Outlander - The Search - Review
Last week on Outlander, The Watch and Horrocks arrived at Lallybroch. Ian killed Horrocks after Jamie was being blackmailed by him for money, Jenny went into labor and gave birth to a girl, and Claire confessed to Jamie that she might not be able to have children. Also, Jamie, after agreeing to accompany The Watch on their latest raid, due to them being a man short, got ambushed, and most of The Watch were slaughtered with Ian escaping and Jamie captured by the redcoats.
"Love forces a person to choose" Jenny
Claire, this episode, decides to pursue Jamie, even though looking for him, yet alone finding him, is near to impossible. Nevertheless Claire, with a stubborn Jenny, who refused to let Claire go alone, left Lallybroch to try to locate their beloved Jamie.
They had to start their search somewhere and started it at the place where he and The Watch were ambushed. This was a chilling scene. Watching the crows pick away at the bodies, the eyes, in particular, was disgusting, but it really showed the importance of burning or burying dead bodies. Even if the men who died were pigs, which they were, nobody deserves to get eaten away at. Jenny saying a small prayer for the deceased was a nice touch and it really showed her character in a different light, someone who cares not just her family, but all, like Claire.
Claire showed some character herself this episode in the scene that followed the couriers torture. Claire's strong, but not physically,more intellectually, so it surprised me when she showed great courage in claiming she would have, if Murtagh didn't, killed the courier. She's not a killer, but even Claire is learning that in some situations there isn't a choice. This is what makes Claire's development as a character even more appealing. She's started off as a lost English woman trapped in a different time, now she's learning to adapt to new situations even if she's not too fond of them. She's learning to make choices with her heart and not her head, which isn't wrong, doing so shows great character and courage.
"Go home to Lallybroch" Murtagh
Murtagh returned this episode and played a key part in helping Claire locate Jamie. Murtagh's always seen Jamie as a friend, but he sees him as more than that, he sees him as the son he never had. Murtagh is one of few emotions, but this episode he really opened up to Claire, and I felt that we got to know him a bit better, the real him, the reasons why he thinks highly of Jamie and why he would jump at the chance to help him. Murtagh is attached to Jamie, he couldn't save the woman he loved, but can save the son he wishes he had, helping Claire rescue Jamie is something he needs to do.
It was a heart-breaking moment hearing Murtagh tell Claire about the love he lost. I was devastated for him, and even shed a tear. It's never easy watching a character breakdown but watching a character who is not only tough, but someone who hides their emotions break down, made the scene much harder to take in. It goes to show that even the toughest of men are emotionally attached to something. Duncan Lacroix in that scene, in particular, was superb. He's another actor like Steven who won't get too many moments to shine, and really take the spotlight away from Caitronia and Sam, but he did this episode, and he deserves some attention for that.
What really caught my eye though was Claire's singing. Claire wasn't too keen on Murtagh’s idea, but once she started it brought out a whole different side of her. Ever since arriving she hasn't been able to do something that she liked doing, sure she was doing it for Jamie, but she managed to get a lot of enjoyment from it, which also happened to build her confidence back up, which was later used in her argument with Dougal, which was needed.
Speaking of Dougal, he returned this episode and was more despicable than ever. Dougal is a man without honor, without loyalty, without respect, so nothing he said this episode came as a surprise, but the level of betrayal towards Jamie was outrageous. Dougal has his own agenda, he always has and always will, but more notably he wanted Lallybroch or at least he previously did and helping Jamie all these years, taking him under clan McKenzie was all a part of his agenda in trying to obtain it. He may not have said it was true, but the look he gave after Claire called him out on it, all but confirmed it.
Claire in the end was forced to agree to marry Dougal if Jamie turned out to be dead, because she needed men, especially after Dougal revealed where Jamie was and what was about to happen to him. She again, puts Jamie above herself, which again shows how strong their relationship is, especially when you include the fact that they’ve only been married a small while. Dougal had given up hope even before Claire arrived, but Claire hadn't. She won't stop until she finds Jamie, dead or alive, hopefully alive. I was also shocked how little Dougal thought of Jamie to not go with Claire to Wentworth, he truly is a spineless coward, and to think Jamie would go after him if he were captured.
Summary
It was a fantastic episode, and surprisingly among my favorites. It was the journey of Claire's, not the action, which really made it an enjoyable hour for me. Seeing Claire ride with different companions just showed her dedication to finding Jamie. I should add that the music throughout the hour was sensational, the best so far, I applaud Bear McCreary for his fine musical direction on the show. Also, as this episode was heavily focused on Claire, I imagine the next one will be heavily focused on Jamie. I have read the books, well some of them, and Wentworth Prison is going to be one brutal episode, I'll leave it at that. Overall, this was an exciting episode, which offered so much more than the usual episode.
As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought of "The Search"
