Recap of Outlander
Season 5, Episode 2:
Between Two Fires
Jamie continues his governor-mandated search for Murtagh and the Regulators, accompanied by the eager Lieutenant Knox and a contingent of Redcoat soldiers. When a Ridge resident dies of appendicitis after being treated by ill-advised folk medicine, Claire decides to take proactive steps to try to spread 20th century medicine to their settlement.
Tropes
- Abled in the Adaptation: Claire declares that Roger is slightly short-sighted in his left eye, but nothing severe enough to effect his shooting ability, suggesting that his poor marksmanship is psychosomatic. In the books, he has a congenital condition that keeps his eyes from coordinating with each other to properly convey distance, meaning he'll never be able to shoot well because his eyes can't accurately tell his brain where the target is actually located.
- "Awkward Silence" Entrance: The crowd at the tavern who'd been talking loudly amongst themselves fall silent at the sight of Mr. Fanning, Lieutenant Knox, and Jamie. Since Lieutenant Knox's bright red coat marks him as a clear authority, they probably wanted to be able to hear everything the men were saying as Knox and Jamie were briefed on what has happened.
- Body Horror: Knox and Jamie are taken aback by the raw wounds left behind on the tax collector after he is publicly tarred and feathered. And it's made clear that he was the lucky one. His companion, the magistrate, is on the brink of death from the severe shock.
- Category Traitor: The arrested Regulators accuse Jamie of this, implying that his desire to be restored to Laird status has caused him to turn on his own people and serve the same Crown that historically persecuted them. This is further exacerbated when Jamie covers for Knox, claiming that Knox killed the prisoner in self-defense when it was actually a fit of rage.
- Cooperation Gambit: Jamie cooperates with Governor Tryon and his troops in order to maintain control of his lands and hopefully help Murtagh and the Regulators stay ahead of the Governor's efforts to eliminate them.
- Continuity Nod: When Marsali sees what Claire has done to Farrish's body, she immediately demands to know if Laoghaire was right to have called Claire a witch.
- Contrasting Replacement Character: Throughout the series, Jamie has had an on-going connection to a British officer. Knox is the third in this line, falling somewhere between the extremes Jack Randall and John Grey. He is far more affable than Randall, but his beliefs are not nearly as flexible as John's. Unlike Randall, he is able to see past Jamie's Highlander heritage, but unlike John, he cannot empathize with Jamie's opposing beliefs.
- Do You Trust Me?: Invoked by Claire to Marsali before she reveals the truth of what she did to Farrish's body.
- Due to the Dead: Subverted. The residents of the Ridge gather to hold funeral services for Mr. Farrish only for it to be revealed that Claire had the coffin filled with rocks so that she could hold Mr. Farrish's body and use his body for anatomy lessons.
- Harmful Healing: Mrs. Farrish uses a mercury-based tablets and bloodletting to attempt to heal her husband. In the 18th century, mercury is used for a number of medicinal purposes as it was not understood how toxic the substance is.
- Hypocrite: Invoked by Lieutenant Knox himself. He spend the ride to town ranting against the Regulators who flaunt the laws and maim and kill discriminately, harming anybody who doesn't follow their beliefs. But after killing a Regulator prisoner in a blind rage for refusing to acknowledge the authority of the Crown, Knox reasons that he had done the man a favor, granting him an honorable soldier's death rather than forcing him to wait to be tried in a court of law and likely hanged as a traitor.
- I Am Spartacus: The captured Regulators refuse to divulge where the rest of their group is camped or if Murtagh, their leader is nearby. When asked where Murtagh Fitzgibbons is, the prisoner replies that he is Murtagh Fitzgibbons, even as all parties in the room know that's not the truth.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Bree takes Roger to practice shooting. The consensus is that he would have trouble hitting the broadside of the barn.
- Innocently Insensitive: Lieutenant Knox waxes on about how he hopes he'll be rewarded with a land grant like Jamie's after they kill Murtagh Fitzgibbons. Later, he and the other Redcoats egg Jamie into taking a turn at throwing knives at a target that happens to be a wanted poster of Murtagh. None of them are aware that Murtagh is Jamie's godfather.
- Kangaroo Court: Lieutenant Knox acknowledges that the arrested Regulators will not receive a fair trial. They will be found guilty and hanged as a warning to anyone else who might be considering joining their cause.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Both Brianna and Marsali point out that Claire's attempts to further medical practices look suspiciously like witchcraft. Not a good look for someone who has already been convicted for witchcraft before.
- Odd Friendship: Jamie and Lieutenant Knox have a tentative friendship, but it can't grow much deeper than superficial because of Jamie's secret connection to Murtagh. However, Knox naively believe them to be on the cusp of a great friendship.
- Panacea: Mercury is being used as a cure-all because it's not understood how toxic and harmful the substance is. People see the vomiting and weakness as signs of the body trying to purge itself. Technically, they're right...
- Pen Name: Claire creates flyers for healthcare advice using the name of Dr. Rawlings, the man that previously owned her medical kit.
- La Résistance: The Regulators oppose Crown-dominated rule in the colonies.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: The Regulators methods are horrifying and destructive, actually causing fear and resentment in the very people they seek to help. While most people would agree they'd like more local control and lower taxes, it's hard to side with the Regulators after they've broken every window in town and set fire to all the horse feed. Even Jamie, who is extremely sympathetic to the Regulators, is horrified when he sees the victims of the Regulators tarring and feathering.
- Tar and Feathers: The Regulators drag the tax assessors to the center of town and paint them with searing hot tar and coat them with feathers as punishment for fleecing the town residents in the name of the King.
- The Time Traveller's Dilemma: Invoked by Brianna. She and Claire discuss the ethics of making radical changes based on future knowledge. Brianna argues that introducing medical care decades or even centuries ahead of its time could affect the present or the future in unknown ways. Claire points out that she's already radically affecting the past, as without her time traveling, Jamie (who was shot in season 1, episode 1), Brianna, and Jemmy would not be alive.
- Torches and Pitchforks: The usual tools of the Regulators
- Undying Loyalty: Murtagh's faith in Jamie is so absolute that he insists that Jamie can be still be trusted even when Murtagh's men question Jamie's loyalties following the confrontation at the jail.
- We Do Not Know Each Other: For the sake of appearances, Jamie has to pretend not to know Murtagh or the Regulators who have been arrested. This allows him to be able to go back and free the surviving men without raising suspicion.
- You Rebel Scum!: Governor Tryon and Lieutenant Knox's opinion of the Regulators
