Outlander: The Company We Keep (5x04)

In many ways, this was the second episode in a row that felt like a detour from the "main plot." But also, on the other hand, what even is the "main plot" of this season? I'm kind of okay with spending time on more episodic incidences. It's what I like so much about the books.

Cons:

There were a lot of little stories/threads in this episode, and while I liked elements of all of them, the balance was something I felt was lacking. I would have much preferred to spend more time dealing with Roger's leadership, and Jamie's relationship with him. While that is certainly part of the episode, more time is spent on the forbidden romance of Alicia Brown and Isaiah Morton. I would have emphasized one story, and de-emphasized the other, just for the sake of pacing, and also because Roger is a main character whose development is important moving forward, while the forbidden love story is very much a cul de sac.

Bree and Marsali's conversation was in some ways one of the episode's highlights for me. Or, I should say, Marsali was a highlight. But I really, really wish Brianna had taken this opportunity to tell Marsali about Bonnet, or at least to allude to a real reason behind her fear for Jemmy's safety. It would have been a chance for the two women to become closer. As it is, this conversation kind of hit a dead end, and Marsali's reassurances felt flat, because she didn't actually understand why Brianna was scared.

Pros:

But speaking of the subplot back at the Ridge, I did really enjoy seeing Brianna, Marsali, Mrs. Bugg, and just the general life of the folks left behind in times of war (or potential war, as the case may be). It was nice to see Brianna as a mother, to see the day-to-day of her life. This was also an effective way to keep the specter of Stephen Bonnet around. Jemmy comes back from a trip to town with a coin, and Mrs. Bugg says an Irish man gave it to him when Bree was shopping. Of course, Bree immediately thinks it might have been Bonnet, and later when she can't find Jemmy, her mind runs wild with the possibility that Bonnet has kidnapped the child he believes to be his biological son. Nothing bad actually happens here, but Brianna's fear feels real and justified.

While I might have wished for more forthrightness from Bree in her talk with Marsali, their scene together did make me fall in love with Marsali even more than I already had. She's one of the best things about the whole show, to be honest. I love how she comforted Brianna, how she shared a traumatic part of her own past in order to reassure her that she's actually safe.

Over in the main plot, things don't run smoothly for Roger and the militia when they arrive at Brownsville. One of the recurring plot elements that comes up here, is Roger's feelings of inadequacy when it comes to being a protector and provider, and a leader of men. When Jamie arrives in Brownsville, he finds that some of the men have deserted, because of Roger's decision to give up Isaiah Morton to the Browns, instead of fighting back and defending his man. Jamie is impatient with Roger, but Claire later tries to get Jamie to cut him some slack. Jamie ends up tasking Roger with escorting Claire and the Beardsley twins back to the Ridge, since the twins need surgery.

I love the many complex layers here. Roger did his best, in a situation for which he was manifestly unprepared. He used diplomacy, broke out the whiskey, and even used his unique singing ability, to try and create peace instead of conflict. Jamie is annoyed by this, but it's not clear what Roger could have done differently. He's no Jamie Fraser. If he'd tried to engage in battle, and Jamie had shown up to find that some of his men had been killed in the skirmish, wouldn't he be just as frustrated by Roger's lack of capability?

And then Jamie sends Roger away, gentler but still dismissive, saying that he made him a captain without teaching him the responsibilities. There's such a clear contrast between Jamie as a warrior and leader of men, and Roger as an educated man with no relevant practical skill. And yet, as Claire says, Jamie trusted Roger with the thing he loves most (Claire). It's also implied in this moment that Jamie already trusted Roger with his dearest love, by letting him marry Brianna. Like I said, there is complexity here, and it's fun to see it develop slowly. Jamie and Roger get along, more or less, but there is still trust that needs to be built between them.

While I might have wished for slightly less time spent on the romance, I did like it for what it was. That moment when Isaiah comes back for Alicia, and Jamie allows it... he really is a romantic at heart! Isaiah implores Jamie and Roger to ask themselves if they'd abandon Claire or Brianna for any reason, and they both agree that they wouldn't.

Fanny Beardsley's baby girl finds a home in Brownsville as well. I loved the scene where Jamie asks Claire if she wants to keep her. That's Peak Romance, right there. Of course Claire and Jamie have regrets about their lives - they spent decades apart. They never got to raise a child together. But they have children. They have Bree, and they have Fergus. Sure, things didn't happen conventionally, but Claire loves their life the way it is. And it's so lovely that a grieving mother, having lost her own child, has room in her heart and her home to give the baby a place to be safe!

The medical tips that Claire wrote out, using Doctor Rawlings' name, are accidentally published in a local newspaper. This is something that doesn't happen in the books - I'm intrigued to see where this goes. I think it's smart to expand Claire's status as a healer and help to fill out some of the more meandering, episodic elements of this season's plot. So I'll be keeping my eye on that!

That's where I'll stop for now. I'm liking this season, although it makes me nervous that the unifying theme is a little less clear than with the other seasons.

8/10