Recap of Outlander
Season 2, Episode 8:
The Fox's Lair
Seeking respite from their harrowing time in Paris, Jamie and Claire return to Lallybroch, only to be informed via letter from Cousin Jared that Jamie has been declared an ally of Charles Stuart and a traitor to the Crown. With little choice but to fight for Prince Charles' rebellion, the couple travels to Beauly to enlist the aid of Jamie's grandsire, Lord Simon of Lovat, stirring up tensions between Jamie, Lord Simon, and Colum MacKenzie.
Tropes:
- Adaptation Expansion: Laoghaire appears in this episode even though the character never appears in the source novel, Dragonfly in Amber. Ron Moore has revealed that she was added to set up her storyline in Season 3, since she reappears in the third book, Voyager.
- Anything but That!: Laoghaire is willing to do a lot to gain Jamie and Claire's forgiveness, but she puts her foot down when she thinks Claire is asking her to sleep with young Simon, declaring that she will not give up her "maiden head" for Claire. Claire has to clarify that she is asking no such thing and that women have more to offer men than just their bodies.
- The Atoner: Laoghaire claims to be this now. At the end of the episode it's revealed that she was faking her remorse to get back into Jamie's good graces.
- Baby Talk: Jamie spends time hanging out with his newborn niece. Particularly poignant since Jamie and Claire just suffered a stillbirth.
- Bastard Angst: While Jamie himself was born in wedlock, he's embarrassed to have to admit that his father Brian was a bastard child, born from Lord Simon and the kitchen maid. Justified in that Jamie lives in a time where being a bastard child severely limited social and financial prospects.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Claire has a few choice words to say to Laoghaire when the latter tries to apologise for almost getting her killed.
- The Bus Came Back: Colum, who has been Out of Focus, is also waiting to speak with Lord Simon.
- Child by Rape: There is some question as to whether Jamie's grandmother actually wanted to have sexual relations with Lord Simon or was forced to because of their respective social standings.
- Continuity Nod: The witch trial and Laoghaire's role in it are mentioned. Additionally, the community is working to harvest the potatoes Claire recommended Jenny plant when they were last at Lallybroch.
- Dysfunctional Family: Simon of Lovat speaks horribly of Jamie's grandmother, of Brian Fraser, of Ellen MacKenzie, of Jamie, and of his own acknowledged son, Young Simon. He tried to have Ellen kidnapped so she couldn't marry Brian, tried to steal Lallybroch, Brian's estate, and threatens to have Jamie's wife, Claire, raped. In response, Jamie very reasonably despises and distrusts Lord Simon, thinking him cruel and manipulative. Throw in Colum who doesn't think particularly kindly of either Simon or Jamie at the moment and the tension is untenable.
- Enemy Mine: Claire enlists Laoghaire's help in trying to sway Young Simon to stand up to his father and support the Jacobite Cause.
- Evil Is Petty: Lord Simon wants Lallybroch simply because it represents Brian's love for Ellen and keeping it for Jamie and Jenny was more important to Brian than the opportunity to be legitimized as Simon's heir.
- Gone Horribly Right: Jamie does such a good job convincing Bonnie Prince Charlie that he truly supports the Jacobite Cause that the prince feels comfortable signing Jamie's name to a letter publicly declaring the intent to wage war against King George and return King James to the throne. This letter instantly and irrevocably brands Jamie and his Clan as traitors to the Crown, their lives forfeit should they be caught.
- Grudging "Thank You": Claire ask Jamie to tell Laoghaire thank you for her help in persuading Young Simon. Jamie can think of nothing he'd rather do less given Laoghaire's role in nearly getting Claire executed as a witch, but he does so because Claire wants him to. Seventeen years later, when Jamie and Claire are separated with no hope of reunion, Jamie will marry Laoghaire. When Claire is horrified and furious upon discovering this, Jamie reminds her that she told him to be nice to the girl.
- Gruesome Grandparent: Lord Simon taunts Jamie about being the son of a bastard, acknowledges that he tried to kidnap Jamie's mother to prevent her marriage to Brian Fraser, admits that he wants to control Lallybroch simply because it meant so much to Brian, and threatens to have Claire raped because he knows it would upset Jamie.
- Hypocrite: Lord Simon thinks less of Brian for being born a bastard, Jamie for being the son of a bastard, Ellen for marrying a bastard, Brian's mother for birthing a bastard, but doesn't feel any shame for siring a bastard.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: In spite of constantly manipulating Jamie for the good of Clan MacKenzie, Colum seems genuinely concerned about Jamie and warns him against trading Lallybroch in exchange for fighting men.
- Love-Obstructing Parents: Despite refusing to legitimize Brian's birth, condemning him to a life of social ostracization, Lord Simon attempted to exercise his authority as a parent and forbid Brian from marrying Ellen. When that didn't work, he attempted to have Ellen kidnapped and taken to a faraway island. This created so much resentment that Brian turned Lord Simon away from Ellen's funeral service and refused his offer of legitimization after her death.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: When Lord Simon tries to invoke his status as patriarch to bolster his demand that Jamie sign over Lallybroch, Jamie points out that Lord Simon does nothing to prevent his men from taking advantage of the women on his estate. Lord Simon says that Brian is his, but Brian could just as easily be the child of any of Simon's men.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": Claire, Jamie and their friends when they realize Charles forged Jamie's name on his list of "supporters," making Jamie a traitor to the Crown.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Jamie plays up Claire's reputation as La Dame Blanche to stoke Lord Simon's fears of the supernatural to keep him from planning any kind of attack against Claire.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- Claire and Jamie's attempts to hobble the Jacobite rebellion results in Jamie being framed as a traitor to the Crown mere months after he finally cleared his name for murder, a pardon he'd been after for years. With a price back on his head, he's forced to leave his home again.
- Colum points out that the Jacobites have attempted to rebel multiple times only to be quashed by the lack of support. If not for extremely charismatic leaders like Jamie whipping the men into a frenzy, this attempt would likely suffer the same fate and all but the named rebels could go back to life as they know it.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Claire's request that Jamie thank Laoghaire for helping with Young Simon appears to have reignited her Yandere belief that she and Jamie are destined to be together.
- The Patriarch: Lord Simon is the Chief of Clan Fraser.
- Perverted Sniffing: Claire goes looking for Laoghaire and finds her sniffing one of Jamie's shirts from the laundry.
- Phony Psychic: Claire leverages her reputation as a White Lady, her previous trial for witchcraft, and his knowledge of Maisri's visions to have a "revelation" of Lord Simon's execution just in time to keep Jamie from signing away Lallybroch.
- Playing Both Sides: Lord Simon is known for alternately supporting exiled King James and whatever monarch is currently sitting on the British throne. The episode ends with Lord Simon signing a pact of neutrality with Colum to make sure Clan Fraser of Lovat is seen as uninvolved while sending Young Simon and his men to fight. If they are successful, he sent his men and only son to fight and will be rewarded as a supporter. If they lose, he can say Simon is an adult and decided to go on his own, but Lord Simon himself declared the Clan neutral.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Lord Simon's dismissive behavior towards women and his casual attitude about rape may be offputting to modern audiences.
- The Power of Lust: Claire believes that Young Simon will stand up to his father if Laoghaire, whom Simon fancies, hints that she likes men who can stand up for themselves and do the right thing. After Laoghaire flirts with him a bit, Young Simon does just that.
- Precision F-Strike: Reading how Jamie has been "named" among Charles' supporters, Claire gasps "Jesus Bloody Christ!"
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: One of the many things that make Lord Simon particularly distasteful is his casual attitude towards rape and the implication that he has raped more than one woman over the years, viewing it as his right as Laird, even marrying one or more of his late wives against their will. Given the MacKenzies' repeated stance that they don't hold with rape and the fact that Jamie himself actually has been raped, Lord Simon's continual threats to have Claire raped only further highlight why the MacKenzies and the Frasers of Lallybroch view him as such a repulsive man.
- Relative Ridicule: Lord Simon repeatedly mocks Jamie for being the son of a bastard and Ellen for marrying a bastard.
- Sadistic Choice: Jamie is faced with one when he negotiates with Lord Lovat. Turns out the Old Fox will only declare for Charles Stuart if Jamie hands over Lallybroch.
- Seers: Maisri. She sees visions of Lord Simon being beheaded. Although it does not play out onscreen, the real life Lord Simon of Lovat was indeed tried for treason and had the dubious honor of being the last man ever beheaded in Britain.
- Sham Supernatural: Jamie pretends Claire is a fearsome witch so that Lord Simon, who has a deep belief in the supernatural, will be too afraid of being hexed to attack her. Claire then pretends to have a vision of Lord Simon being executed as a traitor in a bid to convince him to commit his men to Prince Charlie's campaign.
- Threat Backfire: Lord Simon threatens to have Claire raped if Jamie won't sign over Lallybroch. Instead of being angry or afraid, Jamie laughs and tells Lord Simon to do his worst because Claire is La Dame Blanche and any man who "take her in unholy embrace" will have their testicles burst like frostbitten apples and their souls damned to hell for eternity. The threat ends up leaving Lord Simon as the shaken one.
- Serial Spouse: Lord Simon has had three wives and a plethora of affairs.
