Outlander S03 E02: ‘Surrender’

On the last episode of Outlander, we saw Claire and Jamie move on with their lives without each other. Claire and Frank are raising little Brianna as their own, while Jamie escaped execution and was returned to Lallybroch. How did they fare this week? (There are spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the latest installment).

“Surrender” opens in Scotland in 1752. A British soldier is hanging a wanted poster for Red Jamie, with a hefty sum offered as a reward.

The redcoats arrive at Lallybroch and attempt to intimidate Jamie’s sister Jenny and her husband Ian, into telling them where Red Jamie is. Jenny denies that they have seen her brother recently. The British don’t believe her claim, and remind them that they could all be hanged for treason for harboring or assisting a Jacobite fugitive. Jamie’s family refuses to back down from their story, but Ian is taken into custody anyway.

Meanwhile, Jamie is hiding in the woods. After he sees the redcoat procession pass, he approaches his sister, who tells him that Ian was taken away by the British. Jamie now makes a cave in the woods his home, and his look reflects his current lot in life. The highlander’s long red hair is sometimes concealed by a hat, his face now sporting a mustache and beard.

Fergus comes to Jamie’s cave with a gun that he found hidden, wanting to learn how to shoot. Jamie tells him weapons are outlawed and that there will be no more fighting. Jamie’s stance on the matter is resolute, even after Fergus accuses him of being a coward.

Jenny is in her bedchamber giving birth to what would be a boy, when a raven is seen perched close to the house. Acting on superstition that the animal brings death, and fearing for the newborn, Fergus shoots the bird dead, but the sound of gunfire alerts nearby redcoats of illegal weapons.

Jamie visits his sister and new nephew. Jamie is holding the child, and Jenny tells Jamie that he should find another woman. After all, Claire has been gone for six years, and she thinks it’s time he meet someone else and have a family. Jenny suggests Mary, a woman who helps run her household. Jamie replies that he will never marry again. Jamie leaves his sister’s room with his new nephew in his arms, when redcoats enter the residence looking for the weapon that they heard. They storm into Jenny’s bedchamber, asking for the whereabouts of the baby after Jenny confirms that she had just given birth. She tells them that her baby died, the body removed for burial preparation. Not satisfied with her answer, the British ask to see the body.

Before Jenny can come up with a quick answer, Mary enters the room with the gun in hand and takes the fall for the weapon’s use. She explains that it was an item of her late husband’s that she kept, and that she shot the raven. The redcoats disarm Mary, and take their leave without taking her into custody, believing she is not a threat.

Claire is trying her best to adapt to her role as wife and mother. She is attentive to Brianna, and initiates intimacy with Frank, the lack thereof causing an argument in the last episode. Claire initiates lovemaking again following a dinner date with new friends Millie and Jerry, but Frank accuses her of thinking of Jamie instead. The next time they appear together, they say goodnight from separate beds.

Poor Ian is once again returned to his family. The British are relentless in their search for Red Jamie. Two are following Fergus through the woods, and he does his best to lead them away from Jamie’s hiding place. The boy taunts them, but when they have had enough of him, Fergus is held down as his left hand is sliced off by a British blade. Jamie can only watch from a distance, because to help Fergus is to blow his own cover. When the deed is done, Jamie emerges from hiding to aid the wounded young man. He applies a tourniquet and carries him home.

Although Jenny is grateful that Jamie helped Fergus, Jamie feels guilt that he should have stopped the redcoats before the situation escalated. Realizing that the British will never ease their pursuit of him, he attempts to persuade Jenny to turn him in. Not only will the family benefit from the reward money, but they will also be left to live in peace. Ian interjects that Jamie will most likely face prison than death; however, his sister is not in favor of turning in her brother.

Back at his sanctuary, Jamie receives a visit from Mary. She brings him food, shaves him and trims his long mane. He tells Mary that she was brave to come forward with the pistol and surrender it to the redcoats. Mary tries to seduce him, but it’s unclear if they sealed the deal, as nothing was shown beyond an awkward embrace and kisses.

When we next see Jamie, the stage is set for his apprehension. He pretends he is just returning home to his sister, and he is surrounded by the British who whisk him away into custody, their quarry finally caught. Jenny’s anguish is palpable, even as the reward is pressed into her hand.

Through voiceover, Claire laments that something is still missing from her life. She is enrolled in medical school, the only woman in her anatomy class. Something tells me that she won’t be intimidated and will successfully complete her courses.

What will happen to Jamie now that he has been taken by the British? Does anyone else feel sorry for Frank, knowing his wife is in love with someone else and that the child he’s raising is the other man’s? I really enjoy this show, and I can’t wait to see what happens next week.