Outlander Recap and Reflection! Prophecy, blood baths and familiar faces!

A familiar face is bathed in blood, another in a powdered wig. It’s an action-packed arrival in Jamaica to get ready for the big finale!

Recap – Episode #312 “The Bakra”

We flash back to when Young Ian was newly captured off Selkie Island with the treasure chest. He’s taken aboard the Bruja whose crew decides that they should keep him alive because the Bakra likes young boys. Gulp!

Fast forward to Young Ian’s arrival on land where he’s taken to an estate and thrown into the dungeon with two young boys. The boys tell Young Ian they think they are in Jamaica and when the guards take a boy to the Bakra, he doesn’t come back. Double gulp!

Young Ian is dragged out of the cell and thrown into a huge room with a lady bathing in blood. Yes, it’s a literal blood bath which, we’re told is good for the complexion. (We don’t care what she says, we’re not bathing in goat’s blood.) We’re pretty sure the Bakra is NOT what Young Ian expected. Then the lady begins to speak in a lilting Scots accent and OMG it’s Geillis Duncan!

Quick refresher on Geillis: She’s a modern woman who left the 1960’s to try to change the past and put Charles Stuart on the Scottish throne. She was pregnant with Dougal MacKenzie’s (secret) baby when she and Claire were accused of witchcraft more than 20 years ago. She saved Claire, but was condemned to burn.

Young Ian should be terrified for his life, but he’s rather entranced by  naked Geillis who offers him tea. He’s ravenous so he drinks up. Geillis asks about a sapphire missing from the treasure hoard. Young Ian blurts out Uncle Jamie probably knows where it is. Whoops!

Geillis’ witchdoctor makes an effective truth potion so Young Ian confesses everything: Jamie Fraser knew about the treasure, he may know about the stone’s location and he’s probably on his way.

Geillis shrugs it off since she’s fixing to enjoy the power of a young virgin. Young Ian blurts he’s not a virgin, but that doesn’t slow down Geillis and, well, Young Ian isn’t in a position to say no.

Meanwhile…

Claire and Jamie make it to Jamaica. Huzzah!

There’s no sign of the Bruja (darn – they need to find Young Ian) or the Porpoise (yeah – Jamie doesn’t want to be arrested). They check in with Cousin Jared’s man who will take the ship’s goods and sell them. He invites Claire and Jamie to a fancy soirée at the governors’ place, but Claire and Jamie want to find Young Ian. They learn that the Bruja already left, but not before depositing slaves at the slave market. Of course the Bruja kidnaps boys and sells slaves. Swell folks, aren’t they?

Claire and the gang heads to the slave market to see if Young Ian is there, but the slavers claim they are tasteful men of business and wouldn’t have any white slaves. Oh the moral victory.

They walk through the slave market to be sure and Claire freaks out about the inhumane treatment during an auction. She makes a scene and asks Jamie to help the poor man. Jamie acts and the does only thing he can think of…and buys the slave. Yes, Claire is now a horrified slave owner. Boy, we bet she didn’t see that coming when she was studying up on Scottish history while making the Batsuit!

She resolves to free Temeraire when they can find the right time and place so he won’t be recaptured. Jamie and Claire also realize they need his help since they learned that some Black slaves from the Bruja were sold to the governor’s household. If Jamie and Claire go to the fancy governor’s soirée, then Temeraire may be able to ask the governor’s slaves about what happened to the white boy on the Bruja. They talk to Temeraire and he agrees to help in exchange for his freedom.

Geillis is the mysterious benefactor for Archie and Margaret Campbell, the fortune tellers from Scotland. Geillis believes that if Margaret holds the three sapphires from the Selkie treasure in hand, Margaret will speak the prophecy about the Stuart heir. Only, as we now know, they are missing one sapphire. Paging Jamie Fraser!

For the big governor’s party, Jamie, Claire, Fergus, Marsali, Willoughby and Temeraire get dressed up in their finest. Temeraire heads to the servant’s hall to help with the party prep (and to ask about Young Ian) while the others prepare to greet their host.

Being the first Asian that many of these people have ever seen in person, Willoughby attracts some attention, but he actually makes eyes at Margaret Campbell. He makes a serious move later when he declares her brother doesn’t treat her right. He’s got a silver tongue in more than one language.

And speaking of making eyes, Claire and Jamie admire each other in their perfumed finest and then they meet the new governor of Jamaica — Lord John Grey!

Quick refresher on Lord John Grey: He is the adoptive father of Jamie’s (secret) son Willie, he’s in possession of the missing Selkie sapphire…and he’s still in love with Jamie.

John spirits Jamie and Claire away to a private room where he smiles at Jamie. A lot. He’s even wearing the sapphire as a reminder of Jamie. (Claire is secretly wondering why Jamie is giving bigger jewels to this man.) John says Willie will come to Jamaica in the summer when the travel is easier. We hope he won’t be kidnapped by pirates like everyone else Jamie loves.

The party continues and John and Claire have a chance to catch up. Remember when he confessed troop information to “save” her virtue before Culloden 20 years ago? Ah good times! It’s a polite chat, but if you read Claire’s eyes she is plainly saying “Jamie is mine so back off!”

Yeah, we think Claire is definitely going to have a chat with Jamie…

But she sees Geillis head outside, and rather than freak out at seeing a woman who was supposed to be burned at the stake, she follows Geillis out. Geillis explains that Duncan managed to sneak her out, and after he died, she married a wealthy plantation owner and is now known as Mrs. Abernathy of Rose Hall.

Geillis inquires what Claire’s doing in Jamaica, acts horrified that Young Ian is missing (and not secretly in her dungeon) and wants to see Jamie again (to find that pesky sapphire). Girl talk with Geillis is fun!

They meet up with Jamie and John. Geillis immediately sees the Selkie sapphire on John and starts plotting. (This is why men shouldn’t wear big jewels!) She has the Campbells do their fortune telling routine and gets John to join in. Margaret is secretly holding the original 2 sapphires and holds John’s “personal token” so now she has all three — and indeed the spirit moves her to speak some weird stuff.

The weirdness breaks up the fortune telling demo and Geillis rushes Archie to a quiet spot so they can break it down. Basically the prophecy is a Stuart will rise when it’s 200 years old on the day it’s born. Geillis is excited for the words even if she doesn’t know what it means yet.

Jamie and Claire meet up with Temeraire who says Young Ian was dropped off with some Mrs. Abernathy. Oh. Geillis was lying!?! What are the odds? They’d confront her on this, but earnest young Captain Leonard of the Porpoise is storming the governor’s mansion in pursuit of Jamie Fraser who’s wanted for murder and sedition.

They sneak out and head towards Rose Hall and free Temeraire to join some escaped slaves. Jamie and Claire prepare to go confront Geillis/Mrs. Abernathy when Captain Leonard’s men surround them. Jamie gives Claire the pictures of his kids for safekeeping as he’s rustled up and hauled off to jail — again!

 

Reflection – what did we think?

Erica: Well that was exciting! So much happening…

Alicia: Right? One of the most entertaining episodes this season! LOL…I don’t know which cat fight I’m more excited for. Claire vs. Geillis or Claire vs. John Grey…hee hee hee.

Erica: I missed Lotte Verbeek! She makes Geillis such delicious fun.

Alicia: Jamie in a powdered wig. Just – odd. So wrong. LOL.

Erica: Yeah, Sam’s wig was shaped in a way that didn’t frame his face well.

Alicia: Lord John Grey looks right at home in one. Those longing looks were superb!

Erica: Someone was trying to set the screen aflame! But I loved Catriona’s tight little smile during all of that. Oh, there will be a reckoning!

Alicia: Geillis. Blargh! I’m with Jamie. Claire comes back through the stones and all their ghosts come back to haunt them.

Erica: Young Ian’s kidnapping on Selkie Island to get alimony for Laoghaire can be attributed back to Claire but to be fair, Alexander Malcolm would have been wanted for sedition with or without Claire. Not all his trips to prison are due to Claire! Just half of them…

—–BOOK READERS DISCUSSION – (Spoiler Alert!!)———————————

Erica: I expected some changes for the season ending. Yep we got some!

Alicia: I mean I can do without the guano bits, but other than that…they’ve stayed fairly true to the books. This was way off kilter – at least for me.

Erica: I figured they’d needed to edit a lot and get some action into the finale.

Alicia: Also, we won’t get that seminal moment between Lord Grey and Claire where they tell each other they liked each other when they met on the Porpoise but now…it’s so wonderfully heartbreaking.

Erica: They’ll have to make time for it in future seasons. But Willoughby and Margaret Campbell are a thing?

Alicia: Yeah…I like that they’ve tried really hard to make Willoughby a better character than in the books, but to cut out the murder. I wonder if they’ll leave him in Jamaica because of Margaret instead of him having to hide for his life.

Erica: He’s definitely more dignified than in the books and this may give him a happy ending, albeit a happy ending with a compete loon. Also, I can totally relate to that bit where white people stare and giggle at him like he’s an exotic object. Usually, they aren’t that giddy to make your acquaintance though.

Alicia: One episode to go and you know that’ll all be about Young Ian and Geillis and the cave. And I’m guessing the end will be them landing in America. But that’s just a guess.

Erica: Taking bets on the last scene? Lol! You may be right. They need to end on something hopeful.

—–END OF BOOK READER DISCUSSION ——————————————————

Now it’s one week before the grand finale! Here’s what’s up for next week’s episode titled “Eye of the Storm”:

Claire is forced to play a game of cat and mouse with an old adversary as she searches for Young Ian. The Frasers race through the jungles of Jamaica to prevent the unthinkable.

Stay tuned!

Comment below or email us at Erica@MikeTheFanboy.com or thenovelstrumpet@gmail.com
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