Outlander "The Hail Mary" Review. Am I My Brother’s Keeper?

Season 2, Episode 12

Air Date: Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 9PM ET/PT on Starz

Rating: ★★★★★

“Don’t you see, Sassenach? It is not from lack of trying. Do not wave the white flag just yet.” ― Jamie Fraser

The end of the journey is coming for these two.

A “Hail Mary” is an oft used football term usually referring to a desperation play, and in the case of this episode of Outlander, it is an apt title. “The Hail Mary” is, in fact, an episode that leads its viewers to the culmination of a number of events. One is the saving grace for an unmarried pregnant woman; the other revolves around a ploy to avoid the battle at Culloden. Season two has been nothing but plotting, scheming, and strategizing to stop the battle of Culloden. Well, we know how that turns out. So, with a final push to get the job done, desperation is thicker than the tension between a certain redcoat and the woman who loathes him more than anything.

Desperate Measures

This episode reeks of desperation. Everyone is anxious about something. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) want to avoid the battle at Culloden, knowing it will end in nothing but death; Mary (Rosie Day) and “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies) want his brother Alex (Laurence Dobiesz) to be cured of his sickness (which I’m guessing might be consumption); Colum (Gary Lewis) wants to be free from his miserable existence, knowing there is no getting better for him; and I’m ready for season three. Nothing against season two but so far, there have been too many games, trickery, and pretty fabrics. The overall story has been lost in the story telling and I’m steadily trying to find my love for the series since it has now fallen out of whack.

Clip: Cure Him

Of Note

I can’t watch Alex in agony. Dobiesz is too damn good with the coughing and misery he portrays. I couldn’t tell if he was having an asthma attack or suffering from whooping cough. What bothers me most about the scene is Mary’s consistent presence and the possibility she too could be contaminated if he’s infectious. Why doesn’t anyone ever take precautions when dealing with the ill? It’s stupid for her to be breathing the same air as a sick man while she’s pregnant.

Claire faces down Black Jack with no fear. I think he respects that.

Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) is still the man. “If you need to vent your frustration, then I’ll happily oblige you.” I love that he steps up to defend Claire when it seems Black Jack is going to lose his cool and hurt her. We see a different side of Black Jack here but know that he’s still the sadistic bastard he’s always been. Knowing Black Jack can care for someone other than himself is a nice look into the man’s deeper side but it doesn’t make me like him.

I realize Claire could only feel confident in having Mary wed Black Jack because he will be dead in a day. Otherwise, she’d be putting Mary in the line of the firing squad. The poor girl would be eaten alive by Black Jack, and not in a good way.

Clip: The Wedding

Dougal (Graham McTavish) isn’t always a brute and he shows it when he’s with Colum. The juxtaposition of Dougal with his brother in comparison to Black Jack with Alex is heartbreaking. How the two men deal with their grief is interesting. Dougal knows he’s done wrong and feels guilt over not being able to fix things with Colum. Black Jack gets pissed at Alex and takes his anger out on him. Both scenes are poignant and revealing, to say the least. I think Black Jack is in need of serious therapy. And a hug.

Quotes

Colum to Claire: “For what it’s worth, you have my deepest gratitude.”

Murtagh to Claire: “I’ve never been a father but Jamie’s parents chose me to be his godfather and he didn’t turn out too bad, did he?”

Clip: Nairn

Overall

This is the only time we’ll see Black Jack behave like a human being.

I’m excited to see how the season two finale of Outlander plays out. We know Claire returns to her time but we aren’t aware of the circumstances behind her return. Also, Black Jack’s due to meet his maker and I can’t be the only one dying to see how that comes about. Will it be at the battle or due to Claire and Jamie’s final act of revenge?

Drop me a line in the comments section or tweet me @ellemoe to discuss “The Hail Mary.”

The season finale of Outlander airs Saturday, July 9 at 9PM ET/PT, only on Starz. For more on the show, visit the official site.

Follow Outlander on Twitter, using #Outlander and don’t forget the cast: Sam Heughan – @SamHeughan, Caitriona Balfe – @caitrionambalfe, Tobias Menzies – @TobiasMenzies, and Laura Donnelly – @donnellylaura1.

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Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle