Blacklanderz Convos!

Outlander S2 Epi8 – The Fox’s Lair

Directed by Mike Barker    Written by Anne Kenney

We wondered last week if the title card would change; and, we were glad to see that it had. The French version title card from all the previous episodes is replaced with the drums and bagpipes version of The Skye Boat Song, the full English lyrics and the Jacobite uprising, wartime strategy imagery in it; and last, but certainly not least, the beautiful backdrop of Scotland. We also noticed hints of the 20th century, which means more flash forward.

Is this Bree and Roger?

Is that 20th century Claire driving the car in Scotland? Can’t wait to find out.

e

---

This conversation is between Blacklanderz Erica and Tamisha. Both have read the book. Edited by Vida.

THE FOX’S LAIR

A fox’s lair is nothing more than its dwelling or hideaway.

---

PEACE | FAMILY | PEACE LOST | SEER | WAR

Erica: Enjoying life back at Lallybroch. Jamie and Claire find that their efforts in Paris were for naught.  This episode we discover that Bonnie Prince Charles has secured funds to launch the ill-fated rebellion and has involved Jamie.  How will Jamie and Claire secure what is necessary to change the future?  Enter Lord Simon Fraser of Lovet.

AU REVOIR PARIS! | LALLYBROCH | DECISIONS | FAMILY

Tamisha: This week’s episode got right to the point; they wasted no time. Au revoir Paris! Halò Scotland! Life seems to be going smoothly for the Frasers, life at Lallybroch worked like a tonic on our battered souls; that is until the mailman arrives with the mail. From there the episode picks up pace. Jamie and Claire are forced to make a decision that might just change their future. Claire gets better acquainted with Jamie’ father side of the family, the Old Fox. Jamie and Claire have to stand behind the decision they made and try their best to make sure it’s the right one. There are also some deviations from the book.

---

We’re all on the same page, in the fact that everyone wants this to be the most faithful adaptation it can. There are times when we just feel like to make it a dramatic television show that requires changes. So it’s about which changes we do. I have an open dialogue with Diana so if it’s a particularly large change I’m contemplating making, I’ll call her in advance to let her know, “Before I go down this road, what do you think?” And we’ll talk about it. And she’ll give feedback. Even if she doesn’t like something, she knows it’s my call and she supports whatever I want to do. She’s very generous in that sense. We’ve never had a problem where we wanted to make a change and she didn’t want us to do it. We either would opt to not do it or Diana would understand.

~ Ron D. Moore, The Hollywood Reporter

---

LALLYBROCH

The Fox’s Lair is the title for this episode, but it really should have been HOME. Though the focus of the episode eventually shifts to Jamie and Jenny’s grandfather, Lord Lovat (The Fox) and his home, it initially starts with Jamie and Claire returning home to Scotland and Lallybroch.

We returned to heal in the peace of the Scottish Highlands. ~ Claire

---

Scotland’s a very healing place for them. That is their home, and that’s why we’ve been fighting so hard in these first seven episodes to change the political landscape of Scotland so that they can go home. Unfortunately, France has proved to be a very disastrous place for them… Jamie says is that the weight of this pain is too much to bear for either of them alone, so they need to be together. We’ll see, going forward, how they heal and how this bond gets stronger. We know from Act 1 [of the season] that maybe things don’t work out completely, but I think you will see the old Claire and Jamie that we’ve come to know from before.

~ Caitriona Balfe, TVLine

---

E: Loved seeing Jamie and Claire so happy. Welcome back, Jenny and Ian. I really missed them.

I also loved the tie back to S1 when Claire told Jenny to plant potatoes. It paid off.

T: Yes, I agree! It’s good to see Scotland again. Jenny had another baby. Life seems to go back to normal. Which is refreshing. Claire is hard at work and her plan worked with the potatoes. But, we know how things go when they’re too happy. I’ll take the time to enjoy Claire and Jamie together.

E: And, just that quickly, bad news…proclamation of war. A letter from Jamie’s cousin, Jared, reveals that his name was forged and is now a traitor to the crown…again.

T: Yes, spoke too soon. It’s happening right now. What was the saying in the book? The Postman always rings twice.

---

E: Claire, of all people, is having doubts; but, I loved seeing Jamie’s pep talk.  She needed this push to keep moving forward.

T: Yes, I loved Jamie and Claire took the time to consult with each other! It just shows how strong the mutual love and respect is in the relationship.

 

Because of you Thomas Baxter lives, Paris was spared a smallpox outbreak, and Louise will bear Prince Charles’s child — all because of you.

E: Together, the two of them can accomplish anything.  This entire exchange bears that sentiment. They have FAITH in each other and that will see them through.

T: That is true. Jamie is a thoughtful man. When she suggests running away, he reasons with her. It’s true what about the others?

---

You’re going to see Lord Lovat? It is a fool’s errand. The Old Fox does nothing without a price. ~ Jenny

T: Look at these two go at each other. Hahaha! They fight like cats and dogs but you can feel the love as well. Jenny just has strong opinions and doesn’t like being crossed. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. It’s hard getting to this point of the story though. It all seems to be moving so fast. I just wish that they gave us at least 10 minutes of Jamie and Claire holding each other and everything being “peaceful”.

He does have a history of supporting the Jacobites. ~ Jamie

E: The exchange between Jamie and “Janet” is fantastic.  Nothing more to be said.

---

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

E: Jamie and Claire prepare to go to see grandfather.  I am so happy to have Jamie back.  Their intimacy is wonderful.

T: And, I got my moment of peace! He confesses his father’s origins. His father is a bastard and grandmother is a kitchen maid. At least Brian was recognized by his father. He had a good life in the castle.  Now Jamie stunts her by taking off his shirt. Man, he’s so hot! Plus he’s standing over her like that?! In nothing but a kilt. Okay! This is a worthwhile 5 seconds.

Did you notice she said let’s go to bed and he didn’t ask what she meant?

E: To be bed or to sleep? They needed that moment. To reassure us that they’re okay. Not like last time in Paris. They’re in a good place.

---

It was such a lovely scene on the page, it was so great. Everyone really wanted to do that scene because it connects so many of the plot threads with Jamie as a father, Claire hoping to have a child again, the audience knows she will have a child again but Jamie won’t raise it. There was a lot of resonance to that scene. It was a sweet and lovely moment filled with heartfelt emotion before we go off to war.

~ Ron D. Moore, The Hollywood Reporter

---

T: Loved that they added the scene that Jamie is not in bed next to her. She woke up and he’s not there. This scene is so tender! Jamie and baby Katherine. He’s speaking to her in Gaelic.

E: Yes, it was such a beautiful scene of Jamie and his niece. Equally touching was the bonding between Claire and Jenny as they watched Jamie cradle her in his lap and speak to her in his native tongue. This made me sad. He never got a chance to hold Faith and I suppose this is what he was thinking while holding her. I also enjoyed seeing Claire’s reaction to this interaction.  She so loves Jamie and so misses what she could have had with Faith.

You can talk to a wee one in a way way you canna talk to anyone else. You can pour out your heart to them without choosing your words, or holding anything back at all. And, that’s a comfort to the soul.

T: Jenny and Claire share a bony moment. Claire’s face, when she sees Jamie with the baby, breaks my heart. Another tender moment. I think this is Jamie’s way of mourning. You know, another thing I like about the Jenny and Claire moment, she didn’t ask if she was okay. The way she spoke was as though she had. They said so much, with so few words,  in that scene.

---

LEAVING HOME

E: Onward bound to Lord Lovet. Fergus is so precious.

T: Wee Fergus! Yes, he is adorable!

I belong with you.

Is that not what you told me, milady?

That I will always have a home with you?

He’s right. His place is no here without us, or in France on his own.

T: Jamie making Fergus feel important is just another heartwarming episode. I love Murtagh’s reaction when he is put in charge of Fergus. Murtagh and Fergus’s scenes crack me up!

E: Yes, they are scene stealers, for sure. But, the goodbyes are truly sad.

T: Off they go to another adventure! But, here again is another moment where I said to myself, “that’s not how it happened. You jumped and missed some good parts! Wish Ian and Jamie had a scene. As Jamie is preparing his men, Jenny is supposed to ask him to ask Ian to join the fight. Jamie and Jenny are supposed to have that scene where she says that him not asking would make him feel like less of a man. He has always been Jamie’s right hand man. Jamie is supposed to tell Ian what happened at Wentworth.  Those to me are key moments in my mind. However, I do realize they can only put so much in an episode. Perhaps, it will happen in a later episode. I think the show is aiming at focusing on the rising and the impact it has.

E: Sometimes, it is hard watching it after reading the book. But, we might have to put our books down like Diana advised as not to miss out on what’s in front of us now.  There are things I can’t get from the book, like the visual of the beautiful countryside. I love being back in Scotland.

---

THE FOX’S LAIR – BEAUFORT CASTLE

T: Look who decided to grace us with his presence. Colum! I don’t like the man and don’t trust him. He’s a MacKenzie. I love Claire’s reaction.

E: Yes, enter Colum MacKenzie.  He looks very sick.  The biggest surprise… no Dougal. I miss him.

Also, enter Lord Simon Fraser of Lovet.  Poisonous tongue.

Then… Laoghaire.  I still don’t like this child.

T: I never liked her either and never will. She is truly mad.

---

I think that she is genuinely striving for humility and penitence, and most of all forgiveness. But it’s just that her love for Jamie never [goes away]. I do think there’s a transformation that happens in the episode… When she sees him again and is thwarted by Claire, it’s a bit of a slap in the face. It’s a bit like, “Screw it, all this hard work and piousness.” …I think she does mean it in in the beginning. She’s fully in earnest, asking for forgiveness in the beginning of the episode.

~ Nell Hudson, TVLine

---

E: Kudos to Claire for how she handled this encounter.  I don’t know if I would have had her restraint.

I have fantasized all manner of violent acts that I would subject you to. Ending with lighting the pyre beneath your feet and dancing on your ashes as you promised to dance on mine.

As for getting right with God. You’ll have to find another way.

I can’t help you.

T: Me either. I love what Claire tells her, I don’t hate you. I pity you.  She basically told her, Chick that’s my man and my man only. You’ll never have him and he’ll never love you. We good? That’s my girl! Don’t trust her! Laoghaire’s face tells me she has something up her sleeves.

E: You know she does. Just glad the decided for Jamie to know of the trickery that placed Claire in the witch trial.  Silence is golden.

---

We brought Laoghaire back into the story because of where we’re going with Laoghaire in year three, and it really needed a step in between where we left her and where her story is going to go. We’ve changed the Laoghaire story in year one and she did things that she didn’t do in the books. In the book, she didn’t testify against Claire. In the book, she didn’t quite as nakedly implicate Claire as a witch like she did in the show. So in the interest of where that character is going in year three, we needed a mid-step where you saw some stab at redemption. I think the combination of bringing Colum and Laoghaire back in the story was also great in this episode because it brought the viewer back to the Scotland story and the family of characters they had seen in year one. This episode had more of a homecoming kind of feel to it.

~ Ron D. Moore, The Hollywood Reporter

---

E: Such a full table.  Jamie is a force to be reckoned with.  He is showing such strength in the midst of such animosity.

E: In an attempt to assist his cousin’s argument, Simon Fraser speaks up only to be crushed by his father. Being thoroughly embarrassed by his father, he takes his seat and speaks no further.

T: Young Simon! He’s really young and has eyes for Laoghaire. But that is good. She can be someone else’s problem. The MacKenzies and the Frasers sure know how to make a dinner awkward.

---

E: Jamie comes to the realization that Lovet wants something and aims to find out what it is.  A private conversation with his grandfather is required.  As a sidenote: The lighting in this entire episode is dark and gloomy from start to end.  This alone tells the viewer that it will be a difficult road traveled, as not only the episode progresses but also the season.

E: What does he want? Lallybroch of course.  Jenny was right.  What a kick in the pants.  He wants Claire too?!

T: Yeah, but more like a threat. He’s threatening to have Claire raped. What an animal. Here’s another obstacle for Jamie and Claire to face together. Except, they have a time constraint. Way to make their lives harder.  My question is what does he want with Lallybroch?

Lallybroach for your wife’s honor.

E: Love how Jamie introduces Claire as La Dame Blanche to his grandfather.  He is in total shock.

Go ahead. Try to ravage my wife. When she’s done with you. I’ll send in the maid to sweep up your remains. A man who takes her in his unholy embrace will have his privates blasted – like a frostbitten apple on his soul. He’ll burn forever in hell.

T: Yes again, Jamie handles this threat perfectly.  The look on the Old Fox’s face is priceless. He is probably saying in his head, I don’t want to cross her. Let alone have frost bitten privates! Nope, I’m good!

---

E: Colum wants peace.  Not war.  If Dougal were there this would be a non-issue.  Jamie has to work hard to convince Colum, but, it’s not working.

T: Yes, Colum wants neutrality, while Jamie wants soldiers. At least they can agree on one thing. The Old Fox wants Lallybroch.

---

E: What happened there?  She is clearly afraid.

T: We’re at another important part of this show. The seer, she mentions that the future can be altered. Actions can change things. She also tells Claire about her vision.

E: I remembered after the scene played.

---

E: This child annoys me to no end.  Smelling Jamie’s shirt.  Again, kudos to Claire for making an attempt with her, though the attempt is once again for naught.

T: Same here. They enlist the help of our least favorite person. I’m with you; she’s creepy. . . smelling his shirt! Just Cray! Cray! Claire can see past that and work with the whack job to accomplish the task.

---

T: Oh Lord, here she comes. Where has her cap disappeared to? She’s working her charms on this poor boy.

Well isn’t that cute? He likes poetry. She doesn’t seem at all fazed or interested.

E: Simon is so sweet; he does not deserve this child.

---

T: The seer gave Claire some useful information! What will she do with it? Of course! She’ll consult with Jamie first. It’s decided, Jamie is forced to sell his land for the Old Fox’s support in the cause.

E: Decisions…decisions…decisions. Go to Bonnie Prince Charles with 30 men and a failure or give up your ancestral home for support. Damned if you do; damned if you don’t.

E: Jamie was about to give it all up until Claire fakes a vision. Love it. More fantastic acting by Caitriona.

T: Claire is proclaiming that she has visions. Nice move! She’s telling him his fate with the risk of him killing her.

E: Young Simon saves the day. He grew a pair and has the strength to say what is necessary. Kudos all around.

T: Yes, Young Simon stood up and made his pledge. He will fight for the cause. There you have it, their plan worked. But, they didn’t win over everyone. The men will not join only Young Simon. The MacKenzies will not join. I’m finding it hard not to like Young Simon. He’s supposed to be annoying and self-righteous. Instead, he’s caring, young and willing to take a stand for Jamie.

---

T: I’m glad Colum and Jamie parted ways on a good note.

I also liked Claire’s respond when he asked if she could change her husband’s mind.

You’ve known him longer than I have. What do you think?

---

E: Urrgh! Laoghaire with her sneaky self.

T: That’s why I don’t trust her. Well, she got part of what she wanted. Jamie went over to say thanks as per Claire’s request. He said no more to her. That’s my boy! Don’t encourage her.

---

E: Clan Fraser of Lovet join the battle.

T: The scenery is breathtaking. Jamie and Claire accomplished something . . . they got soldiers!

E: They made us think Lord Lovat initially cares, but he doesn’t! He is just in it for what he can get out of it. I agree, the scenery was gorgeous and this was the brightest scene in the entire episode.

T: For now, Jamie and Claire won this round. They got their men, now on to phase two. Can’t wait!

Je Suis Prest!

---

LOOKING FORWARD

What we are looking forward to in the upcoming episode.

Erica: I think I saw a glimpse of Dougal in the previews.  Was that for real?  Can’t wait to have him back.  I also want to see Jamie training the men to become soldiers; he is in his element.  It also seems like the next episode will have more Jamie. Can’t wait to see that. Until next time.

Tamisha: Yes, and I’m also looking forward to seeing the fighting and Dougal; most importantly, Brianna, whenever that happens!! What I look forward to as well is them filling in the holes they left in Epi1. Maybe we will see a few other familiar faces we thought we might never see again. Next week, Jamie and Claire are back at Lallybroch training their men. I’m hoping Jamie can spend some time with Ian and with Jenny, and I hope Jamie and Claire have more moments.

---

Episode Rating (1-5): 5 – Shots

We give this episode four (4) shots. One shot alone for being back in Scotland and the scenery. It was a solid episode filled with heartwarming bonds being solidified, life changing decisions and scheming. Jamie with his niece and the intimacy between Jamie and Claire were priceless. We loved seeing them getting back to basics of a home life.  But, this episode galloped faster than the horses on the show. Sometimes, we wished they had slowed down certain moments and elaborated on others. Lallybroch, for example, should have been at a slower pace where they could have spent more time with Jamie and Claire, as well as with Jamie and Ian. We love how they handled Jamie meeting his grandsire. They’re so similar, yet different in more ways than one. The one thing we did not like … yep, Laoghaire. While we understand why she had to be introduced, it does not mean we have to like it. Perhaps they already know that S3 is coming (*fingers crossed*).  The lighting was phenomenal; interiors were dark and gave a sense of what is to come. It was great being back home in Scotland.

---

How did you rate the episode and why?

Let us know in the comments section.

---

Up next:

Outlander S2 Epi9 Preview – ‘Je Suis Prest’ ~ via The Outlander BR

Directed by Philip John      Written by Matthew B. Roberts

When Claire and Jamie are reunited with the Lallybroch and MacKenzie men who are in training, his power struggle and her personal battle prove a burden. But an Englishman’s visit to the camp provides updated news.

Disclaimer: We hold no rights to any of the pictures; all are from Starz.  No copyright infringement intended.