Outlander - Surrender - Review: Emmy Worthy Performances

I knew my wishful thinking wasn’t going to come to fruition. (I have read the books.) But I love a happy ending and really wanted a happy middle.

My thinking is that, as far as Claire knows, Claire is a widow, so it wouldn’t be wrong or a betrayal for her to move on. In fact, that’s what Jamie made her promise to do. But that just can't work.

After Brianna’s birth, Claire and Frank try to find their way back to each other, but it never really goes deeper than the surface.

There is a delicate balance in play here and the writers handled it masterfully. Neither Claire or Frank are happy, but neither has done anything intentionally mean or hateful. They are, each, simply married to a person who cannot fill the void left by the loss of their true love.

Caitriona Balfe and Tobias Menzies were also masterful in how they handled scenes that were simultaneously filled with longing, sadness and a sense of walking on eggshells.

They never let those scenes drift into over the top melodrama. I said it during season one after watching “The Garrison Commander” and I say it again now…these are two Emmy deserving actors.

We don’t see a real sign of life in Claire until she starts medical school. I think part of her ability to enjoy this change in her life is that she and Frank seem to have accepted the fact that their romantic life is over and found a way to live together. The separate beds was a great way to illustrate this. Though I must confess when I saw the two beds my first thought was “I Love Lucy.”

In the past Jamie is still a fugitive. The British have been looking for him for 6 years. Apparently, every time a new garrison commander is assigned to the area, the hunt for ‘Red’ Jamie Fraser heats up. Jenny, Ian and the Redcoats have established a routine over the years: The Redcoats roll into the estate, demand information, don’t get it, arrest Ian, and later release him.

Sam Heughan reminds us that he is also an Emmy contender with his performance this week. My heart broke for Jamie as he approached his family home.

He seemed skittish; ready to take off if a twig snaps. The charming, romantic, optimistic storyteller we have known since the show began is gone. He barely speaks. He said absolutely nothing when he was butchering the deer for Jenny.

Jenny and Fergus both comment on the fact that the Dun Bonnet is a shell of the original Jamie Fraser. Jenny realizes that the loss of Claire has a lot to do with her brother’s depression. The only thing she can think of is to try and find him a new love. She broaches the subject of remarriage and children. Jamie wants nothing to do with the idea.

But Ian gets it. In one of the episodes unexpected moments he let’s Jamie know that he understands that the loss of Claire is like the loss of a limb.

A couple of incidents push Jamie to put an end to this existence. Both involve Fergus proving that teenaged boys are not the sharpest tools in any tool chest.

First, after being told never to touch it, he grabs a pistol and kills a raven that is close enough to, according to Highlanders, kill Jenny’s baby. Of course the sound carries, and of course the soldiers arrive at the house to investigate. Jenny and Mary McNab manage to save that situation.

Unfortunately, they can’t save Fergus’ hand. Fergus antagonizes one of the Scottish Redcoat thugs until he cuts his hand off. Jamie saves the boy’s life by applying a tourniquet as he witnessed Claire doing. When Jamie broke down in Jenny’s arms, I had to pull out my box of Kleenex®.

Jamie comes up with the plan to have himself arrested. It solves several problems. His plan will get the family the reward money and finally convince the British that the Murry family is loyal. Jenny is completely against this plan. Her reaction as the Redcoats carry Jamie away is heartbreaking. When she yells that she’ll never forgive him, I believe she means it. It will be a long time before she forgives him for making her do this.

Miscellaneous:

The set designer did a fabulous job. I could not spot that cave entrance even after watching Jamie go into it.

I liked the long hair on Jamie.

When Jamie and Mary McNab got together, he did the same thing Claire was doing with Frank. Closing his eyes. When she mentions it, he can get away with the excuse that ‘it’s just something I do.’

Excellent. Excellent episode for me. I have to agree with the statement in the preview for this episode that several scenes from the book carry a much stronger punch when brought to life by this group of actors.

What did you guys think about the episode?