Outlander season 2, episode 9 delivered the James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, leader of men, that we have been waiting for all season.
Whipping them into shape
Jamie has inherited his own rag-tag fleet of farmers and tradesmen (special points if you catch that reference and can connect it to this show), and he has to whip them into battle shape, or they will be slaughtered.
It’s basically down to a good-cop/bad-cop routine between Jamie and Murtagh to effect this change. Murtagh plays drill sergeant while Jamie is the born leader who inspires men with his words and actions. He’ll not ask any of them to do anything he wouldn’t do himself, and he’ll not fill their heads with glorification of war and pretty lies. He knows that unless the men trust him, it will be a disaster, and that trust is earned through example. He’ll even take a beating himself to show that he holds himself accountable.
Kudos to Sam Heughan, who delivered a layered monologue cataloging what’s at stake in war, and how it’s personal. He has transformed from the fish out of water to the leader. He still carries the physical and psychological battle scars, but he is ready.
Dougal returns
When we last saw Dougal, Jamie was under his uncle’s command. At that point, Dougal saw Jamie as his most junior officer. He was still a boy who had to prove himself a man. The tables are now turned.
Dougal wants to lead with bravado and empty words because that’s all he has left. He has less than half a dozen men under him because Column has sided with Lord Lovat and not supplied Dougal with trained MacKenzie troops. The war chieftan of Clan MacKenzie has been seriously diminished in stature, and it’s a hell of a bitter pill to swallow.
Can we be terrified and excited all at the same time…yes we can. ? #HighlanderReunion #Outlander pic.twitter.com/LW99VYJFbP
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) June 5, 2016
To Jamie’s credit, he sees his uncle as the threat he is, and he consistently puts Dougal in his place, making sure he knows that Jamie is in charge, and that Dougal will respect the chain of command or be gone.
Claire also recognizes Dougal for the narcissist that he is. In a glorious moment, she tells him to, “Go fuck yourself.” He may not understand the term, but the subtext is clear. Dougal has been fully emasculated by his nephew and his wife. This does not bode well for the future. Granted, Jamie threw Dougal a bone by letting him announce their pretense to Prince Charles, but Jamie and Claire may want to sleep with a dirk under their pillows.
An introduction
Cue the meeting of an English junior officer, Lord John William Grey, and a round of trickery to get him to cough up the position of enemy troops. Jamie prove he can be cunning and merciful as he extracts the necessary information. Suffice it to say we’ll be seeing young Lord John again, if for no other reason than he practically held up a sign that said, “Foreshadowing,” with his parting words and the debt of honor he mentioned.
Hmm, that name sounds familiar… doesn't it, @Writer_DG? #HighlanderReunion #Outlander pic.twitter.com/473wg3L5Ws
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) June 5, 2016
Flashback
In a deft handling of flashbacks to the 20th century, we see all too clearly what horrors of war the men may be facing. We learn where Claire picked up her stubborn reserve as well has her signature catchphrase, “Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.” At the same time, those are not Claire’s only “souvenirs” from the war.
In 1945, we didn’t have words like PTSD let alone effective ways of treating it. We had words like “battle fatigue” and “shell shock.” Society didn’t understand how some couldn’t escape the nightmare of what they saw in war, and just snap out of it.
But is everyone else? #HighlanderReunion #Outlander pic.twitter.com/8Hr4ql4Rqt
— Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) June 5, 2016
No one gets over war. The sound of a drill, the sight of a hundred young men in camp and the smell of powder bring memories of World War II flooding back to Claire. No one is safe in war. Claire knows this firsthand. Perhaps, she even knows it better than Jamie. Jamie fought as a mercenary for a brief time, but Claire saw five years worth of man’s inhumanity to man. What will this war bring in terms of fighting men lost, children like Fergus lost, and women like Jenny potentially left as widows?
Caitiona Balfe delivers a touching performance where Claire’s hard as nails exterior slowly evaporates. She is not made entirely of steel, and we see that Jamie is not the only one with battle scars and demons.
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