Outlander: Sing For Your Supper

I know, I know. It’s almost a year later. I will admit to being a coward. I’ve read the book so I know what’s coming. Reading it was bad enough so I’ve been afraid of actually watching it. But with Season 2 starting on April 9th (set reminders now!), I knew I had to watch the episodes. Thankfully, Starz made the episodes available online so I’ll finally catch up on the final 3.

Wish me luck.

Last time on “Outlander:” The Watch descended on Lallybroch, leaving Jenny and Ian to host them while trying to hide who Jamie really was. Someone did figure it out, forcing Jamie and Ian to deal with him. The Leader of the Watch then asked them for help dealing with some British soldiers and despite the danger, they agreed.

Meanwhile, Jenny went into labor and had complications. When the midwife was unable to get there, it fell to Claire to help her sister-in-law. Claire managed to turn the baby so it wasn’t breached and then helped Jenny deliver her baby girl.

A few days later, Ian limped home without his leg…and without Jamie. He announced that the British attacked the Watch and captured Jamie.

Uh oh.

There is chaos in Lallybroch. Baby Maggie is crying, Jenny is barking orders and Ian is sulking on the couch. Claire comes down and Ian asks her if she’s going after Jamie. She says she is and so he tries to get up, insisting he’ll go with her. Claire points out he doesn’t have a leg but he says he’ll make one right quick. She shakes her head and tells him to stay put to recover. Ian sighs and asks for paper instead. So he orders all the tenants to be rounded up to form a search party. Claire and Jenny squash that as well, not wanting Lallybroch to become a target. Ian then asks for paper, saying he can at least draw her a map.

("Fine, fine. I give")

Claire takes the map and mounts her horse. She’s surprised when Jenny comes out, two guns tucked in her skirts. Claire argues that she needs to stay here with Wee Jamie and Maggie. But Jenny rightly points out that she knows the lands better than Claire and can track. Claire realizes via voiceover that her sister in law was right so she lets her come.

(You do not argue with this woman)

Jenny and Claire come across bodies in the road. And they are bloated things, with crows already feasting on them. Claire stands there, having war flashbacks while Jenny prays for them. As Claire looks around, Jenny sees if she can find any tracks. She spots marks from a cart and says they can follow them. Claire hopes the cart is carrying her husband.

(Jenny tends to their immortal souls)

They stop as Jenny says she’s bursting. Claire prepares to relieve herself when she hears some strange sounds. Going to investigate, it turns out that Jenny had to express milk, not use the ladies’ bush. Claire is surprised at how easy the milk flows and Jenny explains how nursing works. She says it hurts to have milk and not nurse, just another thing about having children that’s a nuisance. But she’d never give up her children.

Claire falls silent, no doubt contemplating her infertility. Jenny decides to change the topic and asks her sister-in-law how she’s going to get Jamie back. Claire says she’s going to appeal to a British officer who took a shine to her way back in the first half of the season. She hopes he’ll agree to let Jamie go and reel in Black Jack. Jenny doesn’t think it’s a good plan.

But there isn’t much else to do so they get back on their horses and continue on.

They come upon where the British have made camp and try to spy Jamie. He’s nowhere to be seen and they pray he hasn’t been killed yet. Claire then realizes that a soldier has just been dispatched. She and Jenny hope to catch up with him to see if he has any news about Jamie.

(Spying on the British)

The women ambush the soldier and tie him to a log. As Claire holds a gun on him, Jenny uses a hot brand on his bare feet. She asks him about Jamie and Claire begs him to give them any information he has. Jenny prepares to do her worst when the soldier says he’s just a messenger. They realize his dispatches will have information about Jamie, so they go through them. They learn that Jamie has escaped and that soldiers should be on the lookout.

Jenny and Claire decide to pursue them. But first, Jenny points out that they have to kill the messenger. He’ll just warn everyone that Jamie’s escape AND has two women looking for him. Claire is hesitant and tries to spare the man’s life.

Murtagh appears though and kills the messenger for them. He tells them that they were very easy to track and could easily be captured by the British. He then orders them to make camp while he goes to get dinner.

(Murtagh to the rescue!)

Night falls and Claire makes a fire. Jenny comments that she wouldn’t expect a proper lady like Claire to know how to survive in the wilderness. Claire reveals a little of the truth, telling her that she lived with her uncle as a child and they learned to live off the land. She asks how Jenny got so good at tracking. Jenny reveals she strong-armed Jamie and Ian into teaching her.

Murtagh emerges from the brush and reveals a goose. He tosses it at Claire to clean and prepare but she tosses it back. Next it goes to Jenny who also tosses it back. Murtagh realizes he also has to cook dinner and goes off to leave the two to their girl talk.

(Scottish slumber party?)

In the morning, Jenny prepares to head back to Lallybroch. She can’t stay away from her children for too long and someone needs to run the place. Claire tells her to plant potatoes. Jenny says it’s not a common crop and Claire knows that. She tells Jenny that there will be a famine and fighting but the potatoes will survive. They’ll be a better bumper crop than wheat. Jenny says that Jamie told her that Claire might tell her things that seem strange but that she was to trust Claire. So she promises to send for potatoes from Edinburgh and will do as Claire says.

(A sisterly hug)

Once Jenny rides off, Claire asks Murtagh how they’re going to find Jamie. He says they aren’t. Jamie is going to find them. They are going to spread word of a female Sassenach healer and it’ll draw Jamie from his hiding spot. Claire likes the plan.

So she and Murtagh ride around the countryside, stopping every so often so Claire could patch people up by day. At night, Murtagh dances while the men laugh and drink. Claire tells fortunes, pretty much telling everyone the same fortune Mrs. Graham gave her back in the first episode. Except she says the woman recently met a strange man, a young red-headed fellow who passed through. But the woman insists she didn’t. She then asks Claire if she’ll be happy. Claire says yes, that she has a long life…but her husband doesn’t. Happy, the woman goes off.

Murtagh comes over and grumps that Claire shouldn’t tell fortunes while he’s dancing. It’s distracting people. Or maybe he should get better at dancing. Claire doesn’t say that, instead focusing on the fact that they haven’t found Jamie yet. He tells her to be patient.

They find a little festival where marionettes re-enact Claire’s journey through the stones. I wasn’t too sure—was the song they sang the one from the “Outlander” musical concept album? Anyway, it gives Claire an idea. She suggests that Murtagh sing while he’s dancing. She starts to sing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and Caitriona has a lovely voice. It gives Murtagh an idea, saying he’ll teach her a song she can sing after he dances.

(Murtagh thinks he's onto something)

He gets her some men’s clothing to wear. Which makes sense since men loved women in breech roles during this time. This means actresses playing characters that require them to wear breeches for whatever reason. They can see legs! Anyway, Claire isn’t too keen on the idea. Murtagh says he’s going to teach her a song that Jamie will know well and it’ll draw him out, make him realizes it’s Claire. So she agrees.

Murtagh and Claire travel the Scottish country, her performing a rather bawdy song to the tune of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” while she does a little dance. Everyone starts to turn out to see the “Sassenach” and Murtagh does his best to try and gather information about Jamie. But there is still no sign of our male lead anywhere.

(The Sassenach)

One day, they find another English woman in man’s clothing singing the song. Copycats always pop up. They find the gypsies responsible and confront them. The leader isn’t very interested in stopping and points out they don’t own the song. So Claire explains why she’s singing that song and gives him money to stop performing it.

(Competition!)

They leave and Murtagh lays into Claire. He says she can’t trust the gypsies and that she just gave her money away for nothing. Claire tells him she has to believe in Gypsy Leader and they ride off.

(Don't mess with this woman)

That night, Claire has difficulty sleeping. Murtagh is happy and thinks it’s karma for her acting like a big fool. Claire explodes at him, saying she’s worried for Jamie and all she wants is the man she loves back. She accuses him of never being in love so she figures he can’t understand.

Murtagh tells her he loved a young woman but she didn’t love him back. He decided to prove his love to her and went to kill a boar by himself during the clan games. When he came back, she had run off with another man. So he used the tusks of the boar and made her a wedding present—two bracelets.

(Could it be?)

Claire pulls the bracelets Jenny gave her out of her bag and realizes that Murtagh had loved Ellen MacKenzie Frasier. She realizes why he’s so devoted to Jamie and she breaks down in Murtagh’s arms. He comforts her and they reach a turning point.

The next day, they get on their horses and continue traipsing the countryside. Once again, Murtagh dances while Claire tells fortunes. They are surprised when the Gypsy Leader approaches her. He tells her he’s been using her song still and that a message came to him, no doubt meant for her. He wonders how much she’ll pay for it.

Outraged, Claire lays into him and refuses to pay. She says she’ll find her husband without his information. But the Gypsy Lord gives it up, directing them to a nearby manor house that’s been deserted for some time.

(Realizes he should not have messed with Claire)

Murtagh and Claire go there, hurrying inside. But it’s not Jamie who greets them but Dougal. Claire doesn’t like this and he informs her that Jamie has been captured, taken to Fort William. He asks to speak with her alone. Though Murtagh seems reluctant, Claire agrees.

(Surprise!)

Dougal takes her on a tour of the supplies he’s been amassing to support the Jacobite cause. She’s like “That’s nice. How do we save Jamie?” His answer? They don’t. He says there’s a good chance he’s already dead. So Claire’s best bet is to marry Dougal and be his wife. Sounds good, right?

Claire is horrified. She wants to rescue the man she loves. And she sees right through Dougal—he wants Lallybroch and the Fraser lands. Well that’s happening over her dead body as well. So Dougal can help or he can shut up. He says he won’t help but he’ll let her ask his men if they want to help.

So she and Murtagh appeal to the men. None are really interested in storming Fort William. Except for Willie. He says that Jamie would do the same for him so he’ll help Jamie. Rupert decides to join up as well and a few others follow suit.

The episode ends with them staring down Fort William.

(Oh crap)

It’s about to get painful. Thankfully we had an episode that tended more to light than drama. Deep breaths, everyone.

Next time: Operation Rescue Jamie Fraser

Screen caps from here.