Outlander season 2, episode 4 started with an attempt on Claire’s life likely by the Comte San Germain, that fortunately did not succeed, but that doesn’t mean Claire, or anyone was out of danger.

The Frank problem

The fact that Black Jack Randall is alive is not the devastating news to Jamie that Claire and Murtagh thought. Jamie sees this news as, “Something to look forward to that is a gift truly.” The gift is his opportunity to personally kill Black Jack Randall. There’s one, little problem with this plan, and that’s the fact if Jack dies, then Frank, his descendant, will not exist.

Claire pays a visit to Master Raymond’s shop to ascertain if he supplied the bitter cascara that “poisoned” her earlier. Though he had no knowledge of the attempt on Claire’s life, he gives her a pendant whose stone will turn color in the presence of poison.

While Claire is in Raymond’s shop, he offers to tell the future about an old friend of Claire’s who she is worried about, Frank. Although Raymond cannot see Frank’s exact fate, he tells Claire that she has no need to worry because she will see him again. This news obviously delights and confuses Claire.

More intriguing than any of Raymond’s magic stones, predictions, or sleight of hand tricks is that fact that he looks at Claire and states that he is “fascinated by things not of this time.” Is Raymond a traveler like Claire? Does he know more than he is letting on?

Marital woes

Jamie comes home one night ready to make love with Claire for the first time in weeks, and, just as things start to get interesting, Claire notices bite marks on Jamie’s thighs. Jamie relates that they were from a prostitute at the brothel where he’s been conducting business with Prince Charles. He sheepishly states, “I dinna suppose a gently reared lady such as yourself would be familiar with the term soixante neuf…She was rather insistent about it. Though I think she would have settled with the 6, the 9 could go hang.” Claire, on the other hand knows exactly what the symbolism around the number 69 is, and she’s justly pissed off.

After fumbling his explanation several times, Jamie convinces Claire that nothing happened sexually, but it was the beginning of an awakening for him. Claire still responds that she’s hurt that this awakening was without her. She’s felt alone and abandoned in Paris. They haven’t even discussed baby names.

Jamie too has felt alone, and Claire begs him to share why. He finally opens up stating that since Wentworth he hasn’t felt whole. He tells Claire that Jack penetrated that place inside that everyone keeps to themselves, a fortress where their soul lives. He goes on to state that Jack utterly blew his fortress apart. He’s felt like he was left huddled naked and alone, trying to hide under a blade of grass. Dejected and emotionally spent he goes to sleep elsewhere.

After some time, Claire finds Jamie and makes love to him telling him, “Find me, find us. We are here.” Hours later, a reconciled Jamie and Claire cuddle together. He tells Claire, “Remember I told you I was lost, I think perhaps you’ve built me a lean-to at least, and a roof to keep out the rain.”

The grand plan

Meanwhile, Claire’s friend, Louise, has news. She’s pregnant and the child is her lover’s. As it turns out, Louise’s love is Prince Charles. Jamie claims it makes sense as they are both impetuous dreamers who don’t think about consequences. The audience may be wondering what the glamorous and vain Louise, who seems like she could land any man she wanted, ever saw in the penniless and petulant prince. If Charles is charming and suave, it’s happened entirely off screen. On screen, he’s nothing more than a petty, over-privileged, penniless royal who’s bought into the idea that it’s his divine right to rule, and that God himself wants him on the throne of England and Scotland.

Regardless of the plausibility of Louise and Charles’ relationship, Jamie and Claire decide to use it to their own ends. They plan a dinner party where they hope to manipulate Charles into a jealous rage by which all those in attendance will see him for the fool he is, and not back the Jacobite cause.

It all goes wrong

The dinner party doesn’t go quite to plan. Claire arrives late because her carriage was tampered with. She, Mary Hawkins, and Murtagh were jumped in the street and assaulted by three masked men who Claire later believes were sent by the Comte San Germain. The attack stops only because the men see Claire’s face and yell, “Madame Blanche,” make the sign of the cross, and run off. Claire and Murtagh are fine, but Mary has been raped.

Once back at the house, the initial plan is to pretend that nothing happened. The fate of Scotland depends on their dinner party exposing Charles as the fool that he is. They leave the unconscious Mary in the care of Alex Randall, who is secretly in love with her, while the dinner party goes on. Jamie and Claire hope to bring Mary home in the morning when she is in better shape and they can think of a cover story that will not reveal that she is raped.

Jamie has come a long way. He not only defers his vengeance to Claire’s plan, but he also tells her that Mary could have no better Doctor than her. As Mother Hildegard earlier stated, “The physicians that come here are better than nothing. You, madame, are a great deal better than nothing.”

And then things go from bad to worse

The dinner starts off well enough. Charles is unnerved to learn that Louise is pregnant with can no doubt be his child. Just as he starts to reveal his true colors rambling viciously about his God-given destiny to rule there is a huge disruption.

Mary has awoken, and she runs screaming through the house in her underclothes. Alex catches her, but he falls to the floor on top of her so that it looks to the uninformed, that include Mary’s father, fiance, and the Duke of Sandringham, like he’s actively attempting to rape her.

In the chaos that ensues, Jamie and Murtagh knock Alex, Mary’s father, and fiance unconscious. The Duke of Snadringham leaves to avoid the scandal, and the Compte San Germain offers to leave with the Prince stating that he’ll helpfully alert the police.

Outlander is back next Saturday at 9:00 pm on Starz.