I liked the start of this episode so much! First of all, I love watching the natural flow of conversation between Jamie and Claire. There is a distinct comfort between them yet still such an adoration for one another without even saying a word about it. The deep sentiment felt between the two of them as Jamie begins to describe his dream of Brianna to Claire is beautiful. It’s astounding how Jamie knows exactly where Brianna’s birthmark is just from a dream! That scene is powerful to say the least.
Roger is on the hunt for Brianna being that she disappeared to go find Jamie and Claire. He ends up at an inn where the innkeeper says very little about her stay. Only to say that she could see that Brianna has broken Roger’s heart and because of her sympathy, gives Roger a letter that she was not supposed to give him for another year.
Meanwhile, Jamie and Ian try to find men to farm Fraser’s Ridge and they have very little luck. Except for one man who comes to Jamie and says that the farmers gave up their farms to pay for their taxes. For dishonest tax collectors and invites Jamie to a meeting about everything going on.
Claire helped her German neighbor, Petronella Mueller, give birth to a baby girl that they chose to name Clara. The beautiful moment is ruined when Indians show up to drink from the creek and Petronella’s father threatens to shoot them. Claire, being the brave women that she is, stands between the two and begs for the Indians to go. This scene is very tense and I was sure that there would be someone shot by the end of it! I admire Claire’s strong belief in what is right and standing her ground. She might be afraid but she never allows it to hold her back.
Later Claire tries to bide her time while Jamie is away by tending to the farm. We see her exhaustion with some humor as she takes back some whiskey at the end. (I would, too, Claire!)
One of the greatest moments in the entire episode is when Ian gets himself into trouble with a blacksmith who bet him too much money. Jamie gets fired up, thinking that this black smith has taken advantage of his nephew, and comes to find that the blacksmith is actually a family member. What a tender moment when Jamie realizes that it’s Murtagh Fraser! (So many chills!) I love when Jamie says, “So much to tell ya.” Murtagh replies, “I want to hear every word.”
Claire is warned by a neighbor friend that Petronella’s father is angered by Indians because family members are ill and he believes it’s because of the water. He believes the Indians cursed the water.
I love when Jamie is telling Murtagh about Claire’s return and about Brianna! Isn’t that such a crazy conversation? Then Murtagh invites Jamie to a meeting where the farmers come together against the governor’s tax collectors. They plan to fight and get back what is theirs. Jamie lets Murtagh know that doesn’t agree with the movement that he is leading and prays that one day Murtagh will join Fraser’s Ridge.
Petronella’s father comes to find Claire and tells Claire that the curse of the Indians took his daughter and the baby. He said it was the measles but Claire reassures him that measles is not a curse and that their bodies were weak from the birth. Then Petronella’s father says he took care of the problem. And he hands Claire what she thought was the baby’s doll when really it was Claire’s Indian friend, Adawehi’s, scalp. It was a horrifying moment for Claire and I could feel her pain just by looking into her eyes…
The Indians took revenge by burning down Petronella’s cabin and murdering her parents with burning arrows. Although the anger is understood, this moment in the episode is extremely tragic.
The reunion between Claire and Jamie is refreshing. Claire, for once, looks terrified. We don’t see her appear weak very often but I adore how she falls into his arms to find refuge.
Who else smiled when Murtagh whistled the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy?” when approaching Claire for the first time? (I did!)
Finally, we hear the voice of Brianna as Roger reads the letter that she wrote to him. She has gone back in time through the stones to find Jamie and Claire and asks Roger not to find her. The camera pans to Brianna standing by the stone….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQQE243smv8?rel=0
And then…she is gone…
Mindy Campbell
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