This is one of the best episodes of any show I've watched, while simultaneously being one of the most disturbing. I can't remember ever being emotionally upset by violence in any show or film, until this one. Prepare yourself.
The scene between Jack and Claire is what made my husband give in and watch this "romantic drama" which hadn't interested him before. He caught a few minutes of their gripping and richly profound dialogue and superb acting was hooked.
It's probably the best episode of the whole series.
11 Reviews
A True Masterpiece: The Bone-Chilling Rebirth of Black Jack Randall
jmansmannstjohnslrev26 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The Garrison Commander is the first episode in the Pantheon of Outlander installments, one of those episodes that stands out above all others, that is just as enthralling the tenth time you've watched it as the first time. Such episodes are flawless, every word, every expression, laden with suspense, emotion, passion and meaning. Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies could win every acting award known to man for their portrayals in this episode, as their characters, and the world of Outlander never feels more real, more alive than it does in episodes such as this.
From the start, even before Menzies steals the show, the episode draws you right in. For the first time, Claire is in control, she has power over Dougal, he is the outlander now and she is the one who is looked upon with reverence and respect. And yet, it is fascinating how Claire has changed in the time she has spent with the MacKenzies, how that time among them has endeared them to her. In the beginning of the episode, and God can Caitriona Balfe tell a story and a convey a depth of emotion with nothing more than facial expressions, you can see the satisfaction and joy on her face at being surrounded by her own people, and at the fact that Dougal is on the defensive, in enemy territory. Then slowly as Dougal is belittled you can see the subtle changes, her face beginning to betray signs of disgust at the conduct of the English. It's a powerful moment when Claire actually defends Dougal, someone who has shown her nothing but disdain from the start. Clearly has journey has already had an effect on her. She's beginning to feel less and less comfortable around the British soldiers that she felt kinship with at the beginning of the episode.
Then we are reintroduced to Black Jack Randall. I have to say, I was initially concerned with this character, because it could be very easy to portray someone so violent, so dark as a one dimensional psychopath, or a one dimensional sadist, in a way that wouldn't make him compelling. It didn't help that in the first two episodes, Black Jack is portray as a kind of rape-happy sadist. But then, my god what an introduction.
The symbolism and comparison with Lord Thomas is remarkably done. Lord Thomas is dainty, his speech is very high brow, dainty, his concern for his claret, his uniform ornate and clean. He is an English Officer, certainly with same prejudices as Black Jack but is no soldier. In comparison, Black Jack barges in the room unannounced, covered in dust, already speaking about military matters that Lord Thomas is largely uninterested in. Their reaction to Claire's presence as well. Lord Thomas is fascinated by Claire's story of intrigue and murder, and robbery, like a child would be listening to a fantasy. Black Jack, aided by his prior meeting with Claire is suspicious and discerning, uninterested in the intrigue of the story, but by Claire's presence with Dougal. It's an amazing start to standoff before Randall and Claire have even spoken.
Even before Claire and Randall are alone, you can clearly see Randall's traits, what makes him such a terrifying adversary. He's not just a brute, he's calculating, discerning, intelligent... he knows of or at least suspects Claire's sympathies to the rebels, and goads her into revealing them, even as Claire fights to stay composed. Yet the real highlight is when the two are finally alone. Tobias and Caitriona have such control over their characters and their mannerisms. Every statement they make, every expressions draws you deeper and deeper into the world of Outlander. Randall while conducting the investigation keeps and eagle like focus on Claire, Claire as she recounts her fabricated story, keeps darting her eyes to the side, slowly wilting under Randall's watchful gaze.
Then, we get the highlight of the masterpiece. After Randall correctly deduces that Claire has been lying to him, he gives her the full measure of his soul. It's chilling because it has a dual purpose. Yes, the story is told to intimidate Claire, to make it clear to her that Randall is willing to do anything to obtain the submission of his enemies, but its also the true measure of his soul. Randall is a sadistic soldier, one who is obsessed with controlling and dominating his enemies, receiving pleasure from his ability to dominate them. I think that's why he apologizes to Claire for his earlier effort to rape her, because it is actually out of character for him, a lack of control on his part, a moment of weakness that he probably feels he should have overcome.
The whipping scene while gruesome to watch is perfect, made so by Randall's recounting of it, delivered as if he is lost in a memory. It's so chilling because to Randall it was a masterpiece, a battle to break someone who had the sheer will to avoid breaking. It's like the ultimate challenge for him, to break someone with a will as strong as his. Tobias Menzies cannot be commended enough for portraying Randall with such complexity. He's a sadist and a soldier, but in some sense broken himself. When Claire discusses the possibility of redemption, you get the feeling that at some time, Randall may not have been the blood-thirsty lunatic she sees before her, but that overtime his war against the Scots caused him to give into his baser instincts. In the end, you feel that he has chosen the darkness, that he truly believes that this is who he is and who he must be. He's made all the more villainous, all the more terrifying because of this, he's a man who may not have been born a monster, born of the darkness, but one who has made a conscious choice to give himself over to it. I think this is what separates a compelling antagonist from a boring one, choice; the realization that men like Randall are made, are tragic in the sense that they could be better men, but choose to be monsters.
As a final point, I think that with the violence and sheer terror that Randall espouses towards Claire, it is hard not to get the sense that Randall has a great deal of respect for Claire in a twisted sort of way. In this time period and through the preceding episodes, Claire is limited and at times disrespected because she is a woman. You really get the sense that Randall views her as an adversary, despite some of the comments he makes regarding the softness of a woman and his implying that she is sleeping with Dougal. During the interrogation, he is fixated on her, he speaks at her level, he does not believe her fabrications because he respects her ability to manipulate others. It's strange that as abusive as he is, he recognizes Claire's uniqueness, her abilities, and the potential threats she could pose to him in the future.
All in all, this was Outlander's first great masterpiece episode, one that was enthralling from start to finish. It's a shame that it can't be rated higher than a 10/10
From the start, even before Menzies steals the show, the episode draws you right in. For the first time, Claire is in control, she has power over Dougal, he is the outlander now and she is the one who is looked upon with reverence and respect. And yet, it is fascinating how Claire has changed in the time she has spent with the MacKenzies, how that time among them has endeared them to her. In the beginning of the episode, and God can Caitriona Balfe tell a story and a convey a depth of emotion with nothing more than facial expressions, you can see the satisfaction and joy on her face at being surrounded by her own people, and at the fact that Dougal is on the defensive, in enemy territory. Then slowly as Dougal is belittled you can see the subtle changes, her face beginning to betray signs of disgust at the conduct of the English. It's a powerful moment when Claire actually defends Dougal, someone who has shown her nothing but disdain from the start. Clearly has journey has already had an effect on her. She's beginning to feel less and less comfortable around the British soldiers that she felt kinship with at the beginning of the episode.
Then we are reintroduced to Black Jack Randall. I have to say, I was initially concerned with this character, because it could be very easy to portray someone so violent, so dark as a one dimensional psychopath, or a one dimensional sadist, in a way that wouldn't make him compelling. It didn't help that in the first two episodes, Black Jack is portray as a kind of rape-happy sadist. But then, my god what an introduction.
The symbolism and comparison with Lord Thomas is remarkably done. Lord Thomas is dainty, his speech is very high brow, dainty, his concern for his claret, his uniform ornate and clean. He is an English Officer, certainly with same prejudices as Black Jack but is no soldier. In comparison, Black Jack barges in the room unannounced, covered in dust, already speaking about military matters that Lord Thomas is largely uninterested in. Their reaction to Claire's presence as well. Lord Thomas is fascinated by Claire's story of intrigue and murder, and robbery, like a child would be listening to a fantasy. Black Jack, aided by his prior meeting with Claire is suspicious and discerning, uninterested in the intrigue of the story, but by Claire's presence with Dougal. It's an amazing start to standoff before Randall and Claire have even spoken.
Even before Claire and Randall are alone, you can clearly see Randall's traits, what makes him such a terrifying adversary. He's not just a brute, he's calculating, discerning, intelligent... he knows of or at least suspects Claire's sympathies to the rebels, and goads her into revealing them, even as Claire fights to stay composed. Yet the real highlight is when the two are finally alone. Tobias and Caitriona have such control over their characters and their mannerisms. Every statement they make, every expressions draws you deeper and deeper into the world of Outlander. Randall while conducting the investigation keeps and eagle like focus on Claire, Claire as she recounts her fabricated story, keeps darting her eyes to the side, slowly wilting under Randall's watchful gaze.
Then, we get the highlight of the masterpiece. After Randall correctly deduces that Claire has been lying to him, he gives her the full measure of his soul. It's chilling because it has a dual purpose. Yes, the story is told to intimidate Claire, to make it clear to her that Randall is willing to do anything to obtain the submission of his enemies, but its also the true measure of his soul. Randall is a sadistic soldier, one who is obsessed with controlling and dominating his enemies, receiving pleasure from his ability to dominate them. I think that's why he apologizes to Claire for his earlier effort to rape her, because it is actually out of character for him, a lack of control on his part, a moment of weakness that he probably feels he should have overcome.
The whipping scene while gruesome to watch is perfect, made so by Randall's recounting of it, delivered as if he is lost in a memory. It's so chilling because to Randall it was a masterpiece, a battle to break someone who had the sheer will to avoid breaking. It's like the ultimate challenge for him, to break someone with a will as strong as his. Tobias Menzies cannot be commended enough for portraying Randall with such complexity. He's a sadist and a soldier, but in some sense broken himself. When Claire discusses the possibility of redemption, you get the feeling that at some time, Randall may not have been the blood-thirsty lunatic she sees before her, but that overtime his war against the Scots caused him to give into his baser instincts. In the end, you feel that he has chosen the darkness, that he truly believes that this is who he is and who he must be. He's made all the more villainous, all the more terrifying because of this, he's a man who may not have been born a monster, born of the darkness, but one who has made a conscious choice to give himself over to it. I think this is what separates a compelling antagonist from a boring one, choice; the realization that men like Randall are made, are tragic in the sense that they could be better men, but choose to be monsters.
As a final point, I think that with the violence and sheer terror that Randall espouses towards Claire, it is hard not to get the sense that Randall has a great deal of respect for Claire in a twisted sort of way. In this time period and through the preceding episodes, Claire is limited and at times disrespected because she is a woman. You really get the sense that Randall views her as an adversary, despite some of the comments he makes regarding the softness of a woman and his implying that she is sleeping with Dougal. During the interrogation, he is fixated on her, he speaks at her level, he does not believe her fabrications because he respects her ability to manipulate others. It's strange that as abusive as he is, he recognizes Claire's uniqueness, her abilities, and the potential threats she could pose to him in the future.
All in all, this was Outlander's first great masterpiece episode, one that was enthralling from start to finish. It's a shame that it can't be rated higher than a 10/10
Tobias Menzies Reveals the Heart of Black Jack Randall
VickiHopkins14 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Antagonist. Archenemy. Villain. Adversary. Foe. In Outlander, it is none other than Black Jack Randall.
At first, Tobias Menzies allows us to meet mild-mannered Frank, and then turns us around and makes us hate him as the vilest character whoever set foot in Scotland. Black Jack dwells in darkness, and darkness is where he belongs. Tobias does an excellent job of switching from light to darkness in his role, and he should be congratulated for his performance. Now that I really hate him, let's talk about Episode 6 - The Garrison Commander.
Last week we were left hanging with Claire while she stood speechless after being asked if she was in Dougal's company of her free will. It's a damned if I do and damned if I don't moment. She could risk the lives of all the men of the clan, or take her chances again with the captain of the dragoons. You know she'd rather just run off to the stones by herself and get the deed done without any help from the Scots or the Brits, but at this moment she can do neither. What's a woman to do? Well, Claire reiterates that she is a guest of the Clan MacKenzie. Nevertheless, the lieutenant informs her that Lord Thomas will want to meet her anyway, and leads her and Dougal to a small village swarming with Redcoats. The scene that follows, from what I can tell, is an addition from the producers, wherein the book she goes directly to Captain Randall. Claire is introduced to a room full of men dining in their British finery of red and gold, with those George Washington powdered wigs. Welcomed as a fine British lady, she sits at the head of the table, while Dougal stands beside her chair and looks at seven officers in the British army. She feels right at home, while she thinks Dougal is the outlander this time.
If Starz wanted to lace this series with the deep misunderstandings and prejudices between the Scottish and the English, they did a good job. It's enough to make the referendum pass on September 18 when Scotland will vote whether or not to leave the United Kingdom. Every cliché insult is flung toward Dougal from: (a) I can't understand a word you're saying to; (b) what's underneath that kilt? Even after he leaves the room, the comments continue about the Scottish being ignorant, superstitious, and impossible to make peace with because they're not loyal subjects. Ouch! The prejudice is as thick as the powder on their wigs.
Then to Claire's shock, Black Jack Randall bursts into the room, which is more like the scene in the book but also extended. He questions Claire further, and she tells another tall tale that sounds even more confusing than the one she told the Laird at the castle. When she mentions how she's heard rumors about Randall loving to flog people, it opens up another flashback. He recites the flogging of Jamie with a hundred lashes on top of the hundred lashes already received. We don't get just the story, we get the gory visual effects of sliced flesh, gashes, dripping and pooling blood, and untold suffering that Jamie endured. Jack wanted to break him, but Jamie was unbreakable.
Tobias Menzies does a rather good job of revealing the darkness of Jack's soul as he portrays the reason for Randall's brutality. His sadistic nature is unfurled as he tells Claire about how the crowd watched in horror while he beat Jamie, but he thought it a thing of beauty as he created a masterpiece upon Jamie's back. The man's heart is as black as hell itself, and Claire makes the mistaken assumption that he can be redeemed.
Randall's interrogation of her continues, asking if Dougal is raising money for the Jacobites. Claire lies, of course, but Randall doesn't believe a word. He quickly dashes her conclusion that he can be saved, by punching her in the stomach. Then he orders another soldier to kick her while she lays groaning on the floor. No doubt it would have continued if Dougal hadn't come to her rescue. Randall relents, but orders him to bring Claire back at Noon the next day for further interrogation.
Well, if you've read the book, you'll know that the Scottish people of 1743 were superstitious, and Dougal takes her to St. Ninian's spring. He asks her if she's a spy once more, and since she doesn't drop dead after drinking the water, he finally believes her declaration that she's not. "Anyone who drinks the water and then tells untruth will ha' the gizzard burnt out of him." Claire's gizzard survives.
Dougal then explains to her the only way of keeping her from Randall is to have her become Scottish through marriage. The plan is set in motion, the marriage contract drawn, and Jamie and Claire are going to wed. Never you mind she's not a virgin but he is. At least one of them will know what they are doing! At the end of the episode, Claire does what she does best to cope. She grabs a bottle of liquor from one of the men and storms off to get drunk.
Now, I know all you lasses cannot wait until next week when vows are spoken, wrists get slit, blood gets mingled, and consummation of the marriage bed comes to pass. The question on everyone's mind is how much skin are we going to see? Based on Claire's romps in the sack with Frank, this could get hot.
Frankly, I don't care if I see bared Claire again--what's under that kilt is on everyone's mind. In order to handle it, I suggest cold showers before and after the episode airs. I bet, though, you'll all just tune in and watch it again an hour later. Bring tissues in case you drool.
At first, Tobias Menzies allows us to meet mild-mannered Frank, and then turns us around and makes us hate him as the vilest character whoever set foot in Scotland. Black Jack dwells in darkness, and darkness is where he belongs. Tobias does an excellent job of switching from light to darkness in his role, and he should be congratulated for his performance. Now that I really hate him, let's talk about Episode 6 - The Garrison Commander.
Last week we were left hanging with Claire while she stood speechless after being asked if she was in Dougal's company of her free will. It's a damned if I do and damned if I don't moment. She could risk the lives of all the men of the clan, or take her chances again with the captain of the dragoons. You know she'd rather just run off to the stones by herself and get the deed done without any help from the Scots or the Brits, but at this moment she can do neither. What's a woman to do? Well, Claire reiterates that she is a guest of the Clan MacKenzie. Nevertheless, the lieutenant informs her that Lord Thomas will want to meet her anyway, and leads her and Dougal to a small village swarming with Redcoats. The scene that follows, from what I can tell, is an addition from the producers, wherein the book she goes directly to Captain Randall. Claire is introduced to a room full of men dining in their British finery of red and gold, with those George Washington powdered wigs. Welcomed as a fine British lady, she sits at the head of the table, while Dougal stands beside her chair and looks at seven officers in the British army. She feels right at home, while she thinks Dougal is the outlander this time.
If Starz wanted to lace this series with the deep misunderstandings and prejudices between the Scottish and the English, they did a good job. It's enough to make the referendum pass on September 18 when Scotland will vote whether or not to leave the United Kingdom. Every cliché insult is flung toward Dougal from: (a) I can't understand a word you're saying to; (b) what's underneath that kilt? Even after he leaves the room, the comments continue about the Scottish being ignorant, superstitious, and impossible to make peace with because they're not loyal subjects. Ouch! The prejudice is as thick as the powder on their wigs.
Then to Claire's shock, Black Jack Randall bursts into the room, which is more like the scene in the book but also extended. He questions Claire further, and she tells another tall tale that sounds even more confusing than the one she told the Laird at the castle. When she mentions how she's heard rumors about Randall loving to flog people, it opens up another flashback. He recites the flogging of Jamie with a hundred lashes on top of the hundred lashes already received. We don't get just the story, we get the gory visual effects of sliced flesh, gashes, dripping and pooling blood, and untold suffering that Jamie endured. Jack wanted to break him, but Jamie was unbreakable.
Tobias Menzies does a rather good job of revealing the darkness of Jack's soul as he portrays the reason for Randall's brutality. His sadistic nature is unfurled as he tells Claire about how the crowd watched in horror while he beat Jamie, but he thought it a thing of beauty as he created a masterpiece upon Jamie's back. The man's heart is as black as hell itself, and Claire makes the mistaken assumption that he can be redeemed.
Randall's interrogation of her continues, asking if Dougal is raising money for the Jacobites. Claire lies, of course, but Randall doesn't believe a word. He quickly dashes her conclusion that he can be saved, by punching her in the stomach. Then he orders another soldier to kick her while she lays groaning on the floor. No doubt it would have continued if Dougal hadn't come to her rescue. Randall relents, but orders him to bring Claire back at Noon the next day for further interrogation.
Well, if you've read the book, you'll know that the Scottish people of 1743 were superstitious, and Dougal takes her to St. Ninian's spring. He asks her if she's a spy once more, and since she doesn't drop dead after drinking the water, he finally believes her declaration that she's not. "Anyone who drinks the water and then tells untruth will ha' the gizzard burnt out of him." Claire's gizzard survives.
Dougal then explains to her the only way of keeping her from Randall is to have her become Scottish through marriage. The plan is set in motion, the marriage contract drawn, and Jamie and Claire are going to wed. Never you mind she's not a virgin but he is. At least one of them will know what they are doing! At the end of the episode, Claire does what she does best to cope. She grabs a bottle of liquor from one of the men and storms off to get drunk.
Now, I know all you lasses cannot wait until next week when vows are spoken, wrists get slit, blood gets mingled, and consummation of the marriage bed comes to pass. The question on everyone's mind is how much skin are we going to see? Based on Claire's romps in the sack with Frank, this could get hot.
Frankly, I don't care if I see bared Claire again--what's under that kilt is on everyone's mind. In order to handle it, I suggest cold showers before and after the episode airs. I bet, though, you'll all just tune in and watch it again an hour later. Bring tissues in case you drool.
Absolutely amazing and chilling
floranocturna4 December 2020
This episode is the first one to really stand out from the others of the first season. Jack Randall begins to show his true face and it's an absolute pleasure to watch as Tobias Menzies pulls out all the stops and reveals all the twisted shades of darkness inside his soul. He knows how to make a truly hateful villain come to life. I literally got goosebumps during the scene between him and Claire.
A well done episode, but deviates from the book
mcampbelljh113 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This episode was very well done, even if a bit disturbing in its content. It's different than the book, yet follows the main plot of the book, it just has different people doing some of the same things in different ways (i.e., it has Black Jack Randall telling the story of Jamie's flogging instead of Dougal). The changes made seem to be for visual effects, to see the story rather than tell it. However, it does miss some important things, like Jamie's father looking on and dying while Jamie was being flogged. That has ramifications down the road as to why Jamie hates Randall as much as he does, and why he has such guilt over the incident. I suppose if I hadn't read the book I wouldn't know all this but a large percentage of the 25 million fans view's tuning in do. So deviations are bound to cause comparisons.
Claire is taken to the British headquarters to explain how she came to be the guest of the MacKenzie clan. At first she feels this is her chance to get back to the stones, and feels some affinity to the British officers she meets. But as she realizes just how arrogant they are, she begins to feels loyalty to Dougal and his people as well. She defends the Scots in front of the Garrison commander (a British General) and thus brings doubt as to her loyalty to the King.
In this scene I didn't like how the British officers treated Dougal (not in the book and not something I think Dougal would of put up with in real life). I liked the book version better than this scene. In the book version, it was Dougal who left Claire with Black Jack Randall as a way to see if she was a British spy. Dougal's status a clan chief to be feared and respected, as someone important to the British was more evident in the book than the show. I think that was an important piece missing from the TV version which made Dougal seem like an ignorant heathen and subservient to the British (not something I think Dougal would ever be; cunning yes, duplicitous yes, but never subservient). I think that's the only part of this episode that I really had a serious problem with.
The episode shows Jamie's brutal flogging by Randall, as a flashback in Randall's mind, as he describes it to Claire. This was quite a powerful scene and well acted. Even though it deviated from the book version, I found that to be an interesting way to show just how sick Jack Randall character is. Claire's reaction was sympathy (really for the man who tried to rape her but what the heck), followed by a rude awaking that he really is the sicko he describes himself to be. (Ok, none of this is in the book but it does allow the viewer an insight into just how twisted a mind the man has.)
The end of the episode basically follows the book. Dougal rescues Claire. He begins to believe Claire is not a British spy and tells her she must marry a Scot to stay out of Randall's hands. The scene ends with Claire and Jamie, discussing the idea of them marrying. Of course this was my favorite part of the episode (I love Jamie and Claire), even though they do not spend much time on it in this episode hopefully the next episode will be all about that.
I know the men out there do not want this to be a love story and I even heard Sam Heughan say it's not a love story (but really, it was!) and I hope they are not changing that aspect of the story as that's one of the main reason most of its fan base are staying glued to the show..(hint, hint).
I think there is a pattern here, where each episode seems to concentrate on one of the actor's characters interfacing with Claire this time it was mostly about Jack Randall, last time it was about Dougal, etc. I'm not sure I like that approach, even though it does give all the actors their chance at a bit of screen time, I'd much rather have a mixed focus. In this episode, less with the British Officers, and more with Dougal, Jamie, and Claire and the guys at the end would of worked better for me, and would have been more in line with the book.
Now I know I've talked a bit about the things I didn't like but really it was a well done episode with lots of tension, insight into the characters, and great acting by Caitriona Balfe, Tobias Menzies, Graham McTavish, and Sam Heughan. I think if you are new to the story you'll probably like it a lot, but if you're devoted fan you may notice some of the things I did.
Claire is taken to the British headquarters to explain how she came to be the guest of the MacKenzie clan. At first she feels this is her chance to get back to the stones, and feels some affinity to the British officers she meets. But as she realizes just how arrogant they are, she begins to feels loyalty to Dougal and his people as well. She defends the Scots in front of the Garrison commander (a British General) and thus brings doubt as to her loyalty to the King.
In this scene I didn't like how the British officers treated Dougal (not in the book and not something I think Dougal would of put up with in real life). I liked the book version better than this scene. In the book version, it was Dougal who left Claire with Black Jack Randall as a way to see if she was a British spy. Dougal's status a clan chief to be feared and respected, as someone important to the British was more evident in the book than the show. I think that was an important piece missing from the TV version which made Dougal seem like an ignorant heathen and subservient to the British (not something I think Dougal would ever be; cunning yes, duplicitous yes, but never subservient). I think that's the only part of this episode that I really had a serious problem with.
The episode shows Jamie's brutal flogging by Randall, as a flashback in Randall's mind, as he describes it to Claire. This was quite a powerful scene and well acted. Even though it deviated from the book version, I found that to be an interesting way to show just how sick Jack Randall character is. Claire's reaction was sympathy (really for the man who tried to rape her but what the heck), followed by a rude awaking that he really is the sicko he describes himself to be. (Ok, none of this is in the book but it does allow the viewer an insight into just how twisted a mind the man has.)
The end of the episode basically follows the book. Dougal rescues Claire. He begins to believe Claire is not a British spy and tells her she must marry a Scot to stay out of Randall's hands. The scene ends with Claire and Jamie, discussing the idea of them marrying. Of course this was my favorite part of the episode (I love Jamie and Claire), even though they do not spend much time on it in this episode hopefully the next episode will be all about that.
I know the men out there do not want this to be a love story and I even heard Sam Heughan say it's not a love story (but really, it was!) and I hope they are not changing that aspect of the story as that's one of the main reason most of its fan base are staying glued to the show..(hint, hint).
I think there is a pattern here, where each episode seems to concentrate on one of the actor's characters interfacing with Claire this time it was mostly about Jack Randall, last time it was about Dougal, etc. I'm not sure I like that approach, even though it does give all the actors their chance at a bit of screen time, I'd much rather have a mixed focus. In this episode, less with the British Officers, and more with Dougal, Jamie, and Claire and the guys at the end would of worked better for me, and would have been more in line with the book.
Now I know I've talked a bit about the things I didn't like but really it was a well done episode with lots of tension, insight into the characters, and great acting by Caitriona Balfe, Tobias Menzies, Graham McTavish, and Sam Heughan. I think if you are new to the story you'll probably like it a lot, but if you're devoted fan you may notice some of the things I did.
Waited a while, worth it.
iwanttoemailryan13 September 2014
Fantastic. How boring the first five episodes were, I can hardly believe I stuck with this series. I am glad I did. What a phenomenal episode this was. Visceral, haunting, horrifying and performances the like of which I have not seen. The twist of the captain at the end, a little sudden but still just a captivating episode. I await next week withing longing, not trepidation as I did the first five episodes. Bravo, please keep it up. I hope this continues. Claire and the captain had just incredible performances. The last two episodes saved this series for me. I will be watching, for sure. More history will help, and the dark aspects of this story give it legs. Please, please continue and don't water the visceral feeling down.
The main character is so stupid...
nicofreezer27 April 2022
Unfortunately she is not logical at all, she said she want to Come back to her timeline but she is unable to shut her F mouth of a table... And her words prevent her once more to continue her goals... I mean its not logical at all, the writers did a poor job here. When you have a goal that important in mind, to reach a place to finally Come back to your time and your lover, and you cant shut your mouth 2 minutes ?
No she had to defy every man she face... The episode did a good job setting a solid Bad guy and a "hero" For the story, i give an 8/10 but the stupid behavior of the main character might get me out of the show, unless she will change and become logical.
No she had to defy every man she face... The episode did a good job setting a solid Bad guy and a "hero" For the story, i give an 8/10 but the stupid behavior of the main character might get me out of the show, unless she will change and become logical.
1x06 review
jackDee-5656514 October 2020
Very Entertaining.
silarpac28 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
At first I didn't think I was going to like this since time travel is a rather overdone plot device for sci-fi. But the acting and characters are so well done that the series won me over.
I love learning history this way, but the part where the British officers make fun of the Scottish accent I found particularly interesting. In reality, the English accent of the 18th Century was very different from a 20th Century accent and the officers would have found Claire's accent very strange.
One more thing, this may be nitpicking but the English language has changed in other ways. Words are used anachronistically in this series, for example, the first use of the word "civilisation" in the sense that we use it today was in 1772. In the 1740s civilisation meant "law which makes a criminal process civil". In other words it was a very uncommon word that most people had never heard of.
I particularly love hearing the Gaelic language, especially the singing. I wish Netflix could have provided subtitles for what they were saying.
I love learning history this way, but the part where the British officers make fun of the Scottish accent I found particularly interesting. In reality, the English accent of the 18th Century was very different from a 20th Century accent and the officers would have found Claire's accent very strange.
One more thing, this may be nitpicking but the English language has changed in other ways. Words are used anachronistically in this series, for example, the first use of the word "civilisation" in the sense that we use it today was in 1772. In the 1740s civilisation meant "law which makes a criminal process civil". In other words it was a very uncommon word that most people had never heard of.
I particularly love hearing the Gaelic language, especially the singing. I wish Netflix could have provided subtitles for what they were saying.
Violent
marielaura-2038116 January 2020
This episode was too much
stephaniecox20 January 2020
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