Outlander Episode 15: Wentworth Prison

TRIGGER WARNINGS UP THE WAZOO, PEOPLE.

Torture, sexual assault.  Even beyond those things, it’s a dark, dark episode with a lot of terrible things happening. I promise you I will not use any explicit gifs for this episode or next episode.

Previously:  Jamie is in Wentworth Prison.  Claire has convinced the boys  (Thing One, Thing Two, Willie, and Murtagh) to help bust him out.

The title card is a pan over various torture devices, ending on an iron mask.

In Wentworth, a man with shackled legs is led up to the gibbet, and shoved off.  The foley artists have earned their year-end bonus with the cracking neck sounds.  Jamie stands with McQuarrie, waiting their turn and shooting the shit.  McQuarrie is saying that he finds the idea of dying while he can still stand up straight to be a blessing, seeing as when his neck snaps, he’ll be shitting out his bowels like everyone else.  Always look on the bright side, I guess?

Jamie offers to wrap his chains around the neck of the soldiers when they are taken to the gallows, and McQuarrie can grab a musket.  “They’ll shoot us down.”  Better than being hung.  Besides, Claire would be pissed if Jamie died without making some effort of a fight.  McQuarrie says that was Jamie’s mistake:  “I always knew I would die at the end of a rope, so I made sure there would be no one to mourn for me.”  That’s nihilistic, but I can see how it might be a comfort in the moment.

“Truth be told, I’m no’ looking forward to it much myself.”  McQuarrie’s name is called, but he won’t let them see that he’s scared.  “I’ve but one regret,” he says, as they take him away.  “And what would that be, Mr. McQuarrie?”  “That I’ll be climbing those steps before you.  Other way around and you could put it a good word for me with St. Peter.”  Jamie smiles a bit at that.  McQuarrie has his last words though- that his “last view of the world would be a bunch of ill-formed pasty faced Englishmen.  My only regret is that I wasted my life as a common thief when I could have been a patriot.  To the devil with England and God bless King-“ he’s shoved off the gallows and his neck doesn’t snap- through the rest of the scene he’s gasping and slowly suffocating.

I warned you this episode was rough.

They call Jamie’s name, and as he said, he put his chains around the guard’s neck and tries to go out fighting.  There are many of them, and only one chained Jamie, so he is overpowered and dragged to the gallows.  They put the rope around his neck, but before they can shove him off, Randall rides up, calling “STOP THE EXECUTIONS.”  Randall’s face when he sees how close he cut it is incredibly complex- fear, relief, lust, all rolled into one.  Jamie’s is equally complex- a combination of “thank god” and “oh fuck.”  Jamie is escorted to one of the dungeon cells, and he and Randall hold each other’s glares as long as Jamie can.

In the cell, Jamie, because Ellen Mackenzie Fraser didn’t raise no fool, is pulling at the chain that holds him to the wall.  Two guards bring him a decent dinner “courtesy of Jonathan Randall, Esquire.”  Jamie, still no fool, shoves food in his face while he continues to worry at the chain.

In the warden’s office, Claire is plotting.  She’s a friend of the family, she tells him, and would like to visit one James Fraser before…well, before.  She’s playing this with the right level of diffidence, but her face when he’s not looking at her betrays a lot of fear.  He’s been granted a temporary stay.  “How long as it been since you’ve seen the…individual.”  She offers that she felt that it was her Christian duty (after spying a well-used bible of his desk).  He buys that, but still won’t let her see him.  How about a letter, if he wishes to send one to his mother?  “You are thoughtfulness itself, Madam.”  He leaves the office, and Claire shakes and tries to keep control of herself.  He comes back with a box- a letter wouldn’t be appropriate, but here, take his personal effects to his family.

Claire comes out of the gate, where Murtagh is waiting, and as soon as she’s out the door, she breaks down, vomiting and hyperventilating.  Murtagh picks her up and carries her away.  “Up ye get, lass.  Up ye get.”

At an inn, Thing One and Thing Two are being themselves, playing dice with some randos. Murtagh, Willie, and Claire scowl at them for being so frivolous.  Willie tries to bright-side it himself, that these dudes got her out of Fort William so surely we can figure this shit out, right?  Murtagh dours that the Fort was designed to keep people out, while the prison is designed to keep people in  “What of it?” snaps Claire, and Murtagh’s like look, I’m just saying.

Thing One and Thing Two comes over, and are informed that they’re up for the next two rounds.  “Can’t do it, we’re skint.”  They’re really cheerful about it, as they have certain bits of information.  They bicker about who should tell the group their information, until Murtagh throws his ale in their faces.  Turns out they were losing to “not one, but two!” Wentworth guards!  Rupert is so proud of himself.  They learned that the warden insists on having his dinner alone, and then reads his Bible for 25 minutes.  “The man’s away from his office for a full hour!”  “Go on,” says Murtagh and Thing One is like “ISN’T THAT ENOUGH?”  Claire looks like she got her hope spot.

Back in the dungeon, Jamie is still pulling at the chain, when Randall walks in, trailed by a very large dude.  “Who so pulleth out the sword from the stone and the anvil….” Jamie’s not amused.  Randall is a cat, playing with his toy.  “So you couldn’t keep out of prison long enough to find out if your pardon had been granted or not.”  Randall pulls out the complaint Jamie left with Sandringham.  Sandringham likes to talk, and Randall heard about the plan.  “It’s an extraordinary document.  If presented to the court of sessions, they would probably find in your favor.”  Randall burns it.

Claire marches back into the prison,  saying that Sir Fletcher is expecting her.  His assistant is confused, as it is Sir Fletcher’s dinnertime and no one gets to bother him then.  Claire pulls the full “English lady that feels the Empire was her due” act.  Claire offers to wait in the office, with Murtagh (her manservant) for protection.  Once the assistant leaves, she and Murtagh start searching the office for keys and a map.

Back in the dungeon, Randall asks politely if he may use the name Jamie.  Jamie says he doesn’t care, but he’ll not beg for mercy.  Randall says that even if Jamie did, he couldn’t give it- Jamie will hang eventually.  Jamie would prefer the noose to Randall’s company.  Randall gets down to the creepy.  “Do I haunt your dreams, since Fort William?  When you awaken in the middle of the night, shaken and sweating, is it my face, you see looming in the darkness?  When you lie upon your wife, and her hands trace the scars on your back, do you think of me?”  Randall wants Jamie to admit that while Jamie escaped Fort William, he did not escape Randall.  “Give me that one simple thing, and I will give your something in return.  A gift.”  Randall will give Jamie the death he deserves.  Falling on a sword, hemlock, how ever Jamie wants to go.

Jamie sits.  “How will I ever choose?”  But he will make one, even if that choice is to not choose- Randall will have his surrender before Jamie leaves this world.

Back in the office, they haven’t found anything, but the assistant comes in to check on them.  He’s got keys!  He’s not amused at what he finds, and Murtagh knocks him out.  Claire devises a plan quickly-she’ll go find Jamie, and if anyone finds her, she’ll say that Murtagh fought with the guard and ran to find help.  Murtagh is to leave, saying that she sent him to get a gift for Sir Fletcher.  “Remember, you work for an Englishwoman of noble birth.  You take shit from NO ONE.”  They agree to meet in the woods.  Claire books it.

In the bowels of the prison, Claire hides from guards and probably curses her hard-soled shoes.  She finds cells full of men, but no Jamie.  One man tells her to try down below.

Down below, Randall and Jamie are still having a stand-off.  Jamie finally stands.  “All right.  I won’t surrender.”  Randall is pleased.  “There is a part of me that would be crest-fallen if you did.” He asks Jamie to show his back.  Randall’s thug waits menacingly, and Jamie agrees.  Once Randall is behind him, Randall says, “may I?”  Jamie nods, and the total creeper boner face that Tobias uses is brilliant and terrifying.  Randall pulls up Jamie’s shirt, and Jamie turns on him.  “You’re the one that sees MY face every night!”

Morley (the thug) grabs Jamie and they fight- Morley’s got brute strength, and Jamie is still chained to the wall, so it’s a short fight- Morley nearly strangles Jamie with a hammer, but Randall beats him off.  “You could have killed him!”  He is not ready for his toy to be broken yet.  He has Morley bring Jamie over to the table, and hold his wrist.  “I would lay it flat if I were you.”  Jamie’s hand goes flat, and Randall smashes it with the hammer, again, and again.  Claire, in the hallway, can hear his screams.

“Why do you force me to treat you this way?”  Jamie tries his best to pass out, but Randall slaps him to wake him up, and Jamie glares.  “There.  There you are.”  Randall holds Jamie and forces his hand to Randall’s crotch.  “Do you feel that?  I could take you right now.”  He almost uses Jamie’s hand to get off right then and there, and then says, “No, I will  not give in to coarse passion.”  He and Morley leave, to let Jamie think about what’s coming next.

Claire see’s them leave, and is about to run into the cell they just left, but notices a door with light underneath it.  She opens in, and it leads outside, so she removes the bolts that keep it locked from the outside and tosses them away.  She finally heads to Jamie’s cell, and there he is, nearly unconscious.

He tells her to leave, Randall will be back.  She didn’t realize that the man she saw was Randall, and won’t leave Jamie alone.  She tries to use the key and the hammer to open up his shackles, when Randall says, “You truly have a gift for showing up at the most unexpected times.”  She stands, slowly, and turns.  “You beast.” “You can do better than that.”  “YOU SADISTIC FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT” she lunges at him but he disarms her.  “You are more than a match for your husband.  That’s the best compliment I can give you.”

Two other soldiers run in, and see this tableau.  Everyone freezes awkwardly.  Randall unfreezes first and demands to know what the fuck they’re doing interrupting him.  They say that they have reason to believe that That Woman was involved in an escape attempt.  “Well, now you found her, congratulations.  But that’s the prisoner she hoped the free, you can see it didn’t work.”  Claire tries to get them to take her to Sir Fletcher, but Randall tells that she’s involved with a rebel plot, “God save the king!”  “GOD SAVE THE KING” the soldiers parrot, and run off.

Randall tells Morley to search Claire for weapons, and he does, grossly and thoroughly.  Randall himself isn’t “in the mood for cunt” but Morley would probably like to entertain her.  Randall would rather not watch, though.  It’s bound to be disgusting.  “I may have what are called “unnatural tastes” but I have some aesthetic principles”  Randall takes the pins out of her hair.  Randall goes over to Jamie while Morley paws Claire, and she jerks Marley off balance.  Morley goes for her, and Jamie takes a broken piece of wood form HIS fight with Morley and stabs him in throat.

Randall is now thoroughly over all of this, grabs Claire and the hammer, and smashes it next to her head.  “Are you watching?” he snarls at Jamie.  “STOP!” “Make me a better offer.”  Jamie says that he will submit to Randall if Randall lets her go safely.  “You’re word?” Randall says.  Yes.  Randall asks for a test of sincerity.  Claire cries for Jamie to stop.  Randall tells Jamie to put his smashed hand on the table, and picks up a nail.  Claire holds Jamie and Jamie holds Claire while Randall nails his hand to the table.

It’s awful and I will not lie and say that while I’m recapping, I did not watch this again.  The sounds were enough.

“Now kiss me.”  Jamie and Randall kiss while Claire moan-sobs.  “Take her away.”  “We’ll all remember this moment for the rest of our lives.”  Claire begs to say goodbye, and runs back to Jamie, saying she won’t leave him.  He tells her that she will and “I love you, my nighean donn.”  They kiss, and Randall finally drags her away.

In the tunnels, Randall says that he heard the most extraordinary rumor- that she’d been tried for witchcraft.  Claire stops.  “Yes.  Witch I am.”  Tobias does the most extraordinary thing here with his face: he 95% doesn’t believe her, but that 5% is strong, and it grows as she walks back to him.  “I curse you.  I curse you with knowledge,  Jack Randall.  I give you the hour of your death.  Jonathan Wolverton Randall, Born Sept 3rd, 1705, dies…” she whispers in his ear, and suddenly he knows that she’s telling him the truth.  He grabs her by the arm and shoves her through a trap door.

The trap door is the dump where they put the bodies of the hanged, and she see McQuarrie’s body.  She works really hard at not hyperventilating and she climbs out of the carnal pit into the woods.

Randall unlocks Jamie’s shackles, and Jamie grabs his hand.  “She’s away safe?”  “You have my word.”  Randall goes behind Jamie and cuts off his shirt.  Jamie’s eyes have gone distant but tears are forming, and Randall begins touching the scars.  “How does it feel to be alive and wear so much dead flesh.”  Randall runs his mouth along the scars.  “Shall we begin?”  Jamie begins to shake.

In the woods, Claire calls for Murtagh and Willie.  Animals howl in the distance, and Murtagh appears behind her.  At a nearby house, Claire slams a bottle of ale and announces that they have to go back.  A man stops in, grousing that it’s pitch dark, and “they” still haven’t brought in the cattle.  Murtagh introduces Claire to Sir Marcus MacRannoch.  Claire asks how many men can he muster?  Marcus says none.  The risk is too high.

Claire offers to pay, and pulls out her wedding pearls.  Marcus examines them, and blanches.  “Where did you say you got these?  Fraser, did you say your name was?”  Marcus was a suitor of Ellen Mackenzie, and gave her the pearls as a wedding present.  He won’t take them from Claire.  “Wear them in good health.”  “I’d have a better chance of doing that if you’d help me get my husband back.”

Marcus is still unwilling to risk his lands, his house, his wife, or his children, not even for the son of Ellen Mackenzie.  “It’s a bit much you ask.”  Willie’s like welp, it’s the five of us.  That’ll have to be enough.”  Claire tells them out the open door she left.  Thing Two grumps that an open door isn’t a plan, and Thing One goes “anyone?” as in, anyone got an idea?

The door opens, and Marcus’ man comes in with news that he’s got 19 cattle (out of the 40 he was supposed to go get).  Murtagh starts laughing, and Marcus demands to know what so funny about 21 missing cattle?  Murtagh gives what for him is a total shit-eating grin.  “I know how we can save young Jamie.”

RHG:

That was rough.  Tobias is a genius, and I promise you, when he gets his Emmy snub (as I expect he will, because the Emmys are the WORST) you will be able to tell from the sound of me flipping tables from Boston to LA.  I can’t even at the amount of complexity he gives to Randall, when it would be so easy to play it flat, and he’s fucking terrifying.

Sam and Cait were the workhorses of this episode.  I bet this was exhausting to do, if not kind of emotionally satisfying on a “I got to work with all these emotions” level.

It still leads me to the question though- how necessary is all of this?  When I first read the books, back in 1998 or so, I didn’t question it.  I do now.  Did we need to go down this path?

Elyse:

I knew this was going to be a tough episode, and next week is going to be worse. If I took one thing away it’s that the actors in this series are phenomenal.

I agree completely with RHG that Tobias plays a nuanced, crazy villain who is undoubtedly a complete and total nutter, but still has his own inner logic. His facial expressions alone… When he realizes he made it in time to “save” Jamie, the relief on his face is totally disturbing because the audience knows where that relief is coming from.

I completely felt Claire’s anguish in this episode. When she walked out of the prison with the box of Jamie’s personal items and bent over to throw up, I understood that. I empathized with her because Catriona just nailed it.

I had to walk away during the scene where Randall drives the nail into Jamie’s already ruined hand. It wasn’t the violence of the act that made it unwatchable for me, but Claire, clinging to Jamie, sobbing as he’s tortured. I could disassociate from the violence itself–knowing it’s not real–but the actors sold the pain and horror of it so well that it was stomach turning. Claire is coming apart and Jamie is struggling to be strong for her. It was absolutely heart wrenching.

The two best scenes in the episode, at least from an acting perspective, were Randall’s slowly growing horror as Claire tells him the date of his death and Jamie’s distant, terrified look as he realizes he’s about to be tortured and raped.

I did wonder though, if Claire tells Randall the date of his death, will that change it? Can he now take steps to alter his own timeline? Did we split off into a divergent universe or is it all inevitable? And if he does alter his own timeline, will Frank ever be born? And then will Claire ever go to Scotland and time travel? My brain is going to explode.

Speaking of Frank, we haven’t seen him in a long time. One thing that you really get from the TV show that you don’t from the books, is how traumatic it must be for Claire to see a man with her husband’s face torturing her other husband. Randall is such a monster that I don’t see how she could ever go back to Frank and not have massive PTSD.

Overall this episode involved a lot of watching between my fingers and dread. I fully plan on having puppy gifs at the ready for next week.

Outlander is taking next weekend off for the Memorial Day holiday, the finale will be on May 30th.  In the mean time, please enjoy some puppies.  Lots and lots of puppies.