Episode 413: "Man of Worth" (SPOILERS!)

Mohawk warriors in Outlander Episode 413

Here are my reactions to Episode 413 of the OUTLANDER TV series, titled "Man of Worth".

*** SPOILER WARNING!! ***

There are SPOILERS below! If you don't want to know yet, stop reading now.


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I liked the opening shot, showing two kids playing "cowboys and Indians" in a park, in what appears to be a suburban American neighborhood, sometime in the 1960s. The long-haired Native American man reading the newspaper is clearly meant to be Robert Springer, aka Otter-Tooth, the time-traveler with silver fillings in his teeth.

As the episode begins, we see a little bit of everday life in the Mohawk village of Shadow Lake, including several canoes. Roger is still imprisoned in the "idiot hut", following his unsuccessful escape attempt at the end of Episode 412, "Providence". Suddenly we see Jamie, rifle in hand, peering cautiously out from behind a tree. He and Claire and Young Ian have arrived at the village in search of Roger. Jamie takes out a spyglass (that's convenient -- I wonder where he got it from?) and scans the village, but there's no sign of him.

Some of the Mohawk men are playing a game similar to lacrosse, with sticks. You may recall that Young Ian referred to this once. Good attention to detail there!

Jamie, Claire, and Young Ian make their way slowly into the village, with their trade goods. Immediately they are surrounded by Mohawk warriors. Jamie and Ian do their best to explain what they're doing there, speaking a few words of the Mohawk language. Young Ian shows them the sketch of Roger that Brianna gave Claire at River Run.

Kaheroton, the Mohawk warrior who brought Roger here, steps forward. Hearing that Young Ian wants to trade for "Dogface" (aka Roger), he asks why.

"What is he to you that you would come all this way?"
"He's important to our family," Ian says, with vast understatement.

Kaheroton orders the three of them to be taken to the chief of the village. As a crowd gathers around them, notice that there appear to be no children in this village, only adults. (I will suspend disbelief and assume that the kids are hiding somewhere out of sight of the strangers.)

The Mohawk chief (played by Tom Jackson) is an old man, immensely dignified, and I like him very much. I was startled by the fact that he speaks excellent English, but I think that works well here, saving them from having to have someone else interpret for him.

"You want him very badly."
"Aye," Jamie says. "We hope to trade with you."

Not the best basis on which to begin a negotiation, when the other party knows you're desperate! No wonder the chief looks so confident, certainly in no hurry to make a deal.

Young Ian calls to the other Mohawk, inviting them to inspect the trade goods they've brought, including whisky. Claire removes her kerchief to show to one of the women, revealing the large opal she wears on a cord about her neck. Seeing the stone, the others recoil in apparent fear and horror, backing away from her. Their reaction is based on a scene from DRUMS OF AUTUMN:
"Did you mention the opal to Acts Fast?”

[Jamie] sat up straight at that, interested.

“Aye, I did. They couldna have been taken more aback had I pulled a snake from my sporran. They got verra excited--angry and fearful both, and I think they might well have done me harm, save I’d already mentioned the whisky.”

He reached into the breast of his coat and drew out the opal, dropping it into my hand.

“Best you take it, Sassenach. But I think you’ll maybe not want to show it to anyone.”

“How odd.” I looked down at the stone, its spiral petroglyph shimmering with color. “So it did mean something to them.”

“Oh, that it did,” he assured me. “I couldna say what, but whatever it was, they didna like it a bit. The war chief demanded to know where I’d got it, and I told them ye’d found it. That made them back off a bit, but they were like a kettle on the boil over it."

(From DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 57, "A Shattered Smile". Copyright© 1997 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
The chief's reaction on seeing the stone ("We will not trade with you. You must leave us at once.") increases the dramatic tension considerably, and seeing no alternative, Jamie leads Claire and Ian away. As they go, notice the young woman watching them. She'll be important later.

Now the action shifts to River Run, where Murtagh has just arrived, following his escape from jail in Wilmington. I liked the scene where Jocasta interrogates him (politely, but thoroughly) about where he's been and what he was doing that got him locked up in the first place.

"Dinna fash," Murtagh says. "As I told your nephew, I'm no an easy man to kill." In the show, perhaps. Of course, book-readers will recall that Murtagh died at Culloden.

Jocasta tells Murtagh that Brianna has been spending most of her time alone in her chamber, which explains why she didn't even bother to come and greet Murtagh when he arrived.

I liked Murtagh's reaction to the news that Brianna is engaged to Lord John. "She canna marry a Redcoat!" He doesn't bother to mention the fact that this particular British officer was the governor of Ardsmuir Prison when he was imprisoned there with Jamie, but I'm sure he must have been thinking that, too.

"I dinna recall asking your opinion on the matter," Jocasta says coldly. To me, that's a very strong echo of Charles Stuart in Paris in Episode 202 ("Not in Scotland Anymore"), saying almost exactly the same thing to Murtagh.

In the next scene, Bree and Phaedre are in Bree's bedchamber. Bree, very pregnant, is working on yet another charcoal drawing, but she's distracted, presumably with worry over Roger and her parents. Phaedre, acting as midwife, examines her and finds no problems, assuring her that "your bairn....will be perfect."

Back at the Mohawk village, Jamie tells Claire he intends to go back for Roger that night. When Claire protests, Jamie reminds her that he's done it before. "I ken a story. One where I went to Fort William and rescued you." Interesting. This isn't in the book, but I think it's believable that Jamie would be remembering that. Still, I agree with Claire that what Jamie is proposing seems awfully dangerous, even reckless, under the current circumstances.

Suddenly Jamie freezes, listening hard. "Don't move," he says, and a moment later several Mohawk men burst out of the woods. Jamie overpowers one of them, and then the same Mohawk woman we saw in the previous scene in the village steps into view. (I like her costume.) She tells them, "We're here for the stone. Give it to us. We will not harm you."

The young woman (I did not catch her name) tells them the story of Otter-Tooth. I liked this part very much. It's a slightly condensed version of the story that Tewaktenyonh told Claire in the book (DRUMS chapter 57, "A Shattered Smile"), and I think they captured the essence of it very well.
"He was a brave man,” she said, reflectively. “He didn’t beg. He told them the same things he had said before, but my brother said this time it was different. Before, he had been hot as fire; dying, he was cold as snow--and because they were so cold, his words terrified the warriors.

“Even when the stranger lay dead in the snow, his words seemed to go on ringing in the warriors’ ears. They lay down to sleep, but his voice talked to them in their dreams, and kept them from sleeping. You will be forgotten, he said. The Nations of the Iroquois will be no more. No one will tell your stories. Everything you are and have been will be lost.

“They turned toward home, but his voice followed them. At night, they could not sleep for the evil words in their ears."

(From DRUMS OF AUTUMN by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 57, "A Shattered Smile". Copyright© 1997 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)
As the woman telling the story says, "They returned with white scalps," notice the man throwing a tomahawk in the firelight. So we finally see where that bit from the opening credit sequence comes from.

"It is said that one who possesses the stone has the power to see how my people's story will end." That's certainly true, considering that both Otter-Tooth and Claire are time-travelers from the future!

In the next scene, Bree (very pregnant) and Murtagh are talking about recent events. She assures him that the engagement to Lord John is a sham, and tells him that Jamie advised her to try to forgive Stephen Bonnet.

"Do you think you could forgive your father?" Murtagh asks. "For your sake, as well as his?" I liked the way Bree smiles a little as she says, "I already have."

Back at the Mohawk village, three canoes approach the village at night, and Jamie, Claire, and Ian manage to sneak in without being discovered. Claire and Jamie find Roger in the "idiot hut", and Roger, quite understandably, reacts with alarm at the sight of the man who nearly beat him to death.

Claire speaks reassuringly to him. "It's all right. It's Jamie. He won't hurt you. We've come to get you out of here."

Jamie's reply is almost verbatim from the book (DRUMS chapter 60, "Trial by Fire") but condensed a bit: "I've done wrong to you, MacKenzie. I've come to put it right. For now, you have my apology."

I'm glad he said it, but in this context -- hurried, whispering -- in my opinion it doesn't have the same impact as it did in the book, when the two men were alone, with time to focus their full attention on one another.

Their female guide tries to talk the guard into letting them go, and he fires his rifle in the air. I found the ensuing commotion, with all these men fighting in the dark, tomahawks flying and torches blazing, to be very confusing and hard to follow, but I liked the way Claire more or less glues herself to Roger, making sure that he's safe.

Unfortunately, our people are vastly outnumbered. Eventually they are surrounded, and one of the men points a pistol at Jamie's face. Claire, panicked, screams the Mohawk word for "peace", desperate to stop the man with the gun from killing Jamie right then and there. (Which would put an abrupt end to the series....) Fortunately for all of us, her pleading has the desired effect, and the fighting stops.

At daybreak, the chief calls the villagers together, Jamie, Claire, Roger, and Ian kneeling on the ground before him. The chief orders the Mohawk who were involved in helping to rescue Roger (including the woman) to be exiled from the village. I'm not quite sure why he said that in English, unless he wanted to make sure Jamie and the others understood him.

This next part is extremely well done, emotionally intense and riveting to watch.

"Take the stone. Leave the village. Never return," the chief says. But he is adamant that "Dogface will stay in the village."

Suddenly Jamie is on his feet, offering himself in exchange for Roger. (This is something they discussed briefly in the book, but he never actually did.) Watching both Jamie and Claire here, it's impossible to miss the very strong echoes of Jamie at Wentworth, offering himself to Black Jack Randall in exchange for Claire's freedom. And you can see the memory of that in their eyes, and especially in Claire's face, as she hugs Jamie tight.

Watch Young Ian there, too, as he looks first at Roger, then at Jamie and Claire. You can see him coming to his decision.

"I'm staying," he tells Jamie, very firmly.

And then he adds something that is not in the book, but it's very fitting and absolutely in character for Ian: "You must promise that ye'll leave and no come back for me. I've chosen this."

A quick glimpse of Roger, watching this sacrifice on his behalf, not understanding the full significance of it, but clearly seeing the three of them grieving, staggering under the emotional impact.

Claire comes foreward and hugs Ian, crying, but she knows she can't change his mind. And then it's Jamie's turn.

"Ye once said ye wished me to become a man of worth."
"Ye dinna ken how worthy you are," Jamie says, and embraces him. "Cuimhnich," he whispers. "Remember."
"I willna forget. Never."

I like this very much! The words are slightly different from the book, but the emotional impact is just as great.

Jamie bows formally to the chief and turns to lead Claire and Roger away. Ian takes a single step toward them, then stops himself. The look on his face is just heartbreaking.

John Bell is really amazing in this scene. It's been fascinating to watch his transformation from a boy to a man in the space of just a season and a half on the show (counting from his first appearance in Episode 307), and I am really going to miss him in Season 5.

Meanwhile, back at River Run, Jocasta and Murtagh are drinkiing whisky together in her parlor. I liked this whole scene, particularly the part where Jocasta stands up and tells him in no uncertain terms exactly what she's alway thought of him:

"Truth be told, i never liked ye. you used to descend on Leoch like a dark cloud of rain, stayin' well past your welcome, drinkin' our ale, and gripin' about everything! The way you glower and stare, you make folks uneasy. You were stubborn as a mule then, and you haven't changed a bit. I canna believe I allowed ye to darken my door."

I laughed when she threw her drink in his face. For a blind woman, she has pretty good aim!

HOWEVER.... I absolutely hated the next scene, where Murtagh and Jocasta are in her bedroom after having sex. No. Just...no. Jumping into bed with one another on the spur of the moment like that, as though they're a young couple hooking up in 2019? Sorry, I don't buy that at all, and I'm going to try very hard to un-see it and pretend it never happened.

Meanwhile, in a clearing somewhere on the road home from the Mohawk village, Claire asks, "How are you going to tell Jenny?' Good question, considering that in the books, this incident caused a major rupture in Jamie's relationship with his sister that was not mended for nearly two years.

Roger's temper suddenly snaps, and he takes a swing at Jamie, who is caught by surprise. Jamie doesn't seem upset at all. He simply lets Roger hit him as many times as he wants, taking his punishment for his part in the ordeal Roger has been through.

I liked the way they cut between Jamie and Roger's fight and Young Ian, back in the Mohawk village, running the gauntlet. Roger fights better than I expected, considering that he still has one arm in a sling.

As for Ian, he did a lot better than Roger in running the gauntlet, but then again, he's younger, much better nourished, and not worn down by weeks of captivity and being forced to walk 700 miles. I liked the bit where Ian dove between the warrior's legs. <g>

I was rather put off by how happy and excited Ian looked when he learned he would be adopted into the tribe. Grinning from ear to ear, as though he's forgotten all about the fact that he's leaving his old life and his family behind -- forever, as far as he knows. It just seemed inappropriate to me, under the circumstances.

The scene with Roger, Claire, and Jamie in which All Is Revealed to Roger is just wonderful, very well-written and well-acted, and very, very faithful to the book! Richard Rankin, especially, does a terrific job with this very pivotal scene, as he tries to absorb the life-altering news that a) Bree was raped by Stephen Bonnet just after Roger left her, b) she's pregnant, and c) it might be Roger's child, but then again it might be Bonnet's.

When Claire squats down to speak eye-to-eye with Roger, I was struck by the calm, matter-of-fact way she delivers the news of Bree's rape, and it occurred to me that Dr. Claire Randall must have delivered bad news to patients and their families in just that same tone of voice many, many times over the course of her medical career. Odd that I've never had that thought when reading this part of the book.

Suddenly Jamie's fury boils over and he shouts in Roger's face. "Coward! Bree was angry with you, so you left her! You ran away!"

Roger punches him again, and Jamie shakes a fist at him, furious. "That was the last unanswered blow!" He seems about ready to send Roger back to the Mohawk.

"I didn't leave because we argued. I left because she told me to go." Um, yes -- in the course of an argument! This line makes no sense, IMHO. But it's a very small thing.

The rest of this scene is virtually word-for-word from the book, except for this exchange between Roger and Claire:

"I need time."
"Well, if you need time, you'd better take it, because this is our daughter, and you'd better be sure."

I like that very much! We don't often see Claire in mama-bear mode.

Meanwhile, back at River Run, Brianna is in labor, assisted by Phaedre and Jocasta. I understand why Claire and Jamie couldn't be there for Jemmy's birth, and while that's disappointing, I'm fine with the way they did it. Except for one thing.

"Where is he?"
"Phaedre's cleaned him up, and she'll bring him in, if you're ready to see him now."

I don't understand. This was presumably a natural childbirth, without painkillers of any kind, with no complications that we know of. So why didn't Bree see the baby immediately after he was born? Why did they not even let her hold him until after he was cleaned and wrapped in a blanket, and Bree herself was dressed in fresh clothes?

In their eagerness to make this scene closely parallel what we saw of Bree's own birth as shown in Episode 301, they seem to have forgotten that this isn't 1948, she's not recovering from ether or any other anesthesia, and there's no reason (as far as we know) why she should be unaware of her surroundings immediately after the birth. I've never had children of my own, but I've watched plenty of childbirth scenes on TV, and this just struck me as contrived and not realistic.

On the other hand, that little baby is awfully cute! <g> The next time we see him, he's two months old. Phaedre rushes in to announce that riders are approaching, and one of them is Claire.

Bree is obviously shocked and devastated that Roger didn't return with Jamie and Claire. "He's alive," is all Jamie says. Rather cold comfort under the circumstances, to say the least!

Murtagh fills Jamie in on the situation at the jail, but he assumes that Bonnet died in the explosion. ("I got out. He didn't.") Um, Murtagh? You're forgetting my number one rule when it comes to OUTLANDER: Don't make assumptions, because most of the time they turn out to be wrong. <g> And if the events of this season haven't demonstrated that, I don't know what would.

Claire and Bree finally have a moment alone, and Claire says she wants to take Bree and the baby home to Fraser's Ridge. Bree nods but says nothing, and they have a nice little mother-daughter hug.

The dinner scene that follows is Extremely Awkward, filled with the deafening silence caused by Roger's absence, aka the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.

Finally, just as Jamie, Claire, and Bree are preparing to take their leave of River Run, Bree looks out the window and sees a rider coming up the path. It's Roger, of course, and Bree flies down the stairs and across the lawn as fast as she can. I liked their reunion, though I was disappointed that Roger didn't even get to see the baby, let alone claim him as his own son.

"I may be stubborn, but I'm not a fool. I love you! I always will."
[Much frantic kissing, hugging, etc.]
"I love you, too."
Awwww!!

Just then a group of Redcoats on horseback gallops down the path, nearly trampling Bree and Roger. All that commotion, and what did they want? Merely to deliver a letter from Governor Tryon to Jamie.

"He's ordered me to muster a militia to fight the Regulators." All right, that's more or less consistent with the books. "Hunt down and kill the fugitive, Murtagh FitzGibbons."

Kill him? Kill him? Not "arrest him", "bring him to justice", or any other actions that the colonial governor in charge of enforcing British law in North Carolina might reasonably be expected to order someone else to perform. Just plain murder. (And presumably, although they didn't say it, Jamie will risk losing his 10,000 acres if he refuses to comply.) I really don't like that.

I thought this episode was quite good overall, but I was rather underwhelmed by this cliffhanger ending. It doesn't seem like such a difficult problem for Jamie to deal with, and the ethical questions left a bad taste in my mouth at the very end. For me, this was the least satisfying ending of all four seasons so far.
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22 comments

Anonymous said...

"and the next scene, where Murtagh and Jocasta are in her bedroom after having sex. No. Just...no. Jumping into bed with one another on the spur of the moment like that, as though they're a young couple hooking up in 2019? Sorry, I don't buy that at all"

Well, if one considers the fact that Jocasta is the sister of Jamie's mother - who was wooed by Murtagh evidenced by the boar tusk bracelets, one wonders if Jocasta was a wee bit jealous back in the day?

Katkelwriter said...

Hi Karen,

Great recap!

I read your reviews week after week and really enjoy them. As I watch the marathon, one persistent thought keeps drumming in my head: how do we, as viewers, band together and petition Starz to have 16 episodes in seasons 5 and 6, just as it was in season 1? I can only think to post this on several sites that I visit every week for suggestions. Do you have any ideas?

Katkelwriter said...

P.s. A bit of clarification: I know 12 episodes have been ordered for seasons 5 and 6 but I would like to petition Starz to increase the episode count to 16.

Anonymous said...

I didn’t like the cliffhanger ending either. I liked the one in the book much better. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad that I read the book because I have it in my mind one way and have been so disappointed this season. I wanted the ending to be at the clan meeting with Jamie surrounded by his family and holding his grandson, sigh....

Knightingale said...

I totally agree with you on all counts! I'm watching and will continue to watch the series ;but, somehow as-much-as I love the saga of Outlander I am not as enthusiastic as I was for the first three seasons. From my first reading of the books way back I have loved the story of Jamie and Claire. For all intent and purposes the story is complete for me! All the rest just after Jamie and Clarie's reunion is not important to me! I never really related to Brea and Roger. I know some fans will think I'm not doing justice to the following books! Just could not get into them after Drums of Autumn. I always enjoy your recaps and observations. Thanks!

Jeanie said...

Good review Karen & mostly agree. I’m with you on the Murtagh/ Jocasta hookup- yes I saw it coming but it was rather abrupt & felt forced. Although Jo looked like the cat who just ate the canary afterwards ...LOL. The warrior firing the rifle was to alert the others, not let them get away, at least that’s how it seemed to me. And the fight afterwards is what resulted. I was ok with how it ended - from a casting & set construction perspective having the gathering all occur next season works much better. & yes Capture not kill would have been more reasonable for that decree - but I suspect Tyron would have been more than a tad irked at Murtagh fo embarrassing him, so guess it isn’t out of the question. I still hate cliffhangers, although that isn’t much of one in the grand scheme of things. Jamie did after all make a deal with the devil, and he has to dance a fine line even in the books.

I actually liked this season far better than S3. Disagree with a few things but overall enjoyed it. Even though things were not necessarily in the same order as the book there was most of the story & a lot of the book-phrases included. I thinught they were remarkably faithful to the spirit of the book. 😊 Only bad Hong is now have to wait almost a year for S5. 😥

Anonymous said...

I loved this episode. I even shed some tears when Bree and Roger had their joyful reunion. The after sex scene with Jocasta and Murtagh is totally believable. Passionate sex immediately following a rousing argument is very wonderful and both of these characters are passionate people in every way. I recall Jamie and Claire sharing a few sex scenes in just this same way.

Since you have not given birth, let me enlighten you. It’s very hard work and exhausting. Bree was likely too weak to hold her child and totally out of it. She may have seen her baby but then there is afterbirth to deliver. The baby was taken away to be tidied up as was she herself. Remember that this is a “respectable “household in the 1700’s and a lady shouldn’t be left in an unclean state. That is why she was asking to “see” her baby. A good first labor and delivery takes about 12 hours if all goes well. I think the actors all did a fabulous job.

Bring on season 5.

JANET A EWASKIEWICZ said...

Loved this review overall, Karen, but I do have a comment about this: "HOWEVER.... I absolutely hated the next scene, where Murtagh and Jocasta are in her bedroom after having sex. No. Just...no. Jumping into bed with one another on the spur of the moment like that, as though they're a young couple hooking up in 2019? Sorry, I don't buy that at all, and I'm going to try very hard to un-see it and pretend it never happened."

Considering the fact that in the books, Jocasta IS sleeping with someone without benefit of matrimony, and that there was a suggestion that there was more to Jocasta's "remembering Murtagh's hands" from 40+ years ago (not to mention Jocasta is supposed to resemble Ellen, the love of Murtagh's life), I don't see it as that outrageous at all.

I didn't expect the cliffhanger, but if they start off next season with the continuation of the cliffhanger, it may work okay. I missed Roger's "blood of my blood" speech. I hope we'll see it next season.

Mgrace said...

In the book, I loved how they did the labour scene. It made me sad that Jamie and Claire didn't make it back in time even though they did in the book. Jamie coaches Brianna through the whole thing while Claire delivers her baby. I really thought they should have kept that scene the same.

Jana said...

I agree with your comments on the episode, although very disappointed not to see Jamie and Briana reconnect at the birth of Jem as in the books, I enjoyed it, mostly. If they'd left the scenes out with Murtagh and Jocaster in bed and had Briana meeting Roger on the porch, instead of running across the lawn maybe they would have had time for this very important scene. Far too many endlessly walking scenes from Roger and Briana this season.
Loved all the scenes with Ian, very well acted. Roger and Bree have zero onscreen chemistry and I can't see what they would actually see in each other, they seem rather boring. Bree had more chemistry with John Grey. But I couldn't connect with these two in the books.
Nice to see Jamie becoming the warrior that we know he is.
Sam Heughan continues to dominate the screen whenever he is allowed to. He is mesmerising to watch. While understanding the need for secondary characters, I feel the show should be showing more of Claire and Jamie, why waste such good actors. Claire as a character continues to annoy me slightly, she's acting like she is Jamie's mother. I can't always understand what Jamie would see in her either.

Shelley said...

I didn't catch Jocasta's meaning after Jem's birth, something about his date of birth not mattering he will be born in wedlock? But then where was Lord John? At what point did they call the engagement off? Especially as the baby is two months old and doesn't have a name or apparently an official date of birth!

Anonymous said...

I have to disagree with you when Ian finishes the gauntlet and has the huge smile, as a viewer I was happy for him. He has been fascinated with Indian culture since he arrived in America. He wears their trinkets and clothing and style. He spends time with them, he respects them, he learned their language. As much as it pained him to say goodbye to Jamie and Claire, he’s in a comfortable place and he’s not a prisoner there, he’s one of them. I love the actor that plays Ian, casting got it right with him. Excellent actor!

Mary Tormey said...

Hi Karen I too loved the season final the acting was suburb and the acting was well placed was glad to see Roger give Jamie the beating he dserved and was hoping to see Lord John be a part of the final since he was there for them all in the last two episodes I too didn't by Jocasta and Murtagh in bed together and felt it wasn't needed and loved the ending knew Roger would come back for Bree for he has the same honor and courage as Jamie and the cliffhanger was a tease . so will be reading the books for the rest of the Winter so loved Season 4 as a whole . please post more soon. Happy Week. Loving Outlander .sincerely .

Susan said...

I have really loved this season and this episode is no different. I understood Young Ian's big smile, after such a devastating loss of his family, making it through the gauntlet and being welcomed wholeheartedly by the tribe, especially the other young warriors, Ian is releived to see that he was going to be ok. He has already a great respect for the Native Americans and knows their language, and a thirst for adventure.
I agree with Anonymous and Janet about Murtagh and Jacosta.
I thought the ending was just a set up for what is to be expected next season, so over all thought it was an excellent episode! Can't wait for season 5!

Beth said...

As someone who's rather new to the show and has only started listening to book one via Audible - I would agree with you, Karen, about this season being the least satisfying. I would have loved to have seen Claire and Jamie at their grandson's birth, or at least some more poignant moments with their daughter and grandson. I feel that Jamie and Claire (Sam and Caitriona) are the heart of the show and the episodes without them fall flat. I had no idea that Young Ian was going to stay with the Mohawk. I was crying during this part - a lot. John Bell was fantastic in this scene as were Caitriona and Sam. Thank you for your detailed and thoughtful recaps!

kkilgrow said...

Karen, I wanted to point out Jamie's and Claire's reaction when Jo and Murtaugh embraced before Murtaugh was taken to the slave cabins to hide from the Redcoats. The look between them was quick, but they acknowledged Murtaugh's and Jo's affection for one another.

I also did not like the bed scene. It made me reflex back to Paris with Murtaugh and the maid. It was first nature for Murtaugh to jump into the sack with lust, but Jo was of another class than the maid... (too 21st century for me.)

We may dislike the Drought Lander period, but do not forget we all will be busy reading Diana's new book that will be released in 2019.

Again, thank you for your time to share your thoughts with us fans.

Jeanie said...

Shelley, I think Jo meant that whatever date goes on little Gizmo’s birth certificate will simply be changed to be after said wedding.... whether to LJ or Roger. So the baby won’t be labeled a bastard. Those MacKenzies are always thinking ahead you know!

KMC said...

I really liked your review of episode 413. I look forward to reading your reviews of each episode. I understand that it is difficult for the TV writers to put in all of the books. I was pleased with season 4 and love the change to the books having Murtagh still in the series. I have read comments about viewers not liking the Murtagh/Jocasta scene, but I am glad they put something in or I would have been really upset about the future Jocasta is facing. With her husbands recent death and Jamie coming to River Run, she was protected from those that would take her and the estate. Just as the Old Fox did to his first wife. Women do not have any rights in the 18th century and Jocasta was in danger. I found hope that somehow the series would find a way to save Murtagh so he could protect Jocasta since the Duncan Innes character is not in the TV series. As for Young Ian, in the books a Mohawk woman has looked favorably upon him and he has been invited to join the Mohawk. The TV series didn't have time to establish that (since each episode is time constrained). I think the viewers would have been happier to know that Young Ian was happy, not just for the adventure of being with the Mohawk, but that he had a woman to love him.

Rebecca Scarborough said...

I wondered when Murtagh came back whether the screenwriters would have him assume the role that Duncan Innes played in the novels. It seemed logical. I do think, based on that substitution, that Murtagh and Jocasta would end up together. I was surprised, however, when the fell in bed together as though they were teenagers. That seems out of character for both of them. Moreover, it appeared to me that Duncan Lacroix is noticeably younger (in the bed scene) than Mary Doyle Kennedy as Jocasta. That seemed a bit awkward.

The entire season felt rushed to me and I've read all the novels including the peripheral ones. Still, I like to see what the screenwriters will do. It must be very difficult to condense such lengthy stories. I guess I'm just a devoted fan.

dj said...

coming late to this party but totally agree with jana....esp re: claire (the one from this starz season and in the books...book claire is a wee bit better than show claire); they have her acting frumpy self absorbed and superior to her husband....who btw is smarter kinder more honorable and loving than she can ever be....frank frank frank....eff frank his decision to stay was based 80% on his sterility. and comment from mary tormey that jamie deserved the beating! What!? he was acting on misinformation from lizzy And more importantly on lies,deceit and withheld information from his so called devoted wife and darling daughter...i give a pass to bree but claire is Absolutely responsible for the whole fiasco...and then in the show has the nerve to act like a total b for wks until ian says something to her...then she finally admits it's all her fault. she is quite selfish most of the time and full of herself...'i'm a doctor'..yes, a fired under suspicion dr. i have to reread the books but who did she let fondle her at river run? all she had to do was kick and feel for the hand scars...instead she just let it happen and elbowed the poor woman next to her. ian is such an asset to the show/books and am happy murtagh is "alive"...great character for the show. thinking i wish the show had kept their hair more like the books too...and bree but guess a six ft blue eyed actress hard to find. i find the books tho have william TOoo much like jamie..takes away from bree as did the revelation of him when claire returned.
apologies for the rant...i've been binging on the books and show and obvi a bit fashed:)

Anonymous said...

the birthing scene in the show was well done but was so much better in the book with jamie helping and bonding with his daughter.
love murtagh's in the show...i kinda think he and jacosta are a hoot. love ian but guess he's not back yet in 5?
hope season 5 fixes claire and jamie's hair....both need their curls but only a little silver..the pics of 5 not promising....but am sure it'll be great regardless as long as there's focus on them.

Unknown said...

I have just discovered your blog. I've read all the books several times and watched the series several times- waiting impatiently for season 5. Just the other night, I noticed the way way both Claire and Jamie looked at Jocasta and Murtagh as she tells him to hide in the slaves quarters. The way they feel for each other is apparent, and Jamie and Claire both notice. In all the times ( couldn't tell you how many- I just run it when cleaning house, etc...) I had watched that scene and never saw that "look"! I would have loved just 1 or 2 seconds more of that between J and C. I always love the way they communicate without words...✌🏼

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