Whether you liked it or not, the commentary on my first installment seems to be mostly positive, so I will continue my version of Outlander, Season 2, Part Deux. Even if you hated it, I would still do this posting, so it’s useless to criticize me. I’ve been criticized by the great Cecil B. DeMille! It rolls off me like water off a duck (or an owl as in my case). 
Episode 205
At the end of dinner party last episode, Comte Sanger Man had the imbroglio reported to the Gendarmes, who came and arrested everyone. This episode opens with Jamie returning home early in the morning the following day. M. Duvernay was able to get everyone released except Alex Randall (The only one who should not be spending any amount of time in the Bastille due to his health). The Gendarmes require a written statement from Mary Hawkins, before they will issue a hall pass.
Jamie finds Claire waiting up for him and Fergus asleep, drooling on the brocade couch. He carries Fergus to bed, but makes Claire walk since she is “heavy” with child!
Jamie tells Claire why the rapists ran when they found out she was La Dame Blanche. When he had to be at Hoors R Us, he told the guys he couldn’t partake of the pulchritude because his wife, La Dame Blanche, would turn his privates to dust if he cheated on her. They realize at least one of the rapists had to be there on the night Jamie said this. Later, Murtaugh and Jamie are working at Jared’s (not the Subway guy) wine business. Murtaugh is feeling guilty that he didn’t protect the women in his charge from the roving rapists. Jamie reassures him that he couldn’t have done more. Jamie tells Murtaugh that Claire said the men were well spoken and well dressed,so they are probably from the upper class. He asks Murtaugh start investigating. They believe the rapists are associated with a group called Le Disciples led secretly by Sanger Man. Murtaugh starts his search and vows to get revenge.
Later, the Bonnie Prince arrives to inform Jamie, that he has partnered with Comte Sanger Man in a profitable wine selling venture. They are expecting a shipment at LeHavre any day. Le Comte has earned the trust of the Prince by spiriting him away during the brawl at the dinner party, so neither of them were arrested.(Isn’t that special? The only two people at the dinner party who really deserved to be arrested, weren’t). BPC (Bonnie Prince Charlie) asks Jamie to help Sanger Man with this assignment.
In the meantime, Claire visits Mary at her Uncle’s home. She is being kept in seclusion because she is no longer fit for polite company due to the rape. (Frankly, I was surprised she didn’t have a bag over her head or a red letter A on her forehead.) Claire tells her that she probably isn’t pregnant, because the rapist didn’t have time to finish. (Lucky Mary. She was raped by a man with stamina.) Claire asks for a letter to get Alex released from prison. As Mary writes the letter, she tells Claire that she is in love with Alex. Claire panics because she remembers that Mary Hawkins marries Black Jack according to the Randall Family Tree. If Mary weds Alex, Claire’s husband, Frank, may never be born. (Phantom of the Opera Organ music plays in the background).
Jamie meets with Sanger Man, and they agree to disagree! There is no love lost between the men.
Jamie goes home and tells Claire he has been thinking about the baby, even though she accused him of ignoring them. He gives her a large wooden box full of giant Apostle Spoons, a family heirloom that Jenny sent him from Lallybroch. Claire looks at them and is touched, but secretly wonders how she’ll feed a little baby with those big spoons!
Claire is frantically grasping at straws so that Frank will live. After Alex is released from the Bastille, Claire sets up a meeting with him. She wants to discourage him from marrying Mary Hawkins. Despite his great love for Mary, Alex sees the reasonableness of Claire’s concerns.
Next the Frasers head back to Versailles, where Jamie is assisting the Duke of Sandringham with buying horses from the King’s Stable. The Duke knows Jamie is a good judge of horse flesh, but questions his judgement about the Bonnie Prince. Jamie reassures him that he assists the Prince only to get the rightful king on the throne. The Prince is a necessary evil.
Unlike Jamie who loves horses, Claire can’t stand the smell of the stables, especially in her condition, and takes a walk on the grounds. Then she meets up with Annalise who proceeds to whine about the fact that Jamie is a man and no longer a passionate boy. (She didn’t choose him back in the day when he was a passionate boy, so what’s with her anyway? Is she Leghair’s bastard sister?) Annalise, ever the flirt, notices a man who is watching Claire. Claire looks over at him and sees it is Jack Randall. (Phantom of the Opera Organ music plays in the background, again).
Jamie sees them and approaches. Just as Claire says ,”F–k the King!” to Black Jack, you guessed it, the King walks up to them. There is a pregnant silence until they pull themselves together and bow to the King. My guess is that the King senses more about the situation between the threesome and decides to escalate the tension, just for fun. He proceeds to humiliate BJR, to the amusement of Jamie and Claire. Black Jack, however, is not (amused that is). I know that we were all applauding King Louis in our living rooms.
Claire excuses herself saying she isn’t feeling well and Jamie follows her. However he runs back as soon as he sees the King is gone. Jamie challenges BJR to a duel. Dueling is illegal in France, so they must do so in a hidden location. Claire panics immediately, because of the whole bunch of time travel stuff she has going on with Frank and the Family Tree. She decides she must get Randall arrested, so the duel won’t happen. The Frasers go back to their home. After Jamie gets out of the coach, but Claire tells the driver to head directly to the Bastille. She plans to accuse BJR of her attempted rape. Meanwhile Jamie is planning his final revenge.
When Claire returns from the Bastille, she tells Jamie that she has put Randall in prison for a short while, so the duel can’t happen. She begs Jamie to not kill Randall, but to wait one year. She explains the whole bunch of time travel stuff she has going on with Frank and the Family Tree. He is furious that she would ask him to hold back on his revenge. Then she pulls the You Owe Me a Life card and forces Jamie to agree to honor her request. She goes to him to wrap him in her arms in gratitude. He growls, “Don’t touch me!” Hence, (I’m sure you can guess) no sex again!
Episode 206
Claire and Jamie seem to have completely recovered from the emotional promise Claire exacted from Jamie to not kill Black Jack for a year in order to save Fraaaank’s life. Jamie talks to Claire about the project BPC and Sanger Man have come up with to raise funds for the rebellion. Claire comes up with the idea to get the ship and the wine destroyed by convincing the authorities the ship is infested with smallpox. She figures with some of her herbs and a few nettles, she can replicate the symptoms on the crew. So, of course, she tests her theory on Jamie. First, I want to know how a man exhibiting symptoms of the pox, can look so damn good.
Murtaugh thinks they are crazy and storms off to talk to himself. Jamie and Claire decide it is time to tell him everything! After Jamie tells him Claire’s story (leaving out the sex parts because Murtaugh would never believe him) which causes him to hit Jamie for not telling him sooner. Then he takes some time to think about what Jamie told him about Claire and the future. Claire finds him writing the years of her life on a piece of paper.
Claire heads off to the hospital where she meets with M. Fornay (he is the Royal Executioner who volunteers to do surgery on the patients at the hospital). He warns Claire that the King is on a rampage to find those practicing Satanic arts in Paris. If they are caught, Fornay describes in gory detail, how he draws and quarters the people he hangs, including ripping the heart out while it is still beating. (Ugh! By the way, could they have picked a better actor for this role? Not!) He suggests she let Master Raymond know. With a shudder she leaves to warn her friend.
Later, Jamie tells Claire why he really agreed to hold off killing BJR. He did it because of BPC. Jamie believes that despite his delusional ideation, BPC is convincing enough to get support from well-meaning, but stupid Jacobites. If he does, the battle at Culloden will happen. Jamie wants there to be a safe place for Claire and their child to go, if that occurs. He wants Claire to be with a man who loves her. He makes Claire promise she will go back to Fraaank, if the need arises (another King of Men moment).
The plan to get the wine shipment quarantined proceeds. Fergus and Jamie go to Le Havre, pour Claire’s Secret Smallpox Potion into the wine bottles the crew will use, and spread Nettle juice on the inside of their coats. All the crew has to do is drink the wine and put their coats on. Then voila! Instant smallpox! Jamie and Fergus return to Paris. The next day, Jamie is called to Hoors R Us, by BPC. The Prince and Sanger Man are upset by reports that an undiagnosed, potentially contagious disease has been discovered on the ship carrying their wine. Jamie plays it dumb and tries not to scratch his itch. They decide they must get the wine into Paris before the ship is quarantined. BPC assigns Jamie the job, but Sanger Man insists on accompanying him. Later on, Jamie and Murtaugh concoct a plan to ambush the wine wagon train, pretending to be Le Disciples. 
Who would ever think Murtaugh could pass as a rich Parisian fop, robbing a coach? His manners are as atrocious as his French! His French has a Scottish brogue! The Babushka disguise isn’t enough! We’re talking about fooling Sanger Man, here. What were you thinking? It’s like Claark Kent and his glasses!
Murtaugh complains about having to get fancified and dress in “Fop Clothes”. So Suzette offers to get him out of his clothes “tout suite”. Which seems to prompt the Frasers to head off to bed, too. They talk about their fears about the ambush, while laying in bed. Just then, the baby moves, which prompts Jamie to perform the second cutest act he does in Season 2. (The first one comes later) Of course, it turns Claire on and she gets all squishy. They proceed to have pregnant sex! Claire and I were not disappointed.
Claire worries the whole evening about Jamie and the fake ambush. She spends some time with her Parisian lady friends, but their conversation is so trivial and crass, she leaves them to go volunteer at the hospital. After a while, Mother Hildegarde notices that Claire is bleeding (but says there is nothing to worry about even though she makes a very concerned face). She makes Claire stay the night and sends Fergus to let Jamie know that she won’t be home tonight.
Despite the Stupid Alert, the ambush is successful and the fake Le Disciples steal all the wine. Jamie and Sanger Man go to the brothel to tell BPC that they lost the wine. The Bonnie Prince says the cause is lost and starts sobbing because he might have to live in Poland!
Jamie returns home to find that Claire has stayed at the hospital. Fergus tells him that he approved the decision for her to stay there. Jamie is suitably grateful. Just as he sits down to eat, Suzette runs in to tell him BPC is in trouble at Hoors R Us. He hasn’t paid his bill and Madame Elise doesn’t accept credit cards, so she will summon the Gendarmes if the bill isn’t paid immediately. Jamie rushes off to assist the Prince and Fergus goes along to guard his back. Unfortunately, Fergus should be watching his own back, as Black Jack Randall moves toward him with nefarious intentions.
Claire returns home from the hospital and finds out that Jamie has gone to fight a duel with Black Jack Randall. She is devastated because Jamie broke his promise. The episode closes with Claire having labor pains and bleeding after racing to prevent the duel. BJR is laying on the ground bleeding from his Wowwhatawillie, where Jamie stabbed him. Jamie is being arrested by the Gendarmes (they get around a lot in Paris, don’t they? Modern police could learn a thing or two from them). The Butler wrings his hands.
Since I did get one criticism that my last posting was too long, I have decided to do this in more than three parts. I have spent some time ranting already throughout this posting, so I don’t need to add much here. Once again, the cast and crew have done an admirable job managing the complexities of Diana Gabaldon’s tale without making it confusing , except for the part about Fraank and the Family Tree (doesn’t that sound like a 70’s knock off band?) My calculations show that approximately every 3 episodes, the Frasers have sex once. They appear semi-celibate, at least publicly. I have given up and now imagine what they are doing when we can’t see them. Suffice it to say, my imagination has run rampant.
Part Trois coming soon to a Church of Heughanology near you.
The Church of Heughanology 