If all I said was “this is the best episode we’ve had in this entire season, and maybe last season too,” I think you’d all understand, nod your heads, and go back and watch it again. Episode 712, Carnal Knowledge, is all-around excellent – acting, story…. and here’s a not-so-surprising idea – I’ll bet that 90% of the dialogue here is straight from Diana Gabaldon’s books. Which is always a huge piece of the recipe for any excellent Outlander episode.
This is the crossover from Echo in the Bone to Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, if you are keeping track. It was big and dramatic, but with quiet romantic pieces that do more than tug at the heartstrings; with subtle bits of acting; and without some of the “huh?” moments that have peppered a season that’s rushing to come to an end that ultimately didn’t have to be an end.
Of course, there’s a large storyline that’s missing, but unless you’ve read the books, you wouldn’t realize there’s a shadow of someone that should be there but isn’t – in the books, Jenny comes with Jamie, is also presumed dead, and joins the family in America. While I’m not giving up on this still happening, it hasn’t come up yet (in my interview with Steven Cree and Kristin Atherton, which is part of my episode 709 review, Kristin literally “zipped her lip” when asked if she reappears in the show).
Let’s talk about some of those moments.
Jamie & Lord John
As Jamie drags Lord John out of the house, trying to get past Redcoat sentries looking for him by taking John “prisoner,” Jamie doesn’t realize that there’s a problem between the two friends. In fact, Jamie gives the shivering John his coat, asks him to go along with the pretense, and thanks him for taking care of Claire. And when he finds out that he really took care of her, with John’s large awkward blurt “I have had carnal knowledge of your wife,” Jamie’s reaction is a simple, calm “Why?” Not that he’s not going to be angry no matter what the answer is, but it doesn’t seem like the degree of anger is too bad, until John pushes the Black Jack Randall button. This was literally a case of FAFO. John believes that he’s betrayed his friend, it’s eating him up, and he knows he has to spill the entire case of beans to get to the point where he can relieve his conscience, even if he thinks there is no chance of redeeming the friendship that is so important to him.
David Berry was superb in this episode! “What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Grey?” Woodbine asks. “LOOORRRDDD JOHN,” he insists, to the peasants. I loved the way Jamie actually stood up for him, despite having nearly killed him – “this man is not a soldier,” knowing that it would be even worse for John if he was! And later, I had to laugh at his astonished snarkiness when meeting with Colonel Smith at the camp, someone he’s known from London society, who has now turned his coat and is now siding with the rebels. A half-hearted suggestion that John might do the same isn’t taken well, and who thought it might be?
One note – the battle that is brought up, with Lord John’s relative General Gray, was the battle of Paoli, PA. If you want more info on this, click here.
A completely different side of his personality came through once he had been taken prisoner – his attitude with Denzel was terrific – snooty, but not taking any crap. “I do wish thy wife was here,” the doctor says. “My WIFE? Oh, Claire isn’t my WIFE any more. Jamie Fraser isn’t dead. He’s the one that hit me. But I was asking for it.” And that smile – oh my.
Jamie & Claire
This, I think, was where it was most obvious that Diana’s superb dialogue just made the scene. When Jamie comes back to confront Claire, he’s more hurt than angry. “I’ve loved you since I saw you, Sassenach. I’ll love you forever. It’s no matter if you sleep with the whole British army. Well, no, it would matter, but it wouldn’t stop me from loving you.” And later, he adds, “There is nothing in this world or the next that can take me from you, or you from me. I only have one more question – are you my wife?”
Claire is still coming to terms with everything that has happened – coping with Jamie’s “death” and resurrection, her close brush with suicide, triage sex with John, and now Jamie, demanding answers that she can’t really give. “There should be a word for what John gave me, but I don’t know what it is yet. It was triage. You do triage, you stop the bleeding first. You stop the bleeding or the patient dies. That’s what he did. He stopped it by placing his grief over mine.”
Both Sam and Caitriona deserve awards for their performances in this and the last couple of episodes. Both are superb at playing characters in conflict and pain, and so far, in 4 episodes of this half-season, there’s been enough conflict and pain to float us for quite a while.
And the Kids
William now knows at least some of the truth – not the circumstances of his conception, not the truth about the death of the man he assumed to be his father, but Claire provides a little bit of unsatisfying background. I think as modern people, and, I presume, not born to the aristocracy, it’s hard to understand the betrayal he feels, that everyone in his life has committed this huge trick on him. To this point, William has been sure in who he is, and in his place in society, but his life is upended now. And rather than take some time to think about it, and ask civil questions, he jumps immediately to “BASTARD! I’M A BASTARD!”
We meet Arabella… er, Jane! Actress Silvia Presente was perfect in this role, and hopefully we’ll get the continuation of this storyline in season 8. William is hurt, and not necessarily looking for any comfort, but thinks he may have found something in a whore who chats him up on the street. But he’s not in any mood to be trifled with, and takes out his worst side with her. Of course, Arabella insists he leaves, after he hasn’t been at all gentlemanly. I must say, he could have done with some anger management, or at least learn some emotional maturity, as a child. That’s on you, John!
What an interesting meet up between William, Ian and Rachel! Fresh from dual humiliations, William meets the newly betrothed couple on the road, pretty quickly slugs Ian for nothing except being more successful with the woman he loves, then explodes when he realizes that Ian could have clued him into to his parentage, but chose not to. It wasn’t Ian’s story to tell, though, was it! And while he has a soft moment telling Rachel that she didn’t do anything, she could never do anything, he turns and conveniently forgets that he hit Ian first when he turns Ian over to the patrol. This triangle is fascinating – good girl prefers the bad boy; good boy isn’t quite so good, but in other bad ways.
We only see Ian for another minute – but think about it, he doesn’t know that Jamie is actually alive, and comes upon him accidentally on the road! Ian’s grin says it all, since obviously, he can’t call out to Jamie without putting either of them in danger, but there’s a pep to his step after that, for sure! Everything will be fine now that Uncle Jamie is back.
The second part of William and Arabella is where I have my only problems with this episode. The scene in the drawing room, with Captain Harkness detailing his sexual preferences in front of the whores and other customers, wasn’t sufficiently harrowing for the events that occur after it (and some things we haven’t yet seen). Sure, he’s disgusting, but hasn’t made any overt noises about wanting to take Arabella for the night, and isn’t frightening enough, I didn’t think, about what he liked to do to the girls – after all, they’re professionals, and presumably have come across this particular practice before. But William, being the honorable man, doesn’t want to subject a woman that he has actually met, and wronged, to this disgusting man.
But even with all his protestations of honor being all he has left, he abandons that pretty quickly. IS he honorable, or does he just like to think he is? Or have the events of the last couple of days, and his reaction to them, temporarily overcome his breeding? Arabella is pretty persistent – after all, that’s her job, and she’s been paid for, but William seems to just throw his honor away, after loudly proclaiming that’s all he has left, and say “what the hell, why not.” I can’t say I’m the biggest William fan (even though the actor, Charles Vandervaart, is a charming fellow).
So where are we left for next week? Still back in the 1700s with Roger and Buck; the 1980s with Brianna; Jamie is back in the fray as a newly-promoted Brigadier General; and LOOOOORRRRRD John is escaping for his life through the woods! Oh, and William’s still a bastard… what a pretty situation we find ourselves in! Stay tuned…