Outlander Episode 10: By The Pricking Of My Thumbs

Someone loads a pistol and put it with its twin in a box.  A matched set of pistols.  I wonder if they’ll ever come up again?  Surely not.

We open with Claire and Jamie engaged in relations, or rather, Jamie is waking Claire up with a little corn grinding.  It feels voyeuristic, but the focus is entirely on Claire’s pleasure and orgasm, and that’s cool, but I’ll be over here awkwarding in a corner until they’ve finished.

UNLIKE MURTAGH WHO HAS NO SUCH PROPRIETIES and knocks on the door insistently, even though Claire and Jamie are newlyweds and honestly, Murtagh, don’t look like you weren’t expecting to find them both nekkid.  For god’s sake.

Murtagh comes with news that the Duke of Sandringham is there, and taken up residence in a local house.  There’s a few jokes about trading ass for a pardon, but seriously, Jamie says, he’s not asking for a favor, he’s seeking justice.  TOTALLY DIFFERENT.  Claire has a vague memory of the past-future (future-past?) and tells Jamie he can’t trust the Duke.  Jamie’s like duh, I know he sexually harasses dudes.  No, Claire says, he’s a patron of Black Jack Randall.  Murtagh suggests maybe talking with the lawyer first.  Smartest thing he’s ever said.

“This could mean we get to go home to Lallybroch!” Jamie is excited; Claire is reserved.

The lawyer is dubious that even with the Duke’s backing, getting an English court to believe Jamie over Randall would work.  Jamie adorably insists he has the truth on his side!  “Truth or lies have very little to do with the law.”  This is why Ned and I need to be besties.  Ned is interested in this idea that Randall and the Duke have close ties: we could try to convince the Duke that maintaining friendship with such a douchebag would be a bad idea.  He suggest drawing up a complaint against Randall for crimes against the Scottish people, and getting the Duke to present it to the court, starting a court martial, or at least transfer someplace less nice.  With Randall in disgrace, a court case for Jamie would have a much higher chance of success.

Claire stalks into the kitchen to find Laoghaire.  She accuses Laoghaire of putting the ill-wish under her bed.  Claire says she knows Laoghaire had feelings, and that not having those feelings returned sucks, but Jamie was not hers, so back the fuck off. Laoghaire is like he was and is mine, and “My poor Jamie” and “He has to get blind drunk to plow your fields!” and “Loveless marriage to a cold English bitch!” Claire slaps her and L’s like yup, I totally put that ill-wish under your bed and I bought it from Geillis.  Claire: “Stay away from me, AND my husband.”

Claire goes to Geillis’ house, where her husband is having a rousing case of tummy troubles, howling for Geillis’ tonic and chewing the scenery.  The maid tells Claire that since it is a full moon, she can find Geillis in the woods, before dawn.  The husband bellows “A CHAMBER POT DAMN YOU” and Claire books it.  Do not blame her.

That night, in the woods, Claire finds Geillis draped in sheer fabric, dancing around fires, making incantations, and basically doing witchy things.  Claire flashes back to the dancers around the stones, and it’s a lovely scene (and Bear McCready kills it with the music).

“You can come out, now, Claire.”  Claire could have joined her, it’s really quite delightful.  Claire notes that Geillis is pregnant, to which Geillis says no one else knows, not even Arthur.  Claire asks about sex, and Geillis says that she and her husband aren’t doing it, but she and Dougal are grinding the corn every time.  Claire does not hide her surprise and judgeyness.  Geillis says that she performed a Summoning, asking for “our freedom- Dougal’s and mine.”  And that she needs Claire to keep her secrets.

Walking back, Geillis says she never would have sold Laoghaire the ill-wish if she’d known it was for Claire (lies) and that Claire would totally be within her rights to get back at her.  Claire admits that Geillis is her only friend and wouldn’t want to.  Geillis shows Claire a bit of jewelry that Sandrigham gave Dougal, but instead of giving it to his wife, Dougal gave it to Geillis.  Claire sorts through things and realizes that Sandringham was more interested in seeing Dougal- and remembering a conversation with Frank and Reverend Wakefield realizes that Sandringham is a secret Jacobite.

Claire and Geillis hear a baby crying, and Geillis tries to tell Claire that the baby is on a fairy hill, and is a changeling.  The fairies took the baby and left a sick thing in it’s place, and the parents put it on the fairy hill to get the fairies to trade back.  Claire climbs the hill, but by the time she finds the baby, it’s died.  She holds it, and cries, and that’s how Jamie finds her.  “You’ve a kind heart, but you’ve no idea what you’re dealing with.”  Jamie puts the baby back in the tree, crossing himself as he does.

Jamie tells her it’s dangerous, and she spit-asks if he believes in fairies.  He says no, but many of the people around have never been far from where they were born, and it might comfort the parents of the baby, to think that the changeling died and their own child is happy and living with the fairies.  “Take me home.”

Back at the castle, Jamie shows her the complaint, and despite her doubts about Sandringham, he needs her to sign it.  She does.

Sandringham (played by the wonderful Simon Callow!) is staying in a very lovely house while he’s in Scotland, and Claire is there, working on softening the ground.  Sandringham is not really amused.  Jamie doesn’t know she’s there.  Sandringham is just all, lol no.  This is ridiculous.  “I understand, to turn against one friend sucks.” “HE IS NOT MY FRIEND I HARDLY KNOW THE MAN but if he was it wouldn’t be beyond the pale or social suicide you understand right?” Besides, he’s just too busy with things and stuff to deal with these libelous falsities.  (He’s super proud of that phrase.)

Claire drops the bomb.  “How much Jacobite gold did Dougal Mackenzie pass on to you?” Sandringham blathers about slander and how dare you and Claire’s like yeah, but my friendship is better than a charge of treason, right?  “You have the most lovely neck.  It holds your head up so well.  I’d hate to see them parted.”  The stare, and he breaks first.  “I don’t want to be overhasty about Jamie.  I’M SO FOND OF HIM.  …his grievance deserves to be heard.”

Smug with the satisfaction of a job well done, Claire walks into the courtyard at the Castle, to find Thing One and Thing Two saying Colum is looking for her.  Dougal’s wife has died and Dougal has LOST HIS SHIT.  “What does Colum expect me to do?”  “Savage the beast with one of those sedatives of yours?”  In the hall, Claire has a sedative, Colum is over all of this, and Dougal is breaking everything-raging that his wife deserved better, blah blah blah manpain.  Thing Two (or is it Thing One?) convinces him to drink sedative laced wine with a toast to the fair Moira, and Dougal passes out ingloriously.   (Graham McTavish left toothmarks on the scenery.)

In the market, Geillis is smug as fuck about Moira’s death:  “You won’t begrudge me a wee bit of celebration.  After all, my prayers have been answered.”  Honestly, Geillis. Geillis, honestly.  Geillis says that she’ll have Dougal in time, and Claire’s like “Um you’re still married.”  Geillis merely smirks.

Jamie and Murtagh ride up to see Sandringham, and as they go in, the MacDonald boys are leaving.  Inside, Sandringham looks over the complaint, and is pissy that everyone seems to know that he’s besties with Randall.  Sandringham snits that protecting Randall from himself is a full time job. “And I hate work.”  He’ll help Jamie, but needs a favor.  He wants Jamie to be the second in a duel.  Sigh.  It’ll be just an affair of honor- shots fired, no blood.  Murtagh disbelieves that it’ll be that simple.

Sandringham gets a little handsy.  Murtagh grumps that this is all a terrible idea, and Jamie’s like yeah, but it’s the best bad idea we’ve got.

At the banquet, Claire is in her prettiest dress yet, and a weird mink collar thing.  Colum, Sandringham, and Dougal are at the top of the hall when the peacock pie is presented in, and the duke makes a ceremonial first cut.  Colum makes a lovely toast, and everyone settles down to eat.  Jamie brings Claire over to Sandringham, and Sandringham makes with the “I have totally never met you before ever.”  Claire sends Jamie off to get booze, and then lights into Sandringham for his whole quid pro quo nonsense.

Geillis’ husband starts choking, and dies, coughing and gasping for air and foaming at the mouth.  Geillis turns and exchanges a look with Dougal, and Dougal gives her the faintest smile. Colum sees this (“DOUGAL MACKENZE IN FRONT OF PEOPLE. AGAIN.”) as Geillis begins wailing.  Claire notes that she could smell bitter almonds- cyanide.

The next morning, Jamie performs his duties as second.  True to Sandringham’s word, there is no blood spills as the result of the pistols…   but a brawl breaks out afterwards over snippy words (true to form, the final straw is a “your mom” joke).  Jamie wins, but not without getting slashed across the ribs.  Sandringham is like “wow, so… uh, please tell your wife this was TOTALLY NOT MY FAULT.  I don’t do brawls, so…  BYE!”)

Claire stitches Jamie up, and Jamie hilariously tries to engage her in conversation, but she’s not having it.  “I expected noisier displeasure. Quiet anger can be very effective.”  Thing One (Thing Two?) again summons Jamie to Colum’s room, where Colum is ripping Dougal a new one for being so fucking stupid.  Dougal says he loves Geillis and won’t give her up and also she’s pregnant and Colum’s like nope, you’re out.  Go away.  Jamie, take him away.  Do whatever the fuck you want, but not in my house.  Jamie is punished for getting into brawl with the MacDonalds- he’s to make sure Dougal does as he’s told.

Claire sees Jamie off with a pack of fresh bandages,  Jamie tells her to stay away from Gellis: Colum will focus his wroth on her next.  Dougal tells him to hurry his ass up, and they kiss good bye.  For a while.  “I said kiss her, dinnae swallow her.”

In the kitchens, Mrs. Fitz is being treated for burns when Claire is brought a note form the village.  “Please come.  Geillis.”  Claire rides down, and Geillis is like why are you here?  Claire tries to convice Gellis to go, and Geillis is not having it.  “Go where?”  “I know you poisoned your husband, and I’m not the only one.” “What a thing to say!”

Harsh knocking on the door- it’s the warden demanding to see Geillis.  Claire tries again to get Geillis to escape.  “Dougal will never allow anything to happen to me.  To us.”  She tells her maid to let them in, and she’s promptly arrested for witchcraft.  This was not a twist Geillis expected, and they arrest Claire, too.  They’re put in a wagon, and through the bars, Claire sees a smirking Laoghaire.

CarrieS:

First of all, kudos for male on female oral sex.  Second of all, as much as I’ve raved about how the sex scenes in this show are filmed, are we getting an explicit sex scene with every episode?  Because that is more explicit sex than I require, as a viewer.  Just saying.

Meanwhile, when people had clothes on, MY GOSH WHAT CLOTHES.  I truly feel this was one of the best episodes for clothes, from Claire’s weird fur cowl that made her neck look three miles long to Geillis’ shawl that seems to be constructed of fabric scraps, moonlight, and the songs of Stevie Nicks.  If I had the coat the Duke wears to the peacock dinner, I would wear it EVERY DAY.  So yeah, stuff happened in the episode, but how could anyone even notice, given all the clothes to look at?

I’m so over the Laoghaire thing.  This is a problem, since it will be a thing for, like, EVER.  I feel like it’s such a tired storyline, such a gender cliché, in a series that has so much more to do.   Here’s a link to an interesting take on the character – I’m not sure I buy it, but it’s quite well argued.

I enjoyed this episode a lot.  It was so, so nice to have an episode that doesn’t involve rape or the threat of rape.  It had humor (“Quiet anger can be very effective”) and action and drama.  It had intrigue, but not so much that it felt like hours of political maneuvering.  It had Geillis, who I love more than life itself.  Oh, Geillis, you evil minx.  You do you.  Here’s to next episode, when I’m very much hoping that instead of rape threats we have Geillis being as loony as possible, because I’ll never get tired of that.

I have to admit that when my friend came over to watch it with me she said, “So, you probably want to skip some so the baby stuff.  Which of it did you want to skip?” to which I replied “All of it”.  So I can’t speak to the baby stuff except to say that life then was hard and that’s very, very sad.

Elyse:

Carrie, I will watch the sex scenes you don’t want, thanks. Yes, yes, yes, sex from the female perspective. Yes, early morning cunnilingus. I’ve been watching lots of Game of Thrones and this is the polar opposite of that.

DOUGAL IS GRINDING GEILLIS’ CORN!

Sorry had to go there.

Also my husband walked in the room during the scene where Claire watches Geillis grind the forest floor and he asked, “Is that the queen?” Oh husband. No, Geillis is not the queen. Sigh. Pay attention. He may have thought she was Cersei Lannister for a moment. IDK

The scene with the baby was heartbreaking and also remarkably, eerily beautiful. This show is visually stunning and every week I’m impressed. From the misty woods to Geillis’ pagan ritual, this episode was gorgeous.

For me the stand-out moment of the episode was Dougal’s madness after he learned of his wife’s death. Let’s slow clap it out for Graham McTavish because he absolutely nailed that scene. I had no doubt that he was a man overwhelmed by grief and guilt.

I also loved Claire’s tete a tete with the Duke of Sandringham. His realization that Claire isn’t some dumb woman but also a savvy political player was delightful. Also I enjoyed him yelling at his servants.

This episode was more or less a launching pad for Big Things To Come but I think the creators really nailed making it interesting versus a filler episode.

RHG:

This is so much a set up episode, but so much happened!  Simon Callow!  How wonderful are you?  How much fun are you having?  Who’s a good puppy?

Sorry, it’s been a long week.

While Dougal being stupid enough to smirk IN FRONT OF PEOPLE that eye-crinkle was glorious.  I wonder though- is it possible that his rage-grief over Moira was just an act?  Maybe? I doubt Geillis told him “oh BTW I’mma cast a spell to get rid of our obstacles.”

I can’t wait for next week though.  Cannot wait.