, and doesn't know it. Ian is his first cousin, Claire is his stepmother, and his natural father was outside the fort shooting flaming arrows in his direction. And Brigadier General Simon Fraser is, what? a third cousin? Every shot that Jamie took in this episode, the flaming arrows, the knife he threw that took out a redcoat, could have killed William. It added tension to the action, even though it's deeply improbable that the writers of this show would introduce Jamie's son as a continuing character only to kill him off.
Later, after Claire and Jamie were reunited, I loved the little acting choice of the two of them gently handling William's flask like a talisman, a physical representative of William. I thought what Claire said to Jamie about William, especially the fierceness of a Highlander behind his courtly manners, also related well to Roger's adventures teaching Gaelic 101.
Sadly, there was another delay in that trip to Scotland. Jamie was just recruited as a sniper by Colonel Daniel Morgan, a man with a strange taste in clothes. Saratoga, a turning point in the Revolutionary War, was also mentioned. There might be a mid-season finale coming up.
Meanwhile in 1980, Roger had a grand old time teaching an introduction to Gaelic to parents, teachers and kids at Broch Mordha Elementary School, accurately describing it as part of Highlands history and culture. Oddly, his biggest enthusiast during that class was sexist pig Rob Cameron, who praised Brianna and invited himself to dinner.
Unfortunately, Cameron is almost certainly doing this because Roger's Hitchhiker's Guide to Time Travel was mistakenly included in the Gaelic materials Roger was circulating in class. Right before, Roger had written down what Bree told him about the visual wall of energy she saw in the tunnel. I doubt Cameron thinks it was science fiction.
The last bit of the episode was such a teaser. Roger finally caught the Nuckelavee, and guess who it was? The man who got Roger hanged back at Alamance, Buck Mackenzie. Which might not have been that obvious, since he was originally played by an aged-down Graham McTavish and is now played by Diarmaid Murtagh.
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| Graham McTavish as Buck Mackenzie |
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| Diarmaid Murtagh as Buck Mackenzie |
Book versus Series
This entire season has stuck closely to the book version, no major differences. There was a good bit more to Mrs. Raven than just an introduction and suicide. And in the books, Roger was still having a lot of trouble speaking and singing from the injury to his throat.
Bits:
— This week's post-credit scene was water and the canoes transporting the refugees.
— Roger explained that there are no swear words in Gaelic, that insults and swears are usually creative. That's so cool.
— Roger and Brianna discussed ley lines as the possible cause of time travel portals.
— When the refugees arrived at their new digs at the end of the episode, Jamie immediately went out hunting to provide food. How come the soldiers at the British fort didn't do the same?
— Captain Richardson told William that the three men he was supposed to contact at the Great Dismal Swamp were undercover spies. Is Richardson a traitor? Was he just covering his butt?
— Rachel kept Rollo for Ian while he was away. That was such a cute, flirtateous scene, their hands surrepticiously touching as they were petting Rollo.
— Sinead O'Connor, whose version of "The Skye Boat Song" is in this season's credits, has just died. She was such an interesting and troubled person.
Quotes:
Claire: "May I ask, how did you know who I was?"
Hammond: "He said you'd be the curly wig giving orders like a sergeant-major."
Claire: "Wasn't anything I could do. Just sat there and held his hand. Saved his life only to watch him die."
Jamie: "Sometimes a hand in the dark is the comfort a man needs before his soul takes its final journey."
Jamie: "A woman takes life with her when she goes. A woman is... possibility."
Claire: "If you think one man is just like another, then I can't agree with you."
Much like last week's, this was a good episode that advanced the story. And you know where all this is going. When are Jamie and William going to meet face to face?
Three out of four curly wigs and brandy flasks,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
The Gaelic lesson was delightful. I love that the show was really willing to spend some time on that issue.
ReplyDeleteThe realtors name on the for sale sign was Cameron, too, wasn't it? Can these Cameron's be trusted?
Thank you for clarifying who that guy was. All I could guess was that he was 18th century.
Claire knows so much more about the Revolutionary War than I do.
"When the refugees arrived at their new digs at the end of the episode, Jamie immediately went out hunting to provide food. How come the soldiers at the British fort didn't do the same?"
ReplyDeleteOoh! I actually know the answer! By this point in the war, squads like Morgans' Rifleman had gotten extremely good at ambushing British foraging squads to the point that they were extremely hesitant to go out into the countryside and preferred to wait for their supply wagons to catch up.