Recap of Outlander
Season 6, Episode 6:
The World Turned Upside Down
Tropes
- Bitch Slap: After Malva claims she and Jamie slept together and he is the father of her baby, Claire slaps Malva across the face.
- Disease by Any Other Name: Many residents on Fraser’s Ridge get the bloody flux. In modern times it is known as dysentery.
- Gossipy Hens: Mrs. Bug, the housekeeper on Fraser’s Ridge, becomes one after she overhears how Malva is pregnant and Jamie is the suspected father. The rumor spreads like wildfire, and soon enough, everyone on Fraser’s Ridge knows of the drama. The really disreputable thing in this era, mind you, isn't so much that a gentleman would father a bastard but that he would refuse to acknowledge and provide for the child (no doubt spurred on by his shrew of a wife).
- Headache of Doom: Both Tom and Claire suffer from an illness that causes painful headaches and terrible nightmares. This is different from dysentery that infected Fraser's Ridge.
- Hidden Agenda Villain: Roger speculates the reason why Malva claims Jamie is the father of her baby is because she wants Jamie's property or money.
- Honorable Marriage Proposal: Young Ian admits to Claire that, unlike Jamie, he actually did sleep with Malva once, and suggests that he should propose to her because the child might be his. Claire tells him to hold off until they know the facts.
- Internal Reveal: While firmly stating that Malva's claim is untrue, Jamie does reveal to Claire his one (technical) instance of infidelity with Mary McNabb way back in "Surrender". Given that they were separated by time itself and it was the night before Jamie would surrender himself to the Redcoats, Claire is much more readily accepting, only noting that she wished he told her about it sooner.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Malva becomes pregnant and claims Jamie is the father. Jamie vehemently denies taking advantage of her, but Malva claims it was consensual and that she was trying to comfort Jamie when Claire was sick. Meanwhile, Ian and Roger know that Malva has slept with Ian himself and Obadiah Henderson and possibly other men besides, leaving the true paternity of her child uncertain.
- Mushroom Samba: Under the influence of ether, Claire visions Malva threatening her.
- Nightmare Sequence: Both Claire and Tom have nightmares during their illnesses.
- Or Was It a Dream?: During Claire's fever, Claire thinks she is dreaming when she sees Malva embracing Jamie. Turns out, it was not a dream, but Jamie was not encouraging Malva.
- Claire was not sure if Malva was really in her home during the ether scene.
- The Plague: Many residents of Fraser’s Ridge get sick and die from dysentery. Jamie finds the cause, a dead elk stuck in a Fraser’s Ridge water source.
- Precision F-Strike:
- While trying to save the MacNeills, Claire swears multiple times at the stress of the situation. Lizzie tells Claire to stop for the sake of the children.
- Later, when Claire is on ether, Claire swears at Malva to stay away from her family.
- A Pupil of Mine Until She Turned to Evil: Claire is disappointed and hurt after Malva comes forward with her accusations against Jamie. Claire enjoyed being Malva's teacher and saw potential in Malva until this occurred.
- Seduction-Proof Marriage: Much like the audience, Claire knows that Jamie loves her so much, he would never cheat on her in a million years. The problem is, the residents of the Ridge aren't as easy to convince of Jamie's undying fidelity.
- Slashed Throat: Claire finds Malva dead with a slashed throat in the Fraser's garden.
- Slut-Shaming: Due to Deliberate Values Dissonance, Tom made Malva confess her "sin" of getting pregnant out of wedlock in front of the congregation.
- Smells of Death: When Claire, Brianna, Lizzie, and Malva walk to the MacNeills’ cabin, they smell a terrible smell. Malva thinks it is a dead animal, but it turns out to be members of the MacNeill family.
- Traumatic C-Section: After Claire finds Malva murdered, she tries to save the baby by performing an emergency C-section. Unfortunately, the baby was dead, putting Claire under suspicion of double murder.
- Traumatic Haircut: During Claire's illness, Mrs. Bug and Malva cut Claire’s hair believing it would help her fever.
- Wham Episode: First, Claire almost dies from an illness. Then, Malva claims she and Jamie had consensual sex, and he is the father of her baby. Jamie vehemently denies this, but Malva insists it is true. At the end of the episode, Malva is found murdered outside of the Fraser’s home.
- Who's Your Daddy?: Even though Malva claims Jamie is the father of her baby, other men, including Young Ian and Obadiah Henderson, have slept with Malva, and it is unknown who the father is.
