Turns out the man pointing a gun to Jamie's temple is a man named Talum who is in charge of some of The Watch. He's rather well acquainted with Jenny and Ian and it turns out the two of him have been paying them to keep the redcoats away and it's part of the reason for their visit. Ian's quite chummy with this Talum fellow and has even had the man's sword repaired or what have you. Since the men are hungry, Jenny departs to the kitchen to start some dinner and is followed by her brother and her husband and eventually Claire. Jamie's a wee bit pissed about the whole idea of the Watch being there, saying that it wasn't right at all for them to decide that sort of decision but Jenny was like "fuck you bro, we had to do what we had to do without you around..." Well you get the idea.
They all agree the best course of action is for Jamie to keep his nose clean and his head down and then the Watch will be gone and no one will be the wiser. All shall be well in the land of Lallybroch.
At dinner, we learn more about the relationship between Ian and Jamie through the questioning of Talum MacQuarrie. He is quite suspicious of the two but says very little on the matter and gives the greatest toast I've ever heard.
"Here's to a good life and a long one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A good lass and an honest one.
To great whiskey, and another one."
Gif makers take note, I'd love to have this giffed for me. I'll pay you in hugs and internet cookies I promise.
The following day Jamie is guiding a horse to the stables in order to have a look at his leg since he's supposedly lame, seeing one man smoking on Ian's tobacco. He's a bit of a smartass to the man and goes about trying to mend the horse's leg with the help of wee Rabbie. Next thing you know, there's a big ass fire and the dick who was smoking the pipe had lit it. Fucker! Well Jamie and a few others manage to get it out but Jamie's fucking pissed and decides he's not going to take this shit any further. His clean nose didn't last eighteen hours.
A fight breaks out, Jamie ends up kicking ass and MacQuarrie ends the squabble and apologizes. You know, for all he does, he's certainly a bit of a charmer. I can see why Ian likes him. He suggests that Jamie would be a great fighter on his team but Jamie's like "nah dude. I love my wife, I'm settled..." Smart guy Jamie Fraser.
As the men are returning to the main house from the stables, there are the men that MacQuarrie's been waiting on and who'd be in their ranks but Horracks. In case you don't recall, Horracks was the man that knew Black Jack Randall was responsible for killing his own man in order to frame Jamie for it. All for a price ye ken. Now he's with the Watch, and they are all at Lallybroch and he knows who Jamie is. If he spills the beans, Jamie's sure as shit off to Fort William and Black Jack Randall's clutches. Jamie is fucked.
Thankfully, Horracks keeps his mouth shut on first meeting and all seems to be well. Claire of course is scared to death that something bad is going to happen but she's Jamie's strength in this moment.
"What ever happens, we'll handle it...no matter the cost."
Later on we see Claire and Jenny doing the wash. There's a cute moment with Wee Jamie (who is super adorable, omg I want one) and Claire. They talk and wash, of bairns and children, of Jamie and Ian and all of sudden, Jenny's water breaks. Looks like there is a wee babe a coming. And come to find out, Claire discovers the babe is breach, meaning it's in the wrong position. In case you aren't familiar with old time child birth, this is very dangerous for the mother and the baby. Claire tries to get the child right in her belly but it doesn't work and there is nothing to do but wait out the birthing.
During this time, Jamie approaches Horracks and they discuss what the bastard wants. Well he wants to go to Boston of course (as all Irishmen seem to do) and make a life for himself in the American colonies. Problem is, he needs money and he wants Jamie to give it to him, if only to keep his mouth shut. Jamie concedes but is none to pleased about it. Who would be? After all, the bastard is blackmailing him.
Cut back to Jenny and Claire, Jenny's pacing and Claire asks what it's like to be pregnant. Jenny's description is verbatim from the book. I've never been pregnant before but the way Jenny describes it, it's both a mixture of beauty and misery. Claire is calm through it all and no doubt sees the conversation as a way to distract Jenny from her contractions. It's going to be a long day. I'm very glad they decided to keep all of this dialogue from the books in the show. A midwife was supposed to help out Jenny but the midwife's away (of course), so it's up to Claire.
Claire: It's alright. It is possible to deliver a breached baby. I'll only have to reach inside and guide it out.
Jenny: Alright. You'll be fetching me a good stiff dram before we start.
Claire: In that case the baby will likely be drunk too.
Jenny: Well then he'll come into the world a true Scot.
Claire: Alright
The show cuts to Jamie and Ian speaking while cleaning the wagon with the burned hay. Ian explains why he likes MacQuarrie and why he enlists The Watch to look out for them. He doesn't want Jenny in the same position she had been in when Jamie was taken away. He does it to protect Jenny the only way he can. Jamie confides in him about Horracks and Ian speaks to him of the money that Jamie's father put aside for him.
Jamie doesn't want to take it and explains why to Claire. It was meant for her, and for their children. It's at this point that our strong heroine Claire Fraser confides in Jamie, what she feels is a major shortcoming. The inability to have children. It's so heartbreaking, seeing her pain in thinking she is barren and there is some disappointment in Jamie's features but he brushes it aside.
Again, there is more dialogue very close to the book and he comforts her. One of the many reasons I love Jamie Fraser. He's truly a good and kind man and even if he is powerful and strong, he can be sensitive too. He's the King of Men for a reason and this only reinforces my opinion. It's just sweetness and love.
Our next scene is when Jamie meets Horracks with the cash. But as all blackmailing goes, it's not enough. He needs more money to keep his mouth shut and even goes so far as to threaten Jamie's family. Before Jamie can do the job of killing him, Ian runs him through with a sword, the death affecting him. This scene is pivotal, showing the true bond betwen Ian and Jamie and what makes them almost as brothers, not just brothers in law.
As they return home, Jenny's in the throes of labor upstairs and the guys from the Watch are being rude as fuck. Horracks is nowhere in sight and MacQuarrie querries about what might of happened to him. See what I did there? Jamie's like, fuck if I know where he is.
It's morning now. Jenny's still in labor and MacQuarrie is still wondering where Horracks is at. His horse is still there? Man wouldn't take ten steps to piss, let alone run off. MacQuarrie's a pretty good smartass and then Jamie tells him the truth, kind of. He says he kills Horracks because he dared blackmail him and threaten his family. At first we think everything is going to hell in a handbasket but then MacQuarrie laughs it off.
"Yeah fuck that guy. Fuck that old Irish son of a bitch..."
Unfortunately, the man has a wee bit of a problem. He needs a man on his mission to ambush a party of the British and Jamie agrees to go along, Ian too.
Before they leave, Claire gives him a carved snake that his brother William had carved for him. And they kiss and she makes him promise to come back to her. It's love and it's beauty and I"m crying. Not really, but I'm heartbroken, knowing what's coming.
So the men go off and then Jenny's actually having the baby. Holy fuck. She's giving birth and Claire reaches right on in there and pulls the babe out.
At the same moments of this, the scene cuts to where Jamie is with the other men of the Watch, waiting on the chance to ambush. Jamie, observant as ever, realizes to late that it's an attack and there's no way of escaping. The screen white's out as the British attack and fire the guns and we are left in the dark as to what happened.
As the scene moves to Claire and Jenny it's touching and sweet. Instead of the son Jenny thought it was, it's a wee daughter. Margaret Eleanor Marie Murray and she's totes adorbs. Okay, I quit.
Three days pass and there is still no sign of Jamie or of Ian. Claire's worried and Jenny has turned into the quiet sort of strength that Claire usually is with Jamie. Then the dogs bark and there are two figures hobbling down the road. It's Ian! But it's not Jamie with him but a man of the watch.
He explains that Jamie stayed behind to help a wounded MacQuarrie and that the British took him. My response is Oh Fuck!
So Diana Gabaldon has already said her piece on the matter so far as what happens. Half of the episode is very much straight from the book (Jenny's birthing) while the other half is not (The watch, backstory on Ian and how Jamie gets taken into custody). We also get a bit of background on Ian and Jamie not in the original novel but in a story she wrote for an anthology called "Virgins". See picture below:
I really like how they did this episode and how they changed it from the book. It was a major change but it easily transitioned the story to where it needed to go. Now the job of Claire is to find Jamie and for book readers, we know that we're less than an hour of the season away from the dreaded Wentworth Prison.
Until next time my fellow Sassenach and Outlander Addicts.
Picture Credit: Starz/Showcase/Amazon Prime UK
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