Synopsis:
Jamie struggles with his first request as Indian Agent. Roger presides over an unusual funeral. Marsali gives birth. However, the joy is short-lived when a discovery is made.
If I had to describe episode two, it would be all about the power struggle. First, we saw the beginnings of it with Tom and Jamie, but now, it’s starting to affect everyone else.
The Cherokee:
We revisited the Cherokee tribe once again and saw the difficulties that Jamie had to face being the Indian Agent. The tribe tells Jamie that they want more weapons, specifically guns, and Jamie remarks that he can’t guarantee them that. We see his decision when he talks to one of the Brits, and here in lies two struggles that appeared. One is that Ian had tagged along with Jamie during his trip with the Indians, and since Ian lived with the Indians and is very close with them, he wants to make sure that they are heard. When Ian hears that Jamie didn’t tell the Brit that the Indians want weapons, he is very disappointed in Jamie. Struggle two is that both of them are also taking into consideration what Claire and Bree have told them about the outcome of the Indians. When the colonies formed the United States, the Indians were pushed out of their territories and left to fend for themselves. Hearing about this, I agree with Claire that it was fine that Jamie decided to change his mind and let the Indians have their weapons. Pretty much at this point, their future is out of his hands. Also, can we just talk about the scene when Jamie has to deal with the Cherokee women in his bed? It was such a great comedic moment, which we don’t get often, and I especially loved that one of the Cherokee women was against maybe having a baby with red hair.
Tom/Malva/Claire:
This time around, we saw a progression in Tom and Claire’s power struggle. This is definitely a man vs. woman struggle. First off, Claire is determined to fix Tom’s hand, which he is trying to brush off. I thought it was interesting that Claire brought up ether for the first time to a patient, and I hope she’s mastered the dosage. Also, yet again, Claire is being accused of being a witch because of her medical knowledge, but it’s kind of funny because, at this point, Claire is beyond it. She even jokes about having a broom. Finally, we see that Malva is tired of doing the same thing day after day and is thankful that Claire lets her tag along in her medical room. She gets to help Claire when she’s helping Marsali with the baby, and eventually, Tom has had enough of it. He thinks she’s spending too much time with Claire and his temper gets the best of him. I loved, though, that Malva was actually challenging him. She gave him a look that said, “you can’t control me.” We can see in Tom’s eyes that he’s losing control and is about to reach his breaking point.
Babies:
A big part of this episode dealt with Marsali having her baby. Leading up to her giving birth, we see that Fergus has still been abusing her. Thankfully, Claire finally spoke up about the situation, and we find out that Fergus regrets not helping the women during the whole Lionel Brown fiasco. I’m not quite sure why he would regret this since he did everything he could, and he even was there to help find Claire, but hopefully, we’ll find out the truth, along with the rest of the characters. I’m glad that they’re just as confused as I am. When Marsali is about to give birth, she discovers that something isn’t right. She thought she was going to die, but I knew she was going to be ok. Thank god Fergus finally arrived by her side and started to help her with the process. Of course, in the end, after giving birth, we find out that Marsali and Fergus’s baby is a dwarf. That starts another spiral for Fergus, and he runs away again. On a separate note, we find out that Ian had a baby with his Native American wife, and that was a shock. I feel so bad for Ian because his whole family was ripped away from him.
Matches:
We get to see one of Bree’s new inventions, and it is matches. You don’t really think about how simple people lived back then and how something like matches could be such a wonder. Sadly, no one really appreciated Bree’s invention, but I’m sure they will one day. I’d love it if, in some dire situation in one of the future episodes, the matches save someone’s life.
Church:
Tom and his people have made quick progress in getting their church built. However, we see the concern in Jamie’s face when he says that the church could start a war, and he makes sure Tom knows that on his land, this church will be both a place of worship and a general meeting place. He also specifies that this church will be accepting of all religions. Tom agrees, but we know deep down that he’s not happy with Jamie’s request.
I think at this point, tensions are very high in Fraser’s Ridge, and this is going to fester till it finally explodes. All the while during the backdrop of the American Revolution. Again, more than ever, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Making sure you’re on the right side of history.
