BWW Recap: It's Finally Home Sweet 'Lallybroch' on Tonight's OUTLANDER

Last week's episode of OUTLANDER was wild. Witches. Time travelers. Courtroom drama. 'Lallybroch' was basically the complete opposite, but not in a bad way. It gave us all a chance to catch our breath--the calm before yet another eventual storm, I'm sure. It wasn't particularly action-heavy, but neither was 'The Wedding' earlier this season, and much like episode seven, what 'Lallybroch' lacked in momentum, it made up for in development, focusing more on characters and relationships. Plus we finally got to see Lallybroch, which was great, because Jamie just would not shut up about it, y'know...

When Jamie and Claire first arrive, the recently reinstated laird is chock full of warm fuzzies, happy to be home, and ready to show his wife around. His sister Jenny greets him with open arms, and a massive belly, but Jamie almost instantly seems, shall say, miffed? He takes one look at Jenny's swelling stomach and the mini Jamie running around and assumes they must both be Randall's. After all, the last time he saw his sister, she was being carried off to be raped by Black Jack. What else is a brother to think? Jenny, rightfully so, is insulted by her brother's brazen accusations, but just before the siblings' squabble can escalate any further, Ian Murray makes his first, and very timely, appearance. Hey, bro, this is my husband. Ian. Oh, cool, well this is my wife. Claire. That's more or less how the introductions go. Really awkward, and really tense.

The bulk of the episode, weirdly enough, seems to be devoted to Black Jack Randall, who only appears in a few flashbacks--but it's enough to leave a pretty nasty impression. Seriously. When the hour was up, I genuinely felt like I needed to take a shower. Or y'know, at least wash my hands. Maybe some Purell. But that's more of a credit to Tobias Menzies than anything else. The flashback with Jenny is especially hard to watch. Randall is just so...I'm trying to think of a word a bit more sophisticated than "gross," but that just about sums it up. He's gross. And he's scary. When he puts his finger in Jenny's mouth (my gag reflex is acting up at the thought), it's incredibly disturbing. It's a moment that goes on for a little too long, maybe, although maybe that was the point. As uncomfortable as it made us, imagine how Jenny must have felt. And in that tiny moment, Randall demonstrates just how much he really thinks he's in control. And he kind of is, until...he...ahem...can't "make himself ready." His own body fails him, and as Jenny laughs in his face, you can see how much it infuriates him, how humiliating it is for him, how satisfying it is for us. It does make us wonder though. Why...Alright, I'm just going to say it. We're all adults here. Why couldn't he "get it up"?

Until tonight, I don't think we were ever called to question Randall's sexuality. The flashback with Jamie at Fort William, therefore, adds a whole new element to his character, and his relationship with Jamie. When Claire asks her husband, innocently enough, about the last time he saw his father, I doubt anyone was expecting such a painful, disturbing story. When Randall offers to spare Jamie a second flogging in exchange for his body--if you know what I mean-it's kind of a huh? moment. Like, did we hear him right? The fact that Jamie gives it some serious consideration is even more surprising, and sad, when you get down to it. In the end he couldn't go through with it, of course, and is flogged once again, in front of a crowd that includes his father. He watches his son pass out from the torture, mistakenly thinks he's dead, and then dies himself. Wow. That's just awful, isn't it? But going back to Randall for a second, what does it mean that the Captain of His Majesty's Eighth Dragoons would have homosexual proclivities, when such a thing was so taboo in the 18th century? You could underplay it and write his proposition to Jamie off as just another instance of depravity on a very long list of sins, but that's boring. I think it's a game-changer, and something we'll all have in the back of our minds every time we see him in the future. It would certainly explain his hatred of Claire, that's for sure.

Alright, enough of my superficial analysis. Besides the whole Black Jack thing, the episode dedicates a nice chunk of time to the Fraser siblings, establishing tension right from the start, giving each a chance to share their story, and finally rounding it all off with a nice brother/sister heart-to-heart. Jenny's pretty mad at Jamie at first, though it's not exactly clear why. Not like that's anything new; for such a likable guy, Jamie almost always seems to be in trouble with someone. He's retaken charge of the household, with his wife at his side, and sure, the power may have gone to his head a little, but Jenny's frustration runs deeper than that. When she sees the scars on Jamie's back, she has a clearly visceral reaction--actually let's just pause right there, because I need to mention that random Redcoat who was all like, oh my gosh, water mills, I LOVE water mills, don't worry, dude, I GOT this. You, sir, were aces. Anyway, turns out Jenny had always partly blamed Jamie for their father's death. After seeing his scars, however, she now blames herself. If she had given in to Randall, maybe Jamie wouldn't have gotten flogged a second time, and maybe their father would still be alive. Jamie is quick to squash that idea, finally saying what I think we've all been saying from day one: it was really all Randall's fault. Everything's his fault. He's just terrible.

With the air thus officially cleared, the siblings can put the past behind them and finally enjoy each other's company once again. Happy endings for all, right? Nope. Wrong. In the last five seconds, Claire walks in on two guys holding pistols to Jamie's face, like a couple of thugs robbing a bank. What exactly is their deal? I have no idea. But like I said. Somebody's just always mad at Jamie.

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Photo Credit: Starz

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