Blacklanderz Convos! Outlander S4 Epi8

Blacklanderz Convos!

Outlander S4 Epi8 – Wilmington

Written by Luke Schelhaas | Directed by Jennifer Getzinger

This conversation is between Blacklanderz Tami, Gwen and Tyrese. Arranged and edited by Vida. [For those who don’t know, I also interrupt at times – just because.]

Tyrese: I found the title card to be striking visually, evoking the Shakespearean phrase that Governor Tryon quotes later in the episode, “All the world’s a stage.”

Tami: The title card gave me Paris vibes. I never imagine there being a play in Wilmington. Maybe Paris?

PLOTTING | UNITY | VIOLATION

Tami: This episode felt like there was so much content to cover that the director decided to dive right in. Unlike last week, they did not waste a single minute! Roger is still diligently searching for Brianna, but this time in Wilmington. Jamie and Claire had to spend the evening with Governor Tryon. It felt like déjà vu, but instead of Paris, it’s North Carolina and more than 20 years later. Everyone got to meet a new member of the Fraser clan. Claire may or may not have embarrassed herself in front of one of the most prominent historical figures. This episode concluded quite traumatically and left audiences picking up their jaws off the floor.

TAXES | TRIUMPH | TRAUMA

Gwen: This episode was about Jamie and Claire learning the political playing field and starting to choose which side to join. Spoiler alert – Claire has a few ideas. Governor Tyron taxing his way to power is forcing their hand just as soon as they are getting settled. Bree and Roger finally found each other but love in the 1700’s has its challenges. Unlike Jamie and Claire, both Bree and Roger have to adjust to unforgiving societal rules about relationship roles. This will be exceptionally hard for Bree who is even more progressive than her mother Claire. Everything comes with a price and it seems the Fraser are perpetually paying.

WOMEN | REVOLUTION | STUBBORNNESS | TRAUMA

Tyrese (Ty): This episode was about the role of women in various positions within this time period. The vulnerability of women during this time period in terms of their relationship to men. For Claire, navigating the social spaces that come with added misogyny is commonplace. She is an expert at getting men to accept her position of authority when it comes to that. We see the seeds of the Revolution being sowed deeper and deeper in the colonies, with famed characters of the war making appearances. Claire and Brianna’s famed stubbornness made an appearance, to the success of one and the pain of another. And I have to agree, the trauma in this episode felt especially hard to watch.

The episode originally began with Brianna and Lizzie walking down the Wilmington thoroughfare, having been here for a few days and now planning to leave, but as we got closer to production, we decided to start with Roger searching for Brianna. We decided it would give the opening more tension: Will he or won’t he find Brianna in this bustling little town? Is she even here? We also wanted to see Roger pause in his searching, torn between looking for the love of his life and relishing the fact of being in the past. He is a historian after all and would be eating this up were it not for the urgency of his mission.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

T: Oh, I guess we’re jumping right in then. Roger is smart using a drawing of Brianna to find her. It’s funny that Roger interacts with Fergus, but they don’t know each other, even though they are somewhat brothers-in-law? I hope they become close companions in the future.

G: He made it Wilmington and he figured out what ship she was on. OMG It’s Fergus. John Gillette – The Printer. I think that’s the printer who printed the obituary.

Though we couldn’t see the Jamie-and-Claire obituary here in the past (it hasn’t been written yet), it was fun to meet the man who will one day print it and smudge the date—and to have Roger give him a little annoyed look. After all, it’s thanks to this man, at least in part, that Roger is here, chasing after Brianna.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

Does my establishment offend you in some way, sir?

Ty: I really need him to get some long pants. I’ve been ambivalent to his look this season, but I think I like the long hair and slight scruff the best. Though Fergus is the most attractive of the young lads on the show this season.

No . . . it’s only that . . .

Ty: I wanted to scream at Roger, “It’s FERGUS! He will take you directly to Jamie!” Ah! So close and so frustrating!

Sir, have you seen this lady?

I’m sorry. I haven’t seen her.

G: Marsali had the baby; he is adorable. So, this is shaping up to be a fortuitous trip for all parties involved. So far Roger, Claire, and Jamie are in town. Is Bree far behind?

Ty: I’m glad that Fergus and Marsali are happy and had a healthy baby. She looks completely in love with her family. And, Jamie and Claire are proud grandparents.

T: Germain! I look forward to seeing more of him. Claire is so maternal! I hope we get to see more moments with Jamie and Claire around babies.

Ty: I hope we get to see Germain grow up.

The cross with Fergus also gave us a nice way to hand off the story to Jamie and Claire—to reveal that they are also here in Wilmington. We hoped the audience would be on the edge of their seat waiting, hoping, for Roger and Claire and Brianna and Jamie to connect and fearing that it will be a missed connection. By the way, the decision to call the episode “Wilmington,” admittedly a simple title, was our way of admitting up front that the entire story was going to take place there, that various characters and stories would converge (or almost converge) in this one little town.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: Claire and Marsali bonding over Germaine, which is her first grandchild.

Ty: I have to say Laoghaire’s fierce steadfastness is probably her only redeemable quality. Thank God that’s what Marsali inherited and not her mother’s other more nefarious traits.

T: Is it just me or has Marsali aged? Motherhood suits her.

The little scene between Claire and Marsali is so sweet and both Caitriona and Lauren did such a great job—a neat little peak into these characters’ growing relationship.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

T: After searching and searching, Roger decides to take a break and recharge. Reunion seems inevitable for Bree and Roger. Their festival spat seems all but forgotten.

G: How do you spill ale on the only picture you have of Bree. I swear that’s a metaphor for their relationship. And then he hears Bree’s voice! A joyful reunion. Also, of note, Bree’s stole and gloves are amazing. I can’t tell if these were from the trunk of Claire’s or not, but the woolen bits look familiar.

Brianna.

Ty: Honestly, I’m happy to see Roger and Bree reconnect. Though, I will always be annoyed with both of them and the way their relationship is being played out on the show.

I think that’s one of the things that Roger finds most attractive about Brianna, other than her face. She’s a very modern woman. She’s very free-thinking, she has an opinion. And she’s not scared to share it. And there’s a fineness to Brianna that he really respects. I think he is more used to, I suppose, a more reserved, kind of traditional attitude. And Brianna sparks something in Roger, kind of excites him in many ways that have a very direct influence on him that he enjoys very much. And she very much stimulates him in that respect. ~ Richard Rankin

This was a tricky sequence of scenes. Roger has to say and do enough to make Lizzie suspicious and distrustful of him, but we felt like the first words out of his mouth wouldn’t be angry—they would be relieved and joyous. So we had Lizzie stay upstairs while Roger and Bree had their initial meeting and come downstairs only in time to see them start to argue. In the end, we played nearly all of the suspicion on Lizzie’s face as she watched them through the window. An argument like that—a man and a woman being physical in public at this time—the way Roger practically drags her out and grabs her roughly, “manhandling her,” would have stood out. It definitely would have given someone like Lizzie the wrong idea, that Roger was, at best, not a gentleman, and at worst, a dangerous, even villainous man.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: Well that ended quickly. Roger is a little too handsy for my taste. Lizzie got an eyeful.

Ty: I don’t know, Brianna is mad frustrating. He doesn’t have to be so handsy, but I understand why he’s upset with her.

I expect Lizzie’s eye witness and lack of understanding of the world may come to be an issue for everyone in the future.

T: This adaptation seems more plausible. Roger being quite handsy and no one in Wilmington knows him so it’s easy to get the wrong assumption. Instead of Lizzie going over to Roger and Bree, she cowers away. I think it would have been more believable if she was portrayed younger.

G: Roger, what is this place and how did you know it was safe to go there?

G: That was a quick turnaround. Bree went from hey let’s get horizontal to sure I’ll marry you. And of note, she used the gem stone to travel through the stones.

Ty: I was a little surprised as well at how quickly Bree decided to change her mind about marrying Roger, but I think that if a man traveled through time to find me, I might decide it’s time to marry him and stop playing games.

Also, if I had never heard of handfasting, I would be like “you just making that up to get in my drawls…but that’s ok though.”

T: I’m a little taken aback myself with how quickly Brianna changes her mind. I think that emphasizes her immaturity. I understand Roger went through the stones for you, but he’s shown you he loved you 10 times over.

Yeah, and in terms of Roger’s influence on Bree, like I said before, Bree’s quite a held person. She’s very guarded. She doesn’t really let you see much of her or what’s going on. But actually, Roger really allows her to open herself up and she really does let him in. And what’s lovely about this season especially is that the audience sees that happening. She really does let her guard down and, yeah, he softens her. ~ Sophie Skelton

I love this moment of Roger thinking she was rejecting him again, but realizing she is literally proposing marriage. The sweetness of his “I don’t have a ring.” The fact that she used the gemstone in the bracelet he gave her to get through the stones. I think Sophie and Richard played all of this beautifully. It’s a really sweet scene. And it’s so funny when she cuts him off with “Let’s do it.” His reaction to that… that smile… so great.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

So glad to get Tim Downie back for another episode as Governor Tryon. What Tryon says here—that the play was written by a native son of Wilmington—is totally true. The play is in fact the first play written by a Colonial American and produced in the colonies. It was written by Thomas Godfrey, a resident of Wilmington, and presented in Philadelphia on April 24, 1767. Our little addition is that it was perhaps presented in Wilmington as well (though we don’t know this for a fact). The discovery of this actual play, called “The Prince of Parthia,” was a fun little detail for us.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: The party hosted by Governor Tyron with the man who wears a million hats, Edmund Fanning.

Ty: Jamie and Claire always look like they’re silently judging people. They have been through too much and are not easily impressed.

It was a lot of fun to play Edmund Fanning (like Tryon, a real historical figure) with a hernia. The story Fanning tells about injuring himself is based on historical fact. We don’t know that he ever got a hernia trying to appease the Regulators, but we do know that he brought them booze down by a riverside in a desperate attempt to quell violence.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: By the way, I love Mrs. Tryon’s jewelry. Her earrings and necklace are stunning. Ah, Claire offering to give free physicals and frown at being sent to talk to the rest of the wives.

Ty: Claire has a strong back bone to put up with all these misogynists around her. Gov. Tryon would’ve gotten an earful from me, or at the very least, the evil eye.

But they have to come up with something other than “My wife is a healer,” because that hardly ever works to get people to take her seriously.

T: I love Claire’s choker! I have to admit that I get insulted whenever people refer to Claire as a healer. She’s a DOCTOR! She worked her butt off for her MD.

G: George Washington! Claire can’t resist.

Ty: The Wives Club. At least Claire isn’t offended by being regulated to wives club. She always tries to make the best out of it.

There! You’ve heard of the face that
launched a thousand ships – – well,
here is a lady who could fill as many
with tobacco if she so chose . . . wit
and wealth a-plenty!

T: I’m so embarrassed for Claire. It must be a scary thing to know a person’s future, knowing that they will go on and be a famous person in history. She’s star struck.

Her husband seems to have captured the
attention of the crowd as well.

That’s Colonel Washington.

Early on, one of our writers had the idea to introduce George Washington, to have Claire meet him and be gobsmacked by someone so familiar to her from the pages of history. It was fun for us to imagine what George Washington looked and sounded like, what he would say to a crowd of high society people gathered for a play, and of course, what Claire would say in return. This scene was a lot of fun to write and produce.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

I’m sorry – – who – -?

Colonel George Washington.

G: Claire’s remark about Washington chopping down cherry trees. Hilarious.

Ty: Claire is all of us meeting George Washington. Maybe she’s the reason for the tall tale about the cherry trees.

G: Both Martha and George are intrigued by the ten thousand acres given to Jamie. Hmmm, I’ll tuck that away for later.

Ty: I think they are suspicious. I would be too.

G: Time for the play and a quick American history lesson.

Oh, Bree is here alright, but she might be a little preoccupied at the moment.

T: I love that he listens to her brief history lesson and doesn’t berate her.

What especially rang true for us here is Claire’s bittersweet comment that Brianna would have loved to meet George Washington. Claire wasn’t raised in America, but Brianna was. Brianna went to American schools and learned all about this man. Also, moms have a tendency to think of their children in moments like this, wishing to share an experience with their kids.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

He’s the man who will win the war
against the British. He’ll become
this country’s first leaders. But he
won’t be a king. He’s called a President,
elected by the people.

I, Roger Jeremiah, do take thee,
Brianna Ellen to ne my lawful wedded wife.

With my goods I thee endow, with my
body I thee worship . . . in sickness
and in health, in richness and in
poverty, so long as we both shall
live, I plight thee my troth.

We had so many conversations with Richard and Sophie about their handfast scene and that moment and where it all goes wrong. It’s such a beautiful moment and seeing their relationship evolve to that level, so we had so many conversations with them and in the writers’ room about what would cause Roger to leave that room? How hard would that be?

~ Maril Davis

G: Roger Jeremiah and Brianna Ellen being joined together. A few jokes during the vows. Still feels really fast. They put the FAST in handfasting.

T: This scene was beautifully depicted.

Ty: This is a sweet moment and I wish there had been more moments like this for us to see of Roger and Brianna. The reason I haven’t connected with them as a couple is because we haven’t really seen them as a couple.

I, Brianna Ellen, take thee, Roger
Jeremiah . . . to be my lawful wedded
husband. With my . . .

. . . goods I thee endow – – not that
there’s much of that; with my body
I thee. . . worship, in sickness and in
health, in richness and in poverty, so long as
we both shall live.

They had a few dates in Scotland, then some time in Boston, and then the Scottish clan meet up and by then, we were supposed to believe they were in love? I don’t feel invested in their relationship like I do with Claire and Jamie. Obviously, no one can be Claire and Jamie, but we need more loving moments between Roger and Brianna to understand their connection and why they’re drawn to one another other than circumstance. That hasn’t happened for me.

T: I agree! I wish there were more Brianna and Roger moments that were light, so that they can make their love more believable.

G: In all of the excitement of Roger’s appearance, it seems Bree has forgotten all about Lizzie. After seeing the argument between Bree and an unknown man earlier, poor Lizzie has to be worried.

Ty: Oh, Lizzie knows nothing of the world. “Wanton morals…,” if she only knew what that really meant.

T: These young kids have forgotten about the outside world. Can anybody tell me why no one has walked into that barn??

“All the world’s a stage, and all
the men and women merely players;
they have their exits and their entrances . . .”
Shakespeare, you know. Never goes out of fashion.

G: Oh snap, there is a spy among Murtagh’s men.

What is Jamie to do? Does he leave and make a scene and save Murtagh or does he remain calm and hope he can take care of himself.

Ty: I think this is the moment that Jamie realizes that he is going to eventually have to decide between Murtagh and Gov. Tryon. You can see the wheels churning in Jamie’s head. How to get out of this without drawing suspicion?

T: This gives me anxiety! I knew there would be a spy in the group. Now, Murtagh has been discovered as the leader and Tryon wants him arrested. There can only be one outcome once you’re caught. I hope Murtagh stays in the show longer than a couple episodes.

And here we realize that there is a third person converging on Wilmington in this story: Murtagh. It was fun to put Jamie between a rock and a hard place. Right when Tryon tells him that Murtagh is in danger of arrest and eventual hanging, the players come on stage and Jamie is stuck watching the performance!

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: This scene with Roger and Bree reminds me of Claire and Jamie’s wedding with the firelight dancing off of her shift. The only thing missing is a kilt. Where is the MacKenzie tartan when you need it.

Ty: On second viewing, I actually liked this scene more. I think I was a little skived out by seeing them naked, just mildly embarrassed. I think it’s because there was never any real sexual tension between the two of them.

Maybe it’s because, as I stated before, their relationship isn’t given much screen time and we aren’t invested. But also, neither actors exude sex appeal in the way Claire and Jamie do. Or maybe, I’m just not picking up on any sexual energy between them.

I remember there being a scene from the book where they make out ravenously in a hallway. That was not carried over to the show and I think they missed an opportunity to get in some action between the two of them absent of hurt feelings and misunderstandings.

However, on the second viewing, I think I picked up more on nervousness and what more closely resembles reality when you are with someone for the first time.

Bree is losing her virginity and Roger is finally with the woman of his dreams. Neither one of them really knows what to do in the moment and maybe that is what was intended. I still think it’s sweet, even if there isn’t much passion.

T: I’m uncomfortable! This can in no way be the same as Jamie and Claire’s wedding night. At least Jamie and Claire got to know each other first (a bit). Brianna and Roger are totally rushing this. I do think they are cute though. I can do without the uncensored love scene.

“The Prince of Parthia” was such a cool find. The language of the actual play is a little stilted of course, due to the era. Fifty bucks to anyone who can explain to me what it’s about. One really fun thing we discovered about the theater of this time was how the audience would both heckle and praise the players out loud and how the players would often pause in their delivery of a line to heckle the audience right back! That was the expected thing, and part of the fun. The repartee in these scenes was fun to stage. We actually hired a local theater director to direct and stage these portions of the play. Right before rehearsals began, we scripted the audience banter as well. Our researcher also discovered some interesting details about the acting style of the day, so we brought that specificity to the directing of this “play within a play.”

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: Come on Jamie you have to save Murtagh. I also wonder which one of these men is the mole.

Ty: What is this nonsensical play? Is it a real play? Someone do some googling for me and let me know. I’m also still wondering why Murtagh is this militant. But, I’m going to go with it. Someone has to play this role and at least it’s Murtagh and not some new character. I’ll take the Silver Fox any day.

[V: Tyrese, it is. I put the information in – see above.]

T: Jamie is stressing like me. It’s your godfather and you feel an obligation to protect him. Yet, you have so much at stake, if you get on Tryon’s bad side. Decisions . . . decisions. This feels like S2 all over again. Jamie and Claire forced to put on a show and mask their true motives. All they really want is to live a peaceful life on Fraser’s Ridge.

G: Bree’s echoing her father from his wedding night to Claire, wanting to know if she did it right. A little less dramatic for Roger though, of course he didn’t have a wife waiting for him two hundred years in the future. So, he could just enjoy it.

Ty: Roger and his dad bod. Ok, Richard, I know your character is an academic, but I’m going to need you to get just a little beefy for filming this sex scene. But, again, I am happy at the sweet beautiful moment between the two of them.

T: Leave Roger alone. I love that he kept his body realistic. Sam has a great body, but we all know he spends an ungodly amount of time keeping fit. Whereas, Richard just uses the body he has and keeps it real. I respect him a lot.

It’s always fun to call back to earlier moments in the script. Jamie remembers what Claire said about Fanning needing a surgeon if his pain got worse and thinks of a means of escape, a way for him to get out of his jam and go help Murtagh. So he elbows Fanning in his side and interrupts the play. Nice move, Jamie.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: Ouch, Jamie is so crafty.

Ty: I agree Gwen. I love it when they are behaving badly. Jamie is brutal and wickedly smart.

Christ. Forgive me.

He has been sitting there through that nonsense thinking about how to get out of there. Only James Fraser would think to put the man in near death pain to cause a distraction.

He needs a surgeon.

T: I felt that elbow. Ouch! Clever Jamie! I think this moment is supposed to replace the part in the book where Claire operates on Myers during a dinner party. I believe it was a hernia as well, just in a different area.

I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen.

Players, I am sorry. This man is in distress.

G: I love it when Jamie and Claire are scheming and plotting. Claire to the rescue.

T: And, I love that he consults her! No matter what, they’re always a team!

The man is dying! Is there a surgeon present?

My wife is a surgeon, Your Excellency.

Bring him to the lobby now. Lay him flat on his back. NOW!

Love how Sam plays the moment of worrying that he might have killed or seriously injured Fanning with his desperate act, but Claire’s assurance that he may have actually saved Fanning by forcing her to operate sets his mind at ease.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

If he’s suffering from what I think he is, you’ve saved his life
life by forcing me to operate.

What the hell is going on?

The Governor is going to arrest a gang
of Regulators tonight, here in Wilmington.
Murtagh is among them.

The hernia surgery here is of course inspired by the one Claire performs on John Quincy Meyers at River Run in the book. We weren’t able to make room for it in Episode 402 but realized it would fit perfectly here. We wanted to stay true to the book—Claire impresses a large crowd with a somewhat scandalous surgery, succeeding to great applause. Letting the surgery interrupt the play seemed like the ticket (no pun intended ;))

Even though it’s in a different place and time than in the book, the surgery works here as a fun, character-driven plot device. As in the book, it provides a means of escape for Jamie, though obviously under very different circumstances. Hopefully it’s just gross enough, and funny enough, and tense enough to be really memorable.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

Ty: Aw, Rupert and Angus. This is also when I enjoy Claire the most, when she is tearing men down and making it known she is not to be trifled with or underestimated.

T: It’s very badass of her to take over and have people fetch her supplies.

G: Hmmm . . . I see George Washington cozying up to Jamie. Offering a ride.

Ty: There appears to be some underlying meaning between the Washington’s offer to Jamie for a ride. George and Martha look at one another like, “Oh yes, I like him.” Maybe there was something to their departure that evening other than being annoyed by that ridiculous play.

T: Why is George Washington leaving so soon? At least he’s offering Jamie a ride.

G: She is performing surgery in front of a full audience. Honestly, she is more entertaining the play. And Claire playing on Governor Tyron’s friendship to keep him distracted while Jamie sends word to Murtagh.

Ty: Claire operating on this poor man is much better entertainment than what they paid to see on that stage. I bet the actors are pissed that someone is upstaging them. Also, Gov. Tryon resisting Claire is so typical of men. It’s often baffling to me how they all fall in line when she starts telling them what to do. I’m surprised no one pulled her away kicking and screaming.

T: She’s in her natural element! This is what she was born to do. At least people are listening to her. Pain killers would be great right about now.

G: It seems George is intrigued by Jamie. I will definitely keep an eye on this relationship.

Ty: I’m glad that Claire told Jamie just who George Washington is because I think that interaction between the two secured their allegiance. There is clearly a mutual respect and Jamie knows that he can trust the man because of what Claire revealed.

Is there a war, I’m not aware of?

T: I don’t mind Jamie becoming friends with George, as long as it’s not detrimental in any way.

There is, sir.

G: Thinking back to the introduction and all the positions that Edmund Fanning holds. Jamie and Claire will tuck that away for later, in case they need a favor.

This is a great way to change from the book. Using Fanning instead of John Quincy Myers was a good way to provide cover for Murtagh, while also not deviating to far from the scene in the book.

Ty: Very true Gwen. Now, Claire telling him to keep calm. Okay…like she isn’t operating on the man in front of an audience while he’s still awake. I think he’s doing well considering the circumstances.

Ah, and Tryon’s corrupt behind, telling the man that he would dip his hands into the treasury to have a house built for him.

Do you think Claire will let Murtagh know about that? I will bet money that that little tidbit comes back in another episode.

T: It’s a great way for her to leave an impression on those people. They will know that she is a surgeon who operates under any conditions.

Love Tryon in this scene. It’s great when we can bring in a bit of humor, even in a tense and serious moment. The surgeon who arrives and suggests (literally) that Claire should have blown smoke up the patient’s rear is one of our favorite moments in the episode. That’s actually how they treated hernias back then (or at least one of the ways).

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

Ty: Claire and that look she gave the surgeon. Like, “don’t test me!” Claire has the best looks!

We’ve no need of you. The lady has it in hand.

G: Jamie on a horse is truly King of Men. Oh no! Will Jamie reach them in time?

Ty: Where are you Jamie?! Please stop this before we lose Murtagh again. We literally just got him back only two episodes ago! I can’t lose him now. #Murtaghismybabydaddy

T: My anxiety is back! Please Jamie! Do something! We didn’t have enough time with Murtagh. I have a feeling Jamie will be clever. We all know he can’t go directly to Murtagh since there’s a spy amongst his men.

G: It seems the male doctor is impressed.

I’m most impressed that Claire performed surgery and didn’t get a drop of blood on her apron or gown.

Ty: Bravo performance Claire! Gov. Tryon appears to have fallen in love with her.

T: She is a graceful badass! I can’t help but wonder, is Tryon going to take Wylie’s storyline? It’ll make for an interesting twist.

The mislead of Jamie showing back up at the theater was fun. Why is he here? Why isn’t he warning Murtagh? Did he fail?

Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

Did you reach Murtagh?

I hope so.

Fergus to the rescue! I love this moment between Fergus and Murtagh at the end of the scene—a moving reunion for two people who haven’t seen each other in more than 20 years.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: OMG the reunion of Murtagh and Fergus.

Ty: That was just in the nick of time, though.

T: This is the first time Murtagh is meeting grown Fergus? That’s a sweet scene. Now, Murtagh needs to figure who is the spy?

Ty: I’m assuming they have seen one another since the last time we’ve seen the both of them, but it is nice to see them on screen together again. Older Fergus is a cutie, so I’m always here for his screen time.

I wonder if the reference to spies will come up again as Jamie stays in Tryon’s good graces and Murtagh remains on the top wanted list. Tryon has his spies in Murtagh’s camp, and Murtagh has his hanging out with Tryon.

G: Like I said, Roger and Bree put the FAST in handfast. A few hours of bliss and already their first fight.

Ty: Roger, you prime idiot! You mention the printer and then try to act dumb? Lie you fool! You know she is going to get mad if you tell her that you knew about the fire. Have you EVER met your wife before?

So, this might be the first argument, though, where I am on Roger’s side. I think Brianna does have a point that Roger should’ve told her. But he is right that they cannot be the arbiters of who lives and who dies. And that technically, her mother was already dead.

Brianna did something way too risky by going back in time, not telling anyone, and expecting to navigate a world she was not familiar with all on her own. He was completely right. She was acting like a child.

T: This scene felt rushed and so much was said in the heat of the moment. Don’t you love each other? I know that was stupid for not telling her, but couldn’t you postpone your fight until after you found your parents?

Jamie and Claire are a team no matter what. Brianna and Roger act like children and have a lot of growing up to do. Roger should know that he cannot demand her obedience. Have you forgotten Claire is her mother? Both Brianna and Roger are wrong.

G: Bree is as stubborn as her father. Oh, and NOW you remember Lizzie.

We had to escalate that fight so that he would need to leave for what happens next.

That fight really showcases where they are in their relationship, the fact that they do love each other, they’re ready to make this commitment, but there is still lots for them to learn. It’s all very new.

They haven’t worked out all the kinks, and it’s very evident in that fight, it’s a fight of new lovers as opposed to a fight of people who have been in a relationship for a long while. ~ Maril Davis

We subtly changed what Roger says to get caught in his lie. The fight between Roger and Brianna was fun to write and shoot but it was another challenging one. They have to say enough—and get angry enough—to make Roger walk away and not come back.

We didn’t think it could be solely about Roger keeping the obituary from Brianna. The inclusion of Fiona in those earlier episodes—the fact that Roger discussed all of this with Fiona but not with Brianna—helped.

Even then… a few more hurtful phrases seemed necessary. And yet the audience has to love them and want them to be together. Hopefully this scene is just plain devastating and real and heartbreaking.

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

G: Jamie co-signing that Washington isn’t as loyal as he seems. Way to deflect Jamie.

It’s a little-known fact that Governor Tryon, in real history, took part in a bungled plot to kidnap George Washington near the start of the American Revolution. Playing into that actual history here was a lot of fun. Is this the moment that made Tryon hate Washington?

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

Ty: When Tryon was like “someone snitched” Jamie’s face looked like a little kid trying to get away with sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar. Jamie was Shaggy, “It wasn’t me.” “Never trust a Virginian.” You damn right, Gov. Tryon (says this Virginian, born and raised!)

T: I think Jamie thought he was going to get accused. It’s a good thing he had Claire as an excuse. I am quite intrigued to see how Tryon will deal with George Washington.

[V: I did feel sorry for Bree in this scene. The impact of what just happened is so painful for her.]

Every time I had a scene, every time I had something to think about it was trying to create something that… or thinking how will I get the upper hand in this situation? Is the best solution to intimidate? Is the best place to strike fear into people? Is the best solution to woo and charm? And I think that’s what allowed me to have quite a lot of fun with playing him. But you know, obviously at times it is a challenge and it’s not easy to try and relate to someone of that nature. ~ Ed Speleers

I think he’s a very fresh villain in terms of he is so different to Black Jack. Black Jack, we never really saw an insight into why he was the way he was. He was just sort of evil through and through, whereas, with Stephen Bonnet, he is a seemingly charming man who actually has this exceedingly dark side to him and I think it makes for a far more complex villain.

~ Sophie Skelton

Ty: Bonnet has a charming smile covering all that evil. Cannot wait for him to get what he deserves. Brianna has some instincts here. She sees that the ring is with this guy. She assumes he’s a bad man and asks if her mother is alive. She knows that something extremely bad must’ve happened for her mother to have parted ways with that ring.

Blow on it, will ye, darlin’? Perhaps ye’ll change my luck.

T: Okay Brianna, just go upstairs and lock your door. Nope, you have a big mouth and still naïve.

Where did you get this?

I think for me, in order to bring any truth to the character I find that I have to be able to relate to him, in some way. That doesn’t mean I sympathise or empathise with his choices, but I have to find a way of personalising him to me, I have to get behind him. I have to put my views on him as Ed aside, and actually try to relate to him in some way so that I can give an honest portrayal of who he is, and with the element of him being charming, you know that’s great stuff to play anyway. And I think when he takes a darker turn it’s purely trying to find a way to relate,” the star continued. And also I think the groundwork that’s done before turning up to set, most of it is trying to find out what his point of view of the world is. ~ Ed Speleers

Why do you ask?

It looks like one my mother had.

We have a history of it with the show itself, [so the question becomes] how much of this material is in the show, when do we do it, when do we decide not to do it and why are we making that choice. You have to approach it on a case-by-case basis and this is obviously a big story point, so it wasn’t really an option not to do it. It’s more a question of how you’re going to do it and what it meant to that story in how you presented it. ~ Ron D. Moore

G: The brutality and the people hearing her screams and not lifting a finger. This was horrific and (seriously) the series needs to consider not following the book when it comes to rape.

Ty: I want to scream at her to run away, don’t go anywhere with him. But honestly, even if she did try to walk away, I imagine Bonnet would’ve dragged her off and raped her anyway. I do wish that the show had given us some indication that she fought him back. It was gruesome and brutal to hear her screams and not see what happened. And granted, there is no “good” way to show a rape, but this to me was almost more tortuous to experience, watching all these people smile and play cards and go about their business while she’s being brutalized. We don’t need to see everything, but damn it, I do want to see her get some licks in or pick up a knife and get it to his throat.

We spent a lot of time talking about how/when to play Brianna’s rape. In the book, the moment is told in flashback, much later in the story. We felt, dramatically, that it would be better to play it in real time, within the episode, giving the actor a chance to play the layers of emotion in subsequent episodes. It’s such a central moment to Brianna’s journey in this and other books… but it was hard to write, and film, and watch. In the end, we chose to play most of her assault off screen—we didn’t think the audience needed to see the rape to realize the horror of it. There is horror in seeing that all these people out in the bar know exactly what’s going on in the back room and do nothing about it. The fact that rape was so ubiquitous back then, that it doesn’t cause any concern, and people just go about their business…

~ Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Community

T: As difficult as this scene was to watch, it had to be done. It’s just sad that people ignored her cries for help.

The tragedy of Brianna at the hands of Stephen Bonnett, which we’ve talked so much about how much rape there is in Diana Gabaldon’s books, do we have to see them all? This one, unfortunately, is very integral to the plot and as we move forward, so we needed to include this moment of violent aggression. There is no easy way to portray rape on television. There just isn’t. No matter if we see it, if we don’t see it. The important thing for us is the aftermath, that it happened to this character and making sure that we’re sensitive to that journey and that we’re not shortchanging it at all. ~ Maril Davis

Ty: I also think that this scene could’ve been in the next episode so that we don’t get the impression that Brianna is being punished for rejecting Roger. The juxtaposition of these scenes says a lot. I think if it had been put at the beginning of the next episode and shown in retrospect, we could’ve seen Briana responding to it rather than experiencing it.

It isn’t the rape itself that is necessary for the plot, but rather the effects of the rape. It would’ve also allowed for more time with Roger NOT fighting because we need more screen time of them being happy together. I could go on forever, but I’ll stop.

Forgot something, didn’t you.

T: Sophie performed the part where Bree is leaving and is so shaken very well. I have got to say, she did a wonderful job. Don’t you find it ironic that both Jamie and Brianna were raped? Oh, and Ian too? I think they all might be able to connect with each other’s trauma. I’m glad they ended the episode there. I need time to recover as it was quite a brutal ending.

[V: Tami, don’t forget Fergus too! It is sad that Diana used rape so many times as a plot device.]

I pay for my pleasures. I’m an honest man for a pirate.

We just do what’s true to our show and what we feel is emotionally relevant. We’re not trying to glorify or titillate anyone with it. We just wanted to show that this is something that was unfortunately very prevalent in that period and was one of the dangers of being back there. ~ Toni Graphia

If you find your mother, give her my best regards.

It’s one of the hardest things that a person can go through in life. The main thing we follow is the aftermath of the event. For me, the challenge was getting into that headspace and making sure that I played it in a way that can hopefully, in some way, help women who have been through it. I know it’s going to be an exceedingly difficult thing for women to watch, and I have spoken to a few fans who have been through a similar situation and they are saying that they are kind of dreading watching the episode because they’ll be reliving something through Brianna. ~ Sophie Skelton

In the book, we don’t know that rape has happened; several things pass and we just find out about it in flashback. We felt like that’s certainly an interesting way to go, but we wanted to see her struggle with it and not have to have her hide it. We see that she’s working through this, and we stay on that journey with her as opposed to having to look back and seeing if we could track where this happened. We wanted to give Sophie the ability to play that as a character as how it would affect her moving forward because this is a life-altering moment.

The next episode we’ll see the morning after where Bree just doesn’t want to be touched. She has the kind of horror and skin crawling feeling and doesn’t even know how to deal with it. We wanted to give that its time and give her that moment. ~ Maril Davis

Episode Rating (1-5 Shots)

We give this episode 4-shots! This is the closest adaptation we have seen this season. It was character driven, with a lot of twist and turns happening to several characters at the same time. Sophie is getting more screen time and we are seeing her shift the role from bratty daddy’s girl to independent women. There were some bumps along the way, but she does a good job of showing the growth on screen.

However, we felt that Roger and Brianna needed more time to connect with one another and share that connection with the audience. When Claire and Jamie got married, we got an entire episode devoted to them, the magic of their wedding, and their first night together. We wish Roger and Brianna had been given the same space and time. If this episode had been mostly dedicated to just them finding one another, the handfasting and their first night as a married couple, perhaps some of us would have been more invested in their fight and the fact that they part ways in the end. Their scenes felt rushed. However, we loved the added when Roger argues that just because they have this gift to travel through time, it doesn’t mean they can play God.

We also really enjoyed the scenes with Claire, Jamie, Gov. Tryon and George Washington. There was a lot of tension. Claire got to save the day with a lifesaving surgery. Jamie was off sleuthing his way to warning Murtagh, which gave us the heartwarming reunion with two beloved characters and kept us on the edge of our seats.

All the costumes at the play were exquisite, especially the jewelry worn by Mrs. Tryon and Claire’s choker. The set design for the play was beautifully constructed.

We all have read the book and knew the rape scene was coming. Although we were glad we did not have to see the scene, rather heard it, it did not allow us to see Bree fighting back. And, because the scene was immediately after the one with Bree and Roger, it gave some of us the impression that she is being punished for rejecting Roger. We are hopeful Bree’s trauma plays out over upcoming episodes.

How did you rate the episode and why? Let us know in the comments section.

LOOKING FORWARD

What we are looking forward to in the upcoming episode.

Gwen: It seems all the players are in Wilmington so it’s only a matter of time before Bree finds both Jamie and Claire. As for Roger, Bonnet may have other plans. I’m looking forward to seeing Ian and I’m hoping for a longer reunion with Murtagh and Fergus. Follow Gwen on Twitter: @autonomy_6.

Tyrese: Obviously, I am looking forward to Brianna meeting her biological father for the first time. I’ve actually been waiting for this scene since the season began. Follow Tyrese on Twitter: @tylachelleco.

Tami: I have only been waiting four years for Jamie and Brianna to meet. I think that’s what I’m looking forward to the most! I also want to see how they tackle the aftermath of Bree’s rape. That is a traumatic experience that one cannot simply hide. I want to see how Claire will react when she sees Brianna. I am counting down the days until Epi 9? Follow Tami on Twitter: @_Cosmo_girl.

UP NEXT

Outlander S4 Epi9 – The Birds and the Bees ~ Video via TV Promos

Written by Matthew B. Roberts & Toni Graphia | Directed by David Moore

Synopsis: Jamie and Claire keep secrets from one another as they try to help Brianna process her recent trauma; the secrets they keep cause a bigger familial rift once they are revealed.