Outlander: Wilmington | Season 4, Episode 8 | Rating: 9.2/11 |
EDITOR’S NOTE: Deep apologies for the delay in our Outlander episodic recaps. Chelsea was rear ended on the freeway a few weeks back and it’s been a slow (and still ongoing) recovery. Instead of recapping several missed episodes we’re just going to pick up here with S4E8.
There’s yet to be one episode of Outlander that hasn’t left us wanting more. The creative team behind this show knows how to tell a story, keeping the audience engaged from the first word to the last. Wilmington was no different, captivating in that way when you find yourself talking to the television screen. We’ve all been there, right?
To recap… Brianna and Roger have found each other in 1769. They become handfast. And then their relationship immediately falls apart. WHAT?! Meanwhile, Jamie and Claire attend the theater with Governor Tryon who has learned of the Regulator’s plan and is planning to ambush them. OH NO! MURTAGH! We finally get an update on Fergus and Marsali, who have recently become parents. NICE! And then Brianna gets raped by that pirate, Mr Stephen Bonnet, who beat Jamie, stole Claire’s wedding band, and was recently Roger’s captain. Boy he gets around.
LET THEM MEET ALREADY
This season has been pulling at our heartstrings much more than usual. The Jamie and Murtagh reunion was emotional. Then Jamie is reunited with his son, William, who still does not know Jamie is his father. Claire has to face not only meeting William (the child Jamie had with another woman), but also deal with Lord John Grey deeply rooted romantic love for Jamie. And now Brianna and Roger are in 1769, in the same town as Jamie & Claire, so close to meeting yet they haven’t crossed paths yet.
We learned that Brianna traveled through the stones in episode 405, and it’s now been three episodes worth of anticipation for a moment still yet to come. As Tom Petty says, “the waiting is the hardest part.” However, did anyone else squeal when Roger inadvertently meets Fergus while searching for Brianna?
THE UNSPEAKABLE
Rape is not an unfamiliar subject to Outlander, and the Fraser’s seemed particularly plagued by it. It’s a serious subject and handled with such raw exposed emotion in this series I’m finding it hard to even write about presently.
When Jamie was raped by Black Jack Randall we had to painfully watch the entire act unfold thus leaving the audience with a scaring impression and strong hatred for Black Jack Randall. But this time, with Brianna, the focus was on the public nature of the occurrence and how not one even person batted an eye at it or came to her rescue. Yes, unfortunately, this is a big spotlight on the times. But it’s not too far removed from current day as these situations still happen! As such, we couldn’t help but notice the political undertone to draw awareness and hold each other accountable: if you see or hear something, say something. Rape is not okay.