Recap of Outlander
Season 3, Episode 12:
The Bakra
Young Ian finds himself in Jamaica, held at the mercy of a mysterious figure. Finally arriving in Jamaica, Jamie and Claire attempt to use Jared's connections to get help in finding their nephew, only to discover they have an even more powerful ally available to them. Their plans are nearly derailed, however, when Claire's 20th century morals nearly cause disaster as she feels driven to intervene with the local customs of slavery.
Tropes
- Adapted Out:
- In the books, Claire suspects that Geillis' delusion of discovering the rise of the next Scottish King stems from untreated syphilis which lead to dementia. She even insists on giving Young Ian a shot of penicillin in case he may have contracted it from Geillis.
- In the books, there is a slave owned by Geillis Duncan-Abernathy who is implied to be an ancestor of Claire's 20th century friend Joe Abernathy.
- Betty and Veronica: Played with. An odd version in that Claire and John are not jockeying for position as the love of Jamie's life. That position is clearly Claire's. However, they do seem to be competing for who loves Jamie more. They were both there for him at low points in his life, both love him with all their hearts, and they each raised one of his children when he was unable to do so himself. Jamie is obviously devoted to Claire but he also has a lifelong connection to John and is clearly always very happy to see the man despite being aware of John's romantic feelings towards him.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When Claire tells Geillis that they're searching for Young Ian who has been kidnapped, Geillis gasps in dismay, laments the terribleness of a such a thing, and offers her help. Of course, Geillis is the one who is holding Young Ian, has already drugged and raped him, and is planning to kill him.
- Black Widow: Yet another wealthy husband of Geillis' has died unexpectedly, conveniently leaving her with all his money and property.
- Blood Bath: When Ian is dragged to her chambers, Geillis is bathing in blood. Ian is horrified as he has been told that boys who go to visit her never return. Geillis assures him it's only goat's blood to keep her skin young.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Gillian Edgars, aka Geillis Duncan, returns for the first time since the season 2 finale, Dragonfly in Amber.
- Lord John Grey returns for the first time since season 3, episode 4, Of Lost Things.
- Call-Back: Lord John and Claire reminisce about their first meeting in Season 2's Je Suis Prest.
- Cliffhanger: Lieutenant Leonard shows up to arrest Jamie just as they get a clue to Young Ian's whereabouts.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Claire is able to read Lord John's not so subtle interest in Jamie and reacts to him much in the same way she acted towards Laoghaire and Annalise years earlier, repeatedly reasserting her position as Jamie's wife and love interest even as Jamie is clearly thrilled to see John again.
- Culture Clash: Claire is horrified to see real life slaves and even more appalled by how inhumanely they are treated in the slave markets. While slavery and indentured servitude are more fact of life for Jamie, he still abhors the practice, having been pressed into involuntary service himself by the English. When forced to purchase a slave, he puts the receipt in Claire's name rather than his own.
- Devoted to You: Lord John is nearly speechless upon seeing Jamie again and nearly has hearts in his eyes as he promises to throw all of his resources behind helping Jamie recover Young Ian.
- Eating the Eye Candy: Lord John upon seeing Jamie for the first time in years, in much nicer clothes than the Scotsman normally wears. Claire even has to clear her throat more than once to break his stare.
- Fee Fi Faux Pas: When Geillis realizes that Lord John has the missing sapphire, she gets tunnel vision that completely blocks her ability to remember social niceties and plunges the whole group into a long awkward exchgange. She grabs for the stone that is resting mere inches from Grey's groin, making him visibly startle. He then has to firmly tug the piece back from her. He explains that he got it from a friend. Jamie corrects that he got it from a prisoner which Grey admits he likes to leave out of his telling. Geillis then hurries away with a promise to return soon.Lord John: She's a touch strange, isn't she?Claire: You have no idea.
- Foreshadowing: Margaret tries to warn Archie and Geillis that pursuing the third sapphire would result in blood and death. More concerned with being paid, Archie shushes her. Sure enough, both Geillis and Archie are dead by the end of the season, a direct result of the pursuing the sapphires.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: The nobility of Jamaica see owning members of other races as a status symbol. Most own black slaves, but they are particularly envious of Jamie and Claire for having a chinaman.
- Friendship Trinket: Lord John says he turned the sapphire Jamie gave him into a piece of jewelry in order to remember his friendship with Jamie.
- Friend Versus Lover: Claire and John initially have this type of relationship in regards to Jamie, although John is only a "friend" because of Incompatible Orientation and Claire is well aware of his true interests.
- From Bad to Worse: Claire is appalled to see how one of the slaves is being treated and attempts to free him. Her actions nearly cause a riot, forcing Jamie to wade in and begin throwing punches to free her. In order to calm the slavers and keep Claire from being arrested for disturbing the peace, Jamie is forced to purchase the slave. Having wanted to free the slave, Claire is horrified to discover she is now the not-so-proud owner of another human being.
- The Future Will Be Better: After seeing how truly horrified Claire is by the common customs of slavery and indentured servitude, Jamie and Claire discuss how slavery will eventually be abolished, but it won't happen for nearly another hundred years.
- If Only You Knew: Claire's response to Lord Grey deciding that Geillis is weird.
- Innocently Insensitive: The two women at the ball are enthralled with Mr. Willoughby. They gush about him being a genuine chinaman and are astonished that he even speaks English. Jamie and Claire, who merely see Yi Tien Cho as a fellow human being, are appalled by the woman's behavior. Jamie tries to bring Yi Tien Cho into the conversation, but the woman continues to talk to Jamie as though Yi Tien Cho is incapable of speaking for himself.
- Insistent Terminology: Claire and Jamie will only refer to Temeraire as their manservant, because they abhor the idea of owning a slave and intend to free him as soon as they can.
- Internal Reveal:
- Lord John learns that Claire is still alive.
- Jamie and Claire learn that Geillis escaped her execution.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Archie Campbell brings up the fact that it's a very weird coincidence that he and Claire met in Scotland, went separate ways, and then both ended up in Jamaica at the same time at the same social event.
- Longing Look: Lord John is not doing a good job of hiding his desire for Jamie. While Jamie more or less ignores it, having accepted that John has unrequited affections, Claire definitely takes notice. In several scenes, Lord John is in the background, slightly out of focus, staring at Jamie with a barely disguised look of utter longing.
- Memento MacGuffin: Lord John turned the sapphire Jamie gave him into a jewelry piece. It becomes the center of several conversations catching Jamie, Claire, and Geillis attention during the course of the night. The jewel is the third sapphire Geillis needs for her prophesy and she sets about trying to get it from John who is unwilling to part with it.
- Names To Runaway From Really Fast: The Bakra.
- Never Split the Party: Invoked by Jamie. Claire suggests they split up the party to cover more grown quickly. Jamie refuses, reminding her that they've only just managed to find each other again after the last time they were split up. It turned out to be a wise decision on Jamie's part, not long after Claire causes a ruckus that would have gotten her arrested had Jamie not been there to calm ruffled feathers.
- No Man of Woman Born: Geillis is given a prophecy that the next Scottish king will not rise until the baby who was 200 years old on its day of birth is killed. Her response? "A 200 year old baby? Do you think me an idiot?"
- Rape Discretion Shot: The non-consensual sex between Geillis and Young Ian is not shown onscreen, likely because Young Ian is underage.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Geillis takes great pleasure in detailing how she escaped execution and even gets a kick out of describing getting to watch her own supposed death. In reality, she was rescued by Dugal and the body of a recently dead woman was burned at the pyre.
- Stealth Insult: Jamie asks if he looks like a Scottish provocateur. Marsali tells him that he actually looks like a dandy. Fergus corrects her saying Jamie looks like a Frenchman. Mr. Willoughby flatly informs him that the two are one in the same.
- Sympathetic Slave Owner: Having purchased Temeraire in order to save him from a worst fate, Claire and Jamie can not free him as long as they are on the island, as he'll merely be recaptured and sold again. They try to be as kind to him as socially allowed and promise him that if he helps them locate Young Ian, they will take him from the island and free him.
- Tell Me About My Father: Inverted. As soon as Jamie gets Lord John alone, he asks for an update on Willie. He's visibly disappointed that he won't be able to see the boy in person.
- Touch of the Monster: Touch of Evil. The way Geillis touches and flirts with Young Ian would be seductive except that Ian is established to only be 16 years old and he is visibly frightened, horrified, and uninterested in having any type of relations with her.
- Truth Serums: Geillis doses Young Ian with something that makes him incapable of withholding the truth.
- Virgin Power: Geillis rapes then kills the teenage boys she abducts, believing their virginity strengthens her magical abilities.
- We Need a Distraction: Invoked by Jamie. They brought Mr. Willoughby, knowing that people would be so distracted by his modified oriental dress and exotic looks and features, they're less likely to notice Jamie or Fergus' accents.
- Wig, Dress, Accent: In contrast to his normal court dress, Jamie wears a traditional powdered wig so that his signature red hair can't be used to identify him.
- You Look Like You've Seen a Ghost: Invoked by Claire when she first sees Geillis.
