The story drifts slightly from the novel, but not enough to truly disappoint readers. The episode sets the stage for the climatic season finale nicely, and it becomes obvious to all those in the know that Claire's prediction of the disaster at Culloden is fated to happen. Frank Randall's future is set as it was in the book. I did have a small problem with Jack Randall admitting his personal demons to Claire (don't recall this interplay in the story, but it could be I just didn't recognize it while reading). I really didn't like Randall's actions after the death of Alex - that most certainly did not occur, and I believe totally out of character. This episode was Graham McTavish's (and quite probably, anyone's) finest work on the series to date. His performance went far beyond the typically good acting seen here. In my opinion, he owned this episode hands down.
4 Reviews
A Thought-Provoking Farewell to Our Villains
jmansmannstjohnslrev1 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"How the bloody hell did we end up here?" Claire asks this question rhetorically at the beginning of the episode, and honestly, I feel like this could be the motto of season 2, and what makes it such a compelling watch. From the start of the season, we know what the outcome will be, yet after all of the plotting and pain that the heroes have had to endure, as a viewer I felt a lot like Claire, almost in disbelief that we had reached a point where Culloden is now only days away. But in true Outlander fashion, the march of inevitably pauses, and in the penultimate episode of the season we really get a chance to say farewell to the three remaining villains left alive in the series and get one final look this season on the nature of darkness and evil, something that has been a running theme in the first two seasons of the series.
Colum is the most complex and difficult for me. He holds Claire at Castle Leoch against her will when she wants to leave at the beginning of season 1. He disapproves of her marriage to Jaime, holds her as a hostage at Castle Leoch when Jaime leaves with Dougal after Geillis Duncan's antics and doesn't lift a finger to aide her at the Crainesmuir witch trial. By these actions, he feels like a villain, like I someone I shouldn't care about. But there is something about him that's redeeming. It's hard not to feel some sympathy for him due to his physical condition and constant pain. Yet, his actions warrant consideration as well. Though he holds Claire against her will, he's one of the first characters in the series that actually respects Claire as a healer. At Castle Leoch, he treats her as more of a guest than a prisoner. Of course, she isn't free to leave, but as antagonists go, he's one of the few not trying to have Claire beaten, or ravaged, or burned at pyre. When he opposes Jaime's marriage to her, you never get the feel that it's because he feels she's a bad woman, but instead dismay over the fact that the marriage will prevent Jaime from succeeding him, something you get sense he wants to have happen. When he opposes Jaime at Lord Lovat's castle you can see the love he has for his nephew, his genuine concern that Jaime is fighting on the wrong side of history.
I think the emotional strongpoint of the episode is Colum's conversation with Claire. One thing that sets him apart from virtually all of the series' antagonists is his ability to be flexible and admit mistakes. You see it when he reluctantly gives Dougal back the Jacobite gold, and you see it here when he commends Claire on her marriage to Jaime. I think there is a type of unspoken connection he has with Claire, one that has manifested itself after Claire's actions in Paris. When Colum asks Claire to help him end his life, she asks, "Isn't suicide a sin," and he responds, "what's one more sin to a sinner." I may be reading too much into this, but it reminded me of what Claire said when she was being administered last rights at the end of the Paris arc, saying that all she had left were her sins. Another line that stands out is when Colum admits that memories fester longer than wounds. I always loved this interaction, a final conversation between two people imperfect people that at times in the series have done horrible things, having a kind of unspoken reflection on the past and the nature of pain.
Our next farewell is to Black Jack Randall. I want to set aside the wrapping up of the plot to ensure Frank's existence because there's more interesting ground to cover. What always strikes me about Black Jack is this. At the end of season 1, you see Black Jack at the height of his power (save his being trampled by cattle); he is in complete control and Jaime is broken and completely at his mercy. It's one of the staples of season 1, Randall's control of every meeting, his ability to suppress any weakness or emotion he has, routinely allowing him to get the best of Claire and Jaime. By the time we get to this episode, you see how much has changed. Jaime will never forget what happened, it is always there, but he has fully recovered. He's a leader, confident and committed with Claire by his side even though he knows that the rebellion is close to ending. In contrast we see Black Jack at his weakest in this episode, not because he has some inner sadness at his brother's impending death, but because he's afraid. Randall has always been a man obsessed with control, control of both his emotions, fears and desires. He's given himself over to the darkness to control these feelings.
Tobias Menzies performance is so complex because on the way hand, it can seem that he's taunting Claire, his recollection of Jaime giving himself over. It's almost a callback to Garrison Commander in that way but it's different. He's recalling it in a place of fear; he's afraid that he will be overcome by his violent urges and harm Mary. Randall was always a sadist, always violent, but he lost that control over the darkness that made him the terrifying villain he once was. In a way, he ends the episode as Jaime left Wentworth Prison, broken. When he punches Alex's corpse, I get the feeling that it's not out of hatred or anger at his brother, but anger at himself. The wall of darkness that Randall has built for himself has cracked, and he allowed himself to feel sadness for his brother. His attack on the corpse is a desperate attempt to regain that control and composure that he has lost. When you see him stroke his hair and leave the house, it has a different feel to it than we've seen in the past. For someone obsessed with inner truth, he leaves in a lie, a man trying to feign composure after having lost it.
Finally, we get to say a goodbye to Dougal and honestly, Colum's final line in the series sums up Dougal's story best; "Your life is your own. I take no blame for it." In Je Suis Prest Claire is spot on with her assessment of Dougal's character, he is a true narcissist, a man obsessed with his own reflection. But I think one element of narcissism that often gets overlooked is is that the narcissist must live in a state of perpetual victimization. One cannot have an aggrandized view of himself or herself without passing blame for his or her faults onto other people. Dougal chillingly exemplifies this throughout this episode. When Colum passes on the guardianship of "his" son to Jaime, Dougal cannot recognize that his own faults have led him to this, instead blaming Colum for punishing him because Colum couldn't have a son. Dougal blames his brother for ruining his life. Why? Because he got thrown from a horse and contracted a disability that he had no control over. When Colum kills himself to finally end his suffering, Dougal only sees it as another betrayal. I think that's why its such a biting rebuke when Colum tells Dougal that if he were half as popular as he thought he was, there would be more men with him. Graham McTavish has done such an amazing job portraying Dougal, and here you really get to see him for what he truly is. He's patriot, he's a narcissist, a self-aggrandizer, but at the end of the day, he's a victim of his mind, constantly being betrayed by those around him, constantly being forced to overcome the weaknesses of others.
This episode might be my favorite in season 2 because it exemplifies why Outlander is such a compelling series, it's ability to take these characters that could be one dimensional husks in service to the main character's story, and givens them layers and complexities that make them compelling and make you care about their stories as well.
Colum is the most complex and difficult for me. He holds Claire at Castle Leoch against her will when she wants to leave at the beginning of season 1. He disapproves of her marriage to Jaime, holds her as a hostage at Castle Leoch when Jaime leaves with Dougal after Geillis Duncan's antics and doesn't lift a finger to aide her at the Crainesmuir witch trial. By these actions, he feels like a villain, like I someone I shouldn't care about. But there is something about him that's redeeming. It's hard not to feel some sympathy for him due to his physical condition and constant pain. Yet, his actions warrant consideration as well. Though he holds Claire against her will, he's one of the first characters in the series that actually respects Claire as a healer. At Castle Leoch, he treats her as more of a guest than a prisoner. Of course, she isn't free to leave, but as antagonists go, he's one of the few not trying to have Claire beaten, or ravaged, or burned at pyre. When he opposes Jaime's marriage to her, you never get the feel that it's because he feels she's a bad woman, but instead dismay over the fact that the marriage will prevent Jaime from succeeding him, something you get sense he wants to have happen. When he opposes Jaime at Lord Lovat's castle you can see the love he has for his nephew, his genuine concern that Jaime is fighting on the wrong side of history.
I think the emotional strongpoint of the episode is Colum's conversation with Claire. One thing that sets him apart from virtually all of the series' antagonists is his ability to be flexible and admit mistakes. You see it when he reluctantly gives Dougal back the Jacobite gold, and you see it here when he commends Claire on her marriage to Jaime. I think there is a type of unspoken connection he has with Claire, one that has manifested itself after Claire's actions in Paris. When Colum asks Claire to help him end his life, she asks, "Isn't suicide a sin," and he responds, "what's one more sin to a sinner." I may be reading too much into this, but it reminded me of what Claire said when she was being administered last rights at the end of the Paris arc, saying that all she had left were her sins. Another line that stands out is when Colum admits that memories fester longer than wounds. I always loved this interaction, a final conversation between two people imperfect people that at times in the series have done horrible things, having a kind of unspoken reflection on the past and the nature of pain.
Our next farewell is to Black Jack Randall. I want to set aside the wrapping up of the plot to ensure Frank's existence because there's more interesting ground to cover. What always strikes me about Black Jack is this. At the end of season 1, you see Black Jack at the height of his power (save his being trampled by cattle); he is in complete control and Jaime is broken and completely at his mercy. It's one of the staples of season 1, Randall's control of every meeting, his ability to suppress any weakness or emotion he has, routinely allowing him to get the best of Claire and Jaime. By the time we get to this episode, you see how much has changed. Jaime will never forget what happened, it is always there, but he has fully recovered. He's a leader, confident and committed with Claire by his side even though he knows that the rebellion is close to ending. In contrast we see Black Jack at his weakest in this episode, not because he has some inner sadness at his brother's impending death, but because he's afraid. Randall has always been a man obsessed with control, control of both his emotions, fears and desires. He's given himself over to the darkness to control these feelings.
Tobias Menzies performance is so complex because on the way hand, it can seem that he's taunting Claire, his recollection of Jaime giving himself over. It's almost a callback to Garrison Commander in that way but it's different. He's recalling it in a place of fear; he's afraid that he will be overcome by his violent urges and harm Mary. Randall was always a sadist, always violent, but he lost that control over the darkness that made him the terrifying villain he once was. In a way, he ends the episode as Jaime left Wentworth Prison, broken. When he punches Alex's corpse, I get the feeling that it's not out of hatred or anger at his brother, but anger at himself. The wall of darkness that Randall has built for himself has cracked, and he allowed himself to feel sadness for his brother. His attack on the corpse is a desperate attempt to regain that control and composure that he has lost. When you see him stroke his hair and leave the house, it has a different feel to it than we've seen in the past. For someone obsessed with inner truth, he leaves in a lie, a man trying to feign composure after having lost it.
Finally, we get to say a goodbye to Dougal and honestly, Colum's final line in the series sums up Dougal's story best; "Your life is your own. I take no blame for it." In Je Suis Prest Claire is spot on with her assessment of Dougal's character, he is a true narcissist, a man obsessed with his own reflection. But I think one element of narcissism that often gets overlooked is is that the narcissist must live in a state of perpetual victimization. One cannot have an aggrandized view of himself or herself without passing blame for his or her faults onto other people. Dougal chillingly exemplifies this throughout this episode. When Colum passes on the guardianship of "his" son to Jaime, Dougal cannot recognize that his own faults have led him to this, instead blaming Colum for punishing him because Colum couldn't have a son. Dougal blames his brother for ruining his life. Why? Because he got thrown from a horse and contracted a disability that he had no control over. When Colum kills himself to finally end his suffering, Dougal only sees it as another betrayal. I think that's why its such a biting rebuke when Colum tells Dougal that if he were half as popular as he thought he was, there would be more men with him. Graham McTavish has done such an amazing job portraying Dougal, and here you really get to see him for what he truly is. He's patriot, he's a narcissist, a self-aggrandizer, but at the end of the day, he's a victim of his mind, constantly being betrayed by those around him, constantly being forced to overcome the weaknesses of others.
This episode might be my favorite in season 2 because it exemplifies why Outlander is such a compelling series, it's ability to take these characters that could be one dimensional husks in service to the main character's story, and givens them layers and complexities that make them compelling and make you care about their stories as well.
Graham McTavish owns this episode
jneiberger-11 December 2021
There are so many fantastic performances in this episode, but the ultimate is Graham McTavish. In the scene with Colum and Dougal, McTavish demonstrates perhaps the best acting of the entire series. Incredibly moving.
Alternate Title
shila7998 November 2021
'A Tale of Two Narcissists'. Gritty and honest. A good study and view into the ill-reasoned viewpoint of the victimized NPD. The Intractable predicament of the narcissist and most irresistibly infuriating response of the observer is evident here, when looking at a person entrapped by this disorder.
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