*Spoilers – If you don’t want to know what happens, stop here!*

Played by Tobias Menzies

Captain Jonathan Wolverton (“Black Jack”) Randall – a Captain of His Majesty’s Eighth Dragoons and a minor knight in England during the time of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He played a part in quashing the rebellion, and was heavily financially supported by the Duke of Sandringham.

There are literally no words for Black Jack Randall, only that he is totally devoid of humanity and a narcissistic sadist, who will get his comeuppance one day – and rightfully so. He terrorizes anyone who crosses his path and is not satisfied until he has inflicted some kind of unimaginable pain or fear in people. We have no idea if he has unresolved issues from the past or why he is the way that he is. But, his nickname (“Black Jack”) surely fits him, a malevolent individual who has a complete lack of empathy and is devoid of humanity with a black soul. He torments everyone he comes in contact with from the beginning of the season until the end.

As for Tobias Menzies’ performance (Emmy-worthy as well), it is outstanding. He totally transforms into Black Jack; and when on screen, his stature, facial expression and demeanor have no resemblance of Frank.

Darkness has grown within me.
Hatred.
The very world itself.

When he first meets Claire wondering the woods and she refuses to tell him who she is and why she is out there, his immediate response is to attack her and try to rape her.

Murtagh is there for the rescue and knocks him out!

When he and his troop invade Jamie’s family home, Lallybroch, he threatens his sister and tries to rape her.

    

Afterwards, he flogs Jamie for interfering.

He takes on the second task of flogging Jamie (one hundred times) himself, justifies it and considers Jamie’s back as a masterpiece, a work of art.

 

While interrogating Claire, one minute he is calm,

 

and the next minute, he punches her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her,

 yanks her hair, kicks her and has one of his soldiers to kick her.

 

Dougal bursting into the room stops any further torture and he leads Claire away.

When Claire is captured at the stones, the soldiers take her to Black Jack. He is delighted to have her back (obviously to finish what he started), asks the soldier not to disturb them regardless of what he hears, and pulls a rope out of his desk.

I want you to tell me every thing you know, starting with your real name, Dougal MacKenzie, the Jacobite rebellion and the Duke of Sandringham.

 

When Jamie comes to rescue Claire, first Black Jack appears deliriously happy to see Jamie and find out that he is the Highlander Claire married.

 

He then snaps and threatens to hurt Claire, if Jamie doesn’t lower his weapon.
After Jamie relinquishing the weapon, he tries to shoot him.

Talk about going from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other in a split second.

The gun misfires. He didn’t know the gun was empty, giving Jamie the element of surprise.

He halts Jamie’s execution only to torture him (and Claire), himself. He orders Jamie to be chained up in a dungeon cell.

He burns the Letter of Complaint Jamie and Claire signed and gave to the Duke. Apparently, the Duke has loose lips when he drinks.

He wants Jamie to surrender to him, giving him absolute and consensual control over him to do as he pleases. In return, he will give him a noble death.

But, Jamie refuses.

So, he tortures him into submission. He smashes his hand with a mallet.

Jamie still refuses to surrender until . . .

Claire sneaks into the prison.

Black Jack uses Jamie’s love for Claire to force him to comply.

To seal the deal (Black Jack’s warped sense of a gentleman’s agreement), he drives a nail through Jamie’s hand.

His facial expression when Claire tells him the day and hour of his death is priceless.

This news isn’t even enough to stop him from going through with his plans.

Shall we begin?

And, so it does.
As if smashing Jamie’s hand with a mallet and driving a nail through it wasn’t bad enough, he just had to do this (glad his back is a prosthetic). . .

among other torturous things – Again, go watch the first season!

 So, where do we leave Black Jack at the end of Season 1?

Exactly where he should be . . .

completely knocked the hell OUT by coos!

It is not good riddance just yet.

He is not dead; otherwise, they would have indicated he was.
We just hope he does not live too much longer in Season 2 and gets what he deserves – enough already!

 

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