First, I just want to say how happy I am that Starz has renewed Outlander for a second season! The announcement was made yesterday that they will be adapting Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in the series. The second season will have “at least” 13 episodes. In a press release, Starz’s CEO made the following statement:
“Diana Gabaldon has given us years of great drama. With an incredible artist such as Ronald D. Moore at the helm and a cast as spectacular as this, we look forward to continue this spell-binding journey with Claire, Jamie, Frank, Brianna, Roger and everybody over the centuries.” via EW.com
Now that we’re sufficiently excited for the second season, let’s talk about the second episode…
What is our dear Sassenach to do now that she tumbled through time and finds herself held captive by Scottish clan in the 18th century? The shock of time traveling to an entirely different century is beginning to wear off for Claire (Caitriona Balfe), as she realizes that she must find a way to get back to the circle of rocks to get back to the 20th century. Well, Claire starts scheming; only the men in charge at Castle Leoch are doing some of their own investigating as well.
The second episode picks off right where we left off. Claire has arrived at Castle Leoch, where she will stay as a “guest.” She quickly meets Ms. Fitzgibbons (Annette Badland), who helps Claire acclimate to life at Castle Leoch, by fetching her “proper” clothing and showing her way around the castle.
We meet some new characters, in addition to getting to know more about Jamie (Sam Heughan). Claire insists on cleaning and bandaging Jamie’s wounds. It’s then that they finally have a chance to talk to each other. Claire sees Jamie’s scarred back, and we’re led into a flashback of one of Jamie’s past brutal altercations with Captain “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies). Jamie asks Claire if her husband is alive, and she heartbreakingly answers, “No, he’s not alive.” It’s the first time that we see Claire absolutely break down in grief over her situation. Quickly, Jamie moves to comfort her. The scene is tender, emotional, and easily my favorite scene in the whole episode.
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The political intrigue begins to come into play in this episode, making it feel less slow and much more interesting than the pilot episode. Claire meets with Colum MacKenzie (Gary Lewis), the ailing lord of Castle Leoch, and this is when her scheming to get back to the rocks begins. Colum doesn’t trust Claire, and she later find out that Dougal (Graham McTavish) and him believe she must be an English or French spy. At a very awkward dinner, they serve her an endless supply of drinks in order to loosen her words, in hopes that she will reveal who she really is. Claire catches on to their tactic, a bit too late, after she embarrasses her with an incorrect assumption.
At this point, she decides to lie low. Colum had told her that she can leave to Inverness in five days, so she doesn’t want to raise suspicions and have him change his mind. Her attempts at creating a boring appearance end up being very entertaining for us. On a search for plants, Claire meets the wily Gellie Duncan (Lotte Verbeek), who she sort of befriends. You know Gellie is up to something, but it’s too early to figure out what it could be. Claire brings lunch to Jamie, and they have another nice little talk, where we learn more about him. (I’m sorry, but Jamie is so dreamy. I especially love when he’s shocked by a startled horse and brushes it off with a smile saying, “She’s just a girl with spirit, that’s all. It’s always a good thing.”)
A theme seems to arise with Claire continuously coming to Jamie’s aid. During the Hall Meeting, Jamie offers to take the punishment of a young girl, Laoghaire (Nell Hudson), who is convicted for being “loose.” Jamie takes the beating, which Dougal silently dictates to one of his men. It’s brutal, and there must be some underlying thing going on between Dougal and Jamie. Once Jamie has fulfilled the punishment, Claire rushes, with the help of Gellie, to clean up Jamie’s wounds. Why did he take the punishment for the girl? In case this episode didn’t already establish how selfless, kind, and handsome he already is, Jamie simply wanted to help the girl escape the shame of being beaten in front of everybody.
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The day finally comes for Claire to leave, but we all knew that wasn’t going to happen. Word has gotten around that Claire has a hand for healing. Castle Leoch just so happens to be in need of someone who can heal and fix ailments, so Colum, under the advisement of Dougal, orders her to stay. Claire is appropriately upset and accuses them of keeping her prisoner. “I believe you have secrets, Claire” says Colum. Well, she does, only they aren’t the kind of secrets you’d ever expect.
She’s left in the same room that her and Frank had burst in through 200 years later, which now is deemed her surgery. What a strange moment that must be for her.
Flashbacks (or flash-forwards?) are interspersed throughout the episode, adding in the right amount of background information needed at the time. I particularly liked how jazz music was playing as Claire walked out into the field. It immerses you in her mind much more effectively than the slightly overdone narration does. Luckily, the narration in this episode isn’t as heavily utilized as in the first, but I hope as the show goes on, that the narration lessens and we’re shown, rather than told, what Claire is thinking or feeling.
I know it’s only been two episodes so far, but if Outlander continues on this trajectory, we are likely in for a hell of a season.
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Rating: 9/10
Check out all of our Outlander coverage here.
Outlander is rated TV-MA. It airs Saturday nights at 9 ET on Starz.
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