1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,920 Hi and welcome to K Let's Talk, the podcast where we breakdown 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,440 storytelling across books, television and film with a 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,800 special love for book to screen adaptations. 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,480 Here we talk about craft, character arcs, structure, 5 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,040 dialogue, visual language, and the creative choices that shape 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,480 how a story lands. If you like thoughtful, 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,560 conversational, deep dives into the stories you can't stop 8 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,240 thinking about, you're in the right place. 9 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,200 Let's talk, this will be my Outlander Season 8 Episode 6 10 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,160 review titled Blessed Are the Merciful. 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,120 As always, if you are looking to avoid spoilers from the books or 12 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,160 the TV show, please do keep on scrolling. 13 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:41,120 So in the wake of episode 5 and at the beginning of episode 6, 14 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,360 we find Captain Cunningham waking up on Claire's table in 15 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,640 her surgery and he is still unable to move his legs. 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:50,840 When Claire finally enters the room, she tells him that he's 17 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,520 fortunate to live to see another day, but he doesn't believe that 18 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,080 she's actually there to help him, and because of his 19 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,720 injuries, he's wet himself and still hasn't realized that he is 20 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:04,200 paralyzed. This is when his mother, 21 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,880 Elspeth, appears and asks Claire if she's ever seen anyone with 22 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,280 this condition before. Claire, to her credit, is honest 23 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,440 with her and says it's unlikely that he'll ever walk again. 24 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,200 But beyond that, only time will tell and Elspeth answers and 25 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,600 says it usually does. Starting off this episode which 26 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,440 is titled Blessed Are the Merciful with this scene between 27 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:29,120 Captain Cunningham, Claire and Elspeth is foreshadowing for the 28 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,680 end of the episode. And where that line in the book 29 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,560 actually comes from. Jamie actually delivers the 30 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:37,280 line. Blessed Are the Merciful, for 31 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,240 mercy shall be shown them right before he gives Elspeth 32 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,280 permission to bring Captain Cunningham back home to England. 33 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,560 On the porch, Jamie and his men are discussing their plan over a 34 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,000 DRAM, and Josiah tells Jamie that they rode as fast as they 35 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,680 could and managed to cut the men from the 96 off at the border of 36 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,520 the Ridge. Evidently, there were only 20 or 37 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,040 so of them and they handled them, and Cleveland admits that 38 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,440 that's because he took all of them out on his own. 39 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,240 Cleveland tells Jamie that he now has nothing to fear any 40 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:11,920 longer, and Buck and Jamie share a glance with one another that 41 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:15,640 lets the other person know Cleveland is a little unhinged. 42 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,200 He takes the opportunity to remind Jamie that he had warned 43 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,800 him about Cunningham and that he wants to make a show of him by 44 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,920 taking advantage of the fact that he's still alive and in his 45 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:29,640 custody. This points out one of the main 46 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:32,080 obstacles Jamie will be grappling with within the 47 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,920 episode, and that is what to do about Cunningham. 48 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,360 For Cleveland, though, he makes a point to remind Jamie that he 49 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,200 didn't like the way that he spoke to him the last time they 50 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,920 talked, and he would have been perfectly fine if Jamie had been 51 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:49,520 taken by Cunningham. And so, because he took care of 52 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,520 that regiment of men, Jamie now owes him. 53 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,120 This is exactly why Jamie had said he'd be making a deal with 54 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:57,920 the devil in the previous episode. 55 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:02,200 And so Buck and Josiah can tell that Cunningham is very 56 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:06,120 dangerous to cross, and we know that Jamie feels the same way. 57 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,520 And that is when Frank's voice returns and plays over the 58 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,160 screen in Jamie's head, telling him it's your own fault. 59 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,240 You knew his help would come with a price. 60 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,960 The overlay of Frank's voice once again is a mixture in the 61 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,880 show of direct text from the book, and then also Jamie's own 62 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,920 internal thoughts that he feels are now framed from the 63 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:29,040 information he's getting from Frank's book. 64 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,080 It's a clever way for us to be able to know what his inner 65 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,400 dialogue is, but also continuously remind us as 66 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,840 viewers that Frank's book is very much guiding him through a 67 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,240 lot of his decision making. When Cleveland walks away, Jamie 68 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:43,960 calls out. You have my word. 69 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,720 And that's when he leaves the porch and enters into the 70 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:48,960 surgery in order to talk to Cunningham. 71 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,280 I loved the shot of his boots walking into the room because it 72 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,520 highlights the fact that he's still able bodied and about to 73 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,240 converse with someone who is now paralyzed. 74 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,840 And when Jamie enters the surgery, he asks Cunningham what 75 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,120 he has to say for himself. And Cunningham asks where his 76 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:08,280 men are. Jamie tells him that they're 77 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,280 alive awaiting their fates, and Cunningham asks Jamie if he 78 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,360 would have his wife save him only so that he could have the 79 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,680 cruel pleasure of seeing him put to death, and then asks if 80 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,440 Jamie's going to kill him as he does throughout the Outlander 81 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:25,280 storyline, Jamie says he wouldn't be able to kill him 82 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,960 strictly because Claire would not allow him to harm someone 83 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,320 that is under her care. This is when Cunningham admits 84 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,840 to the fact that he is no longer able bodied or able to change 85 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:38,320 his stars. This condition is as bad as 86 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,280 death to him now. He had imagined an honorable 87 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,880 death for himself, and that too now is gone and has been taken 88 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,840 from him. I think for a moment Jamie can 89 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:51,640 agree that not being able to give yourself an honorable death 90 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,760 would be very hard for someone like Cunningham or himself. 91 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,800 But he makes a point to lean down and say to him that he has 92 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,680 made his bed and now he must lay in it until Jamie can determine 93 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,280 an appropriate fate for him. At the very least. 94 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:10,200 This is another example of how Jamie, when needed, can be quite 95 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,600 cutting. But at the end of the day, he 96 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,080 does have a heart and he's not going to make a rash decision 97 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,440 based strictly on his emotions. He has a lot more at stake now 98 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,320 and he needs to think things through in a way that he can 99 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:23,760 live with. At the end of the day. 100 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,040 It also makes it clear that for as much as Jamie had planned the 101 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,440 confrontation at the lodge, he had not thought beyond it and 102 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:31,680 what he would do with Cunningham. 103 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,160 After that scene ends, we get the title card for the episode, 104 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,760 which is this beautiful sunset shot of young Ian's son running 105 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,720 through the grass. The shot itself is in slow MO so 106 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:46,640 we can actually see him running alongside a dog, which we will 107 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,280 later learn is related to Rolo. And it's also giving us a 108 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:52,960 glimpse into the larger storyline of the episode that 109 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,440 surrounds young Ian, Rachel and Ian's first wife Emily. 110 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:00,840 Above the woods we see Ian and Rachel travelling N together to 111 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:04,680 New York as a reminder they had both left in order for Ian to 112 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,920 see what has happened to his first wife and son after hearing 113 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,920 that their village was attacked and burned. 114 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,760 We see Ian standing looking out at the river and he tells Rachel 115 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,600 that he recognizes it and when she approaches him with Auggie, 116 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,320 this is when Ian starts to share more of his experience with the 117 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,040 Mohawk with her, including that of his marriage. 118 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,480 Season 4 was so long ago that it's important that the show 119 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,480 remind us all about his lived experience and how much it 120 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,920 really did shape him and still informs much of his behavior and 121 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,600 the man he's become. Rachel allows Ian to open up 122 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,440 about Emily by telling him that she knows he loved her and that 123 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,120 he can talk freely about her in front of Rachel. 124 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,840 Ian admits that he does think about Emily now and then and 125 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:51,640 Rachel thinks that it's OK for him to given all that they 126 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:53,560 shared together, including a child. 127 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,440 But she's clearly jealous and Ian says that he knows they were 128 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:01,280 not meant to be together and Rachel is sorry for him given 129 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:04,600 the circumstances. Ian then holds Auggie and speaks 130 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,960 to him in Mohawk, telling him I love you in that language. 131 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,240 And you can tell that it's upsetting Rachel. 132 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,480 And I really loved the way that Rachel was portrayed in this 133 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,480 episode and how the actress Izzy portrayed her because she 134 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,960 captured beautifully just how real and raw the emotion of 135 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,440 jealousy can be when it's not rooted in something petty, but 136 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:26,960 entirely in your love for another person. 137 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,800 This is when we cut back to Savannah and catch up with Bree 138 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,720 and Roger's storyline in the aftermath of the battle that 139 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,960 Roger took part in. And we see Brianna reading the 140 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,040 letter that he had written before the battle, and he 141 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,680 explains what he wrote to her and why he felt so compelled to 142 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,680 fight in that battle. He admits he felt compelled to 143 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:50,680 fight after being at the camp and it had given him a feeling 144 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,560 of purpose and a renewed conviction to him. 145 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,440 He compares that feeling of going through the stones and 146 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:01,440 feeling like he's being pulled apart to his conflicting 147 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,080 emotions and Brie tells him she doesn't want to hear it, but 148 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,160 Roger asks her to listen to him because he needs to tell her 149 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,240 it's made him realize that he wants to be ordained. 150 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,680 This is when he starts to describe the blast that sent him 151 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:19,760 flying and remembering the feeling he had as a boy of being 152 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,520 caught by his father in the tunnel the night that his 153 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,400 mother. He never knew how he was able to 154 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,480 live through the bombing of the underground, but he remembered 155 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,720 being caught by his father from the stairs and is putting 156 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,080 together that because he saved his father when he sent him 157 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,840 through the stones, as a result, his father was able to save him. 158 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:42,520 This again is all taken from the novella A Wind on the Leaf of 159 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,320 All Hallows which is one of my absolute favorite ones and if 160 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:47,240 you have not read it, I highly recommend it. 161 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,320 Roger then explains to Bri that this makes them a part of 162 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,800 history, even though they didn't know they were a part of it yet, 163 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,440 that they couldn't change God's plan, but they were always a 164 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,760 part of it. And so he knows that he's called 165 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,480 to do the Lord's work and to be there in that time period. 166 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,880 Brie supports his decision and that's when Roger takes her to 167 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,760 bed, which is when we finally get a hint that their third 168 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,880 child from the source material will make an appearance before 169 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,400 the series ends. That's when we cut back to the 170 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,160 Continental camp and pick up the storyline with Ben and William, 171 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,600 who had entered into this tent at the end of episode 5. 172 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,160 Ben is rubbing his cheek after he's been punched in the face 173 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,000 and tells William he deserved to have been punched. 174 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,840 William then picks up a paper from his desk and finds the name 175 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,240 Wraith Bleeker. This is the same name that's 176 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,760 used in the source material, and it's quite funny when you're 177 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,320 reading the book because William is absolutely gobsmacked from 178 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,360 this and swears quite a bit about it in his own head. 179 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:49,080 William calls him a coward for essentially killing his whole 180 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,320 family with grief by faking his own death, and he asks Ben what 181 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,040 would have made him turn his coat. 182 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,120 That's when Ben asks him if he's heard of a man named Thomas 183 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,640 Paine, who is a founding father. He had met him in a Tavern in 184 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,320 Philly and when he was taken prisoner, he decided to read his 185 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,440 pamphlet called Common Sense. In that pamphlet they make the 186 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,040 argument that the monarchy was oppressive, that self 187 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,080 governments was the key to prosperity in the new world, and 188 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,120 Ben was convinced that the Americans were right. 189 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,640 Despite going through all the proper avenues to make sure he 190 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,920 wouldn't be discovered as alive, William had to go looking and 191 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,440 now he knew that he wasn't dead. As Ben explains why he decided 192 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,800 to turn his coat and fake his own death, you can tell that 193 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,400 William internally is struggling to justify how he could do this 194 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:35,000 to his own family. And that's when he says to Ben 195 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:39,480 that he wishes he had been dead. And to his credit, he's proving 196 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:44,520 Ben's point because both Ben and William realize that if Hal Gray 197 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:49,000 knew that his own son had turned his coat, he might die of shock, 198 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:53,280 but also of disappointment. When William eventually brings 199 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,000 up Amaranthus, Ben is ultimately surprised that he knows about 200 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,880 her and realizes that Uncle John must have let her and Trevor 201 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:02,400 stay with him. Initially. 202 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,680 I think that William felt like it was a power move to bring up 203 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:09,600 Amaranthus, but Ben ends up admitting that it was her idea 204 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,560 for him to fake his death, and this realization ultimately 205 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:17,240 wounds William so much that he accuses Ben of lying. 206 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,280 You can see his internal thoughts spiraling here because 207 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,000 of what we know just took place between him and Amaranthus. 208 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,240 In the episode before this, when Williams says he doesn't 209 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:30,760 understand how Ben could leave his beautiful wife, Ben reminds 210 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:32,400 him that it's none of his business. 211 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,480 And and is suddenly on to him and questions why he would be 212 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,680 comforting his own wife in her grief. 213 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,280 This is when William's immaturity is on full display 214 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,800 because again, he's got his back against the wall. 215 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:49,080 And he goes for the low blow here and tells Ben, yeah, I've 216 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:50,880 been comforting your wife in her grief. 217 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,200 And the innuendo there is enough for them to start fighting 218 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,080 again. And rightfully so because 219 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,320 William has undoubtedly crossed a line here. 220 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:01,560 This is when we see the two of them wrestling one another 221 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,640 before William is ultimately pulled off of Ben by his 222 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,600 officers. He demands that William be taken 223 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,360 to the guardhouse to be watched closely and held prisoner. 224 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,000 And that's where we leave William before we cut back to 225 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,960 Ian and Rachel in New York. The two of them are cooking 226 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,880 themselves dinner when they're approached by one of Ian's 227 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,640 Mohawk friends, who tells them what had happened. 228 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,640 Ian immediately warned not to go to the old village because 229 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,320 there's only ashes left and it would only upset him. 230 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,840 He also tells Ian that his own village is gone as well, and 231 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,920 even though a lot of people escaped, most of them perished. 232 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,480 Once he knows that Ian and Rachel are there in order to 233 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,200 find out information about his wife, he tells Ian that there is 234 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,400 somebody who may be able to help him find out their fates. 235 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:51,360 We then cut back to the big house where Jamie is sitting at 236 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,280 a table writing and Claire approaches him and starts to 237 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,960 read over his shoulder when he asks her if he's left anything 238 00:12:57,960 --> 00:12:59,840 out. Claire asks Jamie if he would 239 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,920 really shoot the men on sight if they were to ever come back onto 240 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:06,480 his land and Jamie says yes. So this is how we know that he 241 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,600 is now writing letters to the men that have betrayed him on 242 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,400 the Ridge. To Jamie's point, he knows 243 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,880 people will watch to see how he reacts to this attack, and 244 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,240 Claire asks what that then means for the wives and children of 245 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,640 those men. At this point, Jamie is very 246 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:25,680 much fueled by his anger, and so he's very curt about how he's 247 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:28,200 going to handle the situation with the wives and men. 248 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,240 The men wronged him and therefore they must leave and 249 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:33,760 that means that their wives and children are included in that. 250 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,640 He ends up referencing Bell Book and Candle, which is a quote 251 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,120 from the book where Jamie writes to his tenants that they're all 252 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,400 evicted from the land and should depart within 10 days to clear. 253 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,480 This is when she tries to reintroduce some logic into this 254 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:52,440 and can tell that he's operating with a lot of his emotion and 255 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:55,240 not his logic. She plants the seed because we 256 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,840 do see him move forward with these letters, write them all in 257 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,040 this montage and carry them out and deliver them to everybody 258 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,360 that they are sent out to. We then get to hear Jamie 259 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,120 reading the letter out loud that he sent out to all of these men 260 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,760 and it does warn that if they are to return after they are 261 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,840 required to leave, they will be shot on sight. 262 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,960 I did like this montage because it really hammers home the fact 263 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,840 that if Jamie had to handwrite every single one of these 264 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,520 letters, he had multiple opportunities while writing it 265 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:30,400 over and over again to revise what he wanted to do and he did 266 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:32,800 not. His conviction was sound here. 267 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,640 He had made this decision and was to stick to it, which I 268 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,480 think ultimately says a lot about how he handles things. 269 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,360 At the very end of the episode, he delivers Hiram Crombie's 270 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,480 letter by hand, and this is in front of many people of the 271 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,000 Ridge to set an example. But this is not from the book. 272 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,640 Crombie is not a part of this list, nor is he used to make an 273 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:54,840 example of in the source material. 274 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:59,720 This show change is meant to come up with a conflict and give 275 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,920 us a reason to side with these women because we've now gotten 276 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,800 to know Hiram Crombie is a character and we have a little 277 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,920 bit more empathy towards him, which then hopefully should help 278 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:13,800 you understand why Jamie is able to fold by the end of the 279 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,440 episode. I love the shot when Hiram comes 280 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,360 out and starts to Babble on about how he regrets what 281 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,000 happened at Lodge and Jamie asking if that is an apology. 282 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:27,000 Because the way it's shot and framed, Jamie's on the left, 283 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,160 Hiram's on the right, and it puts Hiram's wife directly in 284 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,360 the middle of the two of them. So it's foreshadowing again that 285 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:37,120 this is going to be about her. Jamie asking if this is an 286 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:41,240 apology is really highlighting how petty he feels about all of 287 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:43,040 this. But we watch him put his foot 288 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,120 down and he tells him that the Beardsleys will take over the 289 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,600 trading post and he has 10 days to leave. 290 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:53,000 Jamie leaves Hiram looking at the emporium that he has built 291 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:57,760 from scratch on Jamie's own land and has to sit with what he's 292 00:15:57,760 --> 00:15:59,840 done. And ultimately, that is the 293 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,560 lesson that Jamie wanted to impart on him. 294 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,880 Back in New York, we watch Rachel and Ian enter into an 295 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,720 absolutely beautiful home to await the master who lives 296 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:12,120 there, and we hear Ian and Rachel talking about a man named 297 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:16,240 Joseph Brandt who has a foot in both worlds, as evidenced by his 298 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,600 large and beautiful home. That's when we see Joseph Brandt 299 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,040 approaching the two of them with his wife Catherine, and they all 300 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:26,960 sit down together to talk. In the book, Ian's mother Jenny, 301 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,960 is actually with them when they travel to New York and speak 302 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,200 with Joseph and Catherine. So again, omitting her from this 303 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,880 storyline and not having her come to America changes a lot of 304 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,080 the tone of this scene because Jenny offers a lot of commentary 305 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:45,320 and also comedy. As a historical figure, Joseph 306 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:49,200 Brandt is actually quite influential and in the book he 307 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:53,920 has a lot more of a lead up into explaining his significance 308 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,760 during this war as compared to the show. 309 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:00,880 Ian had been sent to meet him at Shadow Lake in Season 7, but 310 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,280 this is the first time we're actually seeing him on our 311 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,400 screens. And in terms of historical 312 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:09,599 context, he was an ally to the King who led his people against 313 00:17:09,599 --> 00:17:12,400 the rebel colonists during the war and was later granted 314 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,640 territory in Canada and resettled there. 315 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:18,119 They pick up quickly that Rachel is a Quaker and they ask Ian if 316 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,040 he is still with the Continentals, and Ian admits 317 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,680 that their journey is because he had to find out what had 318 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:28,200 happened with Emily. Joseph accuses him of joining 319 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:31,000 them and leaving the Mohawk on purpose, but he clarifies that 320 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,480 he didn't want to leave the Mohawk and that that was not the 321 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,880 reason why he left. But ultimately, Joseph's opinion 322 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:40,560 of Ian has been made before he even opens his mouth. 323 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,600 His wife asks Rachel how she feels about that, and Rachel 324 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:48,520 admits that the spirit has moved Ian to look for his wife and 325 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,640 child, even though he doesn't address them as such, and he 326 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:53,800 wants to know if he should mourn for them. 327 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,840 She is allowing him to do that because he has felt so-called to 328 00:17:57,840 --> 00:17:59,880 do it. They go back and forth over the 329 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:03,280 violence inflicted against one another and both Rachel and 330 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,920 Catherine admit that it would be much simpler if the women were 331 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,200 in charge of things. There's definitely a kinship 332 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,160 formed between the two women and you can tell that they have a 333 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,480 lot in common and admire each other's spirit. 334 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,960 This is when Catherine grants Ian the information that his 335 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,760 wife is still living and is staying there with them, but 336 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,160 Joseph does not allow Ian to see them and asks them to leave. 337 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,600 Back at the Ridge, we see Jamie building a chair when he's 338 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:31,320 approached by Mrs. Crombie and she asks him for an audience. 339 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,400 That's when we see all of the women and children behind as she 340 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,640 approaches him and starts to beg for mercy. 341 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,760 Jamie then asks her to get up and if their husbands all put 342 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:44,560 them up to this. At that point she says no, their 343 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,920 husbands actually forbade them. He reminds her that they are 344 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,120 fools and traitors taking a risk like that by siding with 345 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:54,800 Cunningham and she reminds Jamie that their husbands betrayed 346 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,800 them all as well. She asks him again that they not 347 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:00,880 be sent away for their husbands actions and Jamie knows that 348 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,680 they cannot guarantee their husbands good behavior. 349 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,880 I loved the framing of this shot where we have Jamie standing on 350 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,520 the left and Mrs. Cunningham on the right, because it's putting 351 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:13,520 them on equal footing with this visual break between them with 352 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,920 the post of the porch, and it's foreshadowing of the overarching 353 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:18,720 message of equality between them. 354 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:21,920 Mrs. Crombie points out that surely Jamie must know what a 355 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,800 wife might do to a man who has taken a roof from over his wife 356 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,880 and children's heads. And it's in that sentiment that 357 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,080 you can see Jamie soften here. Despite that, though, you hear 358 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:35,120 him say that he cannot honor a contract with a man who would 359 00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:38,320 see him hanged. And despite his deep guilt, he 360 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,640 watches the women leave. But by lingering on Jamie's face 361 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:45,520 and watching him Mull over what just transpired between himself 362 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,680 and the women, we can tell as viewers because we know his 363 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,280 character so well that he is reconsidering. 364 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:55,560 We see Ian and Rachel in the aftermath of their meeting with 365 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,160 Joseph Brandt and his wife Catherine, and Ian begins to 366 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,240 apologize to Rachel for bringing her here because he can now tell 367 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,440 that he has pained her. Rachel, to her credit, says that 368 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,040 she's OK, but Ian knows that she is lying. 369 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:13,160 And that's when the blood gates finally opened between these two 370 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,080 and they're able to share their true feelings about what's 371 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:19,280 actually going on here. For Rachel, she admits that she 372 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:23,000 didn't think she'd feel this way, and she is ultimately a 373 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,080 woman who's not immune to feelings. 374 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,800 What it comes down to is wondering. 375 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:32,200 If Ian would have left Emily if he had had the choice, and Ian 376 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:34,680 is honest and says he cannot say yes. 377 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,760 So she knows that Ian would have been with Emily still if he had 378 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:40,680 not been forced away from the Mohawk. 379 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,360 Rachel says that she had prayed that Emily would still be alive 380 00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:47,600 because she knew that a ghost would insert itself into places 381 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:49,800 that it was not wanted in their marriage. 382 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:53,000 And Ian says that it's enough for him to know that they are 383 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,800 alive and that they can go home now. 384 00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:58,040 This breakthrough conversation between the two of them I 385 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,520 thought was really beautiful. And it also sets up the next 386 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:05,320 scene that we will see between them again in such a really 387 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:09,680 impactful way because it shows Rachel's emotional intelligence 388 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,880 and maturity level here in a way that speaks volumes without it 389 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:18,400 having to be written so clearly on screen or verbalized between 390 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:20,760 the two of them. Back at the Continental camp, 391 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,840 William is inside of this cage that he is being held prisoner 392 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:28,400 in, and we see Rachel's brother Denzel coming in to look after 393 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,400 him. I always love when a show does 394 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:34,360 this where we see one character and then cut to their other half 395 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:36,200 or their their partner on screen. 396 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,320 And for Rachel, for us to see her and then immediately go to 397 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,040 her brother is a really nice segue. 398 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,800 Denzel is one of my favorite, more underrated characters of 399 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,600 the show and especially in this season, I think they're 400 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:49,320 utilizing him in a really great way. 401 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:53,080 He provides a comedy here that I think is perfect. 402 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:57,520 Examining William, pretending that he needs to bend over and 403 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:01,720 asks the private to send away for a bucket of water in order 404 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,760 to free up a moment for him to speak openly with William. 405 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:08,360 He is going to help him escape from the continental camp. 406 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,560 And so the two of them come up with this plan where Denzel will 407 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,680 fake his death because he had smallpox and then William can 408 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:19,120 escape in the night. In the book, Denzel is married 409 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:22,840 to William's cousin Dottie, and they have removed her from the 410 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:24,880 storyline. So I don't know if we're going 411 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:28,280 to see Denzel again or wrap up his storyline in the remaining 412 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,240 episodes of the show. But I hope we do because he's a 413 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:34,880 really impactful person and I think a beautiful character and 414 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,320 I do hope he gets a proper send off here. 415 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,640 But at the very least, William admits that he wants to see 416 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:42,560 Denzel at the other side of the war. 417 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,720 And I think that should be foreshadowing to seeing him at 418 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:47,200 the end of the season in some way. 419 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,920 We cut back to Savannah, but this time we're actually going 420 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,160 to be with Fergus's family and not going to Lord John's house. 421 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:57,080 And we are first tipped off to that fact with this image of the 422 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,240 frog because again, the French are called frogs. 423 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,320 Andre Christian is sitting outside playing with this frog 424 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,600 when he is approached by Rodger asking if Fergus is inside. 425 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,640 The show has given Andre Christian a lot of screen time, 426 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:13,520 mainly because there is a very important plot point that 427 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,800 involves his character, and we can't be invested in that unless 428 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,280 we spend proper time with the character of Henri Christian 429 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,120 himself. So again, this is foreshadowing 430 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:25,160 for scenes to come. It's just a little snippet of 431 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,040 context so that we have a face to the name and we feel invested 432 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,400 in his character. And we also see that he has an 433 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,400 interest in what his father Fergus is doing as well, which 434 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,240 is important as we move through the story. 435 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:39,000 Fergus comes outside with a letter from Rogers. 436 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,880 Comrades in arms and Brie approaches the group and they 437 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:46,560 discover that it's a letter from Francis Marion, who originally 438 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,760 had denied their request for guns but is now saying he will 439 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:53,080 provide them after Roger's help and actions in the battle. 440 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,720 This was another scene that I was a little confused as to why 441 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:00,520 they had it take place in this particular location, given that 442 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,880 the three of them are so obviously trying to not let 443 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,400 people around them hear what they are talking about. 444 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,360 And yet they continue to stand outside in front of this print 445 00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:14,600 shop, which Fergus is already getting harassed for, and openly 446 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,240 discuss their plans. That's when we cut back again to 447 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,280 the home of Joseph Brandt where we see that Rachel has gone back 448 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:25,880 to meet with him alone. She begs him to allow Ian to see 449 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:30,640 his wife and child and makes it clear that the fact that Emily 450 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:34,600 has his son is not well known. It is a secret. 451 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,000 She admits to him that she's jealous but does not wish to be 452 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:41,920 consumed by that jealousy. And while she fears that Ian and 453 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,880 Emily may still love one another, she doesn't know how to 454 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,760 move on without Ian being able to see his own son. 455 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:51,880 And Brandt did not realize this, but once he does, he can see 456 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:55,000 that Rachel does not want to stand between Ian and his own 457 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,320 child. That fact alone allows him to 458 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,520 grant Rachel that kindness, and by extension, grant Ian the 459 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,040 kindness of seeing Emily and his son. 460 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,520 This scene in particular in the dialogue within it, is some of 461 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,480 my favorite of this episode. And I really think that it's a 462 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:13,200 moment where Izzy, the actress who plays Rachel, was allowed to 463 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,720 really shine and showcase her skills here because she's so 464 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,440 real and raw in this scene. And I think that you can feel 465 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,480 sympathy for her, but also empathy for her and understand 466 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,880 exactly the emotions that she's been toiling and battling with 467 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:31,520 for the duration of their journey up into New York. 468 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:35,280 But also from the moment she read the news that Emily and Ian 469 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:37,240 Sun might have perished in that fire. 470 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,960 And that sentiment is the through line that carries us 471 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,160 through these scenes where we see Jamie now at the big house 472 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,040 watching the children, helping Claire with the bees. 473 00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:51,080 We can see in this moment Jamie realizing how much joy it brings 474 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:55,440 him to see the kids helping Claire and watch his wife on 475 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:59,000 their property, on their land. And he feels guilt over the 476 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,920 women that he would be putting out alongside their children. 477 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,960 And while we don't get the conversation between Jamie and 478 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:09,040 Claire that takes place ahead of Lodge, we just cut to Jamie and 479 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,680 Claire walking in to Lodge and this meeting that they've 480 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:14,560 clearly called. It's implied that the two of 481 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,280 them have come to this resolution jointly because 482 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,120 that's the type of relationship that they have and are now using 483 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:24,760 in order to impress upon these women that their lives can be 484 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,040 handled in a different way and they can have autonomy and 485 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:29,440 independence from their husbands. 486 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,320 He tells the men and the women in that room that he will revoke 487 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,320 the letter of banishment, but the contracts he made with the 488 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,800 gentleman remain void. From here on he will address 489 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,200 their wives and deal directly with them instead. 490 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,480 And he reminds them that no one is forcing them to stay on their 491 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,040 land. The men do not have to be there, 492 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:53,160 but the women want to stay, and he will not have men on his land 493 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:55,840 who plot against him. So instead he'll write new 494 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,920 contracts with the women which make them responsible for the 495 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:01,840 rents and the land is now theirs and not his. 496 00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:05,800 Anyone who fails to meet the agreed upon contract, we'll have 497 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,920 to answer to Jamie. And the women gladly accept 498 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:11,040 here. And I love that every time we 499 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:14,400 are in lodge, we get this wide angle shot where we can see over 500 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,920 Jamie's shoulder and get a full scope of who's in that room. 501 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,360 And in this particular scene, it's especially impactful that 502 00:27:21,360 --> 00:27:23,680 all the women are standing in front of the men. 503 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,160 They're being directly addressed and they are given all of the 504 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,280 control in the outcome of this situation. 505 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,280 Claire and Jamie look at each other so fondly in this moment, 506 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:35,200 but I think for Claire it's important because this is 507 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,120 something she brought up to him a while ago now, and he arrived 508 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:42,640 at this conclusion on his own. But she can tell that he listens 509 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,440 to her, and that's the most important part of this entire 510 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,720 thing. For a long time, essentially 511 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,600 since he's met Claire, Jamie has been a man who listens to his 512 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,960 wife and values her opinion and knows that she is intelligent 513 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,480 and smart and worth listening to and considering in all matters 514 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:01,000 of his affairs. For him to then impart the same 515 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:04,760 kindness on to these women and allow them to have control over 516 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,800 their own futures would have been hugely impactful but also 517 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:10,600 questioned quite heavily at the time. 518 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:14,040 Because this is not the norm for a story and a couple that has 519 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,640 always emphasized that they cannot tell if they are 520 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:21,560 impacting history or the future, this is a small example of how 521 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,000 the ripple effects would happen for them. 522 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,600 Even though this is so tiny, it would be impressed upon these 523 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,560 people of this era, so much so that it might shape and inform 524 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,800 future thinking that isn't already present. 525 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:36,840 Claire tells Jamie he did the right thing and he admits that 526 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:40,280 it could easily go sideways, but it lightens his heart to do it. 527 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,120 And that's when Elspeth Cunningham approaches them. 528 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,760 This is the moment where the Blessed Are the Merciful line 529 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,320 comes back. So we echo that from the 530 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:52,800 beginning of the show and get the dialogue taken directly out 531 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:58,040 of the book, along with Elspeth asking if Jamie is still feeling 532 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:00,400 generous. She knows that her son cannot 533 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,880 remain on Fraser's Ridge, and Jamie knows that she cannot take 534 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:07,600 care of him alone at her age. Despite that, she wants to take 535 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:10,640 him home to England, to a place that she knows if she's going to 536 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:12,800 spend the final years of her life taking care of him. 537 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,520 And so she asks Jamie to grant her and Charles that kindness. 538 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:19,600 And ultimately, like so many times before, all it takes is 539 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,520 Claire to look at him for him to grant her permission. 540 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,440 We go back to Joseph Brandt's home and we see that Ian and 541 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,720 Rachel are there to meet with Emily and Catherine is putting 542 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:35,720 white flowers into a vase which Rachel points out are for peace. 543 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,960 They thank her once again for allowing this meeting to take 544 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:42,320 place. And that is when the door opens 545 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:45,840 and we start to realize that Ian is about to be reunited with 546 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:50,040 this woman after not seeing her for years and then worrying for 547 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:54,120 presumably months that both her and his own child perished in a 548 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,560 fire. The shot that they use in order 549 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:01,360 to convey that is over the shoulders of Rachel and Ian, and 550 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,960 we can see through a very narrow gap in the door behind Joseph 551 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,120 Brandt that Emily is approaching him. 552 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:11,000 So again, it keeps her hidden from us as viewers for a while 553 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,920 so that the suspense can build. What I also love about the 554 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,680 camera work here is that we then flip views and we get to see 555 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:21,120 what Emily would be looking at as she walks through the door 556 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:25,640 with Ian and Rachel and their child standing opposite her. 557 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,720 And the looks on their faces are very telling because I think for 558 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,240 both of them this is like seeing a ghost. 559 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:37,600 When Emily enters, she does it very slowly and her hands are in 560 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,600 front of her chest. She looks very guarded and 561 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,720 unsure about what exactly this conversation is going to look 562 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,520 like and end like. But very quickly, Ian turns his 563 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,400 entire torso to face her, which basically presents himself as 564 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,840 being being open to having this conversation, and he asks if 565 00:30:55,840 --> 00:31:00,040 he's a stranger to her. Emily then calls him a stranger. 566 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:04,440 She thinks that she knows. This is when she starts to piece 567 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:08,680 together that Ian is not here alone and wants to be introduced 568 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,560 to Rachel and Auggie. Rachel very quickly says that 569 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:16,800 she's heard a lot about Emily and their son together and Emily 570 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,240 can tell now that Rachel is in on this secret, it doesn't have 571 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:24,320 to be hidden from her. They can talk openly about their 572 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,280 own son. And this is when she opens up 573 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:29,840 and says she has been changed by sorrows. 574 00:31:29,840 --> 00:31:33,360 Since her husband died, she has been having terrible dreams 575 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,880 about the war and now Ian is here and for her that is an 576 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,200 omen. She dreamt of their son being 577 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,800 captured by soldiers who are cruel to him and who force him 578 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:44,720 to fight in a battle where he is killed. 579 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:49,960 And at the end of her recap of her dreams, she very abruptly 580 00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,720 asks Ian to take him to live with them. 581 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,080 I really love John Bell's expression here because you can 582 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,760 tell not only is he deeply troubled by this dream, but then 583 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,960 it hits him right in the solar praxis that she's asking such a 584 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:07,440 big thing of him and she says it's because she knows he will 585 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:10,240 be safer with Ian. This is when she turns her 586 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:14,800 attention to Rachel and asks if she will allow it and if she 587 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:18,320 will take her son at her fire. And Rachel to her credit, 588 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,560 without hesitation says. Of course you can immediately 589 00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:25,280 tell that Emily is relieved by this and so she leaves to go 590 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:29,920 retrieve their son together. And we can see Ian and Rachel 591 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:33,520 left standing in this room alone with the weight of what has just 592 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,240 transpired between them. In from the door we see Swiftest 593 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:41,120 of Lizards approach baby Auggie with a puppy in his arms and he 594 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:45,000 offers his little brother the dog, which we find out is 595 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:49,080 actually an offspring of Rolo. At some point, Swiftest of 596 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:52,720 Lizards would have been told that he had a sibling by Ian and 597 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:56,720 Rachel, and so he immediately addresses him as brother. 598 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,640 I really loved this entire scene because not only do we have the 599 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:04,160 continuity of the same young child actor playing Swiftest of 600 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:08,720 Lizards, but I feel like having this representation of Rolo in 601 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,920 one way or another on the show is also going to be a really 602 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:15,040 nice way to kind of close the loop of that storyline by the 603 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,160 end of this season. And when Ian asks his son if he 604 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:22,240 still remembers him, Swiftest of Lizards says that he does, which 605 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,920 must have been really impactful for Ian, who probably had been 606 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,880 navigating his life assuming that his own son would not know 607 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,280 or remember him. He immediately runs over to 608 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,000 Rachel and kisses her hand. And so again, it's made clear 609 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,920 here that he had been briefed by his mother prior to this 610 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:42,280 conversation about what was going to happen between them. 611 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,760 And so he's entering that room already knowing that he will be 612 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,840 going home with them and that this woman is going to be taking 613 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:53,080 care of him from here on out. Rachel tells Emily that she is 614 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,600 honored that she is entrusting her with her son and that she 615 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:58,560 will love him as though he was her own. 616 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:03,200 And you know, watching Rachel, that that is true in every sense 617 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,120 of the word for her. Emily is clearly emotional and 618 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,719 asks to say goodbye to her son one last time. 619 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:13,320 And so we see the two of them break away and she is able to 620 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,960 tell him to be brave and be good for them and that she loves him 621 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,679 deeply. And you can almost feel her 622 00:34:19,679 --> 00:34:23,000 heartbreaking in this scene. I cannot imagine what this would 623 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,480 be like for her to have been tormented by bad dreams for so 624 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,840 long, worrying about him so deeply, knowing that he is only 625 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,199 getting older and that the war is headed in One Direction. 626 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:37,560 She is also traumatized by what just happened at her village and 627 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:42,000 so the relief and also pain that she must feel in watching Ian 628 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,800 and Rachel take her son away from her and into this world 629 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,360 that she is not familiar with but has grown to hate because 630 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:52,880 they have attacked her own people is really contradictory 631 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:55,600 within herself. Ultimately, I think the fact 632 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,480 that she trusts Ian so much to do this for her and for their 633 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:04,240 child is the most loud thing about this whole scene. 634 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:09,280 She trusts him implicitly, even though she is giving her son to 635 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:13,760 a man that will be walking in a different lane than the Mohawk 636 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,720 way. That ultimately means that her 637 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:19,760 son is going to learn different customs and move away from his 638 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:24,200 Mohawk traditions and ultimately become someone who's living in 639 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:27,040 that new world. And that's a huge sacrifice. 640 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:31,400 She asks that she be afforded the opportunity to help name 641 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:35,680 their son because Ian had named her son for her. 642 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:39,760 And so she walks over to the baby, who at this point, again, 643 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:42,600 they've been calling Auggie because they could not think of 644 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,920 a name. And she immediately thinks of 1. 645 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,440 And we get this really sweet shot over her shoulder with her 646 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:53,400 hand on his head, cradling his head and looking at this child 647 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:56,400 that has this whole world in front of him and all these 648 00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,640 opportunities ahead. And the same breath she is 649 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:03,720 letting her own son go. She tells Rachel and Ian that 650 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:07,080 their son's name will be Hunter, which of course for Rachel in 651 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:12,080 particular is especially impactful and also seems kismet 652 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,600 that she would come up with that name without knowing that that's 653 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:17,240 Rachel's maiden name. It's a really beautiful way to 654 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:21,040 end this scene to see off the character of Emily at the end of 655 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:25,760 this season and also set up this new dynamic of their family as a 656 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,600 family of four and also with this new dog. 657 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:32,080 And just as we're watching the goodbye take place between Emily 658 00:36:32,080 --> 00:36:35,880 and Swiftest of Lizards, we start to fade into the big house 659 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,120 scene where we're watching another goodbye take place. 660 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:43,800 This time it is between Claire and Elspeth, who was leaving for 661 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:46,040 England with her son Captain Cunningham. 662 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:49,400 This means that Jamie formally gave her permission to take him 663 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,520 away and leave the Ridge and head back to England on their 664 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:55,360 own accord. And I think for Jamie, watching 665 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:59,240 this man who is now paralyzed being carted away by his elderly 666 00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:03,000 mother, it must bring him some form of comfort or internal 667 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,200 peace to know that he did not inflict more pain onto this 668 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,240 person. Elspeth then comes up to Claire. 669 00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:13,400 And again, we have this really great shot that shows our two 670 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,560 characters in side profile. So we have Claire on the left 671 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:19,160 and Elspeth on the right. And I also like that their 672 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,400 costuming is opposite of one another. 673 00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,880 So Claire has a white shirt on and Elspeth is still dressed in 674 00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:27,400 her all black. So again, it's that yin and Yang 675 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:30,720 of their relationship dynamics that we've seen play out over 676 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:35,120 the course of these six episodes in a very obvious visual 677 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,520 language. The two women clearly have a 678 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:41,080 great amount of respect for one another, and in their exchange, 679 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,520 you can see that coming across. And the two of them agree that 680 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,760 in another lifetime they may have been great friends, but as 681 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:52,240 it is, they must say farewell. Elspeth asks Claire if she was 682 00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:54,480 considered a friend or an enemy to her. 683 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,560 And we see them joining hands with one another. 684 00:37:57,560 --> 00:38:00,560 And I thought that this was just really tender and did a great 685 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,480 job of taking what was on the page in the book and really 686 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:05,560 bringing it to life in a very palpable way. 687 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:09,360 Because when Claire says friend, I always considered you a 688 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:12,000 friend. Elspeth kisses her hands and 689 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,800 then leaves to go off on her way with her son. 690 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:19,120 We see Jamie watching them from up on the porch and then stand 691 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,160 beside Claire while the two of them ride away together. 692 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:25,440 And Jamie admits to her that Cunningham's departure does not 693 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,400 mean that all of their troubles have gone away. 694 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,240 Ferguson is still out there, and the looming threat of the Battle 695 00:38:31,240 --> 00:38:33,080 of Kings Mountain is also still out there. 696 00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:35,920 And he knows that that man is going to play a part in that. 697 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:40,480 And as we saw at the beginning of the episode, Jamie is now 698 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,480 operating with this looming threat constantly running in his 699 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:47,200 head. And now that he's able to figure 700 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:51,480 out who the key players are in that equation, it's constantly 701 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:54,280 eating away at him. And so we watched them reenter 702 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,360 the big house and seemingly things have changed. 703 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,600 But for these two, they know that what's coming is coming, 704 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,240 and they still don't have an answer for how they're going to 705 00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:05,080 handle the Battle of Kings Mountain.