Recap of Outlander
Season 2, Episode 6:
Best Laid Schemes
As Claire and Jamie continue forward with their plan to interrupt the Prince's latest fundraising endeavor, they decide it is time to let Murtagh in on the secret of Claire's origin. Meanwhile, Jamie's promise to Claire regarding Frank and Jack Randall results in unforeseen and devastating consequences.
Tropes
- Berserk Button: Rape is this for Jamie. When he found out Mary had been raped, he was prepared to abandon their plans for thwarting the rebellion to go search for the men who'd done it. When he found Fergus being raped, it took four men to keep him from beating Randall to death and he immediately broke his oath to Claire, renewing his demand for a duel. It's exacerbated by the fact that Randall has brutally raped Jamie, raped Jamie's ward Fergus, attempted to rape Jamie's sister, Jenny, and attempted to rape Jamie's wife, Claire.
- Big "NEVER!": Cmte St Germain is determined not to give up his cargo and yells this in reply (but in French, "Jamais!") over and over again as Murtagh, dressed as a highwayman, demands he get down from the wagon. Jamais eventually has to knock him from the wagon under the guise of knocking him out of the way of a gunman.
- The Caper: Jamie, Claire, and Murtagh come up with a plan for triggering a smallpox quarantine on the Comte's wine stores so they can steal his supply. After sickening the men, necessitating the supplies be moved to avoid being destroyed due to quarantine protocols, Murtagh and his hired men hold up the transport, pretending to be Les Disciples, stealing the wine like highway men.
- Cliffhanger: The final scene has Jack Randall grievously wounded, Jamie being arrested for dueling, and Claire going into premature labor.
- Feeling the Baby Kick: Jamie is excited to feel the baby kick and spends the next few minutes talking to the baby in utero about how excited he is to meet them. The next episode makes this
Harsher in Hindsight. - Gone Horribly Right: Jamie is the guinea pig for Claire's concoctions as she attempts to fine a combination that will mimic the symptoms of smallpox. She is successful and Jamie is visibly suffering.
- Gossipy Hens: Louise and her friends get a great deal of enjoyment gossiping about the sexual liaisons amongst their friends, their husbands, and the household help.
- Groin Attack: During their duel, Jamie stabs Randall in the genitals.
- If Only You Knew: Louise's friend makes a callous statement about the poor that helps make it obvious why the poor eventually revolted and the French Revolution came to pass. Given their ages, it is reasonable to believe these women were still alive during the Revolution and likely suffered the consequences of their dismissive attitudes towards the suffering of the servant class.
- Internal Reveal: Murtagh is finally let in on Claire's time travel secret. His only reaction is to punch Jamie in the face for not telling him sooner. Otherwise, he's willing to believe them.
- I Was Just Joking: Jamie's reaction after he wistfully wishes another outbreak of smallpox would hit St Germain's warehouse, forcing the inventory to be burned. When Claire says she could make that happen, he begins to verbally backpedal until she assures him that she would only be imitating the symptoms rather than actually sickening anyone with a deadly and highly contagious disease.
- Karmic Injury: Given how many people he's sexually assaulted, being stabbed in the genitals is a well-deserved injury for Captain Randall.
- Kick the Dog: Captain Randall somehow decides that the appropriate response to a child committing petty theft is rape.
- Make an Example of Them: The king wishes to publicly execute people suspected of practicing dark arts as a warning to the city against succumbing to evil.
- Makes Us Even: After Claire demands that Jamie spare Randall's life as repayment for all the times she saved Jamie's life, Jamie points out that he's saved her life just as many times and they are even.
- Memento MacGuffin: Claire perpetually wears the weddings of both her husbands, one on each hand. In the ultimate scene, she is anxiously twisting Frank's ring around her finger, silently displaying her intense worry about his survival, should Jamie succeed in his duel with Jack Randall.
- My Fist Forgives You: Murtagh grows snippier and snippier towards Jamie and Claire as they continue to take inexplicable actions to sabotage the Jacobite Highlanders. Finally, he refuses to continue helping them unless they explain what's really going on. Jamie explains the truth of Claire, her time travels, and her knowledge of the future. Murtagh nods then punches Jamie in the mouth for having lied to him for the past two years. Afterwards, he's perfectly fine with continuing their friendship as normal and nothing more is said on the matter.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jamie withdrawing his duel challenge means the man is still alive and well to attack Fergus.
- Oh, Crap!: Master Raymond's response when he realizes the King is not merely talking against the Arts, but has given his Executioner instructions on what type of executions he wants implemented.
- The Promise: Jamie makes Claire promise him that if the time ever comes that it looks like the Battle of Culloden is inevitable and it is too dangerous for Claire to stay by his side, she will go back through the stones to Frank and safety. Episode one of the season has already established that Claire will actually have to follow through on this promise.
- Rape and Revenge: After Jamie finds Jack Randall assaulting Fergus, Jamie tries to beat the man to death and then demands a duel.
- Sudden Morbid Monologue: The King's Executioner goes into a long details about the art and science of drawing and quartering someone, thoroughly expressing that he enjoys the challenge of doing it in a way that will entertain onlookers. He then looks up at a Green Around the Gills Claire and apologizes for speaking of something so tedious.
- That Liar Lies: St Germain refuses to believe that the ambush that cost them their wine was a coincidence. He flatly accuses Jamie of being complicit in the theft. Fortunately for Jamie, despite being correct, St Germain is unable to convince Prince Charles that Jamie is not to be trusted in their schemes.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Fergus excitedly points out that he knows the game of charades because he's seen ladies play it in the nude with their customers, reminding the adults he was raised in a brothel without the guidance of parents.
- Understatement: Claire is concerned about Jamie and Murtagh's plans, noting that bad things tend to happen when she and Jamie are apart. Considering that the last time they were parted Claire was nearly burned as a witch and Jamie was imprisoned, tortured, and raped, this is a massive understatement.
- Upper-Class Twit: After listening to Louise and her friends gossip about their husbands sleeping with the servant, Claire suggests that they use their resources to help the lower classes who are literally dying of hunger in the streets. Louise's friends suggest they clean up the streets by moving the poor to the less desirable areas of town. Claire doesn't even bother replying, mentally accepting that the French Revolution was very justified.
- Warning Mistaken for Threat: Monsieur Forez explicitly describes the torture in store for practitioners of Dark Arts in France. Then he politely suggests she may wish to go visit to their mutual friend, Master Raymond, at his apothecary shop.
- Would Hurt a Child: After catching Fergus attempting to steal a vial of perfume from his quarters, Jack Randall decides that the appropriate punishment is rape.
