Summer has started which means I am mostly away on weekends. I was able to watch Outlander Episode 212 – “The Hail Mary,” yesterday night. First, the episode establishes the feeling of sadness, failure, and loss, characteristics that will be more prominent in the season finale. However, the relationship between brothers in this episode is what attracted me the most. I think the episode creates a particular contrast between two relationships. We do not know much about Black Jack. Based on Dragonfly in Amber and certain scenes in the episode, it seems that Jonathan loved his brother Alex. However, it looks that this love turns to hatred once Alex dies. The opposite applies to the relationship between Dougal and Colum. They have their differences. It seems that their relationship consisted of arguments. However, the fact that Dougal mourns his brother’s death is evidence that he respected and liked his brother. This post will be mainly about the Randalls. Tomorrow I will be posting about Colum and Dougal.
At the beginning of this episode, Claire heads to Inverness to replenish her medical supplies and encounters Mary Hawkins at the apothecary. Of course, Mary is polite but not friendly with Claire, especially if one compares their meeting at the estate of the Duke of Sandringham with this one. Mary reveals that she is there because of Alex, who acquired a job in Inverness, and that they plan to get married. She is upset with Claire’s recommendation to Alex to leave her (Episode 205 – “Untimely Resurrection”). What I like about this scene is that Mary is no longer timid. She expresses herself perfectly and does not hesitate to convey her feelings and opinions. Claire apologizes and decides to visit Alex, who is ill. According to book 2, Alex is suffering from tuberculosis, even though it is not stated in the adaptation at all. However, it seems to be the case since he has always had a chronic cough, even when Claire meets him in Paris for the first time. As Claire prepares a poultice, Black Jack appears. He is not wearing the Redcoat uniform, but a beautiful and elegant black outfit. His physical appearance diverges from the one in Dragonfly in Amber (ch. 38).
. . . His face was lined from ill health, pale from poor nutrition and a winter spent indoors, but showed no diminution of alertness . . .
. . . He was dressed in nondescript homespun, with a thick coat over plain brown breeks and hose.
I guess this difference is associated with the adaptation’s portrayal of the English army being in a better shape than the Highland army. This notion is further supported by the subsequent revelation of the English having a party to celebrate Cumberland’s birthday, which implies that they are well-provisioned.
Claire proceeds to leave, but Mary stops her saying that Alex has been sick for a while and unable to work. She reveals that Jonathan has been paying his brother’s bills. This comment shows one of Black Jack’s few assets; he cares for his brother. Claire tells Mary that Alex cannot be cured, which saddens Mary drastically because she is pregnant. Subsequently, Black Jack approaches Claire, and he asks her to heal his brother (probably because he thinks of her as a witch or simply because she saved Jamie). He settles for Claire easing his brother’s pain, which Claire agrees as long as he provides military information regarding the location of Cumberland’s troops. I do not like the adaptation of this particular scene. In the books, it is Black Jack who is willing to provide information about the English when he requests Claire to heal his brother. Book Black Jack is more humane than the TV version. However, in the adaptation, Claire only offers her services as long as Black Jack gives away the military information. Of course, TV Claire is trying to do everything to prevent Culloden from happening. However, I prefer the selfless nature of book Claire, always trying to heal even her enemies. Black Jack’s reply reflects the difference between TV and book Claire.
“. . . You would barter over an innocent man’s suffering. Madame Fraser, you impress me.”
Furthermore, this scene in the TV adaptation is inconsistent to the conversation between Dougal and Claire in Episode 209 – “Je Suis Prest,” in which she criticizes Dougal for being Narcissistic and selfish, and working for his self-gratification. It also reminds us slightly of the conversation between Alex and Claire in which she requests him to leave Mary in Episode 205 – “Untimely Resurrection.” It is also inconsistent with Claire’s subsequent revelation to Jamie in which she specifies that she wants to treat Alex since she owes both him and Mary an apology for their separation. Jamie agrees as long as Murtagh accompanies her. I guess this change in the deal between Claire and Randall is related to the TV adaptation making Black Jack “darker” than in the books.
The next interaction between Black Jack and Claire takes place when she asks Alex to inhale from a pipe that contains herbs that clear the respiratory airways. Black Jack objects to its usage probably because he associates smoking from a pipe with tobacco, which is not healthy. This scene is another example of the Captain loving his brother. However, the treatment does not ease the pain efficiently and leads to an argument between the two in which Murtagh has to intervene to stop it. Then, there is the conversation in which Alex requests Jonathan to marry Mary Hawkins. Of course, Black Jack does the unpredictable – he leaves, while he pleases his brother in book 2. One wonders what is going on in Black Jack’s mind.
Of note is the interaction between Murtagh and Claire before she goes to convince Black Jack about marrying Mary. In fact, Murtagh is willing to marry Mary, which would have been a perfect solution under ideal circumstances. However, a marriage between them will not work for the following reasons:
- If he dies, there will be nobody to provide for Mary and her child.
- Her family might find the marriage unacceptable because of him being a Scottish “barbarian” with no property and wealth (even though he would make a good husband and father).
- Mary does not only need the Randall name for her child. As a widow, she could claim the family wealth and property, and Randall’s officer pension.
- Less obvious is the fact that Claire is ensuring Frank’s survival in the twentieth century by safeguarding his ancestor’s well-being.
The third interaction between Claire and Black Jack takes place when he is drunk. Claire reminds him that he has a chance for redeeming himself and that opportunity relies on him marrying Mary Hawkins and pleasing Alex before his death. At this stage, he knows that he will die in a few days, so it does not make sense why he keeps refusing marriage to Mary. However, he proceeds in unsettling Claire by reminding her about Jamie and Wentworth, and that he enjoys causing pain and fear to his victims, and that it would not be proper for Mary to experience any of that. Of course, Black Jack marries Mary, and Alex dies immediately afterward. However, this sad moment does not stop Black Jack from beating his brother’s dead body. It seems that he stopped loving his brother the moment he chose to marry Mary. He does not mourn Alex at all. Is there an explanation for this behavior? Based on a personal experience, my mother once told me of an acquaintance of her who had lost a child to cancer. She could not accept the death. As a result, she lost her faith and she smashed every religious statue that she was able to find at that time in her house. It could be that Black Jack experiences a moment of despair in which he cannot control his impulses and starts hitting his brother. This scene resembles that one associated with Frank in Episode 201,”Through a Glass Darkly,” in which he starts hitting whatever is at his reach after hearing Claire’s revelation of her pregnancy. No wonder Claire is scared of Frank once she gets back. Is there any chance of redemption for TV Black Jack? The answer is a matter of personal opinion, and I tend to think that there is no chance of redemption for him.