Things are hotting up (literally), Rankin acts his socks off, Brianna grows up while Lord John and Brianna’s relationship is delightful and surprisingly not in the least bit weird.
Contains SPOILERS.
Another week, another episode and Roger ‘Lucky’ MacKenzie’s (Richard Rankin) run of bad fortune isn’t showing any signs of improvement. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t manage to get through the Mohawk gauntlet and is informed by one of his captors (Gregory ‘Dominic’ Odjig) that he is to remain their captive. The things we do for love, eh. At least the things Roger does. The one bright note in all this is when he is spoken to by Johiehon (Sera-Lys McArthur), the first friendly Mohawk he’s met who offers him some leaves to chew on to help with all the pain that he is in.
Meanwhile in Wilmington, Fergus (César Domboy) is determined to rescue Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) from prison and enlists the assistance of several regulators to help him with his scheme. He also receives support from Marsali (Lauren Lyle). Wracked with doubt about what is, after all, a dangerous enterprise, Marsali gives him the confidence to go ahead, exemplifying a relationship that is based on as much mutual love and support as that of Jamie and Claire’s. And just like Claire, Marsali is determined not to be a passive bystander.
At River Run, Lord John (David Berry) informs Brianna (Sophie Skelton) of Bonnet’s (Ed Speleers) capture and imminent execution. Brianna wonders whether it’s too late to add her rape by Bonnet to his list of crimes. Lord John points out it would be of ‘no consequence’: a turn of phrase Brianna doesn’t appreciate. It is an uncharacteristically tactless response from Lord John but symptomatic of the times where Brianna publicly stating she had been raped would only bring shame on her and not on her attacker. Plus ça change!
Faced with this news, Brianna decides she wants to see him. Lord John is understandably against the idea at first. At which point Brianna shows him the letter from Jamie (Sam Heughan) advising her, for the sake of her soul, not to seek vengeance but rather forgiveness. It’s a touching and affectionate letter which Jamie has signed off with the word ‘Da’, Brianna’s pet name for him. The letter has evidently given Brianna pause for thought as she seems to be regretting her former actions, in particular not saying good-bye to her father before he and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) set off on what may well be a perilous journey.
Brianna seems to have grown up in leaps and bounds, understanding that forgiveness may not change the past but it might change the future. This scene proves one thing: compared to me, Brianna is the much bigger person. Lord John, as ever the English gent, realising this is the only way Brianna might free herself from her past finally agrees to help her.
What is touching about this scene is how close Lord John and Brianna have become without it seeming the least bit weird. You have the impression that Lord John may be looking out for Brianna as a favour to Jamie but that he genuinely likes her and not as some Jamie-substitute. In the wrong hands, their relationship could have come across as slightly uncomfortable so well done to all involved in handling this relationship so well.
Sadly for Roger, his relationship with the Mohawks isn’t going as smoothly. Unaware of Mohawk customs, he is unintentionally being offensive with behaviour which wouldn’t raise an eyebrow in 20th century Scotland. In addition, the fact that Johiehon seems to have a soft spot for him has aroused the jealousy of Kaheroton (Braeden Clarke) who already despises him, wondering what type of man would be sold into slavery by his own kind. Kaheroton has clearly never met an angry Scot.
Placed in what is presumably a punishment hut, Roger meets fellow captive Father Alexandre Ferigault. Beautifully played by Yan Tual, Father Alexandre is a man wracked by his faith and guilt who fell in love with Johiehon, fathered a child by her and refuses to baptise the child, much to the fury of the Mohawks. As Father Alexandre sees it he would be damning his child with the false blessing of a fallen priest. In such a secular age as ours it’s easy to dismiss such scruples as hogwash but Tual impresses on you that besides dealing with his feelings of guilt and love he is wrestling with the very essence of his soul and conscience.
The Mohawk are indifferent to such moral quandaries. Thus Father Alexandre is stripped, taken away and tortured by having his ear cut off. Roger learns worse is in store for the priest if he continues to refuse to baptise the child: his feet will be put in flames until the pain consumes him and his body fails. In an attempt to persuade the father to change his mind, Roger gives an impassioned speech discussing his own unfortunate love life. It’s some speech, beautifully written and beautifully performed by Rankin. By the end of it Roger espouses that you should look out for number one; turn your back on love and take your freedom. In a nutshell, this is the antithesis of Outlander’s usual take on love but given what Roger has been through you can’t help blame him for feeling that way.
However, as with all the main characters in Outlander, Roger has a plan and that’s to dig an escape tunnel, thereby offering the priest a life line and other possibilities than dying a gruesome death. Roger and Father Alexandre start digging and you assume that Father Alexandre has changed his mind but with the tunnel unfinished by morning (how heavy going is the earth in that neck of the woods?), Father Alexandre follows the dictates of his conscience and is led away to his death.
Fergus’s attempt to free Murtagh proves far more successful though, as luck would have it, it just happens to coincide with Brianna and Lord John visiting the prison so Brianna can confront Bonnet. It has to be said that Fergus and his band of merry men seem to be rather indifferent to the possibility of being recognised, considering they are attacking the prison in broad daylight and with no attempt to hide their identities. Considering helping a prisoner to escape was presumably a hanging offence (as a lot of crimes were in Georgian times) it seems a rather cavalier attitude to take.
While Fergus and the regulators take on the militia, Brianna forgives Bonnet and informs him that she is expecting his child. At first dismissive at the news, Brianna makes him understand she’s telling him not because she wants something from him rather as a means of possible comfort in his dying moments. She also makes clear that though she must live with the consequences of his actions she will ensure that the child never knows who he is nor will he grow up to be anything like him. Strangely, this seems to prick Bonnet’s conscience and he gives Brianna a ruby he had secreted on his person.
Then all hell breaks loose as the regulators and Lord John get in a stramash, and Fergus rescues Murtagh, leaving the prison keys handily near to where Bonnet can get to them. I suspect this means Bonnet will make an unwelcome reappearance in Season 5. Murtagh and Lord John then argue who should take Brianna back to River Run: Lord John is an English lord, Murtagh is an escaped prisoner so no prizes guessing who wins that particular argument and while all this is taking place the jail is about to be blown up. It’s one hell of a busy afternoon.
Talking of successful escapes, Roger has finally managed to dig his way out and is making his getaway from the Mohawk camp when he is haunted by Father Alexandre’s screams. This is Roger’s chance to show that he is following the maxim of thinking only of himself and continue with his escape. The alternative is to prize compassion and love for a fellow human being above your own needs and help the priest. Considering all that Roger has been through and the fact he is more than aware of the cruelty he may face as a result of his actions, Roger chooses to return to the camp and put the priest out of his misery by throwing a keg of gunpowder onto the fire thus hastening his death. Roger may not be the Alpha male Jamie Fraser is but his understated bravery and his commitment to do the right thing takes a similar amount of guts.
Then in a rather moving scene Johiehon walks onto the pyre and clasps her dead lover as the flames devour her. Kaheroton watches in dismay and only then do you realise how much he must love her. The emotion of the scene is heightened by the fact that we don’t hear the characters speak; rather all is acted out against a backdrop of some wonderful music as the soundscape. Afterwards Roger, escorted by two Mohawks, wryly tells them to take him back to the ‘idiot hut’. Nevertheless, you get the impression that the Mohawks are impressed by his bravery.
Well, what did I make of this penultimate episode? I have to admit a hell of a lot of story was covered as economically as possible. Jamie and Claire hardly make an appearance and, for once, that didn’t bother me. In fact, I didn’t really notice till the episode was almost over. That is a hell of a good sign: Jamie and Claire are the heart of the show and their absence tends to adversely impact on an episode. This time round there was so much story and character development that you were invested in what you saw rather than in those characters who were missing.
There was some truly great acting by Messrs Rankin, Yan Tual and Braeden Clarke. Skelton is also doing a fine job with Brianna as her character grows up and as for David Berry’s Lord John, as Brianna so aptly says to him, ‘You are impossible not to like’.
As for the final episode there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. Will Claire and Jamie find Roger? (Of course they will). Will Roger escape the Mohawk’s clutches? (Presumably). Will Brianna and Roger get back together (Hopefully). Will Murtagh survive Season 4? (He better). And last but not least, am I looking forward to another Droughtlander? (What do you think?)
Special thanks to @SarSketches for her illustration accompanying this post.
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