Image Source: Outlander TV News
Synopsis:
The Frasers must deal with the aftermath of the Battle of Alamance Creek.
This episode was extremely somber and tense, but I have to give a slow clap to Richard Rankin and John Bell in this because I think this is the best performance we have seen from them. Is it bad that I think Richard acts better when he’s silent? I was really surprised by him, and I can’t wait to see if he keeps this level of performance for the rest of the season.
We didn’t get much from Jamie and Claire in this episode, but I was actually fine with it, this time around. We saw that months have gone by, and Jamie is still having a hard time dealing with Murtagh’s death, but it’s totally understandable. I like that they buried him on Fraser’s Ridge, so Jamie always has him near him.
Where to begin with Roger’s storyline… I liked that we got a flashback to Roger teaching a class about historical figure’s last words and that it brought us to the present day, of what actually happened to Roger before he was hanged. I kind of wished that we had some other context clues about who else was being hanged alongside him, but for the sake of the episode, it makes sense that this was all from Roger’s point of view. And let’s talk about the black and white movie transitions. At first, I wasn’t liking them at all and didn’t think it was necessary, but after watching the episode, I kind of liked them. It brought you into Roger’s subconscious, and I think it made it easier for the show to articulate, what was going through Roger’s head since he kept on replaying it over and over again. I loved that once Roger got the bag put over his head, we got to see just his eyes, and saw them change, once he got hanged. You could see the panic and seclusion that he was feeling. As for him interacting with everyone else, it was really sad to watch him suffer. Of course, he got bad PTSD, and it was really hard for him to communicate since his vocal cords were injured. I’ve got some mixed feelings about Bri, and how she chose to deal with Roger because yes, she said that she was patient with him, but I really don’t think she should have lashed out at him about being there for his family. If you’re suffering from a traumatic event, it’s probably not going to take a few months to act like yourself again, and lashing out, is the last thing you should do to that person. It’s about communicating effectively and taking baby steps by doing new things. I get that Bri was mad that Roger looked as if he didn’t want to try talking again, but as we saw, he just needed that extra push or motivation from someone else, that was just as troubled as he was. When he finally decided to use his voice again, when trying to comfort Young Ian, I think that’s when he came to his senses and knew that his life, along with Ian’s was to fight through the pain and start from the ground up. When he returns home, I was surprised about what he said to Bri. That he had changed, and the man she once knew, was gone. That makes me interested to see how he’s going to change throughout the rest of the season.
I was truly surprised that Young Ian returned from being with the Mohawk. Apparently, his time with them wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and poor Ian seemed extremely lost. He was always the chipper one, but now, he was very reserved and confused about life outside of the Mohawks. I liked that most of the family, tried to have a heart to heart with him, but sadly, he still was having a hard time. It was interesting that he wouldn’t reveal anything about his time with the Mohawk to Jamie, so that makes me think that maybe he wasn’t treated well. When he and Roger go to look at the new piece of land, I was surprised, that it was him, that wanted to end his life. I’m thankful that Roger was there to talk him out of it, and we found out that Ian had fallen for a woman in his tribe, but things had gone south. I liked this new friendship between the two, and I hope that it blossoms. And I’m wondering if Ian is going to join the Fraser’s again, or decide to go his own way.
