In this episode, “Lallybroch”, Jamie and Claire arrive at his home of Lallybroch. Old memories mar Jamie’s homecoming and his relationship with his sister, Jenny, is strained.
Previously on Outlander, Jamie saved Claire just in the nick of time as she when she was accused of witchcraft and put on trial. Claire learned that Geillis travelled back in time from 1968 when Geillis sacrificed herself to help Claire. Shaken by this knowledge, Claire shares her story with Jamie. Jamie says goodbye to Claire when he takes her to the stones and gives her a chance to return to her own time and Frank. Instead of crossing over, Claire decides to remain in the 18th century with Jamie and asks him to take her home to Lallybroch.
Jamie’s return to Lallybroch is bittersweet because he’s haunted by memories of his last time there and his encounter with Black Jack Randall. He has heard rumors about his sister and Black Jack which he fears are true when he sees his sister for the first time in four years. His strained relationship with Jenny is the main conflict as Jamie and Claire both settle into their roles as Laird and Lady of Lallybroch.
This is our first real introduction to Jenny Fraser since we’ve only seen her in Jamie’s flashbacks previously. She’s stubborn and spirited. She’s certainly not afraid to go toe to toe with Jamie. And despite challenging Jamie, it is clear that she loves her brother as well. I liked Jenny a lot. I found her sympathetic, and I understood why she was challenging Jamie since she’s the one who has been running Lallybroch for the past four years in his absence. In a way she reminded me of Claire who is also a strong woman who is not afraid to speak her mind.
Black Jack remains the dark cloud hovering over everything. Jamie can’t forget his time in Black Jack’s custody and the effect it had on his family. He recounts a conversation with Black Jack to Claire and describes his flogging. Hearing Jamie say it in his own words becomes even more real than Dougal’s recounting in episode 6. We know what Jamie was thinking and feeling in those moments. And we are reminded of how twisted Black Jack really is. This seems to be foreshadowing that despite being back and Lallybroch and happy with Claire, that Jamie won’t truly rest until Black Jack pays for all his evil deeds.
This episode wasn’t as intense as last week and yet I still enjoyed it a lot. It felt more like the calm before the storm. I enjoyed seeing Jamie and Claire settle into Lallybroch and the life there. I really enjoyed getting to know Jenny better. And there are some strong emotional moments between Jamie and Jenny as they figure things out.
Tune in tonight at 9PM on Starz to see “Lallybroch”.
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