Damn, that medical degree. Outlander‘s Dr. Claire Fraser is sworn by her medical oath to save lives, so when a British man of war ship overtakes the vessel that she and Jamie are traveling on, she can not ignore the acting captain’s plea to come aboard to treat his men. Jamie (Sam Heughan), Claire (Caitriona Balfe), Fergus, Marsali and a few of Jamie’s men had been on their way to the West Indies on the hunt for young Ian, who has been carried off by pirates with the treasure he had recovered for Jamie. The treasure was going to be used to pay off Jamie’s obligations to his second wife Laoghaire (Nell Hudson) and her two daughters, now that Claire has returned. See more pics from Outlander, here!
But, this being Jamie, Claire and the 18th century, there are always complications. First of all, it isn’t exactly easy to cross the Atlantic. Not at all like the trans-Atlantic flights that Claire is used to in the 20th century. Jamie has to contend with his debilitating sea sickness and stowaway step-daughter Marsali, who is determined to marry Fergus. Claire has to contend with the entire ship’s crew who believe it’s bad luck to have a woman on board. When the wind suddenly ceases for weeks, in the midst of the voyage, the ship mates start looking for a scapegoat, or what they call a ‘Jonah’ to throw overboard. Fresh water is running law and suspicions are running high when Jamie’s employee, Mr. Willoughby, who hails from China, sights a bird flying low. He knows that the bird is flying low for one reason — the wind is about to pick up. He just needs to distract the enraged crew long enough for the wind to kick in and the pack mentality to dissolve, before they toss an innocent man overboard.
Mr. Willoughby manages to enthrall the crew by confessing to his heartbreak over having to flee China to avoid being castrated as an “honor,” by the Chinese Emperor. Now, he’s considered a strange man, lonely in a strange place. Aside from Jamie and Claire, no one treats him as a full-fledged human being, because he is Chinese. Thankfully, his mesmerizing confession lasts long enough for the wind to fill the sails again and rain to replenish the ship with fresh water. However, that near-calamity is just a prelude to what is coming next.
In the meantime, Claire and Jamie, begin to get to know each other again and as Jamie says, :”whatever there is between us, it never changes”. Claire tells Jamie about how man has flown to the moon in the 20th century and what it really looks like, as they gaze at the night sky, and she confesses that while “my return has been confusing and frustrating, it’s never been a question of whether I love you”.
Their love will be tested one more time when that British man of war halts their boat and the very youthful acting captain climbs aboard and begs for a doctor. “For the love of God do you have a surgeon?”, he asks. His ship is struck with “infectious plague” or “ships fever” as he calls it and the captain and two second in commands have both perished along with 80 of their men, while another 140 are ill. Claire can’t say no. She suspects that the British ship has been infected with typhoid fever, which of course, she has been inoculated against. She can’t succumb so she agrees to board the British ship to see what she can do. What a horrendous disaster. The sick men are vomiting, have diarrhea, and are lying in their own filth. The smell and their agony are overwhelming. But Claire knows what she can do to try and save some lives. After all, she knows how to set up a quarantine to separate the ill from the healthy and she also knows how to best treat the ill even without modern medicine. Just after she tells the young captain what must be done to save as many of his crew as possible, he makes a radical decision. He kidnaps Claire. In his mind he can’t risk losing his newly discovered “surgeon” leaving him and having every man on board die. He figures that he’s also headed to Jamaica so he can always return Claire to Jamie once both ships arrive.
Claire is trapped. Jamie doesn’t know what the H is going on , and once again the lovers have been separated. Will they reunite next episode? What do you think Hollywoodlifers?