Outlander: Hour of the Wolf (6x04)

Well, an Ian-centric episode was never going to be the most compelling to me. Also on the preview of the next episode I saw John Grey, and that was the most exciting part of my whole viewing experience lol. Let's take a look!

Cons:

So, Ian just doesn't really do much for me as a character. In the books, I like him when he's a teenager and lose interest when he joins the Mohawk, and all the stuff that comes after... it's not that I think any of this material was bad, per se, but my own personal level of engagement was low. The flashbacks of Ian and Emily felt very... one-note. I thought the actress portraying Ian's wife did a good job with what she had, but she didn't really have much, did she? I didn't get a sense of who she was as a person. Yes, clearly she and Ian loved each other, but what else? The tragedy didn't hit as hard as it might have, if I'd understood Emily, and also Ian's other friends there, the life he'd truly been able to build for himself in his new community.

The way they're doing the ether plot this season really confuses me. I just remember in the book that Claire was SO careful and SO meticulous at all times with it, and in the show we have her self medicating, and also show her practicing on Josiah and Lizzie just to give Malva some practice? Maybe I'm misremembering things, but I don't think that was in the book.

Since the A-plot was all about Ian and the Cherokee gun deal, it felt sort of odd to have the episode start with a quick Fergus scene, Jamie sending him off to be their trade representative. Almost seems like that scene should have been in the last episode instead of this one. I always love seeing Fergus, but it felt a bit out of place here.

Pro:

While, as I've said, I'm not totally gripped by any of the stuff going on with Ian, I did like seeing him being a bad-ass during the duel, coming to terms with his grief and his anger, and forgiving his friend for falling in love with his wife. It's all very heady stuff, and while it would have been more powerful if I felt I knew more about some of the characters involved, there were still moments that worked really well. Probably the strongest was Ian praying for his wife and unborn child during the flashback. His wife lives, the child does not. He wonders if this is a punishment for his own sins.

Jamie was a highlight for me, which has been happening a lot this season: first, he gets his fatherly moment with Fergus which of course I love, and then later he gets to be there for Ian, as Ian tells him the full story of his marriage, and the lost of his daughter in childbirth. Jamie confides in Ian about Faith, and says that their daughters will find each other in the afterlife. It's just the kind of thing that could be a cheesy platitude, if not presented with the utmost sincerity. I believe Jamie means it, that he has that belief, and that it brings him comfort.

So, back home at the Ridge, as Claire is teaching Malva more and more about medicine, we're starting to see the complexities of Malva's character come through all the more. I love that her interest in Claire's work seems so genuine - and indeed might be genuine, but the scene at the very end of the episode complicates things considerably. Jamie gets home from his visit to the Cherokee, and he and Claire immediately start an enthusiastic reunion. We then see that Malva is spying on them. There's this amazing shot of her going up on her toes and it's just... such a delightfully creepy and yet ambiguous moment. Is she curious about sex because she's never been allowed to learn much about it? Is she obsessed with Claire, and not merely the medicine she teaches? Is she obsessed with Jamie? Who can say!

Well. I mean. I can say, sort of. But I won't tell! :)

The last big tension explored in this episode is the future fate of Native Americans as a whole. Brianna tells Jamie about the Trail of Tears, and Jamie passes that message along, framing it as prophecy rather than certain time traveler knowledge, of course. It's so grim, because one of the central aspects of Outlander is the question: can our characters change what's going to happen according to the historical record? And the answer is pretty much a resounding "no." Obviously, they influence little things, but they have no evidence that they can succeed in rewriting history. Hence why they plan to fight for the rebellion when the time comes, since they're confident in that victory.

That's where I'll wrap up. This episode, through no fault of its own, isn't my favorite: I liked some moments of it quite a bit, but since it focused on characters I feel less strongly attached to, I'm mostly giving it a shrug.

7/10