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S03.E12: The Bakra


Athena
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I thought that they did a good job of compressing the plot again this week.

I was so distracted by Geillis putting on her robe when she still had blood all over her.

Sam Heughan is VERY talented in the smoldering looks department.

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10 hours ago, dbell1 said:

Odd how it became Dougal's family jewels and not Prince Charlie's war chest.

I thought they had changed this on the show.  It doesn't make sense that the box of jewels belonged to Dougal, but hey, time travel makes no sense either.

Love Lotte and how absolutely insane Geillis is.  Thank goodness Ian was not a virgin.  The non book readers have not commented on Geillis being an Abernathy.  It hasn't rung any bells yet.

The awkwardness of Claire and John being left alone together was palpable.  I cringed for both of them as they desperately tried small talk.

16 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

That bit of banter followed by devoted looks that we were treated to while Jamie and Claire stood in line to meet the Governor made me hug myself with glee.  At first I thought it was just a goody for the fans (longing looks and romantic back-ground music) but now I think it was there to contrast with the moment to come, when Claire sees John’s longing look and is troubled and confused that Jamie does not seem at all bothered (or surprised) by it.

Yes!  There was so much acting with just the eyes throughout the ballroom scenes.  Add to this the uncomfortable looks when Claire and John are left alone.

I'm confused about the prophesy.  It's been ages since I read the book, but didn't the prophesy imply that someone from Jamie's line would be king?  Not that the 200yo child had to die in order to crown a new king?

27 minutes ago, AheadofStraight said:

I couldn't get past the ridiculously smooth, non-moving forehead to notice anything else. I also watched on my phone so I may feel differently once I see it on the bigger screen.

Goats blood apparently works wonders.

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1 hour ago, AEMom said:

Sam Heughan is VERY talented in the smoldering looks department.

Hoo Boy! Ain't that the truth. The butterflies in my tummy were going wild. Reminded me of the luik he was giving Claire in season one, when she was drunk and changing his bandages. Tell me again that they still don't have it? PFSHAW!

37 minutes ago, Haleth said:

There was so much acting with just the eyes throughout the ballroom scenes.  Add to this the uncomfortable looks when Claire and John are left alone.

Oh my yes to the first, and absolutely to the second. It's what made this episode for me. Clearly I'm in the minority, because as a whole, I didn't love it and it just dragged for me.

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Oh my yes to the first, and absolutely to the second. It's what made this episode for me. Clearly I'm in the minority, because as a whole, I didn't love it and it just dragged for me.

For me, this episode was the exact opposite of dragged.

But, wow, I think Sam/Jamie is one of the few men who can look handsome even in those ridiculous wigs. (Actually Lord John/David isn't so bad either.) It's definitely bone and facial structure that does the trick. The wig kind of sets off their good looks. But, I was curious whether Claire was also wearing a wig since her gray hair disappeared. I was undecided because, if she was wearing a wig, she didn't go with the traditional white or light colored but basically matched her own hair.

By the way, can Bree's children also fulfill the prophecy?

ETA: Could Scottish King/Queen on the throne be a euphemism for Scottish independence?  That would make sense for the modern era, making Scotland independent and therefore creating a Scottish prime minister and/or president. Does Bree have any interest in running for office? LOL!

Edited by Nidratime
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12 hours ago, taurusrose said:

It didn’t feel like that at all to me.  There was plenty of tension between Claire and John Grey. I don’t know how she reacted in the book, but I got the feeling that show Claire sensed a strong bond between Jaime and LJG and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.  I loved her reaction at seeing John wearing the sapphire as a token of “friendship.”

I guess it's a YMMV thing.  The actors are certainly selling what they have to work with but the entire exchange read more like college friends getting together after awhile and the wife realizing that her husband's roommate had had a crush on him back in the day and was maybe still carrying a torch for him than anything else.  It was at best a little uncomfortable with not much else to it.

To be honest, I fully expected the return of Lord John to not amount to much after the show decided to make Jamie finally getting to learn about Brianna and see pictures of her about Willie instead and I got about what I expected.  The show is at its best when it just focuses on telling a good story and in its small moments but its handling of the big scenes has been uneven at best.  We know as bookreaders in Claire and John's interactions that John is an honorable guy and won't press any real or perceived advantage, but Claire doesn't.  She really doesn't know what to make of John.  She has very little idea of who she's really dealing with at all as Jamie up to that point has only mentioned that he was friends with the governor of the prison and oh yeah, he's that guy.  Throw in the huge reveal that John has also parented a child of Jamie's and was hugely important in all those years she missed and oh by the way, he's clearly also in love with him and it completely throws Claire off balance and sets up a fairly prickly relationship going forward.  The show has pretty much neutered all of that it in the same way that it's neutered John into just a really nice guy who happens to have unreciprocated feelings for Jamie.

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23 hours ago, Cloudberryjam said:

After listening to Matt and co in the behind the scenes bit after talking about how much they love Lotte and that they wanted to work her into season 2 also but didnt,  I wonder if they will go completely off the rails and

  Reveal hidden contents

Keep Geilis alive, have Claire chase her to Abandawe and then Geillis goes thru the stones. It would b waaay off book but they kinda changed the prophecy...and Lotte IS awesome....

Don't worry, she'll be back. When she seduces her own son (gross) when he and Roger go back even further (or was that in a Novella?)

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12 hours ago, Squirrely said:

 

I read Lord John and the Private Matter (drove out of state for the closest book signing too) and hated it. I just couldn't believe I was reading a book based on a prick sore. Haven't bothered with the others. It's a shame because I adore him in the main series. Maybe I need to try again. I can't wait til he shows up on the Ridge with Willie! If we don't get the outhouse scene I'm forever done with this show. ;)

 

12 hours ago, theschnauzers said:

May I suggest reading some of the other LJG novellas? At least The Scottish Prisoner.

My favorite is Brotherhood of the Blade.  You get a marvelous insight into LJ, both as a gay man and as a dedicated soldier.  

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I agree with @WatchrTina that the scene between Jamie, Claire and Lord John were tense. Yet I have to roll my eyes at the Tweet that states that this first meeting after many years shows what a "cherished friendship" Jamie and Lord John have. Because to me, Jamie looks discomfited and ill at ease when he sees that Lord John made a jewelry piece out of the stone that he gave him as proof of where he'd gone and why.

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 . . . and Jamie and Claire are torn apart from one another once again. Rinse and repeat. I complained about this last week. It's a recurring theme that's turning into a worn-out cliche. That, and all the coincidental meetings. What a small world, for Claire and Jamie to run into both Lord John Grey and Geillis at the same party in Jamaica. Wow. 

Quote

I guess we can fanwank that Geillis might have been a Fitzgerald fan who read his short stories. But the reference was clearly intended for modern audiences who know the movie.

Yeah - that kind of took me out of the moment, really. It's too obscure a reference for someone from the 1960s to make.

I didn't understand the reasoning for freeing the slave in Jamaica. They already said he'd just be recaptured again. 

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And this was, by far, my second favorite moment from the episode:

Now if I can find that smoldering looks scene or gif...

The beginning of the scene, but I want to see the actual smoldering....

And heeere it 'tis! Along with the original smolder from season one!!!!

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53 minutes ago, MelineB13 said:

Don't worry, she'll be back. When she seduces her own son (gross) when he and Roger go back even further (or was that in a Novella?)

No, it wasn't a novella.

44 minutes ago, Hybiscus said:

My favorite is Brotherhood of the Blade.  You get a marvelous insight into LJ, both as a gay man and as a dedicated soldier.  

That's my favorite Lord John story too. I liked The Scottich Prisoner for helping to fill in some of the Helwater years for Jamie from Voyager, too, but Brotherhood opens Lord John up a character quite a bit.

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6 hours ago, Nidratime said:

By the way, can Bree's children also fulfill the prophecy?

I don't think so, because it specifically says (in a round about way) a child conceived in the past and born 200 years later. Both of Bree and Roger's kids (so far!) have been both conceived and born in the past. They left shortly after Mandy was born because of her heart.

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This isn't a spoiler, it's just my speculation, but I think Geillis learns about Bree in the season finale, and that's why Claire kills her.  Since we're pretty far off book already, I think they'll need a different reason for Claire to attack her than Geillis nearly killing Ian.  (That was the reason in the book, right?  I don't remember any of this prophecy stuff from the book... someone please correct me if I am wrong.)  

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15 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

This isn't a spoiler, it's just my speculation, but I think Geillis learns about Bree in the season finale, and that's why Claire kills her.  Since we're pretty far off book already, I think they'll need a different reason for Claire to attack her than Geillis nearly killing Ian.  (That was the reason in the book, right?  I don't remember any of this prophecy stuff from the book... someone please correct me if I am wrong.)  

In the book, Gellis does learn about Bree--she spies the photos in Jamie's jacket pocket and steals one of them--and that's the main reason they go after Gellis to the stone circle intending to stop her, not kill her. But, things happen and they are forced to kill her at that point.

It's interesting how many things you think are unimportant in this series that really aren't in the end. I don't remember much about the prophecy from Voyager other than Gellis believed Brianna could fulfill that prophecy. But then when it all cropped up again in a later book I realized I should've been paying better attention.

Edited by DittyDotDot
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11 hours ago, Haleth said:

I thought they had changed this on the show.  It doesn't make sense that the box of jewels belonged to Dougal, but hey, time travel makes no sense either.

Yeah I wondered about that too.  In the book Jamie visits the island and makes small withdrawals from the stash on a regular basis, using the money to aid Jacobites who are struggling in the aftermath of the failed rebellion.  IIRC that is how he justifies taking some of the loot to pay off Laoghaire -- he has suffered greatly for his support of King James (including have to give away his estate and years of imprisonment) so for the first time he's going to take some of the loot for himself.  Since they did away with that whole aspect of the manner in which the money was used I guess they wanted to establish the money as being family money -- it belongs to TV!Dougal -- and thus it seems only right that Jamie should be entitled to some of it.

7 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

to me, Jamie looks discomfited and ill at ease when he sees that Lord John made a jewelry piece out of the stone that he gave him as proof of where he'd gone and why.

Yeah, doesn't Jamie actually make a point later on (when Gellis asks Lord John about the jewel) of correcting John's story about how the stone was "given" to him?  I agree that Jamie has strong feelings of gratitude and friendship for John but he is still uncomfortable when confronted with evidence or even hints of the depth of John's feelings for him.

Edited by WatchrTina
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About the box of jewels and coins.  I remember from the book that Jamie and Jenny and Ian speculated that is was meant for Prince Charlie, but wasn't that just speculation?  I thought they assumed it was meant for him because of the story of the "Silky's Gold."  Later we find that Jocasta actually did have Stuart gold, so I just thought that meant that the box Jamie found was probably something else (and not Stuart gold).

So I'm guessing that I'm completely wrong, but I'm hoping someone might remind me of things I've forgotten.  Do we really know who this treasure (rightfully) belongs to?

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49 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

About the box of jewels and coins.  I remember from the book that Jamie and Jenny and Ian speculated that is was meant for Prince Charlie, but wasn't that just speculation?  I thought they assumed it was meant for him because of the story of the "Silky's Gold."  Later we find that Jocasta actually did have Stuart gold, so I just thought that meant that the box Jamie found was probably something else (and not Stuart gold).

So I'm guessing that I'm completely wrong, but I'm hoping someone might remind me of things I've forgotten.  Do we really know who this treasure (rightfully) belongs to?

It's a little bit murky but in the books the treasure is a combined effort of Geillis, Dougal & the Duke of Sandringham.  It was definitely meant to benefit the Jacobite cause but I guess things went tits up before the treasure could be deployed. 

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5 hours ago, Ziggy said:

About the box of jewels and coins.  I remember from the book that Jamie and Jenny and Ian speculated that is was meant for Prince Charlie, but wasn't that just speculation?  I thought they assumed it was meant for him because of the story of the "Silky's Gold."  Later we find that Jocasta actually did have Stuart gold, so I just thought that meant that the box Jamie found was probably something else (and not Stuart gold).

So I'm guessing that I'm completely wrong, but I'm hoping someone might remind me of things I've forgotten.  Do we really know who this treasure (rightfully) belongs to?

I actually assumed the same thing, especially since so much of it was older than he expected it to be.  

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I don't know about the books, but on the show, wasn't the chest hidden in a crevice with a Mackenzie coat of arms over it? That would mean it either belonged to a Mackenzie or a Mackenzie was entrusted with it and they hid it there. But, that's the show. Either way, Jamie (and Jenny) would have a right to it since their mother was a Mackenzie and all other Mackenzies of the Laird's family are either dead or have run off to foreign lands.

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43 minutes ago, ElsieH said:

Is anyone else wondering where Jamie got 20 pounds sterling to purchase the slave?

I was actually wondering that too, especially since the reason that they were going to get the treasure and sell it in Paris was to pay off Laoghaire and I recall something about her wanting 30 pounds a year.

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8 hours ago, Ziggy said:

About the box of jewels and coins.  I remember from the book that Jamie and Jenny and Ian speculated that is was meant for Prince Charlie, but wasn't that just speculation?  I thought they assumed it was meant for him because of the story of the "Silky's Gold."  Later we find that Jocasta actually did have Stuart gold, so I just thought that meant that the box Jamie found was probably something else (and not Stuart gold).

So I'm guessing that I'm completely wrong, but I'm hoping someone might remind me of things I've forgotten.  Do we really know who this treasure (rightfully) belongs to?

As I recall, in the book the dying man who had been guarding the treasure said it had been sent by the White Witch to be given to a MacKenzie for the King's son. Jamie had figured it was the rumored French gold, but was surprised instead to find a small box--as I recall, it was not a chest but a small simple wooden box--with a couple hundred old old rare coins and a leather pouch containing the gemstones. 

I don't remember how exactly the treasure came to be on that particular island but since Jamie said the area was known to the MacKenzies and since Gellis was trying to get the treasure to Dougal, I'd guess it was meant to be a rendezvous place that Dougal was unable to get to before he was killed. As I recall, the coins were from the Duke of Sandrigham--there was a whole thing about Claire and Jamie meeting with a German coin collector while they were in France trying to track where the treasure had originated--and the jewels were Gellis' contribution to the cause. I can't remember why they waited so long to send the treasure, but it seems Dougal was dead by the time the treasure arrived, and then the cause was lost. Ironically, I don't think Gellis's treasure would've made any difference. It wasn't large enough nor in a form that would be easily used to feed an army.

So, yes, it wasn't exactly what Jamie had originally thought it was--the rumored 30 thousand pounds of French gold--but it was funds sent for the Jacobite cause.

3 minutes ago, AEMom said:

I was actually wondering that too, especially since the reason that they were going to get the treasure and sell it in Paris was to pay off Laoghaire and I recall something about her wanting 30 pounds a year.

I'm guessing Jared gave them some money for "expenses" before they left France. 

Edited by DittyDotDot
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12 hours ago, GingerMarie said:

 

12 hours ago, ElsieH said:

Is anyone else wondering where Jamie got 20 pounds sterling to purchase the slave?

Cousin Jared?  

 

That's a fair question given that Jamie Clearly didn't have the 20 pounds he owed to Laoghaire for the settlement.  In the book Jamie has been hired by Jared as Supercargo for the trip to Jamaica and Claire has been hired as ship's doctor so both would be entitled to some wages which, I presume, Jared pre-paid due to their being family.  In the book they also make use of the ship to pick up extra money along the way (hauling a load of bat guano from one port to the next though that bit of the book made the least sense to me seeing as how the hold should have still been full of Jared's wine at that point.)  At any rate in the book Diana at least makes an attempt at explaining where they get money. In future books Claire will routinely hang out her "Healer" shingle and treat random people in exchange for coin or goods.  In the TV show there is less time to address these more mundane aspects of life.

Edited by WatchrTina
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1 hour ago, ElsieH said:

Is anyone else wondering where Jamie got 20 pounds sterling to purchase the slave?

Me, me, me!!  Thought that immediately the first time I watched.  Leghair wanted 20 pounds, and then 10 pounds per year, and Jenny said 20 pounds is two years' earnings. 

I guess Cousin Jared is the best answer we've got.

2 hours ago, Nidratime said:

I don't know about the books, but on the show, wasn't the chest hidden in a crevice with a Mackenzie coat of arms over it? That would mean it either belonged to a Mackenzie or a Mackenzie was entrusted with it and they hid it there. But, that's the show. Either way, Jamie (and Jenny) would have a right to it since their mother was a Mackenzie and all other Mackenzies of the Laird's family are either dead or have run off to foreign lands.

Do we know what happened to Hamish?

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12 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I guess Cousin Jared is the best answer we've got.

Yeah see, I don't like that answer, because if he could just borrow the money from Jared, then why steal treasure to pay her? Then Ian wouldn't have been kidnapped, etc etc. Maybe he could have gone to work for Jared. But then, there wouldn't be any adventures on ships or ending up in the Colonies, so whatever. I rolled my eyes a lot when reading this part of this book.

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I would think that Jared would have pre-paid Jamie for escorting his cargo to Jamaica or allowed him to take a cut of the sale of the liquor upon arrival.

 

ETA:

Quote

Do we know what happened to Hamish?

I thought I read somewhere on this big, wide web that he and his mother fled to Canada. But, I haven't read beyond Drums of Autumn so I don't know.

Edited by Nidratime
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2 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Hamish shows up on Fraser's Ridge. I think during that interminably 100 page day.

I think that's a different Scottish lad who shows up during the never-ending day. They encounter Hamish much later; seems like maybe while they're at Fort Ticonderoga? Or just after?

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Just now, DittyDotDot said:

I think that's a different Scottish lad who shows up during the never-ending day. They encounter Hamish much later; seems like maybe while they're at Fort Ticonderoga? Or just after?

Really? Oh well. I could have sworn it 'twas Hamish. 

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2 hours ago, ElsieH said:

Yeah see, I don't like that answer, because if he could just borrow the money from Jared, then why steal treasure to pay her? Then Ian wouldn't have been kidnapped, etc etc. Maybe he could have gone to work for Jared. But then, there wouldn't be any adventures on ships or ending up in the Colonies, so whatever. I rolled my eyes a lot when reading this part of this book.

Well, I'm sort of okay with that answer, because when Jamie needed to pay Leghair, he knew that he had the treasure.  That's exactly what it could be used for, so why borrow from Jared and be indebted to him when it wasn't necessary?  But now, they don't have the treasure, so it could be Jared to the rescue.  I also agree with the other comments that Jared probably already paid Jamie something.  Maybe he paid Fergus, Mr. Willoughby, Hayes, Lesley, etc. as well, so they all pooled their money to save the slave?  Probably several options, but all leading back to "it was Jared's money."

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Hamish shows up on Fraser's Ridge. I think during that interminably 100 page day.

Nope - because I read that part.  It was awful, but I read it. ;-)  

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4 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

But I know they met up on Fraser's Ridge!!! Right? Or something.

I don't know, I guess I didn't get that far in the books.

From the Outlander Wiki, he shows up again in Echo:

Quote

During the Battles of Saratoga, Hamish is reunited with his cousin Jamie Fraserin the militia camp. He explains how he had made the forced oath to the King on his twelfth birthday after the failed Jacobite Rising, and emigrated to Nova Scotia with what was left of the MacKenzies of Leoch.

Edited by FnkyChkn34
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Jamie and Hamish meet up again for the first time in camp after the battle of Saratoga in Echo in the Bone.  Hamish is part of the Scottish contingent that emigrated to Canada and came down to the colonies to join the fighting.  That's where he tells the full story of what happened to the MacKenzies left at Leoch after the Rising.

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2 hours ago, ElsieH said:

Yeah see, I don't like that answer, because if he could just borrow the money from Jared, then why steal treasure to pay her?

I don't think he borrowed money from Jared and I can't imagine a situation where Jamie would borrow money from Jared in order to pay Lagohair. I think any money Jamie and Claire currently have is because they are on Jared's payroll. Jared didn't simply give them a ship, he hired them to transport his goods to Jamaica while also using the opportunity to look for wee Ian. 

27 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

But I know they met up on Fraser's Ridge!!! Right? Or something.

It was after a battle of some sort way north. Wee Ian literally runs into him, as I recall, and is confused at first because he's speaking Gaelic and sounds just like Jamie. They introduce themselves and realize they are related and wee Ian takes him to see Jamie. I think it actually might be not long after Jamie's finger was amputated and he was laid up. 

As far as I know, Hamish never visits Fraser's Ridge. 

There is a Archie Hays who is in command of the Highland troops that show up at the gathering at the start of the never-ending day, but that wasn't on The Ridge either. He was some kid Jamie knew from the uprising and they spend some time catching up. If I remember right, Hayes was one of the youngest boys on the battlefield at Culloden.

ETA: or what @nodorothyparker said while I was trying to remember which of the many battles it was...which I never did figure out. ;)

Edited by DittyDotDot
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 Finally got a chance to watch and bruuuuuh, Lord John’s face when he recognized Jaime was EVERYTHING. The flitting joy, confusion, hope, and then the practically visible stomach plunge when Claire is introduced were beautifully done (as was Claire’s wtf face in response.)

A+++ face acting there, Lord John.

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11 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Hamish shows up on Fraser's Ridge. I think during that interminably 100 page day.

I  believe it's easier to film that then read it . You keep all the important set ups and condense the rest into a montage of busy people doing their day to day things . 

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8 hours ago, MadameKillerB said:

My fiance hasn't read the books so he didn't know Geillis would be showing up again. His commentary while watching that scene:

<bloody foot> what the...
<rest of her emerging> hey now! 
<sees who it is> ...what?! Geillis! Yes! It is ON!
 

LOLOLOL!! 

 

Have u seen the Thats Normal website? Theres a woman who records all of her husbands Outlander reactions; she calls it Blurtlander.  Its super funny too...u guys should check it out:) 

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On 12/4/2017 at 11:26 AM, iMonrey said:

. . . and Jamie and Claire are torn apart from one another once again. Rinse and repeat. I complained about this last week. It's a recurring theme that's turning into a worn-out cliche. That, and all the coincidental meetings. What a small world, for Claire and Jamie to run into both Lord John Grey and Geillis at the same party in Jamaica. Wow. 

I agree.  I love this show to bits - appointment tv in our house where my hubby and I rarely agree on what to watch.  But I am getting a little tired of them getting separated and then they work their way back to each other.  We missed the episode after Thanksgiving and I missed last Sunday's....I am not really caring if I catch up.  And I have never felt that way before!

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20 minutes ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

I agree.  I love this show to bits - appointment tv in our house where my hubby and I rarely agree on what to watch.  But I am getting a little tired of them getting separated and then they work their way back to each other.  We missed the episode after Thanksgiving and I missed last Sunday's....I am not really caring if I catch up.  And I have never felt that way before!

But you're in the book talk thread, so ya'll know what happens...?

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