Synopsis:
Fergus worries about his new son’s quality of life when the baby is bullied by superstitious Protestants. Claire performs surgery on Tom’s hand.
I like that this episode is Fergus-central and that we got to dive deeper into his mental state. We also got to see some different dynamics between characters we hadn’t seen together before.
Baby Henri-Christian:
So far, baby Henri-Christian hasn’t been welcomed with open arms on Fraser’s Ridge. Fergus stormed out when he saw that his child was a dwarf, and now in the opening of this episode, we see that the children on the Ridge are seeing if the baby floats. They put him in the river, and thankfully Roger is there to save him. We also hear from the kids that they think the baby is a demon because of religious superstitions. I’m interested to hear more about how dwarves are deemed as demons and where that idea came from. Was it in the Bible? Or some other religious text? Or was it folklore that was told through the generations?
Fergus:
Since the first episode, we’ve seen that Fergus’s mental state has gone downhill. Marsali had said that he was ashamed that he didn’t help more with Lionel Brown. Even though everyone was confused about why he was feeling so ashamed, because he didn’t have any control over it, Fergus had taken to the alcohol. Of course, hearing that his child was put into the river didn’t help anything as well. Claire goes to talk to him, and he tells her stories about how dwarves were treated in France. They were disrespected and mostly killed, and he didn’t want that for his child. It’s sad that Fergus isn’t living in the present and keeps on thinking about the past and now future and how he could help raise his child and prevent him from living a bad life. Now, we do have to take into consideration the time period that they’re in, but there’s no time like the present to make a change in society.
Later on, we see that Fergus is still drinking, even after Marsali had said previously that he promised he’d stop, but again, having your child be sent down the river doesn’t help your mental state. The acting between Lauren and César in this scene was perfect, and you could see the constant battle Fergus and Marsali have been going through. I think we got an insight into another power struggle, but this time, it was between husband and wife, and again, between a man and a woman. The struggle between them is that Fergus believes since he is the man of the house, he needs to protect everyone, but being headstrong as she is, Marsali says that she can also protect. She confesses to Fergus that she was the one to kill Lionel, and that sets him off. He tells her that he doesn’t need a woman protecting him and gets kicked out of the house.
The next day, Fergus is walking around drunk again and gets into a fight with a couple that had settled with Tom. It sucks that everyone knows everyone’s business around the Ridge, and people aren’t pleased with the dwarf baby. But, I think that’s what broke the camel’s back because next, we see that Fergus is going off to commit suicide. Thankfully, Jamie sees him from afar and runs to his aid, and it was an emotional moment between the two. We forget that Jamie and Claire adopted Fergus, and seeing Jamie tell Fergus how much he is needed and how he has helped, was uplifting. The way Fergus grabbed Jamie and hugged him and Jamie kissed his forehead broke my heart.
Claire and Tom:
We got a little more insight into Claire and Tom’s relationship, and there’s a constant push and pull there. Tom comes back to get his hand fixed and refuses the ether. This is the first time people are hearing about something that could put them to sleep, so in a way, I can see why Tom would be hesitant to take ether, but seeing that Claire is a physician, I would trust her. So Tom deals with it the hard way, and I can’t even imagine being cut open while being awake. Even if it’s just your hand, I’m pretty sure Claire was doing things with his tendons and ligaments. While still dealing with her PTSD, Claire decides to check on Tom that night, and it was an awkward encounter. Tom kept on making comments about how peculiar Claire is, and she was trying her best to act normal. When she goes back to her room, she talks to Jamie and asks if Tom’s scared of women or being touched. We get a little more insight into Tom’s past at Adsmuir, but I’m interested to find out more about his beliefs in women. On a side note, I’m loving that we’re getting a lot of intimate moments between Jamie and Claire. We got to see them relax and talk in bed before going to sleep.
Spinning wheel:
Just a short little note, but I’m loving these constant inventions we keep seeing from Bree. This time, she showed Marsali the spinning wheel, which was a big help in making clothes. I’m excited to see what we get next.
Malva and Ian:
Malva and Ian had a good time hanging out in this episode, and I surprisingly like their chemistry. I felt the sexual tension between them, and I wonder if they’ll act upon it. I like that Malva acts like a modern woman and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. I see why she would have an appreciation for Claire. And speaking of Claire, there is a similarity between her and Malva’s mother. Malva tells Ian that her mother was hanged for being a witch, which was very surprising. Could she have been from another time? Or was she just as progressive as Malva?
Boston Tea Party:
Lastly, it looks like the Revolution is starting, and we see that the Brits bring guns for the Cherokee, as Jamie asked. Claire sees that the Boston Tea Party has already happened, and herein lies the choices that Claire and Jamie have to make to be on the right side of history.
