Outlander: Temperance (6x03)

Oh man... some of my very favorite stuff from the books, although of course it's hard to watch for obvious reasons!

Cons:

I was really vibing with the energy of last week's episode, and this week had a lot of stand-out scenes I liked, but also had some of those clunky moments I notice with the show sometimes, were it kind of feels like everyone is play-acting and they don't feel like real people to me. Crowd scenes where Brianna and Marsali awkwardly exposition at us about Mrs. Bug watching the kids, or Roger filling Bree in on the situation with Lizzie and the twins. The scene with Amy and Roger, with the bullfrog in the pitcher of milk - I get why that scene is there, for the sake of stuff that will happen later, but on its own it felt a bit awkward.

Pros:

This episode is chalk-full of happenings, I'm kind of impressed looking back over all that happens in this single hour!

Starting with some of the smaller details: I really enjoy Malva Christie, I think the actress is doing such a phenomenal job. She's got scenes with Ian and Jamie in this episode that really bring her character to life in interesting ways. She and Ian seem to have a lovely connection; this was a nice chance to have Ian reflect a bit on his choices, the things he's proud of and the things he's not. Ultimately, though, he knows he always has a home with Jamie, which is just the sweetest. I also liked how Jamie was asking Malva questions, trying to pry into the truth of her parentage, but she artfully evaded answering much of anything. She's coming across as a sly and intelligent girl, with a well-meaning desire to learn and get out from under her father's thumb. Knowing what's coming from the books makes these scenes deliciously intense to watch!

Then there's Tom Christie. His scenes with Claire are so twisty and intense. You can see that he's drawn to her and repelled by her all at once. The surgery was of course brutal to watch, but more than that I liked the scene where she comes down in the middle of the night and they chat about reading, and about witches, and the bible. Christie is a bad dude, we can see that, but he's not one-note. The conversation about Jamie and his scars proves that Tom knows how to respect an honorable man, even when he firmly disagrees with him on matters of great importance. The whole show is doing such a good job with the creeping unease of having Christie and the fisher folk around. So far, total disaster has been avoided. But for how long?

Then there's Roger: he's slowly getting a reputation as a minister at the Ridge, despite not having made any formal decisions about what he wants to do or how he might manage it. I loved his heroic rescue of Henri-Christian at the start of the episode. I'm more and more impressed by Roger as this show goes on; he definitely wasn't a favorite of mine to start, but that's changed. He was so firm with the kids, so determined and righteous and yet still at the end of the day kind, and willing to help all in need.

I loved the scene with Jamie making the boys touch Henri-Christian so they'd know he's not dangerous. Jamie has a certain amount of pragmatism when it comes to his job as laird of Fraser's Ridge, and this was a good example of his firm but kind guidance at work. The prejudices of the families at the Ridge might not be possible to do away with entirely, but this kind of level-headed response is sure to help.

Another highlight of the episode for me was Jamie and Claire talking about Ardsmuir. Jamie remembers how desperately lonely it was never to be touched, and how some of the men would turn to one another for comfort. But nobody ever thought to touch Jamie. He was their leader, and they loved him, but they wouldn't have touched him. This is material lifted straight from the books, and I loved seeing it here. Such a picture of the loneliness these men experienced. It's also a chance for us to learn more about Tom Christie, as Jamie says that he never would have reached out for anyone else. He drew inward instead.

And of course I've saved Fergus for the end again. God, I'm just thrilled with how they handled this super depressing plot thread from the books... you've got Fergus and Claire's discussion of the life of dwarfs and what can happen to them. You've got Marsali standing up for herself, demanding that Fergus dry out and be there for her and the kids. And of course you've got Jamie rescuing Fergus from a suicide attempt, telling him he is loved and wanted, kissing his forehead and holding him as he cries... yes yes yes to all of this.

I just adore that they didn't flinch away from the complexities and discomfort of what's happening here. Fergus is missing a hand, and he's got a son with dwarfism. These things would pose challenges in our modern society in various ways, but it's nothing to what someone living in the eighteenth century has to contend with. We see the way the society at Fraser's Ridge reacts to Henri-Christian. We understand the depths of despair, the ways in which Marsali is trapped with Fergus even if he doesn't shape up and start acting like her husband again. And Fergus wanting to end his life to give Marsali and the children a better chance... OUCH, it hurts every time I think about it. Great performances all around on this one.

So there you have it. I'd classify this episode as having a lot of outstanding moments, but perhaps feeling less cohesive than last week's excellent outing. Still, I'm glad we got so much focus on one of my favorite characters, and I'm happy Fergus's family was able to help him weather this difficult stretch of his life.

7.5/10