No "Search" for Goodness in OUTLANDER

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s episode of OUTLANDER on Starz is all about “The Search” for Jamie (Sam Heughan). Learning he has been captured by the British, Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jenny (Laura Donnelly) set out to rescue their husband and brother, respectively. But rushing off without a plan could get Jamie into more dire straits than he’s presently in.

I like the arc of “The Search.” The episode begins with Jamie captured, and ends with the same. In the middle, though we do not see him, he is free for a time. However, Claire’s efforts to find him lead to him being nabbed again, or so we hear, which has to make her feel even worse than she already does, her actions resulting in the exact opposite outcome than what she wants.

It’s not all Claire’s fault. Jenny doesn’t have a plan, either, and having just given birth, she shouldn’t be out anywhere. She ends up heading home relatively early on, after a disturbing torture session, needing to return to nurse her child. Then, Claire’s second companion, Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix), comes up with the idea to make a reputation for themselves so that Jamie can find them. But Claire doesn’t just stick to his theory, introducing jazz music (highly amusing!) and trying to pay off a gypsy that is copying their shtick. That the gypsy ends up being helpful probably makes the whole thing a wash, at best.

Even with these setbacks, “The Search” is an entertaining episode of OUTLANDER. Jenny and Claire are still fairly new in their relationship, so it’s nice to see them bonding, even when it involves unwanted, painful branding. Murtagh is often around, but so little is known about him. Claire and Murtagh share one powerful scene this week that really helps flesh out his character.

In the end, though, it’s Clan MacKenzie that must help Claire rescue Jamie. First Willie (Finn Den Hertog) volunteers, then Angus (Stephen Walters), then the rest. Dougal (Graham McTavish) isn’t enthusiastic about the scheme to free Jamie from captivity, believing his nephew doomed, but he does allow his men to participate, so even if he’s not an asset, he’s not a strong detractor, either. Now we’ll just have to wait ‘til next week to see if they succeed, since “The Search” runs out of time before we actually get to the rescue.

A strange thing happens when Claire encounters Dougal in that he proposes she marry him. Dougal is obviously attracted to Claire, given that time he tried to rape her, but he never seems to like her very much. Why would he want her to be his bride? On the other hand, Dougal was in love with Geillis, who has much in common with Claire including being a time traveler, so perhaps he has a type that is not obvious to the observer. Or he just thinks he’s doing her a favor.

Claire is offended because, to her eyes, Dougal is leaving his nephew to die while trying to steal his bride, but I don’t think Dougal sees it that way. He is a practical man, and as much as he likes to fight for what he believes in, he’s not anxious to embark upon a suicide mission. I think if Dougal thought there were a decent chance to save Jamie, he would do so, and his dismissing the idea is purely because he doesn’t see a good way to make that happen.

Similarly, he seems to think he’s being noble by offering Claire protection, not trying to be an opportunist. Dougal is a man of his time, and I believe he is acting in what he thinks is a kind-hearted manner to a relation. Or, at least as kind-hearted as Dougal MacKenzie can get.

Not a lot happens in “The Search,” but it is chock full of compelling scenes, funny moments, and has great character development, especially for Murtagh and Dougal. That makes it a great episode in my book.

OUTLANDER airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.

"Watch" OUTLANDER Please!

Article originally written for Seat42F.

This week’s OUTLANDER on Starz continues Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire’s (Caitriona Balfe) stay at Lollybroch. Their safety is threatened, though, when outsiders come to the keep, first Taran MacQuarrie (Douglas Henshall, Primeval) and his men, known as “TheWatch,” also the title of the episode, then Redcoat deserter Horrocks (Lochlainn O Mearainn, King Arthur). Will one of them turn Jamie into the British for the price on his head? Or might the cost to keep them from doing so be even worse?

The first clue that MacQuarrie isn’t as bad as he seems is that Ian (Steven Cree) genuinely seems to like him. Jenny (Laura Donnelly) tolerates him, which is probably about as much one would expect from the lass, but Ian does MacQuarrie favors not to garner praise, but out of sheer respect. This is something Jamie can’t comprehend at first, MacQuarrie and his men being mercenaries who take a “protection fee” from his sister and her husband. But over time, Ian’s impression turns out to be true, MacQuarrie making up for his men’s bad behavior and giving back to the clan generously.

MacQuarrie is an interesting type. The type of security he offers is necessary in this time and place, the British patrolling around and bullying. While it, at first glance, his group might seem like a mob leaning on local business owners, MacQuarrie has to feed and clothe his men, and riding around trying to keep people safe is a full-time job. In this, he appears to be doing honest work for what his clients feel are fair wages. He lives in a grey area, but is not evil.

That conclusion is tested in “The Watch” when MacQuarrie essentially blackmails Jamie into helping him on a raid. The reason this can be overlooked is three-fold. First, he asks Jamie only for a single favor and doesn’t appear to be intending to keep changing or stretching out their terms, even if we would welcome Jamie on his team permanently. Second, the venture seems a reasonable trade for not collecting money he could very well collect. And three, by stealing from the Brits, he can charge the Scottish customers less, and in the minds of both Jamie and MacQuarrie, the British kind of deserve it. Thus, while the situation isn’t the most pleasant, it is reasonable.

“The Watch” again reminds us that Jamie is more a part of this world than ours, as civilized as he might seem at times. He understands MacQuarrie and does develop a sort of friendship with him over the course of the hour, or at least mutual respect. He also executes Horrocks when threatened financially, not bodily, which is about protecting his family, but is certainly more than simple self-defense. That Ian is the one who actually runs Horrocks through gives me even more respect for Jamie’s brother-in-law, a fine man and worthy husband, but that matters not to this point, as Jamie would have shot Horrocks anyway had Ian not shown up.

The end of “The Watch” is yet another cliffhanger. I am glad and surprised to see that Ian survived to return home to his wife and newborn daughter. It’s not so surprising that Jamie is captured. Ambushed as Jamie, Ian, and The Watch are, captured or killed are the two most likely options, far more realistic than escaping. One can assume Ian makes it out because he’s not seen as a threat with his bad leg and he’s the least important target. Jamie is exactly the opposite, and the British already have a price on his head.

Hopefully, Jamie will be rescued. I can’t imagine Claire successfully mounting a defense on her own, and Jenny and Ian certainly aren’t equipped to do so. This seems to necessitate a return to the MacKenzies, Claire needing their assistance, and it will be welcome to see them be back on OUTLANDER. It’s only been two episodes since they were last glimpsed, but they are missed.

The other subplot in “The Watch” involves Claire helping Jenny deliver her baby. The drama over the breach birth is real, given the almost barbaric medical knowledge of the era. But Claire is not from here, and brings enough know-how to see things through to a positive outcome for both mother and child. More importantly, it raises the question as to whether Jamie and Claire will have children, as they seem like natural parents are they are certainly expected to continue the family line.

Claire’s confession to Jamie that she fears she is unable to bear children, given her failure to do so for Frank (Tobias Menzies), is met with typical acceptance and warmth by Jamie. One has to applaud a man for taking what would be, in these days at least, devastating news and seeing past it for love. It shows the depth of his affection for Claire. I can’t help but hope, and assume, that they will manage to do what Claire and Frank could not and produce a kid.

“The Watch” is another excellent installment of the series. Expanding the world with layered characters is always welcome, and it balances a very personal story with action and suspense. Each week, I find myself looking forward to the next installment, and this one is no different. If I had next week’s episode available, I would likely have already watched it.

OUTLANDER airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.

OUTLANDER Goes Home to "Lallybroch"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

On this week’s OUTLANDER, Jamie (Sam Heughan) brings Claire (Caitriona Balfe) home to meet the family. While they may already be married, it still feels a bit like the dating scene, where Claire is judged by her new relations and she gets herself into the middle of family issues in which she isn’t invited nor wanted involved in. Even if the start is a little rocky, though, the episode, “Lallybroch,” gives us great insight into who Jamie is and what is his life is like pre-Claire.

Earlier this season, we see Jamie flogged by Captain Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) and witness his sister, Jenny (Laura Donnelly), have herself exposed by the soldier. “Lallybroch” begins with the weight of these events hanging between the two siblings, and to help us understand what remains unsaid between them, OUTLANDER shows us more of the past.

Black Jack is cruel, and that is not a new revelation. Nothing he does in “Lallybroch,” from trying to rape Jenny, whose laughter makes him angry but saves her modesty, to wanting to humiliate Jamie through “buggering” him and flogging him again when Jamie refuses, is surprising. He’s a twisted individual, and it makes me wonder again how a man as decent as Frank sprang from this seed, even if Black Jack is quite a bit back in the past.

The other element not known beforehand is that Brian (Andrew Whipp, Emmerdale), Jamie and Jenny’s father, perishes during this. Both Fraser siblings blame themselves for their patriarch’s passing, and that makes it hard to look their kin in the eye. Knowing all that transpired really informs the excellent, uneasy chemistry between Heughan and Donnelly. Their final airing of guilt and affirming their love for one another is that much sweeter because of the hardship.

Claire has been around enough Scots to know their personalities can be a bit rough, but she is not prepared for Jenny’s cold reception to her new sister-in-law, which is tied to Jenny’s uneasiness with Jamie. I guess that, because Jamie always seems more compassionate than the MacKenzie clan, one sometimes forgets that he is part of this society, too, with the same emotional makeup, something I commented on in another recent review, and was still surprised by again this week.

Luckily, one does not have to be like a Fraser to love them. Jenny’s husband, Ian (Steven Cree, Brave), is as good-natured as they come, making up for Jenny’s standoffishness. I think, even though he and Claire don’t really share much time alone together, he is a big part of why she is able to settle in so easily, relatively speaking.

Claire is Claire, so she does cause trouble. She interferes with a man disciplining his son, and speaks up against Jamie in front of his sister. Part of this is being a product of her time, but part of it is just because she’s a woman unable to hold her tongue. That may not be the norm for this place, but it’s not different enough to startle the people of “Lallybroch,” and she is pretty much accepted by the end of the hour.

I greatly enjoy “Lallybroch” and the greater understanding of Jamie it provides, as well as the fun, tense scene at the mill, but I find myself missing the MacKenzies. OUTLANDER is structured to follow Claire; it is not an ensemble piece. When she is away from the supporting characters, we don’t get to see what happens to them. That’s fine, but it’s a testament to the other performers in the series that the episodes in which they are absent make one look forward even more to catching back up with them again.

OUTLANDER remains excellent. Don’t miss it, Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz.