Outlander - The Search - Review: "Love Forces a Person to Choose"

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.

It's been clear ever since we first met Jenny that she cares deeply for Jamie, but this episode proved how far she is willing to go for the sake of her brother. When Claire and Jenny stumble across a camp and both capture a courier, Jenny decides to torture him. Having Jenny torture that man though sent a powerful message, that there is nothing stronger than a sibling bond. Jenny proved that. She isn't afraid to do things that are considered violent and inhumane, which is why I'm loving Jenny as a character, she's strong and does what needs to be done for the sake of her family, she does what most people are afraid to do; fight for her family by any means necessary; you can't condemn her for that.

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.

Murtagh and Claire was an unexpected pairing, but it worked so well throughout the episode. There wasn't too much chemistry between them, but gradually as the episode progressed they bonded. Most of their time spent together included lots of laugh out loud moments, but when the show touched upon the more personal and heart to heart moments it really made the pairing even more perfect, so much so that I didn't want their scenes to end. The pairing also showed how well rounded the cast is, to be able to still deliver high quality scenes and episodes without their leading man.

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.

What was more shocking though was how quickly Dougal gave up on Jamie. He had little, to none, hope that he was alive and instead wasted no time in offering his hand in marriage to Claire, saying he'll protect her and keep her safe. Whilst he has the ability to that and I'm sure he would, and that what he was saying was true about her needing to re-marry because she’s an English widow with nowhere to go, he wasn't really thinking of her, but himself. He's a cunning man and thinks he's smarter than he looks, but he's not. He will never gain power and the control that he wants, even if he thinks he will. Jamie isn't stupid and would have figured out what Dougal was up to all these years eventually.

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"

About the Author - Robert Fruin

Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are Grey's Anatomy, The Walking Dead and The 100. Some other interests include Cycling, Kayaking and Photography.Robert is currently reviewing Black Sails, Helix, The Following and Z Nation. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.

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