Outlander finally moves to Paris this week, and we have a few predictions and teasers about what we will see.
Goodbye to humble and woolen Highlands and hello to radiant and fashion-forward Paris. Things are changing for Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe), and we don’t just mean the clothes. We are now in Paris and the whole focus is going to change. Here are a few predictions and teasers for season 2, episode 2.
The ‘King of Men’ makes a comeback
Jamie is no longer convalescing in a bed, or suffering the after effects of sea sickness. He is ready to rise to the challenge of stopping the Bonnie Prince and infiltrating the French court. First things first, Jamie’s hand may be bandaged from being smashed by Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies), but he’s not going to let it stop him. Never mind physical therapy and rehab. Who needs that when you have drillmaster Murtah (Duncan Lacroix) driving you?
New friends
Claire will have to work on the ladies of the French Court, to gain important information about the plans of Prince Charles. The ladies tend to spread gossip that they have heard from their husbands, and who better to analyze it than Claire? Of these ladies, no one is more able to dish the dirt and to throw Claire into the right circles than Louise de Rohan (Claire Sermonne).
To our grand satisfaction, and in fact Diana Gabldon’s as well, the wax on/wax off moment that Claire experiences with Louise is simply marvelous.
Red dress
We’ve seen glimpses of the infamous red dress that turns heads with its plunging neckline. First it was seen in the series’ Vive Outlander promotion. Next, it popped up in the season titles where its train poured gloriously down the stairs like silken, red gold. Most recently, the dress was viewed in the episode 2 promo with Claire promenading around the palace.
Our personal favorite isn’t so much the dress as others’ reactions to it. Take for example the looks on the faces of Jamie and Murtagh, and now imagine what might happen when they see others looking at Claire in that dress with more than just a passing appreciation.
When in Rome…or, in this case, Paris
If you were in Scotland, business would be done in front of a roaring fire and ale would be served. The meeting might be at a pub, or your own home. Alas, depending on your point of view, this is not where business is transacted in Paris. What will be the fallout of Jamie meeting the Bonnie Prince (Andrew Gower) in a brothel?
Will Jamie’s first audience with King Louis XV (Lionel Lingelser) be memorable as well? Let’s just say that number 9 on our Outlander comedy moments pays off in a big way.
Two important introductions
Not everyone that Claire meets will be connected to the French aristocracy. Some connections will be quite English, or even humble French ones. Mary Hawkins (Rosie Day) is the virginal, innocent Englishwoman we’ve seen in promos who seems naively unaware of the origin of babies. She and Claire first meet at Louise’s home, and then they later bump into one another at a ball. Diehard book fans will want to keep their eyes on Mary for some lovely background moments with fellow British countrymen.
Claire meets Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon), the apothecary, in his mysterious shop. We dare you to not want to hit pause several times to look at all the wonders Raymond’s shop holds. Pinon may be short of stature, but he commands the screen. To quote Casablanca, “This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Outlander airs on Starz on Saturday at 9:00.
Do you need to talk about Outlander with other fans? Don’t miss our weekly, post-show, Outlander Google Hangout called Hangoutlander. Hypable’s Laura and Kyle join the crew from That’s Normal, where we talk about the recent episode in a lively, fun, funny, and slightly irreverent way. If you missed last week’s episode, you can catch the recording here. You can sign up for this week’s episode here.