Outlander tonight featured the attempted rescue of Jamie that combined everything from hot poker torture to “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.”
Ain’t no Snow Whites here
One thing is for certain. When things go badly in Outlander, the women aren’t waiting around for their prince to come. They are going to solve the crisis by themselves. Jenny (Laura Donnelly) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) set out to find the British company that took Jamie (Sam Heughan) and MacQuarrie (Douglas Henshall) hostage and rescue them.
Ian, though he wants to help, literally has no leg to stand on. He draws up a map to let Jenny and Claire have an idea of where they were ambushed. He’ll end up holding down the fort at Lallybroch. All-in-all, it’s not a bad plan. If the British were to figure out that Ian was a part of anything that went on, the lands at Lallybroch could be forfeited to the crown.
Poker fun, not Las Vegas style
Jenny and Claire soon catch up with the British, after Jenny gives us a lesson in what breasts are actually for. The women don’t see Jamie in the camp, and they decide to capture one of the British officers to see what happened to Jamie. In case anyone was still under the delusion that stay-at-home mothers are weak and empty headed do-nothings, Jenny soon proves otherwise. She and Claire capture a dispatch rider and torture him for information.
Before Jenny, who at this point is operating like a seasoned MI-6 officer, ratchets up the level torture to “Oh my God! She’s not going to set his balls on fire is she?”, Claire discovers some useful information in the man’s pack. If they rip the information up, no one will realize for quite some time that Jamie has escaped, and by the time the unit checks in the trail will have gone sufficiently cold to make a search party impractical.
Why hello Murtagh
Before Jenny and Claire have to draw straws over who murders the British officer they captured (dead men tell no tales), Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) arrives out of no where and takes care of him for them. Murtagh states that he and Claire will continue to hunt for Jamie while Jenny will return to Lallybroch. Before she goes, Claire gives Jenny advice about crops to plant because she knows from her history that war and famine are coming.
As part of their plan, Claire and Murtagh make themselves conspicuous in a way that Jamie will recognize if rumor of travelers reachers him. Claire, who is known as a healer, treats people wherever they stop and asks questions when they do. They also attempt to have Murtaugh entertain with mediocre sword dancing while Claire tells fortunes. Sadly, these attempts at procuring information prove to be ineffective, and they switch to plan B.
Boogie Woogie Sasenach
Realizing they need to improve their act, Murtagh teaches Claire a bawdy tavern song that was one of Dougal’s favorites. Claire alters the tune to the World War II classic “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.” With Claire billed as the singing Sasenach wench, Murtagh is sure Jamie will know who they are and come out of hiding. As they do their routine North and South, Claire and Murtagh gain a new respect for each other. Claire realizes that Murtagh was in love with Jamie’s mother, and considers Jamie the son he never had.
Thrill of victory, agony of defeat
After some trouble and later help from copycat Gypsies, Claire and Murtagh actually do get word of where Jamie is. Unfortunately, it’s actually Dougal they encounter. He brings them word that Jamie was captured by the British and is set to hang in two days.
Ever the opportunist, Dougal states that rescue is futile and tries to entice Claire to marry him to secure her safety. The reality is that he wants the Fraser land that Claire will inherit upon Jamie’s death. Claire sees right through him, and instead approaches his men, Jamie’s former comrades, and gets them to agree to a rescue attempt.
Outlander’s penultimate episode for season 1 airs next Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.
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