Outlander: J’Accuse

Last time on “Outlander:” Jamie hopes the Duke of Sandringham will help remove the price from his head. Claire warns him about his suspected ties to Black Jack so Ned works out a plan to force the Duke’s hand. Claire also gives the Duke a little incentive and Jamie agrees to help him with a duel.

Meanwhile, Claire learns from Laoghaire that she got the ill wish from Geillis. Geillis then tells Claire that she’s pregnant with Dougal’s baby and she’s trying to get their spouses out of the way. Claire didn’t even know Dougal had one. But then she dies, then Geillis’ husband dies and Claire doesn’t think Geillis had much to do with the former but knows she was responsible for the latter. Jamie has to go away but he warns Claire to avoid Geillis. But when she gets a summons, Claire goes to Geillis’ and the two are arrested for witchcraft.

Credits! I noticed that they changed the credits a bit. Not in images, but who they credit. Tobias Menzies’ name appears nowhere. Instead, Lotte Verbeek (Geillis) and Bill Paterson (Ned Gowan) appear with Caitriona and Sam. Neat.

Claire and Geillis are tossed in a dark hole. Geillis reveals this is where they keep witches. She hopes Claire enjoys rats, which begins to scurry about them. Claire is beside herself and she can’t understand why Geillis is so calm. Geillis says that Dougal will save her because he loves her. Claire tells Geillis that Colum exiled Dougal and sent Jamie with him. No one is coming for them. Geillis starts to panic.

("Oh God, it wasn't a bad dream after all")

As day dawns, the townsfolk come to get the accused. They lower a ladder and the two women climb out. Around them, the people chant “Burn the witch!” They even have already started to build the pyre to burn them. I don’t think they are going to get a fair trial, you guys.

(Definitely not a good sign)

They are brought into the court and the magistrates sit high in their box. As people fill the room, Claire is disheartened to realize no one from the Castle has come down. She really is alone…until Ned demands entrance. He reminds the magistrates that English law no longer recognizes witchcraft as a crime. The magistrates are relying more on Scottish law here. So he reminds them that Scottish law—unlike the old English law—allows accused witches the right to legal counsel. So they let him represent Claire and Geillis. Claire asks if Colum sent him and he says he’s there on his own. Claire is glad to have one friend.

(Ned to the rescue!)

Ned takes his seat and the first witness is brought forward. She is Geillis’ maid, who testifies to seeing Geillis performing magic in the house. She also says that Claire worked with her in her backroom, mixing things for potions. Claire looks ready to throttle the woman. The maid goes on about Geillis’ other witchy activities and about Arthur’s untimely death.

(Disgruntled employee)

The people in the court are convinced—they are witches and it’s time to burn them! But Ned gets up and reveals that the maid often came around to Castle Leoch to inquire about working there. He asks her why and when she stonewalls him, he surmises that she was unhappy working for the Duncans. He continues to suggest that her testimony is just to get back at an employer she despised. The people settle down and start to doubt her testimony.

She is followed by a sad looking young woman, who turns out to be the mother of the so-called changeling. She says she and her husband left the changeling in a fairy hole and watched it, waiting for the fairies to return their child. But they saw Claire interfere and the baby died. Now they’ll never get their child back.

Claire tries to defend herself, saying she needed to help the dying infant. Ned pretty much tells her to shut up and handles the grieving mother. He says that the changeling died and that her child is alive and healthy, living with the fairies. If Claire hadn’t interceded, perhaps her child would be the one dead. The mother holds on to the belief that her baby is fine and walks off.

(She might be more comforted than anything. Bravo, Ned!) 

More witnesses are paraded before the judges and the trial ends with a man making an accusation against Geillis. He says he saw her dancing on some walls, calling down a thunderstorm. She even made lightning with her hand. Ned doesn’t even know how to best call the man an idiot without inciting a riot, so he asks for a recess. The judges agree to break for the day. Back to the hole for Claire and Geillis.

In the hole, the two talk. Geillis reveals that she’s a Jacobite and that she’s been siphoning money from her late husband to send to the cause for years. No wonder she and Dougal found each other. Claire realizes that Geillis does truly love the man. Geillis asks Claire if she really loves Jamie and reveals that she cries out for him in her sleep. Claire doesn’t know what to say. 

(She's not a witch. She's a Jacobite)

The next day, testimonies continue with Laoghaire. She says that she and Jamie are twu wuv but Claire used her magic to steal Jamie away from him. Laoghaire admits to buying a love potion off Claire but believes the woman used it for herself. How else could she get Jamie to marry her? Claire tells her that she’s a lovesick child and Laoghaire admits she is love sick—because she knows Jamie is supposed to be with her! 

(There are other fish in the sea, Laoghaire)

Laoghaire testifies that Claire slapped her. The judge asks Claire if she did slap her. She admits she did and tries to explain it was because Laoghaire had insulted her, but Ned pretty much tells her to shut up.

Finally, Father Bain steps up. Claire figures she’s done for and Geillis looks pretty resigned as well. He talks about how he couldn’t save young Tommy but Claire did. Father Bain drops to his knees, begging forgiveness for making it difficult for Claire to save the boy. He says that she did what he couldn’t do and that he was in the wrong. The people rise up, certain Claire has bewitched the priest. As he gets to his feet, he shoots the two women a look that says he knew this would happen and that his “confession” wasn’t genuine.

(Internally, he's doing a dance of joy)

Ned demands a few minutes to confer with his clients. The judges agree and Ned is able to get them into a spare room. He says they only have one option: one person has to address the court and apologize while the other will have to burn as a witch. He tells them to choose and gives them a few moments to work it out amongst themselves. Once he’s gone, Geillis demands to know why Claire is in Scotland. She sticks to her story but Geillis tells her to stop lying. That if she’s going to burn, she wants to do it for a cause. At that moment, Claire does come clean and says it was an accident. That she didn’t mean to come through the stones. Geillis looks lost, broken as she realizes Claire didn’t want to change anything.

(Geillis makes her decision)

The mob refuses to be held back and so Ned enters the room again to find their response. Claire and Geillis glare at each other before Geillis storms out, declaring she’s going to a “f---ing barbeque.”

Silence descends in the courtroom as Ned declares that Claire has something to say. She gets ready to say whatever Ned has prepared for her but her conscience gets to her. She won’t let Geillis burn when she’s pregnant. Claire says she has nothing to say and refuses to admit to being a witch. She yells about how this isn’t fair and ends up getting flogged. Before she is dragged out, Geillis asks her if she thinks it’s possible. Claire asks for clarification and Geillis responds “1968.” Things start to click into place for Claire.

Claire is flogged as Jamie emerges from the crowd. He holds up two pistols and tells them to stop it. The judges admonish him but Jamie tells them he took a vow before God’s altar to protect Claire. So that’s what he’s doing.

(Do not mess with this man)

Geillis is touched by Jamie’s devotion to Claire. So she yells that Claire isn’t a witch, but an innocent woman she duped. She’s a witch and she’s made a pact with Satan. To prove it, she pulls down her sleeve to reveal a scar she claims is the Devil’s mark. This riles everyone up in the courtroom but Claire is frozen, staring at it. She recognizes it as a scar from the smallpox vaccine. Geillis is from the future, she realizes—from 1968.

(Mark of the devil indeed)

As the crowd swells around her, Geillis gets into her performance. She pulls off all her clothes, revealing her pregnancy. She claims it is the Devil’s child but the judges yell for the people to stop, saying she’s pregnant. They carry her out as Jamie leaves with Claire, fleeing the village.

In the woods, Jamie tends to Claire’s back. She’s still in shock over the flogging and Geillis’ revelation. She does assure Jamie that she’s not a witch. Jamie however wants honesty from her as he asks her about the mark she has on her arm—the same mark as Geillis. Claire tells him that she’s never had smallpox and that she’ll never get smallpox. Then she drops the bombshell on him: She’s from the future.

Jamie processes this and tells Claire it might have been easier if she had been a witch. He then asks her to tell him everything. Claire obliges and we fade through her story, much like the wedding night when they exchanged stories. When she finishes, Jamie looks guilty as he realizes she hadn’t just gone running off to defy him. She had been running toward the stones, to go back to her husband. And he had whipped her for it. Claire’s a bit more forgiving than she had been after her punishment, saying he didn’t know because she couldn’t tell him.

(Poor Jamie)

They ride through the countryside and one night while camping, Jamie wakes Claire for some sexytimes. Well, mostly for her. He just wants to watch her as he pleasures her. His reason will soon become apparent.
One day, Jamie stops the horse and tells Claire he’s taking her home. Claire looks for Lallybroch but instead finds Craig na Dun. Jamie has taking her back to the stones so she can go home to 1946. He says his goodbyes and leads her up the hill.


Claire hears the familiar hum of the stone and starts to approach them. Jamie pulls her back, apologizing. He says he wasn’t ready and with one last kiss, he leaves her. He does say that he’ll set up camp for the night, just in case. Claire watches him go and stares at the stones. It’s time for her choice: Jamie or Frank?

("Touch me, Claire. Go ahead")

We see Jamie asleep when he’s awoken. Claire stands over him, telling him to get on his feet. She wants him to take her home to Lallybroch. Jamie agrees, happy that she’s staying.

("She picked me!")

Okay, everyone—breathe!

They certainly did stuff a lot into that episode. I thought the trial was well done and I enjoyed the scenes between Claire and Geillis. Both Caitriona Balfe and Lotte Verbeek hit it out of the park! I did think they would put Claire at the stones in a different episode, maybe dedicate more screen time to her decision in that case, but it was still a great scene.

Next week: Lallybroch! Jenny Murray!

Screen caps from here.