So, there was no warm welcome for Claire once she, Jamie and young Ian returned to Lallybroch. Jenny was not only skeptical of Claire’s return but she was very upset over the fact her son had run away and been involved in Jamie’s smuggling. It was a lot for Jenny and Ian to take in, even though Jamie swore that he cared for young Ian as if he were his own. Personally, as a parent of a son myself, I don’t think that would be enough for me!
By the glow of the fire, Jamie tells Claire about a dying man named Duncan Kerr who spoke of a treasure on Silkie Island and of a “white witch.” Jamie, so desperate to see Claire again, interpreted this to mean that Claire was also on the island with the treasure. As a result, Jamie escapes prison to swim out to the island. To me, this shows Jamie’s absolute devotion to Claire. The water was freezing and yet that didn’t stop him from reaching the island, no matter how far the swim. Sadly, though, once he reaches the island he discovers that she is not there. Furious, he says, “…if he hadn’t been dead already, I would’ve gone back and kill him myself…for giving me hope…” This broke my heart. Even though the treasure turned out to be real, this proves to be disastrous at the end of the episode.
I felt a lot of sadness for Claire as she tells Jamie, “I wasn’t on an island but I was out there, wishing you’d come and find me. It sounds silly but whenever I would hear a bird’s song, I’d pretend it was you talking to me.” I can hear the anguish in her words and how much she longed to just speak with him again. It was agony for the both of them to be apart and this paints the picture so well.
I hate the timing of Laoghaire’s sudden appearance in this episode. After such a touching moment between Jamie and Claire, where they had bled their hearts to each other, Laoghaire’s daughters bust through the door and ruin it. Up until this moment, this had been one of my favorite parts in the season. There is just something so annoying to me about Laoghaire. Maybe it’s because she’s always been childish and manipulative when it came to Jamie. It made it all that much worse when Claire realizes the two of them are married. The look in Claire’s eyes is enough to rip a heart to pieces. I think that Caitriona Balfe does a fabulous job of telling a story with her eyes. She doesn’t even say a word and yet we can see what she is thinking.
Once Laoghaire leaves the room, I have to admit that I felt pity for her youngest daughter as she realizes that Jamie does not love her mother. She knows that Jamie will not be around any longer and this will be the second time she loses a father in her life. I’m sure this was very difficult for her to understand.
Claire is obviously very angry with Jamie when he returns to speak with her after dealing with Laoghaire. I can’t even begin to express how much I love this scene! Even though both Jamie and Claire are spatting back and forth with such rage, there’s this underlying passion that keeps getting in the way. Claire fights it as she smacks Jamie across the face but Jamie persists by kissing her forcefully then throwing her down. Jenny, tired of listening to the two of them go back and forth, comes into the room and douses Jamie and Claire with water. Gee, I wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t interrupted them…
Unfortunately, we have not seen the last of Laoghaire…
Jamie is speaking with Claire outside, trying to convince her of his faithfulness to her. He say to her, “I’ve only known one love in my life…and that was with you,” and I don’t know about you but I melted. Then, of course, Laoghaire messes it all up by appearing, again, out of nowhere. This time she has a pistol and even though I am sure she had plans of killing Claire already, hearing Jamie speak of his sincere devotion for Claire definitely sent her into a rage. She’s blinded so much by pure hatred that she accidentally sets off the pistol, shooting Jamie in the arm. Claire confronts Laoghaire, causing her to flee the scene. This again shows evidence of the immaturity in Laoghaire. If she loved Jamie so much, how could she just shoot him and then run away? Was she that afraid of Claire or was she that ashamed of her actions? Either way, I still felt she was childish to leave.
Once Jamie is fixed up, thanks to Claire’s excellent surgical skills, he recounts the moments leading up to his marriage to Laoghaire. To me, this shows how Jamie was trying to fill a void where Claire used to be. He didn’t feel any real love for Laoghaire, he just wanted to fill a purpose. When Claire leans over and touches Jamie’s hand, I could feel that she understood why Jamie had done what he did. I also think that the guilt and regret she was starting to feel, for returning and interrupting Jamie’s life, is now deeply set. Jenny had said to her earlier in the episode that because of her return, Jamie’s life was now falling apart. Now hearing Jamie’s story, I think she feels like she has ruined Laoghaire’s daughter’s lives, too.
Jenny struggles with the truth of Claire’s return. It’s almost as if she has a sixth sense. She can see that there is more to what Jamie and Claire are telling her about Claire’s absence but at the same time, I think she is somewhat fearful of what the truth actually is. I noticed Jenny never pushes to hear it from either one of them. I had wished she would have. I think it’s fascinating to see the reaction of someone telling them they are from another time. I wonder, with how quick Jenny picks up on things, if she would actually believe Claire if Claire told her that she time traveled. A part of me thinks no, being that Jenny is so logical, and a part of me thinks yes because Jenny knows there’s something peculiar going on yet she can’t place her finger on it.
Laoghaire decides to let Jamie go but wants a decent alimony payment in return. Jamie, not having the money that she asks for, decides to go back to Silkie Island to get the treasure. Jamie, unable to make the swim himself, asks that young Ian come along to help saying, “You can trust us.” This is where things go from bad to a lot worse. While young Ian is on the island, Jamie points out that Claire can’t even look him in the eye. Claire then confesses that she doesn’t think that they belonged together anymore. She feels like they both had good lives before she came back and interrupted everything. She says, “It wasn’t so bad was it?” in regards to their separate lives. He ends the conversation, “You belong with me. We’re mated for life, Sassenach. Will you risk the man I am for the sake of the one you once knew?”
But before Claire has a chance to respond, she notices a ship approaching the island. Jamie uses his telescope and sees that some men are in a row boat heading straight for the island. It’s at this point that young Ian meets his fate when the strange men land on the island and see the boy as he making his way towards the water. Jamie and Claire watch helplessly at the water’s edge as young Ian is kidnapped. All I could think at this point is, “You can trust us.” The words Jamie tells Jenny and Ian. As a parent it’s chilling. It’s haunting.
Hopefully, no harm comes to young Ian. Hopefully Jenny doesn’t murder her brother for losing her son. I guess we will find out in episode 9…
Mindy Campbell
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