May 31, 2016

Outlander: The Fox's Lair (2x08)

This episode was something of a transition episode, reminding us of old characters and accelerating the Jacobite plot back in Scottish territory. In all, I'm pretty happy with it.

Cons:

There was a bit of a problem with this episode, and that's that it felt slightly disjointed. The first few scenes are at Lallybroch, and then after that we jump to Lord Lovat's estate, and by the end of the episode we're off to join the uprising. A lot happened in one episode, and there didn't seem to be a seamless connection between all the different parts. One thing I generally admire about this show is its ability to keep an episode thematically tied together, even if a bunch of different things happen in it. I didn't feel much of that thematic resonance here.

Also, Laoghaire makes a reappearance in this episode, in a total departure from the books. Basically, she ends up at Lovat's estate as a maid for Colum. She apologizes sincerely to Claire, and then later Claire uses her to try and soften up Lord Lovat's son and get his support for the uprising. In the end, Jamie thanks Laoghaire for her assistance, at Claire's insistence, and we see that Laoghaire still has dreams of winning Jamie's love. Okay... I don't mind Laoghaire being weaved back into the story here. In fact, I find the actress really likable, and I get the need to see her again and reintroduce her character to the story so that viewers will remember her when she becomes important later. But this plot thread presented a rather unbalanced image of her. She seems truly repentant, but then in the end she's still scheming to win Jamie from Claire? And Claire's behavior was a little unbalanced, too. Are we meant to see Laoghaire as a scheming evil bitch who tried to have Claire killed, or a lovesick girl who didn't know what she was getting involved in, and truly feels bad? Claire's reactions to her seem to vacillate between these two very different things.

Pros:

Ultimately, though, this episode accomplished its objectives nicely. We start off back at Lallybroch, where we get to spend a bit of time with Jenny and Ian and their kids - including a new baby. There's a time jump here, meaning that the raw wound of Claire and Jamie's lost child has healed somewhat. One of the most powerful scenes in the episode is when Claire wakes up to find Jamie not in bed, and she looks over the landing and sees him cradling Jenny's baby in his arms, cooing to the baby gently, unaware of his audience. It was such a beautiful, subtle way of reminding us what these two have lost.

Also, the Lallybroch scenes had one of my favorite details from the book - Claire may be unable to change the course of major historical events, but there is one thing she can do to help: she tells the people of Lallybroch to plant potatoes. This ends up yielding a huge crop, which will save their lives later when food and money get very tight. I loved the fact that the inhabitants of Lallybroch have no idea what to do with a potato, but they're willing to give it a go. Fergus and Claire, being the foreigners, each have some ideas! Somebody needs to make a parody of this scene with the scene in The Lord of the Rings when Sam tells Gollum about potatoes.

Once things seem to be settled and peaceful at Lallybroch, a letter arrives for Jamie that changes everything. Prince Charles has taken it upon himself to forge Jamie's signature on a document pledging support for King James. This document has been printed and distributed, meaning that Jamie is officially a traitor, whether he likes it or not. This causes an abrupt change of plan: instead of trying to thwart the uprising, they will now try and do what they can to make sure the rebellion succeeds. It's off to Jamie's paternal grandfather's place to ask for his support!

At this point, Murtagh gathers up the men of Lallybroch to go meet with Prince Charles' forces, while Jamie and Claire make the detour to "The Old Fox," aka Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat. I loved the moment when everybody was about to set off from Lallybroch. Fergus rides up, ready to go along. At first, everybody tells him no - he must remain at Lallybroch. But Jamie quickly concedes. Fergus' place is with him and Claire. They are his family now. This scene means so much to me as a Fergus fan. An affirmation of Fergus' place in their lives was sorely needed, especially after the trauma of last week's episode.

Once we arrive at Lovat's place, things really heat up on the political front. Turns out, Colum is there to try and convince his old rival to remain neutral in the upcoming rebellion. Jamie is there to convince Simon to provide aid to the cause. Both sides try various means to convince Simon, but in the end the Old Fox is the one with all the cards. Claire uses Laoghaire to try and get Simon's cowardly son to stand up to his father and demand that they fight, while Claire uses her reputation as a white witch to fake a prophecy in which Lord Lovat is executed by the king. Which king? Well, the newly restored King James, of course. Simon offers Jamie a deal - he will pledge support to the Jacobites, but only if Jamie sign over the rights to Lallybroch. Jamie doesn't go through with this, but it's a close thing. In the end, Simon signs a pact of neutrality, just as Colum wanted. However, Simon's son ends up gathering men together to support the cause. This way, Simon has his bases covered. If the rebellion fails, then he has a signed document proving his neutrality. If the rebellion succeeds, clearly everybody can see that his son fought for the Stuarts.

There's a lot to unpack here, and with the exception of some of the Laoghaire stuff, it works really well. I love that this episode is picking up on a plot thread from early Season One - Colum does not want to support the Jacobites. Hovering over this whole exchange is the reality that his brother, Dougal, has worked for the Jacobite cause. After a half season of trying to stop the uprising, Jamie and Claire have now done a 180, throwing their full support behind it, and ironically allying themselves with the absent Dougal MacKenzie. That fact sure as hell isn't lost on Colum. It creates a delicious sort of tension.

There was also the tension over Jamie potentially signing over Lallybroch, something he really didn't want to do. Whenever we get to a momentous decision like this for Jamie, I'm always struck by how much he truly trusts Claire. He has no doubt that she really knows what she's talking about in terms of the Jacobite uprising, and what the result will be if they don't do something to change it. For Jamie to consider risking his home means that he knows how serious the stakes really are. Ultimately, though, Jamie and Claire are good partners in deception as well as good partners in marriage. Before Jamie signs over the rights, Claire fakes a "vision" of Simon's execution. Much like last week as Claire determined the fates of Master Raymond and the Comte St. Germain, here again we see some of her awesome playacting coming in handy.

Clive Russell did an awesome job portraying the fox-like Simon Fraser. His deviousness certainly outstrips anything Jamie and Claire could reasonably accomplish. He's such an unpleasant figure, what with his blatantly misogynist view of women, his treatment of the seer in his employ, the fact that Jamie's father Brian was a bastard child with his cook... we also learn that he tried to do away with Ellen MacKenzie, insisting that his child could do better. In all, he doesn't cut a very kind figure. But there's still something undeniably impressive about his maneuvering. When he signs that neutrality agreement, it looks like all hope is lost for Jamie and Claire. But then? Lord Lovat had one more trick up his sleeve. Really, the success of Jamie and Claire's plan hinged entirely on what Simon would allow to happen. You get the sense that even with his superstition and fear of his own death, he is always firmly in control of the situation.

This episode did a lot to move the story forward. We are now a little closer to understanding Claire's fate, as we know that Jamie cannot avoid his involvement in the Jacobite uprising, as much as he might want to. In the coming weeks, I hope we can explore the fact that Jamie, despite his foreknowledge of doom, does indeed feel loyal to Scotland. If he didn't know about the future, I feel like he would probably pledge his support. He certainly would have considered it before now, that's for sure. There's all this tension between what we, the audience, knows will happen, juxtaposed with what Claire fears will happen and what she hopes might come to pass. I'm excited to see that play out!

That's where I'll stop. Things are ramping up. I can't believe we're already getting close to the end of the season! This shorter episode run makes me sad. I'm looking forward to seeing if we meet one of my other favorite characters this season... he does appear briefly in Dragonfly in Amber, although he makes his proper debut in Voyager, book three of the season. Will Lord John Grey wait until Season Three to enter the scene?

8/10

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