S04.E05: Savages

[Nidratime]

Something that popped into my head when I watched the episode that I forgot to mention: when Murtagh was in the tavern with the former farmers pontificating about the taxes and how they need to confront Tryon and his tax collectors, I immediately was reminded of Dougal, in Rent, going from village ale house to village ale house building up support to pay money toward the return of Bonnie Prince Charlie. I don't recall that Murtagh was on that trip they took around the lands of Leoch, but he seems to have the same ability to arouse support for his cause. (And, of course, in the 20th Century, we see Geillis/Gillian doing the same thing at the University, although with a lot less blood and treasure on the line for those who might join in.)

[FnkyChkn34]

12 hours ago, cardigirl said:

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/transmission.html

The measles virus can only survive on surfaces for about two hours.  More likely Mueller carried it in, or his son did. It definitely came from town.  In the book, it ravages the Native American village.

 

12 hours ago, Pestilentia said:

Yeah, I wondered about that but there's so much lore about blankets carrying smallpox and infecting indigenous people that I thought they might have just extrapolated that to measles.

I'm still not ruling it out, it's a fictional show. ;-)

[TaurusRose]

On 12/2/2018 at 6:31 PM, Glaze Crazy said:

It really sets up how difficult it was for these settlers and the Native Americans in this clash of cultures, while dispensing with a peripheral character without actually messing up the overall story. The show runners have made this nearby NA tribe a lot more aggressive than the book one, which seemed to be happy to live quietly nearby and not cause trouble or interact with the colonists too much. In the book, when Mueller kills the two women it's such a nasty thing since, as far as we had seen, the book tribe hadn't bothered the settlers much. I speculate the smallpox storyline will play out like the book though, next week.

 d have started aging in the cave.

As a person of color and having personally dealt with the sense of entitlement from a lot of white people (note I said a lot of not all), I think DG’s books may have glossed over history in favor of telling the story of her main characters. I also think the sentiment I’ve put in boldface reinforces the Europeans’ point of view. If the NA tribes were “making trouble” it’s because they had been invaded, their way of life first denigrated and then destroyed by people who felt it was their God given right to take over a land that wasn’t theirs to begin with. From their point of view it was the whites making trouble. 

Mueller murdering the medicine woman in the television show was just as nasty because he acted like an ignorant, irrational, uncivilized, cowardly heathen.  

[pootlus]

Very behind now because Google Play saw fit to completely screw the uploads of the latest season.

Awesome to see Murtagh again.  The Mueller story was as tragic as it was supposed to be.  I kept shouting "it's not YOUR land!" every time Herr Mueller was ranting about how the Indians wanted 'his' land.

The bit that most got me was Claire sitting awake with the gun, jumping every time the wind howled through the trees. That must have been absolutely terrifying!

Surprised anyone would confront The White Sow though - glad she's made an appearance.

Cried like a baby when Murtagh and Claire embraced. 

[Kim0820]

TPTB know we want to see Jamie meet his daughter; they are dragging it out most shamelessly.  If not for the Murtaugh reveal, they would deserve to be be flogged.   I can buy the Grand Coincidence that of all the gin bars -  Murtagh is right there.  But at least a big point was made of Scots tending to settle there. 

Claire is going to be alone in the cabin.  Of course she will be in danger.  Of course she will be attacked.  At least it turned out that Mueller did not attack her physically.

Could Mueller have been the one to bring measles to his family when he was immune?  He'd already had it.  Unfortunate that they had to kill off Baby Klara just to make this point violently.  It was so sweet that they named her after Claire.  All during a plot it was hard to care about when I want to see Brianna come back in time.  

Once again, the British are being stupid - if they overtax people to the point they don't want to work the land, they'll get nothing.  It was believable that there aren't enough settlers there, though.  That was when mass immigration was wanted and needed.  So it made sense the men had better opportunities like a job in the town.