Que tensão nesse episódio! Tô curtindo demais essa série!
One of the episodes I like the least: so much tension, and with that bufoon of a commander... and of course, Black Jack Randall. I hate his guts, can't stand him... which speaks highly of Tobias Menzies' acting, I guess.
On the other hand, fron the moment that Dougal comes to the rescue, the episode improves massively, and the ending scenes are brilliant, including the closing theme.
Men's monologues, one of the most boring things in the world.
Review by GabyBlockedParentSpoilers2017-10-31T03:58:26Z— updated 2018-10-27T20:19:25Z
There is so much to this episode, even though we spend it in most a singular room/one location.
We have the obvious tension between the Scotts (in enemy territory so to speak) and the Red Coats. Then you have the tension of where Claire stands to clan Mackenzie (will she snitch on them re their uprising pursuits) but also being a "guest" trying to leave. Then you have her being at odds with the Red Coats after she sympatizes with the clan, but mainly against Randall who wears the face of her husband.
Oh the tension between Claire and Randall is mesmerizing, a tension born of danger, lies and power plays. She constantly tries to out manuver him, thinking there might be bits of her husband there, but she painfully learns that Randall owns his darkness and wears it with honor. The scene were he emotionally manipulates her as he recounts how he marred Jamie's back is cinematic beauty, filled with tension, pain and the visuals of the memory are almost too much to handle.
What I love about that who interplay, though Claire can charm the General and the rest of the high born, mainly for looks, Red Coats, Randall is a different demon. He finds it his duty to be in Scottland, thus taking his role VERY seriously. While the General and his men see the Scotts as savages who they can make fun of and consider them lower and less than them, Randall sees them as criminals, vermin to be exterminated as they cause a threat to the English rule. And nothing can threaten the English rule and get away with it.
Randall sees Claire as a Scott sympathizer and thus a threat. And he must exert his physical dominance over threats, in this case sucker punching Claire and having his soldier kick her while he enjoys her pain.
I though this episode would be slow boring talk, but the conversation and double talk made for such an interseting episode. It also gave us, and Claire, a clear view who Randall is and verifies Jamie's account of his brutal flogging. If there were any doubts of Randall being a villain, there are gone.
Fav part: In order to save herself from English rule (and criminal charges) Claire's only option is to be Scottish by marriage. And Jamie is the lucky option in this case, seeing as he is the only one in the clan that would be a right fit, givent he circumstances. I love that Jamie is all up for it, considering he's been crushing on her. But my fav part is how pissed Claire is at having to do this. It pretty much fullfilles the fake marriage trope I love, where one is secretly in love with the other, but can't say anything cause then it makes it weird/awkward.