The Outlander has hit full stride now with consecutive dramatic episodes. With this weeks episode, we explore the plight of the soldier who must face the loss of a limb to live. It also gives Roger Mac another chance to prove some things to Jamie and perhaps bond some more. With that in mind, lets’s explore Monsters and Heroes.
Children are better at their GrandMa’s House
Roger is still healing from his recent hanging. He is talking but he has not regained his full volume. As the episode begins, he and Brianne are trying to get some “adult time.” Strange thing is that young children are somehow oblivious of adult needs. So when young Jeremiah awakens, he wants Daddy’s attention. Even if it takes a swear word to get it. No doubt learned from his Father thinks Brianne.
Speaking of Jamie, a knock at their door definitely sounded the end of any personal interfacing. Jamie tells them a hunt is being organized and he needs another good marksmen…looking at Brianne. She tells him as much as she would like to, she has committed to helping with the dyeing of fabric. He can, however, take Roger with him. Not exactly Jamie’s first choice but he would do.
The Hunt is on
So the hunting party goes out, while life continues on Fraser’s Ridge. The dyeing (cloth coloring…not the stop breathing kind) continued and Claire checked on Marsali’s pregnancy. She was ready to deliver at anytime.
Also during this time, Brianne inquired about if Claire was always sure she wanted to be a doctor. She was concerned about her and Roger finding a place in their new world. Claire said she was. But it wasn’t easy, and there were many obstacles in her way. But since she has went back to Jamie in the past, she has been called many things. Healer, doctor, witch…it doesn’t matter because she knows what she is. And while Roger is a History Professor, and she an engineer, if they decide to stay in the past, they will find their calling.
There’s a Snake Near my Boot
Meanwhile, as the hunt proceeds they come upon a small herd of buffalo. Jamie decided to split the party up as he and Roger intend to channel the buffalo toward them. However, when one them was in range, Jamie decides to take his shot. While he thought he hit the animal, it walked off. Unfortunately, he was not paying attention and a snake bit him on the leg. He took his knife and killed the snake but it’s work was done. Roger picks up the snakes head and pockets it.
Jamie gives Roger his Orders
And while Roger tried to cut out the wound and suck the poison out, which were both common cures in the 1800’s, it failed to help him. As he gets worse, Roger attempts to go find the rest of the hunting party but does not locate them. As night approaches, Jamie fears he will die so he asks Roger for a number of favors. He must take care of Claire and Fraser’s Ridge if he should die.
In addition, he must also kill Stephen Bonnet if Jamie cannot. Bonnet is the man who raped Brianne. (Another thing you would know if you had watched the entire series). Jamie is concerned that Bonnet will claim that Brianne’s son Jeremiah is his since the boy is the heir to River Run. Roger tells him he will not die and if he is to fight Bonnet, he will need Jamie to teach him to fight.
The Roger Mac Ambulance Service
The next morning, Roger makes a rustic litter to carry Jamie. He does his best but soon realizes he is not sure what direction he should be going. Jamie asks him which direction the wind is blowing. It was blowing west. Jamie tells him to follow the wind that would lead him home. In the meantime, the rest of the hunting party had already came home. When Jamie’s horse arrived with out him, Young Ian and Fergus lead a rescue party to find them.
As Roger continues to pull Jamie, he hears Young Ian calling him and Jamie and his dog Rollo’s bark. Roger decides to bang on a tree to help them find him. Rollo finds them first and leads the rest of the search party. They gather up Jamie to take him back to Claire. His leg is bad. And while she believes Jamie’s system can deal with the venom, the infection in his leg may require her to amputate it to save his life. Especially since she cannot administer an antibiotic like she needs to. Her syringe was destroyed in a previous episode.
A Limb for his Life
As Jamie lays on the bed, he spies the saw on her instrument table. He manages to get out of bed enough to grab it. He tells Claire he would rather die than lose his leg. He knows if he were unconscious he would not be able to stop her from amputating it. He makes her promise that she would concede to his wishes and refrain from doing so, even to spare his life.
In the meantime, Claire has people out looking for maggots to eat the dead flesh and clean the wound. And while that helps to a point, it has not stopped the infection and the time to make a decision about amputation is drawing near.
How do you stop a charging Buffalo?
If that wasn’t enough drama, as Jeremiah is playing outside, a rogue buffalo shows up. Brianne recognizes the danger and attempts to draw the Buffalo away. He charges her and knocks her to the ground. Claire has also recognized the situation and had grabbed a rifle. She shot and killed the Buffalo. They would eat well thanks to Claire and a wayward buffalo.
Young Ian lays down the law
Realizing his time was growing short, Jamie asks Roger to put him in his own bed. Which is apparently where he wanted to die. Young Ian questions why Jamie wanted to be moved instead of staying where Claire could care for him. When Jamie mentions he would rather die than lose his leg, Ian confronts him. He asks him if he would have felt the same way about his brother-in-law (Ian’s father) who lost his leg in battle or Fergus who lost his hand to a redcoat. Jamie tells him that they are braver men than him. He questions if it is the fact that they lost their limbs in “Honorable combat“ and not because of a lowly snake bite. To refuse to lose his leg was just his pride and stubbornness talking. He tells Jamie it is the first time he was ashamed of him, leaving the room.
Come Lay with Me
That night Jamie was struggling. He asks Claire to lay down next to him. For a moment, Jamie seems to succumb to his injury. She lays next to him, her naked body against his. Telling him not to leave her. Eventually, he stirs and gets through the night. When morning comes, he tells her he has changed his mind. He will let her amputate his leg. She must bury it where he will not know where it is. What was he going to do? Mount it on the wall? Try to put it back on? He was close to dying so I’ll give him that one.
Beautiful Engineering
While this important decision is being made, Roger is showing Brianne the snake’s head. She looks at it and just as Roger is about to throw it in the fireplace, she stops him. She has an idea. Back at the house, Jamie is preparing to have his leg removed. Ian returns to his bedside and apologizes for what he said. Jamie tells him he was right to say those things. Claire is getting ready and her hands are shaking. But before they can proceed, Brianne comes into the room telling them to stop. She explains about the beautiful engineering of the snakes venom transferral. She has taken the hollow fangs and made a syringe for the penicillin. Claire uses it to inject the antibiotic into Jamie’s leg.
A Labor of Love
While Jamie was being treated. Marsali went into labor. There was no time for her to be moved. She would have this baby now. Fortunately Fergus was there for her and she gave birth to their first little girl. Later we see Jamie in his bed, appearing much better now after the antibiotics have done their work. Claire talks to him and he explains that when he was close to death, he saw an corridor that he could go through. It came down to him going through or turning back. He said he turned back because she needed him. When she asked whether it was her love for her that had anything to do with his decision, he said: “Whether we’re together or apart, I will always love you.” As the episode ends. Awwwwww.
Thoughts:
Another drama filled episode with one more chance to explore the ever growing relationship of Claire and Jamie. In this one, the show examines Jamie’s pride. He places his worth on his ability to do all the things required of him for his family. If that ability is removed, he believes he would rather die than to not measure up to his own expectations.
Another Kick in the butt courtesy of Ian
He comes to this conclusion without appearing to concern himself with the effect his death would have on Claire or Brianne or his extended family. His lack of a limb would take getting used to, but he would still be alive. But his pride is a roadblock that he doesn’t seem to recognize. It takes Young Ian to call him out on it. The fact that he said he had lost respect for Jamie seemed to be the kick in the butt he needed. This is the second episode in a row that Young Ian has had to push someone to get them to fight. He’s probably thinking…”How the hell have any of these people survived without me to keep them straight?” Now if only they would explain what happened to Young Ian. Don’t leave us hanging here.
Brianne to the Rescue
This episode also gave Brianne a chance to use her Engineering expertise to save the day. Thankfully Roger was smart enough to keep the snakes head. Although, my wife and I deciphered the fangs use pretty quickly. We be smart like that. As for the Episode itself, it was another winner at a 8 out of 10.
This episode is just one more reason to check out The Outlander. This season has exploded in the last three episodes with high quality drama. Not that the previous episodes were bad but they were not of the intense, edge of your seat drama that has made Outlander much see TV. Did you watch Monsters and Heroes? Share your opinions with us at Geek Vibes Nation.
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Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
